The Enchanted Inkpot.

THE INKPOT IS MOVING TO BLOGGER!!!!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:29:58 GMT

After nearly four years on Livejournal, the Inkpot is moving to blogger! Our new address on the web is http://enchantedinkpot.blogspot.com/

And to help celebrate our move, we are throwing our annual Inkies Extravaganza Book Giveaway for 2012! Take a look at the three piles of books you can win! And all you have to do to win one of these fabulous prizes is to change your Inkpot destination from this page to here. So join us at our new location!

Fully Fledged Shamelessness

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:43:26 GMT

Sorry we weren't around last week. Apparently, some of our shamelessnesses weren't quite ripe yet. They needed another week on the vine before I could pluck them.

But now, fully matured, here's our Shameless Saturday post!

Starting off with news of a new sale!!! Always a great opener, don't you think? Anna Staniszewski's follow ups to MY VERY UNFAIRLY TALE LIFE have sold! Here's the official announcement:

Author of MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE, Anna Staniszewski’s next two in the series, MY WAY TOO FAIRY TALE LIFE and HAPPILY FAIRY AFTER, to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, by Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

I can't wait!

Next up, R.L. LaFevers's brand new young adult novel is turning heads. GRAVE MERCY got two starred reviews this week! From Booklist:

Grave Mercy [Starred Review]
LaFevers, Robin (Author)
Apr 2012. 528 p. Houghton, hardcover, $16.99. (9780547628349).
In the late fifteenth century, Mortain, the god of death, has sired Ismae to be his handmaiden. She will carry out his wishes by working through the Convent, where she has found refuge from a brutal father and husband. After learning the Convent’s wily warfare and womanly arts, and being apprenticed to Sister Serafina (poisons mistress and Convent healer), 17-year-old Ismae is sent to the high court of Brittany ostensibly as the cousin (aka mistress) of the Breton noble Duval—but, in truth, she’s there as a spy.

Her tacit assignment is to protect the young duchess by assassinating Duval if he proves to be a traitor, an assignment made more difficult because of the couple’s attraction to each other. LaFevers has written a dark, sophisticated novel true to the fairy tale conventions of castles, high courts, and good vs. evil, yet it’s spiced with poison potions, violent (and sometimes merciful) assassinations, subtle seductions, and gentle, perfect love. With characters that will inspire the imagination, a plot that nods to history while defying accuracy, and a love story that promises more in the second book, this is sure to attract feminist readers and romantics alike.

And from Kirkus:

GRAVE MERCY [STARRED REVIEW!]
Author: LaFevers, Robin

Fiction and history coalesce in a rich, ripping tale of assassinations, political intrigue and religion in 15th-century Brittany.

When the pig farmer who paid three coins to wed Ismae sees the red scar across her back, he cracks her in the skull and hurls her into the root cellar until a priest can come “to burn you or drown you.” The scar shows that Ismae’s mother poisoned her in utero; Ismae’s survival of that poisoning proves her sire is Mortain, god of death. A hedge priest and herbwitch spirit Ismae to the convent of St. Mortain, where nuns teach her hundreds of ways to kill a man. “We are mere instruments of Mortain…. His handmaidens, if you will. We do not decide who to kill or why or when. It is all determined by the god.” After Ismae’s first two assassinations, the abbess sends her to Brittany’s high court to ferret out treason against the duchess and to kill anyone Mortain marks, even if it’s someone Ismae trusts—or loves. Brittany fights to remain independent from France, war looms and suitors vie nefariously for the duchess’ hand. Ismae’s narrative voice is fluid and solid, her spying and killing skills impeccable. LaFevers’ ambitious tapestry includes poison and treason and murder, valor and honor and slow love, suspense and sexuality and mercy.

A page-turner—with grace. (map, list of characters) (Historical thriller. 14 & up)

In celebration, hee, Robin has just launched a new website, where you can learn more about the books and read the first chapter!!!

Speaking of amazing reviews, Kate Coombs's picture book HANS MY HEDGEHOG has racked up some accolades, including the New York Times which said:

Kudos to Kate Coombs (“The Secret-Keeper”) and John Nickle (“Never Take a Shark to the Dentist”) for dusting off the story of a lonely swine-boy with a musical sensibility, his rooster steed and a forest full of dancing pig friends. In this very liberal retelling, Hans’s parents are accepting rather than cruel, and Hans himself is a more admirable if less nuanced creature (the Brothers Grimm would have him slaughtering pigs and mistreating a princess).

The changes are mostly welcome, even if Hans’s fiddle, instead of bagpipes, seems a bit pedestrian. Still, this twisty mash-up of “The Princess and the Frog” and “Beauty and the Beast” introduces a spirited hero who handles his misfit status well, even if he does resort to a smattering of revenge. Creatures with quills, no matter how sweetly illustrated, are bound to be a bit testy.

Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly agree, with the latter's starred review declaring:

"In a feat that may astound fairy tale cognoscenti, Coombs (The Runaway Dragon) and Nickle (Never Take a Shark to the Dentist) transform a once-prickly story into something witty and warm."

Damn, our Inkies are awesome.

Following that statement, Jennifer Nielsen rounds out our news this week with literally a barrage of awesome. First, we have the cover for the final book in the ELLIOT trilogy: ELLIOT AND THE LAST UNDERWORLD WAR (Sourcebooks, Apr `12). In this final confrontation between Elliot and the evil demon Kovol, Elliot will need the help of his friends, family, and possibly even his arch-nemesis, Cami!

But THE FALSE PRINCE won't be outshone. Foreign rights for Jennifer's ASCENDANCE trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE (Scholastic, Apr `12) have been sold at auction to Bayard in France, and also to Santillana for Spanish translation rights, and Astrel for Russian translation. And to top it all off, Jennifer has a brand new trailer for THE FALSE PRINCE!

PHEW! What a ride. That's all for this week. See you in February!

Interview with Tim Collins, author of DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE and ADVENTURES OF A WIMPY WEREWOLF

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:49:07 GMT

I am delighted to welcome to the Inkpot Tim Collins, who has written the award winning humorous YA fantasy series DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE, DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE 2: PRINCE OF DORKNESS and ADVENTURES OF A WIMPY WEREWOLF, which are best described as TWILIGHT meets THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE.

Hi, Tim, and welcome to the Inkpot. Where did the idea for DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE come from and were you consciously influenced by TWILIGHT?

