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Interviewing Mackenzie Reed—Author of The Rosewood Hunt
About Mackenzie Reed:
Mackenzie Reed is the author of young adult fiction, including her debut thriller The Rosewood Hunt. She cultivated her love of storytelling at Nazareth College, where she graduated with a BA in Communication and Media.
A native and resident of Rochester, New York, she loves going for brainstorming walks when the weather’s behaving and spending time with her family.
In the sparse moments she’s not writing or daydreaming about her next book, she’s usually winging her eyeliner and hunting for the best slice of pizza in town.
Author’s Website | Instagram | Twitter
What Was Your Inspiration Behind The Rosewood Hunt?
The Rosewood Hunt was inspired by my love for treasure hunt media. I grew up being obsessed with National Treasure and anything involving riddles and clues.
That love was reignited when I watched the Netflix series Outer Banks and I knew I wanted to write something just like it but with the vibes of Knives Out.
At the same time, I would walk past a rose garden every day and I started dreaming up Rosetown, a glittering coastal enclave full of roses. Everything unfolded from there and it became the setting for The Rosewood Hunt!
I grew up being obsessed with National Treasure and anything involving riddles and clues. That love was reignited when I watched the Netflix series Outer Banks and I knew I wanted to write something just like it but with the vibes of Knives Out.
What Is Your Indispensable Tool For Writing?
This might be controversial, but I love Google Docs! I think it’s so accessible and since it’s free, it’s especially great for anyone just starting out.
I really like it because it saves automatically so I never worry about losing a draft and also I can then read what I wrote on my phone, which I like to do at night sometimes or when I don’t feel like getting my laptop out.
I also love using Google Drive because I make a separate folder for each project and then folders within that project which really helps me stay organized, especially when it comes to having contracts and different drafts.
With December being the month of festivities, what literary gift would you like to receive and what would you give a fellow bookworm/writer?
I love getting gift cards to bookstores! A lot of times I have a really long TBR pile, so I’m never quite sure what I’m in the mood to read and when I’ll get to read it.
That gives me the flexibility to get whatever I want when I’m ready for it. I also love giving gift cards, but I also recently saw that there are these things called “Reading Pillows” that have a pocket to put your book in, and I love that!
What moment first signified that you made it as an author?
Right after advanced copies of my book started getting shared, I received a message from someone on Instagram saying they had been following my journey on tiktok and couldn’t wait to read my book.
It was someone I didn’t know and it made me feel famous! I was like, “Omg, this person knows who I am and that I have a book coming out?”
It made me feel so cool and messages like that still make me so excited because even with the book having been out now for a few months, I get so giddy at the reminder people from all over are reading it.
You’ve mentioned on social media that you’re working on a new novel. Can you give us a hint about it? 👀
I can! Just don’t tell my publishing team, haha!
It’s another YA thriller and I think fans of dark academia are going to be veeeeeery happy. It has all the goodness of our favorite elite boarding school books, but with a pretty significant, wild twist👀
What is your favorite writing/reading snack or drink?
I’m currently on a huge passion fruit liquid IV kick right now. It’s the best flavor! But I also love a classic hot chocolate.
As for snacks, anything sweet. My sugar cravings are BAD so I try not to keep anything nearby, but a go-to is dark chocolate-covered almonds!
Lastly, what do you hope readers will take away from your writing?
I hope my books make them feel less alone and that it’s okay to be flawed. I’m noticing a trend in my writing is to squash the idea of being “enough,” which is something I often struggle with myself.
If readers take away anything, I hope it’s that they are enough, and if anyone makes them feel like less, then you don’t want them in your life to begin with. The right people will always root for you, and so will I.
If readers take away anything, I hope it’s that they are enough, and if anyone makes them feel like less, then you don’t want them in your life to begin with. The right people will always root for you, and so will I.
About The Rosewood Hunt:
Lily Rosewood dreams of taking over her family’s company one day. Her grandmother, Rosewood Inc’s current chair, has always encouraged her, and Lily can’t wait for Gram to teach her everything she needs to know to run the business.
But then Gram dies suddenly, and Lily’s world is upended. When it’s revealed that Gram’s quarter of a billion-dollar fortune is missing, Lily can’t fathom what her future will hold now.
Even in death, Gram has a few tricks up her couture sleeve. A last letter from her with a cryptic clue sends Lily and three other teens on a treasure hunt that could change their lives forever-if they can survive it.
And if they pull it off, they may be rewarded with more than just money. But they’re not the only ones hunting for Gram’s treasure, and soon the hunt becomes more dangerous than they ever could have imagined.
