Author Interview: Grace Viall

Get the inside scoop on ‘(Mostly) Human Resources’!

Grace Viall is the author of our Quarter 3 Cosy ‘Workplace Nemesis’ featured book: (Mostly) Human Resources. Read on to get the inside scoop from inspiration to favourite scenes and more!

What was the very first spark of an idea that became (Mostly) Human Resources?

It’s the most ridiculous origin story! So I was working in Human Resources for a company during COVID, and there was one particular week where I had 38 employees out sick, my boss had just been on vacation for two weeks, and then she got COVID so was out for another two weeks. So, I was all of HR for a month, and I was in the office on my lunch break with the door shut, trying to have just 20 minutes of quiet and watching Supernatural, all whilst having this mental breakdown on my own before I went back to work. And I just thought, it could be so much worse, I could have the Winchester’s as employees! And it just snowballed from there, and I started writing on my breaks as a way to cope with the insane stress of it all. Eventually I had a full story, and I took it to my writing group who encouraged me to see what I could do with it!

Did you have to do any research for this book?

Yes and it was weird research, which I wasn’t really expecting! A lot of the HR and hiking was all very normal for me, but it was the little specific things that I would get totally bogged down by. One of my favourite things that I ended up researching was lighting systems in coal mines. I ended up on an hour-long virtual tour of a lighting museum for like one single sentence of a paragraph, all because I got so invested in how this lighting works! I had to pull myself back because I really did not need that much information. Also, the travel really got me. I had to sit down with flight times and travel logs and how far driving distances were, as so much of the story is Alexys and Nic driving to different places or hopping on a helicopter. So I ended up with all these notes which is ridiculous because I’ll probably never have to use them again, but it did really help me make it a little bit more believable for the reader.

The title is so intriguing. How did you know (Mostly) Human Resources was the right title for the book?

I really didn’t! So it started out as a panic moment. I was doing a mentorship with Mallory Marlowe, and I think I emailed her at like 11 o’clock the night before I was supposed to have this showcase where my book was going to be seen by agents, saying that my title is terrible and I didn’t know what to do! So I had this meltdown, but she told me to pick whatever fits, and that I can always change it later. I thought this one makes me laugh and it’s a good place holder, so it became (Mostly) Human Resources. And then my agent loved it, my editor loved it, and at every turn I kept telling people it can be changed as I’m not married to it, but they all kept saying it was great!

How would you describe the book to someone who hasn’t read it yet in three words?

I like to say nostalgic, because a lot of people have said that it has that Scooby Doo, old-school monster vibe. Spooky, because it’s not scary, but there is some spookiness in there. And then a laugh, because so much of fantasy has humour in it, but I feel like I really lean on it a lot.

Which character was the most fun to write, and which character surprised you the most while you were writing them?

They’re all so different so it’s really hard to pin down favourites, but I think the one who was the most fun to write was probably Zach, Nic’s assistant. Just because he’s so polar opposite of what most office workers are. But, I’ve worked with people like that before and I feel like having that ball of humorous sunshine in the office is so crucial for a good work environment. So I had fun writing this character that should have got on Nic’s nerves, but it kind of works and their balance is really fun to me. And the one that surprised me the most was actually Silas. I had not planned on bringing him into the story, I hadn’t created him or anything. But I free-write; I let the writing go where it wants to go and then I see what happens. And as I was writing a scene, a hand stopped an elevator, and I was like, well who is that? So he kind of walked onto the page himself, and I had to catch up on who he was, so he was a very odd surprise!

What was your favourite part of building the world of (Mostly) Human Resources?

Oh, the monsters, for sure! I had so much fun twisting folklore and making things worse, and finding ways to make old stories more modern spooky.

What kind of reader do you think will have the most fun with this story?

It’s written for readers who want to explore more genres, but aren’t ready to commit all the way yet. I think it’s perfect for readers that want to try horror, but are a little nervous, or want to try fantasy, but they don’t want something super heavy. Because it’s our world, but there’s a few extra things and a little magic. It’s good for readers who want to try something new, without being overwhelmed.

Did you always know what kind of story you wanted this to be, or did it evolve as you wrote?

It fully evolved, I had no idea what it was going to become! It started off as a workplace comedy thing, obviously with a little bit of the monster hunting in there. But as I was getting into the story further and further, I realised how much of myself I was putting into Alexys and how emotional the journey was becoming with her. At the time, I had just moved across the country, I was away from my family, and I was in a new job, so there was a lot of transition happening, and I hate change! So I think Alexys was a good tool for exploring adulthood, especially when you’re reluctant to go through all these shifts that adulthood is always going to bring. There was still that tone of humour the whole time though, and I didn’t really know if it was going to be an urban fantasy or anything. And then Nic appeared at some point and I just loved the dynamic between them, so then I was thinking that maybe it needed a little romance. It all just weaved its way into lots of different genres and became a little bit of everything.

What is one thing that you really hope readers notice or appreciate?

I think the thing I developed along the way that I really didn’t notice myself was this idea that not all monsters are monsters, and the story depends on who is telling it. So I think for readers, what I really want them to pay attention to, is that this is Alexys and Nic’s story, but there are so many other stories woven in, and you never really know how accurate those stories are because of who’s telling it. So the background is just as important as the foreground in this book. I really enjoyed building up those background things so I would really love readers to notice the side stories and the little hints of things to come.

Is there anything you can tell us about the sequel?

It’s in the works! We’re deep in the edits of getting it ready. The sequel has been tricky; we go back into the office, and everything has changed but nothing has changed. I think that’s a very odd dynamic to work with, especially for Nic and Alexys who have been through so much. So we get more of them, and Entity comes to be a bit more of a feature, so we see a bit more of that environment too. So it’s just as much corporate headache as monster hunting, just like the first one! But, with a bit more of a twist to it.

What is your favourite thing about the FairyLoot Exclusive Edition of (Mostly) Human Resources?

That is an evil question! @rosiethorns88 was so fun to work with, she worked so hard on getting those little details into the artwork that fit the book so incredibly. So on the endpapers, there’s a map of the US and it’s got the numbers of the districts on it, and she actually reached out for my copy of a map so she could make sure she it was accurate. She didn’t have to go that hard on it, but I loved that she paid that much attention to all of the details. And the naked hardcover is just incredible! She put all these little easter eggs in it which is so fun and I think they’re my favourite thing, Also, just because I’m sentimental, if you look at the back of the hardcover, there’s a sketch of the Hollow Walker, and that was originally a sketch that my brother did when I first started working on the book. He sketched out a couple of the monsters so I sent those in as an explantation of what these weird creatures looked like in my brain, and the artist used those as inspiration!