It was originally going to be a direct parody of Twilight, but my publisher already had one of those, so I decided to make it a more general vampire comedy. I’m glad I did because, much as I love Twilight, it’s not a million miles away from parody in the first place.

One of the things that I like about DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE and ADVENTURES OF A WIMPY WEREWOLF is that it mixes character comedy with some excruciatingly funny situations and then throws in snappy lines. How do you go about pulling that together – do you plan it from the start, let it grow organically or is it a mix of the two?

I’ve always thought that if you come up with a character based on a contradiction then the gags will write themselves. This would certainly explain the current fad for mash-ups. Most of them are based on very simple comic juxtapositions, like Monty Python sketches.

Prior to writing WIMPY VAMPIRE and WIMPY WEREWOLF you’d written a number of comedy books for grown-ups. Is there a difference in how you approach comedy for teens and comedy for grown-ups and are there any hints and tips that you’d be willing to share?

Unfortunately, writing for children meant that I couldn’t rely on the usual swearing and eighties pop culture references to get easy laughs. Younger children seem to like broad, slapstick stuff, whereas teens enjoy seeing characters suffering shame and embarrassment. You only need to watch The Inbetweeners for proof of that.

Are you Team Vampire or Team Werewolf?

I’m hedging my bets in case either group takes over the world and enslaves the human race. Let’s just say that whoever our new supernatural overlords turn out to be, I’ll be happy to serve them.

Let’s talk about Nigel’s poetry. Nigel expresses his feelings through the medium of poetry, which he seems to think are individual works of genius, but which the reader may have different opinions about. How difficult was it to write and how did you set about doing it?

It wasn’t so hard to come up with an approximation of bad poetry, but I think that to create truly terrible poetry you either need to be fourteen or a brilliant poet doing everything wrong on purpose. I love Wendy Cope’s Jason Strugnell character, for instance.

I thought it was interesting that having set up Nigel Mullet in the first two WIMPY VAMPIRE books, you switch to a new character, Luke Thorpe, in WIMPY WEREWOLF, but you bring in characters from the previous two books. Why did you make the switch and were there any challenges in bringing new characters into the world and story arc that you’d created?

It was either a bold attempt to create an intertextual universe or something the publishers requested because they thought werewolves were popular, I forget which. But it was a lot of fun to bring all the characters together at the end of the werewolf book.

The WIMPY VAMPIRE books have been translated into Portuguese and German – did that pose any difficulties in terms of getting the humour across?

As far as I can tell, the results have been mixed. Nigel the Vampire seems to be very popular in Portugal, where he has 15,000 Facebook fans, but not in Germany, where he has just 23 fans. It doesn’t look like he’ll be replacing Herr Bean in the affections of the German people anytime soon.

Thank you for taking the time to pop by the Inkpot, Tim.

DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE, DIARY OF A WIMPY VAMPIRE 2: PRINCE OF DORKNESS and ADVENTURES OF A WIMPY WEREWOLF are available to order in paperback and on Kindle from Amazon UK.

You can find out more about Tim Collins and his other books on his website here.

Interview with Kate Coombs author of HANS MY HEDGEHOG

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:12:16 GMT

Today we have a special treat. An Inkie gets to interview one of our own! Kate Coombs is releasing an adorable retelling of Hans My Hedgehog, a classic Grimm’s Brothers Fairytale. This children’s tale is illustrated by John Nickle and is being released by Atheneum.

A classic tale of love and acceptance from the Brothers Grimm is beautifully rendered in this magical retelling. Hans is an unusual boy. Born a hedgehog from the waist up, he knows what it’s like to truly be an outcast. Even his amazing fiddle playing can’t help him fit in. So Hans flees to the forest with his herd of loyal pigs and only his music to keep him company. But then a most unusual thing happens: When Hans crosses paths with two kings with two lovely daughters, his luck starts to change. Will this lonely soul find true love after all?

This lively and lyrical retelling of the classic Grimm’s tale, paired with lush, detailed illustrations, reminds us of the power of music, the importance of belonging, and the transformative effect of love.

So let’s see what Kate can tell us about it!

Why did you decide to retell "Hans My Hedgehog"?

Funny story, actually—it was the illustrator's idea. John Nickle told his editor at Atheneum that he wanted to do a picture book version of "Hans My Hedgehog." The editor read the Grimms' version and decided that it would not do. My editor at Atheneum mentioned to John's editor that I was good with folktales, so I got a call. Susan told me that the original was "violent and meandering" and asked me to write a retelling. So that's how the project started.

Your story reminded me of the story of Jepthah's daughter in the Bible. I wonder if that is where the Grimm brothers got it from.

This would be about each of the kings promising to give Hans the first thing they saw when they got home. In the Bible, that kind of promise turns out really badly! Since "Hans My Hedgehog" is from the oral tradition, it has certainly crossed my mind that some long-ago storyteller who knew his or her Old Testament used that piece of the Jepthah story to construct part of the plot for "Hans."

Is this your first book?

No, it's my fourth. I have written a picture book that's an original folktale, The Secret-Keeper, and two middle grade comic fantasy novels, The Runaway Princess and The Runaway Dragon. In late March I have a book of ocean poems coming out, Water Sings Blue.

How long does it take you to write a children's book?

A middle grade novel takes me about a year. A picture book often comes quickly, in a week or less, but then I revise for months, coming back to it over and over. That's not including the revising and editing work that takes place with the publisher, which can be extensive. In fact, Hans was a project that went on kind of long—I worked on it with four different editors before it finally got past the point of no return!

Do you have children of your own that inspire you?

No. But I've taught every grade from kindergarten to college, so I've worked with a lot kids. More important, I would say I've brought my child-like sense of delight with me across the years. I never lost it.

How did you go about choosing an illustrator?

In almost all cases, an author has little or no say in choosing an illustrator. It is perhaps the editor's greatest creative act to select an illustrator for a picture book or for the cover of a middle grade or young adult novel. The editor works with the design department and even the marketing department to make that decision. And I have found myself waiting 2-3 years for an illustrator to sign on to a picture book project. So far, the wait has paid off!

Do you have any other books you are working on?

I have a middle grade fantasy novel called Lemonade Wings making the rounds of agents and editors, so that's my most recent manuscript. Now I'm reworking a middle grade fantasy set in Los Angeles, and I've started a new poetry collection. I'm tinkering with a couple of fairy tale retellings for middle grade, as well.

What is your writing process?

