Lily’s family is the matriarch of their town, keeper of old-world wealth from a luxury coat line and an awe-inducing mansion. While living with her grandmother, Lily feels even closer to everything she loves—including the fashion business. But when Gram dies unexpectedly, the inheritance goes with her. Erased.
In the rubble, Lily is left with coded clues that she and author Mackenzie Reed’s additional band of characters must follow to track down the missing fortune.
This is the premise of Rochester native Reed’s debut novel with HarperTeen, “The Rosewood Hunt.” But it isn’t the 25-year-old’s first book, really. Reed, who grew up in Charlotte, has been writing since high school, before becoming serious about it as a Nazareth College student. Still, she’s almost apologetic whenever the debut, which promises to be a page-turning thriller, comes up. “Luck” escapes her lips often, even as she recounts the work and industry knowledge it took to get here.
“The book I got my agent with was about a teenage arsonist, and I got a lot of feedback saying, ‘we like this, but we wouldn’t know where to put it on a shelf,’” said Reed. “So I took that and said, ‘I’m going to write a book where there’s no question what it is, no question where to put it.’”
It’s clear Reed has always wanted to be a storyteller. She went into college as a theater kid at first, majoring in songwriting before communications and marketing. Now, she works full-time in marketing while also making a name for herself amongst the YA genre with another book already in the works and eyes set for an expansive horizon.
“One day I’d like to write adult and middle grade, but I think my heart will always be in YA,” she said. “Sometimes I still feel like I’m a teenager, so I love writing about them. I love the voice.”
Reed’s writing process is “indulgent” and “wacky,” drawing inspiration from “Knives Out” and “Outer Banks” to “One of Us is Lying” by Karen McManus.
“I had in my head that I needed magic to be enthralled,” Reed said. “McManus’ book made me realize you can have all the elements of fantasy in the real world, as long as you have a plot to support it.”
Because she has a 9-5 job, Reed carves out time in the morning and at night to write. For her, and so many authors, the process is quite simply about getting words down. It’s only later in revisions, or under the watchful eye of an editor, that a story reveals itself.
But writing alone won’t sell books, so it isn’t the only work Reed has been doing. Since 2021, she has made a niche for herself on BookTok, the colloquial term for a community of readers on TikTok. There, she posts short clips about being a debut author, finding an agent, and becoming published.
“People pay attention, even if it takes them a while to engage,” Reed said. “Consistency really is key and it’s introduced me to some really fantastic opportunities that wouldn’t have come otherwise.”
In early October, Reed received the first hard copies of her book, and her first local public appearance took place on October 31 (the book’s official release date) at Pittsford Barnes and Noble. As she continues to work on her second novel, “The Rosewood Hunt” keeps her company on her desk, reminding Reed the importance of the worlds she builds; of the dynamic characters and found families.
“I want ‘The Rosewood Hunt’ to reach anyone who feels a little alone in the world,” she said. “I hope it finds anyone who wants a fun story that will leave them a bit happier than it found them.” mackenziemreed.com
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This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2024.
