I invited author Mel Polk—who may or may not be an actual mushroom—to talk about the inspiration for their SPFBO 9 competitor, Beautiful Undone.
I’ve always been fascinated by writers who are able to pinpoint their inspirations—the folks who can say this is where my book came from. For the most part, my books are amalgamations of all the random things I’ve latched onto in stories I’ve read, shows I’ve watched, songs I’ve listened to. But for Beautiful Undone, I can actually easily point out its origin.
My partner and I were watching an animated collection of stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe called Extraordinary Tales. For some reason, watching “The Fall of the House of Usher”, I felt compelled to lament that it should have been a gothic romance (everything in my world should be a romance, sorrynotsorry). The idea wouldn’t leave. It took root in my brain, growing below the surface until a whole forest of scenes towered over my every thought.
And of course, me being me, it had to be queer (I can’t outright say “gay” as I normally would, as Quade is delightfully pansexual).
“This book was an anomaly in so many ways.”
Thus, Beautiful Undone was born. I wrote it in a flurry during NaNoWriMo, cheered on by my wonderful writing friends. In seventeen days, this book practically wrote itself. Sure, there would be edits, revisions, betas. But this book—this book—was an anomaly in so many ways.
My brain is a weird and twisty place. I cannot summarize plots, describe character arcs, or outline to save my life. In the same vein, descriptions of people tend to fly right past me. This is a terrible trait for a writer, in case anyone is wondering. My solution to this for Beautiful Undone was my own warped version of fan casting. Or at least, what I understand fan casting to be. I didn’t do this for every character as I don’t have that kind of patience. But here are the main players (yes, the cat counts—I don’t make the rules).
Quade Verus
Boron Kuzum is a Turkish actor I first encountered in the show The Protector. He seemed a perfect base for Quade Verus to me (even if I did change his eye color). Loyal and kind—a man who puts on a show of confidence even when he’s shaking inside.
Victor Suriel
Mackenzie Crook, specifically in the role as Harka in the show Brittania, was an easy pick for Victor Suriel. Reclusive, a bit quirky, vain, but ultimately lonely. Tristan, of course, looks much the same, though perhaps with less pallor and a bit more skin on his bones, so to speak. Victor’s not had an easy time of things leading up to the events of Beautiful Undone.
Danica Suriel
Eva Green, the actress who played Vanessa Ives in the show Penny Dreadful, was my inspiration for Danica Suriel. There’s even a scene in the show with her childhood friend, Mina, who inspired Tristan’s sister, Adira Armoni.
Uriel
I’d like to be able to tell you where this cat picture came from, but I honestly can’t recall. Over the last 20 years, I’ve belonged to many, many cats. This one just resonated with me. It screamed, my name is Uriel and I’m kind of a jerk—but you love me for it.
The book, briefly described by the author:
Beautiful Undone is a queer fantasy re-imagining of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” featuring portals to other worlds, magic, lots of kisses, and a very opinionated cat.
Don’t forget to check the book’s content warnings.
About Melissa Polk
Melissa Polk writes fantasy that’s varying degrees of dark and steamy. They swear like a sailor, have many fucks to give but only verbally, and do not understand the concept of chill. They are slightly more mushroom than human and live with their family, where they can be found speaking in fluent sarcasm with their three children. Their hobbies include reading voraciously, drinking entirely too much coffee, and failing at commas.
Tiny Elf Arcanist 
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