After years of being a teacher, I now work as an education editor. So I have to squeeze the writing in around the edges. Another ongoing project is my children's book review blog, Book Aunt, which takes time. I've found that early mornings work for me, especially on Saturdays. If you write for even an hour or two a week, eventually you'll have a book.

What were your favorite books as a child?

I was an absolute bookworm as a child, so the books I loved (and love) are myriad! I remember going through a Nancy Drew phase and, not surprisingly, I read a lot of fairy tales from many lands. My grandma gave me a collection of tales from the Arabian Nights, for example. I remember a picture book called The Sugar Mouse Cake that I liked a lot, along with Many Moons by James Thurber. One of my favorite middle grade fantasies, besides obvious things like the Narnia books, was Taash and the Jesters by Ellen Kindt McKenzie. I also loved The Princess and the Goblins by George MacDonald. And Harriet the Spy, and The Westing Game. Among so many others!

What kinds of books do you like to read now?

I'm still reading children's books, plus a smattering of books by authors who write for adults. My favorite children's authors for middle grade are Diana Wynne Jones, Megan Whalen Turner, and Terry Pratchett. I've read everything Pratchett has ever written, laughing the whole time. I'm very fond of the Casson family books by Hilary McKay. I was thrilled to get my hands on Tamora Pierce's new book, Mastiff, a few months back. In adult fare, I like Alan Bradley's Flavia mysteries, Dorothy Sayers, and space opera by authors such as Elizabeth Moon. Oh, and Lisa Lutz's Spellman books. Those are just a few examples.

I don't see as many picture book fairy tales these days. Why is that?

Hans My Hedgehog is kind of an anomaly because very few picture book retellings of fairy tales are being published right now, after a heyday that took place 20 or so years ago. Many parents want their children to jump into reading chapter books right out of kindergarten. They seem to think that picture books are babyish. This is unfortunate because picture books for children in grades 1-3 can make a wonderful bridge and hook kids into wanting to read more.

Could you talk a little about fairy tale retellings for middle grade and young adult readers?

Even as the picture book fairy tale is showing signs of becoming extinct, novelizations for MG/YA are really taking off. So at least we aren't losing the stories altogether! I would even say that the 1990s and this new century have brought a golden age of fairy tale retellings for older children. For example, consider the incredible variety of Cinderella retellings: you get Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, which famously imagines an explanation for Cinderella's passiveness; you get a lesbian Cinderella tale in Malinda Lo's Ash; and you get a cyborg Cinderella in Marissa Meyer's new book, Cinder. I love seeing what different authors do with the same story bones. The retelling movement is starting to reach beyond European tales more frequently, I am happy to say. Grace Lin's book, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, draws on Chinese folklore, and Jasmine Richard's The Book of Wonders uses Scheherazade and Sinbad to create something new. I can't wait to see what happens next.

What advice do you have for someone planning on doing an MG/YA retelling?

The retellings are coming fast and furiously, so as an author, you have to be careful what you choose to retell. A few years ago, I had just about finished a novelization of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," a story I chose because no one had done much with it, when someone else beat me to the punch. Since then, another half dozen versions have come out! I won't even tell you the story I'm tinkering with now. Suffice it to say, it's a lesser known fairy tale.

Whatever you decide to retell, you should work on giving your version a unique spin, the way Meyer did with Cinder, the way Jane Yolen did recently in her Appalachian Snow White retelling, Snow in Summer. It isn't enough to retell a story: you have to make it your own. That's really what Gail Carson Levine did with the Cinderella story. That and her fine characterization are what keep Ella Enchanted in print.

Interview with Sarah Prineas about WINTERLING!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:39:53 GMT

Sarah, thank you so much for visiting The Enchanted Inkpot, where I think you'll find many long-time MAGIC THIEF fans happy to greet you (see those waving white handkerchiefs over there? and the trays of freshly-baked biscuits there on the other side? and the home made dragon posters every which where?). I have been looking forward to WINTERLING for a long time, and, sure enough, it was a true pleasure to read. Deeply grounded in the natural world, WINTERLING is also an unabashedly magical story, the kind of tale an adventurous kid can sink into happily. What's more, it may be the only unabashedly magical story ever to have kind things to say about tofu casserole!

Here's the official Goodreads description of WINTERLING: "With her boundless curiosity and wild spirit, Fer has always felt that she doesn’t belong. Not when the forest is calling to her, when the rush of wind through branches feels more real than school or the quiet farms near her house. Then she saves an injured creature—he looks like a boy, but he’s really something else. He knows who Fer truly is, and invites her through the Way, a passage to a strange, dangerous land.

Fer feels an instant attachment to this realm, where magic is real and oaths forge bonds stronger than iron. But a powerful huntress named the Mor rules here, and Fer can sense that the land is perilously out of balance. Fer must unlock the secrets about the parents she never knew and claim her true place before the worlds on both sides of the Way descend into endless winter."

And now some questions for you, Sarah . . . .

INKPOT: The lyrical voice of WINTERLING is (of course) very different from that of the sassy, first-person MAGIC THIEF. Was it hard for you to change gears? Did you ever find yourself writing a MAGIC-THIEF-ish paragraph and then having to retune it?

Sarah Prineas: They are two very different voices, but that part of changing gears wasn't hard at all. Conn is Conn, and he never showed up when I was working on WINTERLING. The hard part was switching points of view. When writing first-person Conn, I could slip right into his voice, see and describe his world as he does; I felt very close to the character. Changing to the third person opened up some nice stylistic possibilities, but I felt a lot further away from my protagonist, Fer. Because the third person POV felt more distant, I had a much harder time getting into her head, figuring out what motivated her.

INKPOT: The landscape Fer (Jennifer) has grown up in and knows very well mixes tamed, agricultural spaces and sudden ravines deep enough and wild enough to conceal not just streams and pools, but magical passageways. Are there particular landscapes you had in mind when you were describing Fer's home? Do you think there may be many places left, even in built-up places like the United States, where magical pieces of nature can be found hiding where we may least suspect them? Have you found such places yourself?

Sarah Prineas: At first, when looking at the landscape of Iowa, it's easy to see how beautiful it is--rolling hills, the tawny colors of winter, the deep-blue skies.

