The Doll Collector

Q & A

Welcome to the Q & A! Below are the questions that were asked.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: It was based on the Tap story I wrote, The Doll Collector. When I wrote that, I was sitting on the sofa and the title of the story came to me first, then I wrote around that, thinking of what a serial killer who is called the Doll Collector might do. When I decided to write a story, it had been originally a story about a different kind of serial killer, but it wasn't coming out well. So, I realized how much people liked it and were posting on my wall and sending me messages about whether I was going to turn the Tap story into a Wattpad story. I started planning and it came together quickly. I had an idea of what kind of serial killer I wanted him to be and worked hard to keep that atmosphere and character going strong throughout.

Q: WILL THE DOLL COLLECTOR AND MARIA HAVE A CHANCE TO BE TOGETHER?

A: Maybe :P

Q: How long have Jenny and Maria been friends? How did they meet?

A: Through their conversations, it is insinuated that they have known each other all through college, and since Maria is working towards her PhD, they have been friends for roughly 10 years. They met as freshman in college, as they were roommates.

Q: Just where on Earth do you get the humor you put into your stories, and how do you integrate it so well?

A: Honestly? I get the humor from my family, especially my mom. I get my sense of humor from her and so I transferred it onto my characters in the way that my family and I would talk to each other. Plus, when it comes to certain friends, the sarcasm just rolls off as if it were on a conveyor belt, so I just took what our conversations might sound like and gave it to my characters.

Q: What will the sequel be called?

A: The Admirer. For a long while it was named The Doll Collector 2 and I hated looking at the title so I knew I had to come up with something better

Q: What was your favourite bit of writing The Doll Collector?

A: Definitely writing The Doll Collector's POV. I loved tapping into that crazy mentality and creating a character that really you should hate, but low-key you feel sorry for, and you also kind of like him, but you know it's wrong, haha.

Q: But if in the beginning you said The Doll Collector had an office job and he would take leave from work 4 days per month to go "fishing" and his boss was younger than him, but he's a detective, and it kinda clashes?

A: There is an office job aspect of being a detective, and that's filing reports after working on cases or having someone come into the station. As for the young boss, Marner complained about Lieutenant Baby, an officer that was promoted before him and was extremely young. Cops have strange schedules and detectives are generally on call, so he would be able to take four days off if he requests them.

Q: Can you tell me how you've become a really good writer?

A: It's really sweet of you to say that! I don't think I took certain steps, but I've always been exposed to storytelling and as silly as this may sound, I think watching soap operas as a young child helped me understand plot and character development. Even now, I analyze storytelling in popular shows like Bates motel, Dexter, Stranger Things, Breaking Bad, and all those popular shows. I guess I'd say I've just really paid attention to the way stories are told, how they unfold, how they start, how they just move through the motions until the very end.

Q: I was wondering about the dolls. Will they be removed or destroyed or something? What will happen to Eloise.

A: That will definitely be answered in the sequel, something is going to happen. Don't any of you worry about Eloise, she is safe and will always be safe

Q: When writing as the Doll Collector, did you write his character to deal with a specific mental illness?

A: Initially no, I knew that he was going to have a childhood trauma that affected his psyche. I included symptoms of anxiety and depression because based on what happened to him, there has to be. He never spoke to anyone about this, he bottled it up. This will be talked about a lot more in the sequel, but the gist of what will be talked about, is that he has several issues, abandonment issues, mommy issues, daddy issues, it's all there.  And because of that, there are high levels of stress and pressure that mess with his fragile state of mind. There isn't anything specific, but there may be some type of mental illness that can categorize this.

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If I missed a question, I may not have seen it, and I apologize!

Make sure to mark your calendars for the sequel! December 22, 2017

I will miss you guys a ton, and I can't wait for you all to see what I have planed :D

Love you, -hugs-

Alli <3