Dana Mele

Dana Mele is a Pushcart-nominated writer based in upstate New York. A graduate of Wellesley College, Mele holds degrees in theatre, education, and law.

Mele’s debut, People Like Us, was shortlisted for the 2019 ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel and is an ALA Rainbow List Selection. Their sophomore novel, Summer's Edge, was a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Selection and a New York Public Library Best Books for Teens title.

Mele's new novel is The Beast You Let In.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

A little known fun fact is that I have never chosen my own book title. My proposed title for The Beast You Let In was Veronica, after a character whose vengeful spirit may be possessing one of the main characters! The Beast You Let In is a neat title, and I think it speaks more broadly to the themes of repressed anger, buried secrets, and how much we allow the people who surround us to influence us against our better judgment.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your new novel?

Not terribly! It’s a story about twin siblings solving a murder and dealing with a potential possession and revenge from beyond the grave. I was a huge horror fan as a teen and I probably would have inhaled this in the back of the theater during lunch period.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Beginnings are harder by far, because for me finding the voice is more than half the battle. Honestly if I can nail a really strong first chapter the rest almost writes itself. But easier said than done. And I always change the ending. I never get attached. Besides, it’s fun coming up with alternate endings!

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

I tend to form strong connections to places, and much of my writing is inspired by setting. The Beast You Let In is largely about home, however you may personally define it— whether as a family or a community or a country—and the tension that exists when the home you love becomes a hostile and dangerous place.

Visit Dana Mele's website.

--Marshal Zeringue