Now that I know more about it, I see that Iowa farms are engaged in agriculture on a massive scale--despite its beauty, it's a truly industrial landscape. But even though Iowa's natural spaces have been transformed by human needs, places of wildness remain. Yes, there are the ravines and gaps between corn and soybean fields. But Iowans are also invested in preserving the natural character of the land--the woodlands and the prairies--or returning tapped-out farmland to its more natural state. I spend a lot of time (with my wild-animal children) wandering around in those places. Just this week, on one of these unnaturally warm days we've been having, we discovered a piney woods full of silence and old spiderwebs, which will make a fine setting for a scene in this book I'm working on.

INKPOT: Much of the magic in WINTERLING is based on herbs--and what lovely names those herbs have: "Loosestrife and lavender, mugwort and harewort... " That line wants to be a folksong! Were you a botanical sort of person before writing WINTERLING, or have you had to give yourself an herbal education while writing this story?

Sarah Prineas: Haha. Um. Thank you, Wikipedia? I did enough research to be sure readers wouldn't poison themselves with the herbs, and to be sure the herbs actually do what they're supposed to, but that's about it. After the book was done, my homeschooled son and I did a "unit" on herbology and we made some lavender oil, lemon-balm tea, and walnut-juice ink, and some other stuff. But we're no experts.

INKPOT: The theme of the wildlings--people growing into their animal alter-egos, until in the end their very human-ness is threatened--reminded me some of George MacDonald's goblins, with their sometimes human, sometimes animal, hands/paws. In your more wildling moments, what animal is it that you find yourself sinking into (if you do)?

Sarah Prineas: My children and husband would agree that in my worst (best?) moments, I am a dragon. And I have the tattoo to prove it.

INKPOT: I know spring's pretty nice and all, but surely magic runs very deep in stories about winter. What are some of your favorite books about winter?

Sarah Prineas: My (awesome) editor at HarperCollins wrangles the C.S. Lewis estate, so I should say Narnia, but I was never really much of a fan. Homeschool boy and I did a weather "unit" last year and reread Laura Ingalls Wilder's THE LONG WINTER, which we loved. My all-time favorite winter book is A WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin. His politics are icky, but the first part of that book is a gorgeous homage to winter and New York City.

INKPOT: I love Fer's patchwork jacket and her rambunctious hair (she's called "Jenny Fur-head" by the meaner kids at school)! What gave you the idea for the patchwork jacket? Did you have a real-life prototype in mind?

Sarah Prineas: Some touchstones for me as a writer are names, food, and clothes. In THE MAGIC THIEF, Conn has some big moments with the student robe he gets from Nevery, and with the sweater Benet knits for him. I'm trying, and failing, to remember where the WINTERLING patchwork jacket idea came from. I do remember that one of the book's first readers, Rae Carson [www.raecarson.com], suggested the "quilt with sleeves" line, and pushed me to make the jacket more important.

INKPOT: Fer is a vegetarian. That is not very common in fantasy, is it? I think back on all the Narnian feasts and so forth, and I'm pretty roast beasts of one kind or another are usually involved (even in Oz children gnaw on drumsticks). What inspired Fer's vegetarianism, and how do you think it relates to the deeper themes of the book?

Sarah Prineas: One of Fer's defining character traits is that she cares deeply about the land and its creatures, so it makes sense that she won't eat meat. I'm a wavering carnivore (totally bacon's fault), but both of my children have been vegetarians since they were around seven years old, and their commitment has been a further inspiration for Fer's beliefs. When you think about ecology and sustainability, meat becomes a really problematic source of protein. That does tie back into some of the nature themes of WINTERLING, and even more to its sequel, THE SUMMERKIN, which I am working on/obsessing about now.

Incidentally, the animal characters in Brian Jacques' REDWALL books are vegetarians. He even did a vegetarian REDWALL cookbook.

INKPOT: Tell us more about that sequel to WINTERLING you're working on & obsessing about! Could you give us some hints about SUMMERKIN? Will we be going on adventures again with Fer and Rook?

Sarah Prineas: SUMMERKIN has been hugely fun to write--I'm working on revisions now, and as you know from following my Facebook account, it's involved a lot of cackling. There are two big plot/character arcs in SUMMERKIN. One is that Fer has to prove herself as the true Lady of her land, which involves some rigorous testing and some revolutionary moves on her part. The other big arc is that of Fer and Rook's friendship. Rook is a much bigger character in this book--more of a co-protagonist--and he's pulled one way by his loyalty to his brother-pucks, and the other by his ties to Fer. His capacity for true friendship is really tested. Fer also makes some new friends. One of them is named Gnar and is a fire-girl who rides a dragon and is ridiculously fun to write.

INKPOT: I think we can safely predict that a fire-girl who has been ridiculously fun to write is going to be ridiculously fun to read! Thank you so much, Sarah, for writing this lovely book and for chatting with us at the Inkpot!

Prologue / Teaser in Fantasy, Help or Nuisance?

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:25:28 GMT

By Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban

“A prologue (Greek πρόλογος prologos, from the word pro (before) and lógos, word),” Wikipedia tells us, “is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information.”

In fantasy the prologue usually describes the circumstances that brought the world to its present state of disarray (i.e. the rise of the great evil our hero/heroine will have to overcome) and/or offers a prophecy about the One who will set things right. So we readers know when we meet the protagonist, he/she is the One the prophecy foretold.

A teaser, as per my definition, is a scene at the beginning of a book that ends with the protagonist’s life/quest in jeopardy. A scene we will not reach until later chapters because, after the teaser, the book goes back to an earlier time in the story.

The purpose of both, teaser and prologue, is to engage the reader in the story so that he/she will keep reading during the slower scenes the author needs to establish the world and the characters.

Although I understand the need for these two devices, as a reader I always found both prologue and teaser annoying. They were, it seemed to me, the authors’ acceptance that their first chapters were boring.

Yet, I must confess I have given in to the temptation and written a teaser for my sequel of Two Moon Princess (http://carmenferreiroesteban.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/the-king-in-the-stone-teaser/). Whether it will stay or not in the final version, I haven’t decided yet.

What about you?

Do you like teaser/prologues in your stories, as a writer and/or as a reader?

Interview with Anne Nesbet

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:33:18 GMT

It’s always exciting when the Inkies get to interview one of our own for a new book. But when it’s also an author’s debut book and happens to be a darn good read, that’s even better!

