Q&A with Dana Mele

  

Photo by David McQueen

 

 

Dana Mele is the author of the new young adult novel The Beast You Let In. Their other books include People Like Us. Mele is based in upstate New York.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Beast You Let In, and how did you create your characters Hazel and Beth?

 

A: First of all, thank you so much for hosting me! I was inspired largely by setting, and by living in a very small, isolated rural community during lockdown. Isolation is a very tough thing for the human psyche under the best of circumstances and I think we all had just a small taste of it during that time period.

 

Some of us experience it more than others. Being a queer or trans person and living in certain geographical locations, especially in the current moment, it can be isolating to not know who of your neighbors is a safe person to simply be around and who might not be.

 

I created Beth and Hazel as almost dual sides of the same person - they both want to exist in their family, school, and community but they have different reactions to how those groups treat them. 

 

Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I didn’t choose the title! I don’t have a good track record choosing titles that stick—my title for People Like Us was “Skeleton Dance” and my title for Summer’s Edge was “The Lake House” so I’m used to my publishers wanting to go in a different direction and I welcome it. 

 

My title for Beast was “Veronica,” named for a girl who died in Hazel’s and Beth’s town years ago and whose death served as a catalyst for the plot of the story.

 

I believe The Beast You Let In represents multiple things— allowing yourself to feel angry about things you should be angry about; looking at monstrous things you would rather look away from, and, in a more literal sense, possession by a monster. 

 

Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: I knew how the first draft would end. I did end up changing the ending in a late revision, at the suggestion of my editor. It’s such a better ending!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Speak up for your neighbors who cannot speak up for themselves, if you can safely do so. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: My next book! I can’t say more about it now but I hope I can soon!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The Beast You Let In is out April 7, 2026. You can order it now at your favorite book store or request it at your local library. Speak out to protect trans kids and oppose book bans! 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb