Jan Saenz on Writing Her Chaotic and Charming Debut, 200 Monas - the Dark Comedy Erotic Thriller You Need to Read Right Now

Jan Saenz's debut novel, 200 Monas, was one of the first books I read this year. While squeezed into the middle seat on a flight to Stockholm, I was acutely aware of the side eyes from my neighbours as I found myself gasping, laughing and totally gripped to the chaotic world of Arvy Keening, a college student who finds a stash of unidentified pills in her recently deceased mother's wardrobe. Part dark comedy, part horny romcom, 200 Monas is a propulsive story about love, grief, and mind-blowing orgasms.

When I spoke to Jan over Zoom earlier this year, I was keen to find out what inspired this absolute rollercoaster of a story. Open, warm and effortlessly funny, she opened up about her own creative process, the book's upcoming film adaptation, and the most important piece of advice she'd give to new writers.

200 Monas is a joyride of a novel. I'd love to know how you describe it!

I usually lead with dark comedy, and from there I say a comedic erotic thriller - which seems like an odd genre in itself! It's very nerve-wracking to write something that can't easily fit into a box, so I'm really pleased when people say things like, “I have a hard time describing this novel to people.” I think that's a great thing! It's kind of like a weird girl, literary fiction novel, but also kind of a wacky romcom.

I've not read anything like it before, and I didn't know what to expect going into it

Now I'm telling people to go in blind, to just treat it like a ride. If you go in with no expectations, I think that's a cool way to read something!

Why did you want to write this book, and why now?

I was at a point in my career where I just wanted to have fun. Writing had become a bit of an uphill battle, a bit of a chore. I was always chasing that pedestal of literary fiction and I was ready to just say, “Fuck it, I just want to write for fun.” I really, truly wrote the book I wanted to read.

When we meet Arvy, she's just lost of her mum and is immediately drawn to Wolf. What inspired you to write about love and grief simultaneously?

My father passed away when I was 16. I remember not really processing his death in a way that seemed “normal”, not like what I would see in the movies; I wasn't crying, I was going on with my life, and school. And I felt shame because I felt like I wasn't grieving correctly. Later on, when my mother had been diagnosed with cancer, I felt the same way. I wasn't processing the magnitude of what was happening. One night my husband was talking about his day, and he casually mentioned my mother. I just burst, I was violently crying… it all came out. It made me understand that everyone does grieve differently. That moment of just feeling everything, all at once, it really felt orgasmic and that seemed interesting to me - this idea of a pill that could make you feel a little bit of everything all at once, expelling all of these repressed emotions from the body, while also releasing something.

Authors often talk about how their stories find them. Where did the idea to write about mind-blowing orgasm pills come from?

I was in the bath tub at 2am. I remember thinking about the female orgasm and wondering if one day they'll have a pill or something to help with sexual dysfunction or something like that. And I was like, "Wait a minute..." I grabbed my phone, and I still have the note! I outlined the book right in the tub.

For me, ideas always feel like this weird sort of premonition. As a writer, you're always getting ideas - you're always jotting them down your phone, you're always weighing what's worth your time. Some things are just a good idea, but some things are actually worth sitting at the work bench for hours and hours and tinkering with. I don't necessarily invest in any idea unless I can see the beginning and the ending very, very clearly.

How did you know 200 Monas was a story worth sticking with?

It usually starts with a curiosity about that opening scene; you can see it in your head very, very clearly. You can see the characters, the setting, you can feel the mood and the tension. And you're just like, “What's going on here?” It's enough to make you want to live in that world for a while and figure out. I remember thinking about that opening scene, of this girl in a closet and finding these pills and thinking: “Whose closet is this? What are those pills?”

The orgasm scenes are so visceral - some are intense and funny, others are shocking or tender. How hard were they to write?

I've been writing for 20 years and people would so often say, “I love it when you write about sex or sexuality!” I always avoided it because I was trying to save face or I wanted to deny that that's what felt natural to me, yet whenever I would get something published I noticed it was always something sexy. Leaning into that honesty of what - for lack of a better term - turns me on when I write was really the key to writing 200 Monas and those sex scenes.

It also came out of a frustration of what I was seeing in romance novels. The sex never really felt true to form. I think sex is wonderful, and awkward, and fun, and not perfect, which makes the perfect moments all the more special. I really wanted to say: “Hold my beer!” I wanted to write about sex in a way that I felt was true to form. I think sex is more weird than people give it credit for!

Arvy's pain and panic is palpable throughout, but it's perfectly matched with comedy and levity. Is it tricky to strike that balance?

Comedy is a coping mechanism for many, including myself. I come from a family of very funny people - people who do laugh at a funeral, people who do break awkward silences with a joke - so that balance of comedy and absurdity with tragedy comes naturally for me. It is a tragic book! If you take away all the comedy, what has happened to this girl is really devastating and really sad, and it's the comedy that's protecting the reader from feeling weighed down.

And finally, 200 Monas is set to be made into a film - that’s so exciting! How has that process been?

Shortly after the book was purchased by a publisher, the film rights were purchased and I really wanted to write the script. I didn't think that they would let me, but they did! They were so supportive, and I was truly excited because it’s a book that I can so clearly see as a film. When I was writing it, it was a film inside my head. So I'm really, really thankful to be brought on as an Executive Producer and a Screenwriter. It's a great team, they all love the novel and I think they're gonna do it justice. I'm excited to be part of that process!

Jan Saenz's Book Recs and Writing Advice

Last but not least, some bookish and writing questions. What is…

…the last book you recommended to a friend?

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (Caragh M. O'Brien).

…the first book that ever made you cry?

I cried like five times reading Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller if that counts!

…the book that made you fall in love with reading?

Eloise by Kay Thompson.

…the book that shaped you into the person you are today?

If I'm being honest, my own books - is that an okay answer? 200 Monas is the third novel I've ever written, and I feel like I had to write those first two novels to really understand why I was writing in the first place.

…a book you wish you could read again for the first time?

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

…the most important piece of writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Write the book you want to read.

…a piece of popular writing advice that everyone should ignore?

Write every day. Fuck that! Live your life. Please walk away from the desk, take a huge break from writing, and come back in a week, a month, a year and revisit that manuscript with new eyes.

…one thing you would tell all new writers at the start of their journey?

It's a marathon, not a race. There is no hurry to create something extraordinary. Take your time with your writing, spread it out and don't be afraid to spend years on a novel. Don't be so nervous that you're going to miss the train, or that someone is not going to notice you - if you really care about what you write, someone will eventually find it.

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200 Monas by Jan Saenz is published in the UK by Harper Collins, and is available to buy now.