Anne Nesbet has just released A CABINET OF EARTHS with Harper Collins. The Goodreads summary is here:

All Maya really wants is for her mother to be well again. But when her baby brother James goes missing, 12-year-old Maya has to take on the magical underworld of Paris, in which houses have bronze salamanders for door handles, the most beautiful people are all hooked on the sweet-smelling “anbar,” and a shimmering glass Cabinet of Earths has chosen Maya to be its next keeper. With the Cabinet’s help, Maya may be able to do for her mother what doctors cannot: save her from death, once and for all. But now that the clock is ticking for James, the price the Cabinet demands may be too high.

So let’s get to it.

Maya is a wonderful heroine in this story. I personally love the analogy of her to the salamander. What do you think readers will most like about her?

Perhaps some readers may recognize a bit of themselves in Maya, who has to be quite brave and resourceful in a very new and unfamiliar place. I do think most people, perhaps especially younger people, are keenly aware of what it feels like to be out of place, to have to walk into a room where you don't know anybody yet and find a place to sit and maybe even people to talk to. Maya is thrown into a new world when her parents drag her off to Paris, but if you ask me, that's not entirely unlike being sent off to Middle School or Junior High. Although in Paris, the croissants are better!

Without giving away any details, there’s a sinister sort of mystery that unfolds in the story and intertwines with some actual historical facts. Where did the idea for CABINET OF EARTHS come from?

Like most ideas, the ones that got tangled up into this particular story came from a number of different places originally. The first thread was, believe it or not, the almost invisible Cousin Louise; I knew something perfectly awful must have happened to her long ago, and I really wanted her to be able to rise up and demand some justice for herself. But an opaque & forgettable person doesn't work so well as a main character! So Maya and her family appeared on the scene, and with them (since I was living in Paris at the time, and in an apartment with a glass cabinet full of mysterious bottles, to boot!) a setting, a door with a bronze salamander for a door-handle, all the various Fourcroys . . . . Oh, and I found an old book about 18th-century chemistry in France that I could not put down! Poor Lavoisier, who despite formulating the conservation of matter for modern science, still lost his head to the guillotine--I just knew he was mixed into the backstory somehow.

I confess, my favorite character just might be the unusually forgettable Cousin Louise, and every time you describe her I just smile (a human-sized shadow in a chair). Do you have a favorite character?

As you can see from the above, Cousin Louise has always been a favorite of mine, too, but I also love Maya, for being able to rise--bravely--above her many worries, and Maya's mother reminds me (by sheer coincidence, I'm sure) of my own mother, who loved to look very closely at pictures in museums.

You write as someone very familiar with Paris, where Maya’s family has recently come to live. Have you lived or traveled there?

When I was a child my father sometimes had long stints of work at a physics laboratory near Paris, and so my sisters and I would be dropped into the nearest French public school for months at a time. That was a challenge, of course--the schools were tough!--but I also came to love the city very much and to feel at home there. As an adult I've been lucky enough to keep returning to France with my family, and the rough draft of THE CABINET OF EARTHS was, in fact, written during a year when we were living in Paris.

There’s a timeless feel to your book, as if it’s a treasure that’s always been on our bookshelves and always will be. I wonder what childhood books inspired you most in the development of your voice?

That's so kind of you to say! I am not sure where "voices" come from, but I was always finding myself writing sad stories that despite my best efforts were also a bit funny--and funny stories that despite my best efforts were also a bit sad--so I suspect some complex combination of E. Nesbit, to whom I'm not, alas, the least bit related, and Tove Jansson and Edward Eager and Jane Langton and Mary Norton (THE BORROWERS is one of the saddest funny books I know), among others, may have had something to do with the way I tell stories now.

And finally, where can readers learn more about you and future news?

My website can be found at www.annenesbet.com. One bit of future news that is already official is that there will be another book about Maya and Valko in about a year. It's called A BOX OF GARGOYLES, and I am revising it right now.

Thank you so much for these thoughtful questions, Jen! It is really an honor--and a long-held dream of mine--to be an official Inkpot Interviewee!

The Flying Snowman (or, When Disbelief Unsuspends)

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:41:36 GMT

A while ago, John Scalzi had a post on his blog about what he terms “the flying snowman.” The post and comments there are worth reading, but basically, it’s the question of when an element in a work of speculative fiction suddenly makes the reader snap out of it and say, “That’s ridiculous! That couldn’t happen!” In other words, where the suspension of disbelief stops working.

This got me thinking about whether the “flying snowman” is different when writing for children or teens than for adults. (Putting aside for a moment the fact that plenty of adults read YA and MG fantasy.) Can you get away with more? Less? With suspension of disbelief in different areas? Or is it really all the same?

I think that when it comes to facts, you can probably stretch them farther in YA/MG than in adult fantasy. I would guess that there are not as many teens as adults who are familiar with, say, the exact composition of lava and how someone might or might not sink into it, or what type of technology existed during a specific historical era. Most of us would like to be rigorous about such things for our own sakes, but if you decide to depart from rigor for the sake of the story and engage in some handwavium, you perhaps have more leeway than you would in an adult work.

When it comes to characters, on the other hand - in particular, young characters - I think YA and MG readers are going to be more rigorous. I believe that as a general rule, your characters’ actions and motivations have to be realistic no matter what type of world you’ve placed them in. And especially when writing for younger readers, your child/teen characters have to act like children and/or teens, not like shorter adults with a more limited vocabulary.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? And do you think there are other areas where suspension of disbelief work differently for younger readers than for older ones?

Apocalypse of Shamelessness

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 17:18:25 GMT

2012 may be the year the world ends, but we've still got eleven months of shameless news, and we're starting off the year with a bang!

Anne Nesbet's THE CABINET OF EARTHS hit shelves this week, to some massive fanfare among critics:

“a-shimmer with magic” (Horn Book)

“charmingly creepy” (Kirkus)

“evocative prose and a confident narrative voice” (Publishers Weekly)

“readers will be swept along by the novel’s swift pace” (Shelf Awareness)

“a unique, interesting fantasy with just enough suspense to keep readers turning the pages into the night” (VOYA)

For those of you in the Bay Area or New York, Anne's having two launch parties. The first is in Berkeley, California, at Books Inc. on 4th Street, on Wednesday, January 11, at 7 p.m. The second is in New York City, at The Corner Bookstore, 1313 Madison Avenue (at 93rd), on Thursday, January 19, at 6 p.m. Come out and say, "Hi!"

Speaking of books that just came out, Leah Cypess has a new collection of short stories out in ebook format.

CHANGLINGS is now available free at B&N and for $0.99 on Amazon, and all proceeds go to support Reading is Fundamental. YAY!

