I love this beautiful, intense, Alice in Wonderland-based story, told from a very different perspective. What made you think of writing such a tale?

I am sort of the worst when it comes to “where did this come from” questions, because mostly my writing process goes as follows: Someone asks me to write a story, either seriously or in jest. I say “no.” I promptly regret my “no.” I amend to “yes.” I promptly regret my “yes.” I put the story on the rolling list of projects. I forget about it until the day the march of projects takes me to that slot, and then I panic, and go and sit on something and stare off into space until my subconscious, which has been working all this time, takes pity and tells me what to do. I write the story my subconscious has been assembling for months. People tell me I am clever. I do not feel clever. Someone asks me to write a story . . .

Did drafting go as planned, or did you encounter any surprises?

See previous answer. By the time I actually start a story, there aren’t many surprises left; I’ve already hammered them all out when I wasn’t looking. This may sound really relaxing and cool, but it actually means that my brain is full of bees at all times, and I don’t get much sleep.

To me (and to anyone else paying attention!) you are icon of productivity. What is your work schedule like? How does a typical Seanan writing day go?

I get up; I sit down; I work. Eventually, I get hungry. I eat; I go back to working. I work until all the work-related tasks in my day can be checked off, and then I go and read, or play video games, or watch television. Honestly, I think I’m so productive because I’m afraid of disappointing my planner.

I know you share your life with many amazing and worshipful felines. Do they play any part in your writing process?

Most of the time, Alice is sleeping somewhere nearby while I’m working, hoping that she can lure me back to bed, while Thomas is elsewhere in the house, destroying things. He is a remarkably destructive boy.

Please tell us about your most recent releases, and what we can look forward to from you in the future.

My most recent full-length releases are Chaos Choreography (March) and Every Heart a Doorway (April), which are two very different books that I love very much. I have a third volume of Velveteen stories coming out in May, Velveteen vs. The Seasons, and my first ever short story collection, Rise, is coming out in June, under the name “Mira Grant.” The best place to keep up with me is really at seananmcguire.com, where all things are answered in time.