Author Confessions: Olivia Muenter

A thought provoking novel, obsessing over parasocial friendships + hating (yet consuming) social media.

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When I read Olivia Muenter’s debut novel Such a Bad Influence last February, I stayed up after everyone went to sleep and proceeded to jump at every noise. While the book is compulsively creepy, it’s also addictive and I needed to find out what happened to her main character, Evie, a social media influencer who goes missing online and off.

But the book is more than another “influencer thriller,” which seems to be a real genre these days. It’s a fascinating examination of the role of social media in our lives, and it asks important questions, like how will younger generations be harmed (and helped) by never living in a world without it.

Olivia, one half of the Bad on Paper podcast, was kind enough to open up about her new book, her writing process and why she has a love/hate relationship with influencers—even if she’s an influencer herself. Welcome,

Olivia Muenter

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How did you come up with the idea for the book? Was there a particular social media fallout that inspired it? 
This didn't directly inspire the beginnings of the book, but there was definitely a time in my life when I was really consumed with trying to control how I was perceived on the internet. I have a relatively small following, but I still have had periods of immense difficulty when it comes to having a platform and using it to seek validation constantly. This made me think a lot about so many of the child influencers we see today who have these huge platforms that are hundreds of times larger than mine. How are they managing it? How could any of them possibly be ok if I'm not? These were the kind of questions that influenced a lot of the book. 

I found the narrator’s voice particularly strong; it set the mood for the entire novel and really drew me in. What made you decide to write the novel from the older sister Hazel’s point of the view rather than the influencer character, Evie?
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. I always knew that I didn't want Evie's voice to be the main one featured in the story. Though I have experience as an influencer myself, the truth is that I relate just as much if not more to being a consumer of social media content than a creator of it. I thought making Hazel the main narrator was an excellent way to present a lot of different perspectives on influencers and social media as a whole. Hazel is close enough to Evie that she knows all the hard parts of her career, and she's far enough away to see the many privileges Evie has as well. I liked that balance a lot. I also think that Evie's POV is largely irrelevant. To so many people, these mega influencers aren't really real people at all. The truth of who they are or their intentions doesn't really matter as much as everyone's specific interpretation of it. I thought the narrator choice was a reflection of that. 

Describe your relationship with social media. At one point in the book, the sisters talk about what it would be like to throw their phone over a cliff or something to that extent. Have you ever gone dark on social media?
It's a tough question because I do think that many (if not all) of us would be happier in our own lives without social media. Overall, I do think it is a net negative rather than a positive. But are there an incredible benefits to it? Has it brought me immense joy and community? Has it been the thing that has maybe single-handedly allowed me to work for myself? Am I grateful for all of that? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. It's complicated.

I can't imagine giving up social media entirely, if I'm really honest, and that is one of the scariest parts of it to me. It's this thing we all have to live with and use to our advantage, especially as writers, but it is still a difficult relationship to navigate. I thought maybe it would get easier with time, and in some ways it does, but I also still scroll for too long, compare myself to other people, forget so much of it is fake, etc. I think my relationship with it is better than it's been in a long time, but is it perfect? Ha. Hell no. 

There are some really creepy elements in this novel. Did you ever scare yourself writing them? I would be terrified to write some of this stuff after midnight. :)
Thank you so much! In retrospect, I actually wish I made it even scarier! There is one particular scene between Hazel and her mother that did give me the creeps and I remember feeling that pretty intensely while writing. In general, I can't write at night, so most of my work happens during the day — probably for the best! 

Did you always want to write in the thriller/suspense genre? Can you name three writers in this genre that inspired you?
I've always been really enamored with the thriller genre as a way to write about larger societal issues and themes, because I think those are usually the things that scare me the most. I am probably Ashley Audrain's number one fan in the world. Her work has inspired me so much. I think I've re-read THE PUSH three times (talk about a book that I wouldn't suggest reading in the dark).

I also greatly admire Ashley Winstead, who somehow manages to write propouslive thrillers as well as she does romance. And finally, I am (and will continue to be) the biggest hype woman for THE QUIET TENANT by Clemence Michallon. That book blew me away. I will be first in line to read Clemence's next book. 

Lastly, you’ve been interviewing authors and talking about books on your Bad on Paper podcast for a few years now. What part of the publishing industry do you feel you “get” now that you’ve navigated it yourself?
I never really understood when authors would talk about the publishing industry being kind of a strange place. I was like, what do you mean? They buy the book. They publish the book. What could go wrong or get weird in between? And while I think I've been really lucky to have a truly incredible publishing team behind SABI, I do understand now that publishing is just a really unique business. I often have to explain specific aspects of it to my friends and family three or four or five different times, and I mean, I get it! It's confusing! I've really learned how much you have to love the work. There is so much you can't control with the business, the market, the promotional stuff... at the end of the day, I just remind myself that I love the work, and it helps me keep things in perspective.

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