Carmen Ferreiro-Esteban's TWO MOON PRINCESS is also out in ebook format, and she should have a cover reveal for it's sequel THE KING IN THE STONE very, very soon!

In other 2012-related news, we have a couple of upcoming Inkie releases to discuss. William Alexander's debut GOBLIN SECRETS from Margaret K. McElderry Books hits shelves March 6th, and William has just launched a shiny new website for the novel here. Meanwhile, my second novel has a release date! It's not fantasy-related (oops) but my contemporary horror novel TEN will be on shelves September 18th! Cover reveal coming at the end of February...

Even further down the line, Scholastic Publishing recently announced a new multi-platform series called THE FALSE PRINCE, which will replace the popular 39 CLUES books, and one of the authors is an Inkie! Jennifer Nielsen, author of the forthcoming THE FALSE PRINCE, will be writing Book 6 of the series, which will be released in September 2013. Yet another reason to hope the Mayans were wrong!

CINDER!! Interview with Marissa Meyer

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:17:38 GMT

One of the greatest perks about being an Inkie is that I have been incredibly fortunate enough to read advanced copies of amazing books and interview the genius authors behind them. So I pretty much was beside myself when Marissa Meyer agreed to let me interview her and I received my copy of Cinder. I literally devoured, inhaled, consumed that book like a starving person at a sumptuous feast. Yes, I absolutely, insanely, loved this book. It’s a sci fi retelling of Cinderella, mixed with some Terminator and Blade Runner. Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Just look at these amazing covers! The one on the left is the US cover and the one on the right is the Spain cover - both are incredible! I would gladly give my left foot for the ability to read the next books right now. Unfortunately, since that can’t happen, I’ll have to settle for grilling, I mean interviewing Marissa.

Ello – Marissa, usually I start interviews by saying thanks so much for being here, but today I want to start by saying thank you for writing this book which I absolutely adored. But the ironic thing is that Cinderella was never my favorite fairytale. It always bugged me that she was such a doormat and had to be “rescued.” I love your take on this classic fairytale. Can you tell us how you came up with the idea?

MM – Thank you, Ello! I had so much fun writing Cinder, and am having equally as much fun working on the rest of the series, so it’s wonderful to know that readers are enjoying it! I got the idea when I entered a short story contest a few years ago with a futuristic take on “Puss in Boots.” It was my first experience writing sci-fi and it was so much fun that I thought it would be great to write a whole series of futuristic fairy tale retellings. Though my initial plan had been to keep each story as a stand-alone with only minor overlap, as my ideas developed and grew, the storylines began to combine into one epic, continuing series, all revolving around one awesome heroine: a cyborg Cinderella.

Ello – OK, So what in the world were you thinking when you made Cinderella a cyborg?

MM – Ahahaha, that cyborgs are awesome? The idea came to me when I was half-asleep. I’d been brainstorming ways to futurize fairy tales for a few months, and then one night just as I was drifting off I saw her—robotic foot and hand, oppressed and despised (just like Cinderella), but slaving away over malfunctioning androids instead of mopping floors and doing the mending. It all started to click into place

Ello – That is so totally cool! I love that you made Cinder a mechanic and you had the Prince coming to her to help fix his android. It made for such a refreshing read. There’s so much high technology that you have in your world. Are you a techie yourself? What kind of research did you have to do make this all believable?

MM – Wow, being asked if I’m a techie is such a huge compliment, and the answer is a resounding No. Although I can find my way around basic computer stuff, I’m a slow adapter when it comes to all the newest gadgets and I’m pretty useless when it comes to fixing things. I had to do a lot of research on cyborgs, prosthetics, robots, artificial intelligence, magnetic levitation, and on and on. Thankfully, there are a lot of scientists out there who are much smarter than me and tons of information for a lost writer. I can honestly say that there isn’t a single element of technology in the book that isn’t already possible or being worked on by scientists at this very moment. Yes, even hover cars.

Ello – And then you put it all into New Beijing. What made you choose that setting?

MM - Having the book set in futuristic China was one of the first decisions I made, and one of the few things that didn’t change during revisions. The intellectual reason for it is that many scholars believe the earliest recorded versions of our “Cinderella” tale come from 9th-century China, so setting it there had this great cyclical quality to it. The less intellectual reason is that my original inspiration for Cinder’s character was the Japanese actress who played Sailor Jupiter in the live-action Sailor Moon show, so it just seemed natural to place the story in an Asian setting.

Ello – I loved that! For me, the changes that you made to the basic storyline, the relationship between Cinder and her 2 stepsisters and her stepmother, humanized the story. They were not completely unsympathetic, and I loved that. And I loved that the stepmother is not the central villain. What was your thinking behind such a radical change?

MM – Although I love fairy tales, I don’t think novels can get away with the same stereotyping and oversimplification that the original tales have. In “Cinderella,” it’s enough for the stepmother to be given the role of “wicked,” and we all take it at face value, but it’s not so easy in a book. How is she wicked? What made her that way? Although creating villains that are believable in their cruelty is one of my biggest challenges as a writer, I think it’s also one that can pay off. The same goes for my Evil Queen character, who like you say is the more central villain throughout the series. Although you don’t see much beyond her evilness in Book One, I hope to be able to expand on her character in later books so that readers will come to somewhat understand her, even if they still despise her.

Ello – I actually couldn’t despise her because I found her so fascinating! But my favorite part of the whole story is the end. Since I can’t give it away, all I want to say is Bravo for writing such a strong female empowerment story! In many ways, it is the antithesis of the original fairytale. Was that your intent?

MM – Thank you! Writing a female empowerment story wasn’t my intent, but I think it’s a natural side-effect of being a long-time fan of strong heroines who make their own destinies. My biggest goal as a writer is to entertain, but I’m delighted to think my stories could empower at the same time.

Ello – I am so excited to hear that there are three more books in the series – although I’m gonna go crazy waiting for them! I understand that they all will take a futuristic sci-fi twist on other fairy tales. Can you tell us about them?

MM – Yes, the next books in the series are Scarlet (Little Red Riding Hood), Cress (Rapunzel), and Winter (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves). Cinder will continue to be a main character as she learns more about her past and continues to defy the evil queen. Meanwhile, we’ll meet three new heroines (and more swoon-worthy guys, of course) who have their own problems to deal with. Throughout the series, their paths will intertwine as they join forces against their common enemy and attempt to save the world.

