Author Interview: Michelle Arnold Chats about One Light

Get ready to learn more about the book One Light in this discussion with sapphic author Michelle Arnold.

Join us for an exclusive peek behind the scenes as we quiz Michelle Arnold about One Light, writing, reading, and more.

This book is part of the Urban Fantasy category in the 2024 IHS Reading Challenge.

Why did you write One Light?

I’ve always been fascinated with the way split-second decisions can affect our lives profoundly in ways we may never understand (because we don’t know what would have happened if we’d decided differently). The many ways in which a person could travel to other worlds (magic portal, space travel, tesseract, etc) that are often explored in fiction are another lifelong fascination of mine. Of course, the real magic portals are books, and the significance of reading and writing books has become particularly significant to me over the past couple of years. I’ve been undergoing a major life shift, having to stop working due to chronic illness and trying to figure out how to redefine myself when I can no longer be who I’ve always been. More than ever, I appreciate being able to escape to other worlds through books, and I am grateful that I can give others that escape by writing my own books because it means I still have a way to define myself. I explored a lot of the painful emotions I was experiencing through Ari, who goes through the same thing, but for her it’s contrasted against her growing ability to create literal portals into other worlds. The escapism in the story is, I think, what allowed me to explore reality a bit more at the same time.

Who is your favorite character in the book?

Hands down, Mandira, because I would marry her in a heartbeat! Mandira’s great because she’s so curious and intuitive, loves a quiet, simple life but is always ready for adventure when the opportunity arises, plus she’s so sweet, kind and supportive. She is like the voice I need to hear, the one telling Ari she will never be useless and helping her make sense out of bizarre situations. She’s different from me in a lot of ways because she’s usually pretty calm and confident that things will work out the way they should, but we’re similar in other ways. We’re both romantics and we both prioritize being a good person over all other things. Like her, I tend to think there’s a deeper meaning behind everything, and the mystery of that excites both of us. On the whole I’m more like Ari though, which is why Mandira is my favorite. She’s Ari’s favorite too!

What was the biggest challenge writing this book?

The biggest challenge was that I had no outline and no clue where I was going! I just started writing because I felt inspired, but I wasn’t sure if I would actually end up with a coherent, publishable book. Usually it bugs me not to know where I’m going, but this time I enjoyed the ride, and it came together surprisingly well.

What part of One Light was the most fun to write?

I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a scene in which Ari and Mandira get to rescue an AU Mandira from a dangerous situation, and then return her to her world in a safer place. They got to right a major wrong, and it was very satisfying to write – also quite amusing to think of how much they confused the bad guy in the scene! I think that was when they really hit their stride in terms of figuring out what they could do with these portals.

How did you come up with the title for your book?

The title “One Light” comes from a Sikh saying that describes couples who are truly married not as couples who just sit together, but who are “one light in two bodies.” This saying means a lot to Ari because she realizes that Mandira, being from a Sikh family, agreed to marry her with the belief that it would be a union of their souls. That’s pretty deep! With Mandira sticking steadfastly by Ari’s side through everything that happens in this book and the realization that there are AU versions of them who are also meant to be together, the idea of Ari and Mandira being “one light” is quite central to the book.

If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

I haven’t started writing it yet, but I did plant the seeds for a sequel. Without giving too much away, there’s a scene late in the book in which Ari and Mandira find themselves in a strange place, and they hear something unnerving that makes them leave in a hurry. They never find out what it was they heard, but…I know what it was! Or rather, I know who it was. That’s a question that would be answered and explored in the sequel.

What is your writing process like?

I usually have an outline, and sometimes even a calendar. I like to have a concept of how much time is passing and what season we’re in. While I did spend a lot of time checking the calendar for One Light, I had zero outline whatsoever. I had a prologue, main characters, and a plot idea when I sat down. I wrote a lot of the first draft by hand and just let it flow, and somehow, the ideas kept coming when I needed them – not before! It was a bit of a thrill ride. I’d finish typing up a chapter and wonder what was going to happen next…and then it would just come! This method of writing seemed to fit the book, though. It was like the story came to me through a portal!

Do you have any odd writing quirks?

Several. If I’m thinking really hard about something, I have to walk around while I’m thinking, which usually just means pacing in my living room. I also never learned how to type correctly, so I pound away at the keyboard with zero form. I also look at the keys when I’m typing. I have no idea why because I’ve been typing on a computer on a daily basis since around 1995 so I definitely know where the keys are, and yet it feels more natural to me to look down at my fingers than to look at the screen. Sometimes I try to break this habit as I think I’d make fewer typos if I looked at the screen like a normal person, but I haven’t succeeded yet.

Do you have a pet who helps/hinders your typing?

My cat Lily Belle is often at my side as I write! She’s a long-haired Siamese mix who turned 10 in April, and the cat in One light, Custard, is largely based on her.

What has helped or hindered you most when writing a book?

What helps me the most is having friends who want to read my writing and look forward to reading each chapter as soon as I finish writing it. I have one friend in particular who get so into my books, we discuss the characters as if they’re friends of ours! Knowing I have a small but readily available audience for each chapter motivates me to finish it. I don’t think I could have the patience to write a whole book before letting anyone read it, because I’d worry that I was writing crap no one would want to read! Getting feedback for each chapter and having people ask when the next chapter is coming is really helpful because writing to me is a conversation. What hinders me the most is chronic illness that makes sitting upright for too long painful and impedes my concentration, not the mention the lack of energy. Writing has become a mammoth effort for me and I hate that, because it’s the thing I enjoy most.

What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?

I often think of my characters while doing ordinary things, so I imagine my characters doing the same things, how they might interact while doing the dishes or grocery shopping. This is how I come up with scenes that let the characters just show their personalities, like Ari and Mandira trying to get rid of ants in their kitchen. I like to think of how each one would react in different situations, and it helps me develop their personalities on the page. One interesting quirk that came through was Mandira being frightened of ordinary things like spiders, thunderstorms, and the dark, yet emerging as the calm one whenever they find themselves in real danger.

Have you ever hated one of your characters?

I hated the (minor) character of Ramdeep, and you will too if you read the book. He is irredeemable! I have even more loathing for Mr. Bergman, but fortunately he’s dead by the end of the prologue (not much of a spoiler, as he’s introduced as an elderly man in 1992 and the rest of the book takes place 30 years later). The theme is that I hate abusers of any kind, and those who hurt children are the worst of the worst.

Are there any books or authors that inspired you to become a writer?

When I was 7-8 years old, I read Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and I loved the way she made an ordinary girl’s everyday life seem so interesting. That was when I knew I wanted to write.