Ello – What was the reasoning behind choosing each of these iconic fairy tales?

MM – I considered lots of different tales for inclusion in the series, and spent a lot of time brainstorming different ways I could put them down in a futuristic setting. As I plotted and outlined, these four tales just started fitting together like puzzle pieces, with lots of great overlap between them. I hope that by the time the series is finished, combining these four tales will seem as entirely natural to readers as they now seem to me.

Ello – I also want to direct readers to the prequel to Cinder that is online, which is also awesome. I have to say that I would love to read more about the history of the Lunar royalty and how Queen Levana actually got into power. Is that something you might incorporate into the next books? If not, maybe a short story or another prequel? Pretty please?

MM – You are reading my mind! Although hints of Levana’s past will be scattered throughout the later books, I would absolutely love to give her a story of her own, and have actually mentioned the idea to my editor who seemed to like the idea. Although it’ll be awhile before I’m free to focus on anything other than the Lunar Chronicles, I do hope to expand into some of that back story in the future.

(Oh, and thank you for mentioning the prequel, “Glitches,” which can be read at Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/12/glitches.)

Ello – Thank you so much, Marissa, for being here with us today. I know Cinder is going to be an incredible success and I want to congratulate you for your amazing achievement with this fabulous book! PS – please write quickly! I’m dying to read the next books!!!

MM – Thank you so much, and everyone at the Inkpot, for having me. This was great fun, and I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the series just as much!

Happy New Year

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:13:34 GMT

Here's wishing all our friends and readers a very happy and successful 2012. We've got an exciting year shaping up at the Inkpot, including interviews with new and established authors, a give-away, and thought-provoking Topic-of-the-Week posts--so check back frequently! Our next post will be on Wednesday, January 4th.

Merry, Scary, Fairytale Christmas!

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:24:59 GMT

Have a Fairy, Scary, Merry Christmas
(Or Other Winter Holiday!)

by Nancy Holder
www.nancyholder.com

Many of the Christmas traditions Americans hold dear were handed down to us by the Victorians—trimming an evergreen tree; stuffing stockings with candy; sending Christmas cards; and caroling. But one beloved Victorian tradition—telling ghost stories--seems to have fallen by the wayside. That is, with one notable exception, and that is, of course, A Christmas Carol, the beloved story of Ebenezer Scrooge, who learns to keep Christmas in his heart.
         In his preface to A Christmas Carol, Dickens wrote:

         I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.

Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

         A Christmas Carol has been adapted into dozens of movies, musicals, radio plays, graphic novels, and any other form of storytelling medium imaginable. But during the Victorian era, telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve was tradition; and indeed, for some folks, it was considered the only night of the year for such macabre fun. (And it provides the explanation for a puzzling line in the Christmas song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” written in 1953: “There'll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.”)
         English author Jerome K. Jerome, known best for his humorous novel, Three Men in a Boat, wrote in his introduction to Told After Supper, an anthology of Christmas ghost stories (1891): “Nothing satisfies us [Englishmen] on Christmas Eve but to hear each other tell authentic anecdotes about specters.” It’s been theorized that this interest in the supernatural was an outgrowth of the Victorian fascination with Gothic literature (Robert Lewis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was published in 1886; Bram Stoker’s Dracula, in 1897.) Others opine that the choice to celebrate the birth of Christ on or near the winter solstice was an artifact of pagan celebrations, such as Yule, in which the longest night of the year represented death of the soul, the sun, and/or of the earth, with subsequent rebirth in the spring. In Viking Norway, for example, it was believed that the spirits of dead ancestors returned to their home during Yuletide, and beds of straw and food were laid out for them. Yule was considered the second most haunted time of the year, with Samhain (Halloween) being the first.
         The events of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven take place “in the bleak December, when each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.” Henry James’s 1898 The Turn of the Screw is a frame story, in which old friends sit around a fire on Christmas sharing a terrifying tale.
         But ghosts are not the only supernatural creatures to star in Christmas stories. In 1823, Edgar Taylor’s first English translation of Grimm’s Fairy Tales was published in England, and tales about fairies and goblins (what we call fantasy) were the new hot publishing trend. Writers such as Charles Kingsley, Christina Rossetti, and Lewis Carroll became some of the most popular speculative fiction writers of the times (and our times, as well.)
         Most Victorians could not afford to go the theater, concerts or other entertainments, so families gathered around their hearths to sing, tell stories, and or read to each other to pass long, cold winter nights. The commercialization of Christmas as we know it today began in England in the 1840’s, with the first commercial Christmas cards, and the introduction by Prince Albert of German Christmas traditions. Prior to this time, the briskest season for book and magazine sales was the spring. But with the pressure/encouragement on consumers to spend a little extra money at Christmas, publishers began creating “annuals,” sold near the end of the year. These annuals included fairy tales and ghost stories suitable for the entire family and often, specifically fashioned for Christmastime. In 1846, Charles Dickens contributed The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy-tale of Home, which was a Christmas fairy story intended to be read aloud. There were annuals created just for children.
         Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas is a nod to the old ghost story tradition. The BBC ran a series of short films under the name A Ghost Story for Christmas from 1971 to 1978, later revived in 2005. John Hurt starred in the adaptation of M.R. James’s “Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad,” for the series in 2010.
         In 1993, Scholastic published an anthology called Haunting Christmas Tales for readers nine years and up, edited by Joan Aiken. There are numerous adult paranormal novels and novella-anthologies set during Christmas; for example, Christine Feehan’s The Twilight Before Christmas and A Very Gothic Christmas; and Charlaine Harris and P.N. Elrod edited Wolfsbane and Mistletoe, about werewolves at Christmas.
         However, fantasy as we define it is alive and well in the Christmas tradition. Of course, St. Nick himself is a jolly old elf. Audiences the world over attend holiday performances of The Nutcracker, which is based on E.T. A. Hoffman’s 1916 Christmas story, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, as adapted by Alexandre Dumas pere, in The Tale of the Nutcracker (1845.)
         The Tall Book of Christmas, published in 1954, contains “In the Great Walled Country,” first published in 1906, a story about a magical forest where the denizens of the Great Walled Country pick presents for themselves like fruit off the vine. It begins:
         “Away at the northern end of the world, where most people supposed that there is nothing but ice and snow, is a land full of children.”
         “Granny Glittens and Her Amazing Kittens” is about an old lady who uses candies to dye her mittens—with the result that the recipients devour them instead of using them as winter gear. And “The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy” is a talking animal story about a sad little puppy who wants a boy all his own…and winds up with dozens of them at an orphanage.
         There is a lovely collection of Christmas fairy tales as well as stories about the “Christmas saints” at http://christmasfairytales.blogspot.com/ as well as http://www.fairytalechannel.org/. Christmas saint stories include stories about Saint Basil, Saint Nicholas, and Saint Lucia. And while many might not regard them as fairy tales or fantasies, they are often told with the same sense of magical wonder that would delight a Victorian on Christmas Eve…or someone reading this post.
         May your winter holiday be filled with stories…and may all your fantasies come true!

Happy Holidays of Shamelessness

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 06:01:02 GMT

I literally can't get Christmas songs out of my head right now. HAHAHAHA.

This is the last Shameless Saturday post of 2011 so without further adieu...

Ellen Booraem's SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS made The Washington Post's list of Best Children's Books of 2011, one of five novels on the list. You know what I have to say about that? Um, duh!!!

Another list-maker, Lena Coakley’s WITCHLANDERS was included in the UT Literature Center’s Great Books to Read during the Holiday Season. Again, duh.

In foreign rights news, rights have been sold to Scholastic UK and Egmont Publishing in Poland for Jennifer A. Nielsen's ASCENDANCE trilogy, beginning with THE FALSE PRINCE (Scholastic, April 2012).

And last but very not least, Megan Crewe's THE WAY WE FALL has gotten it's first two reviews!!!

"As hope wars with loss, this gripping, psychological thriller never loses focus. Though Crewe’s story can be gruesome and horrifying, she escapes the trap of making events too depressing and hopeless, maintaining a strong sense of realism throughout." -Publishers Weekly

"Crewe utilizes a less-is-more approach, subtly closing the walls in on the characters as they run out of resources... Readers will root for the believable characters struggling through heartbreaking situations." -Kirkus Reviews

Not only that, but she has a trailer to debut. And it's awesome.

And that's it for 2011, folks! It's been an amazing year of shamelessness here at the Inkpot and I'm so honored to be the one who gets to share it with you all twice a month. I know for a fact that we have some AMAZING announcements coming in 2012 (including a cover reveal for my very own TEN) so please continue to tune in.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and a safe and happy new year.

Gretchen out.

Interview with Nancy Holder

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:31:49 GMT

I am thrilled to interview our own Nancy Holder on her new book written with Debbie Viguie, UNLEASHED.

First a little about the book via Goodreads:
Katelyn McBride’s life changed in an instant when her mother died. Uprooted from her California home, Katelyn was shipped to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to her only living relative, her grandfather. And now she has to start over in Wolf Springs, a tiny village in the Ozark Mountains. Like any small town, Wolf Springs has secrets. But the secrets hidden here are more sinister than Katelyn could ever imagine. It’s a town with a history that reaches back centuries, spans continents, and conceals terrifying truths. And Katelyn McBride is about to change everything.

Broken families, ageless grudges, forced alliances, and love that blooms in the darkest night—welcome to Wolf Springs.

And now the interview!

1. You and Debbie are both quite prolific, but turn out amazing work that could take some of us years. What inspired UNLEASHED? Did you hesitate at all taking it on with so much else on your plate?

Debbie and I had hit the New York Times bestseller list with our WICKED series and had sold our next series, CRUSADE which is mostly about vampires, but also has witches and werewolves in it. In the CRUSADE series, we have a werewolf named Holgar and we absolutely fell in love with him. We both realized we have been werewolf fans all our lives, so what better than to base our next series on werewolves? So now we have THE WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES.

About our output: We both keep swearing we'll slow down but then something new and shiny ends up nearby. We're definitely a couple of magpies!

2.How much of the series do you have already planned out? Are you a pantser at all when it comes to writing these things?

We sold THE WOLF SPRINGS CHRONICLES trilogy on an outline and sample pages. Then we created a chapter by chapter outline that we have modified as we go. We always Write It Forward. We never go back to a previous draft . If one of us changes something that the other guy doesn't like, she can write something new but she can't go backward. That helps us keep our momentum and also saves us from fighting and comparing. When we think of something different to do while we're working, we check in with each other and then we go for it. It's kind of fun and terrifying at the same time. Sort of like being a werewolf.

3. You've once again managed to tackle an "overdone" subject area with a completely fresh twist. Does it ever intimidate you to go into lore that is so heavily explored?

Well, thank you! When we sold UNLEASHED, there actually weren't that many werewolf books out. There was a panicky moment when we saw how many were coming out, but then we realized there are so many different ways to tackles werewolves, just as there are with vampires, witches, and ghosts. Besides, we always tweak whatever we go into, so we knew our werewolf book would be different for all the others. We're having a blast. We love working together.

4. Parts of the book had me quaking in my... well, my Sketchers, but you get the idea! Do you view this as more horror or paranormal? Can we expect more of that from the next books?

Thank you! Then we did our job right! Debbie and I love the dark. Debbie's friends call her a Pink Goth. We consider our books "dark fantasy" because there's a sort of dreamy, mythological aspect in the way we handle the scary bits. So yes, paranormal. In book 2, we are trying to maintain the mysterious spookiness of Wolf Springs as well as upping the stakes for Kat. Things have to get worse--they always do in the middle of a trilogy--and we will not disappoint!

5. Who was your favorite character in the book? The POV sticks close to Kat, who I loved from page one. But is there a supporting cast member that steals your heart?

Trick, for me. I love Trick. But he's a bit of a handful. If I actually knew him, I would probably deck him once or twice. He's got a lot going on. He still does in Book Two, which is called HOT BLOODED. We had to create a dream cast and the only character we couldn't cast was Trick. I also have a huge soft spot for Jesse.

6. Trick or Justin? Who would you choose?

It would depend on where the moon hung in the sky! Justin's 19 and he's been dating the same girl for 5 years. Some of our readers take issue with his undeniable attraction to Katelyn. They say he's a boyslut. But he's trying very hard to be a good guy. I was chuckling at a comment we got from a reader--"*I* would never go on a motorcycle ride with a guy I had just met." Oh, really?

Thank you, Nancy! I recommend you all check out UNLEASHED. Werewolves, scary forests, and hot guys, what more could you ask for?

TOTW: A Look At Light Fantasy

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:31:27 GMT

When it comes to fantasy, I tend to read pretty widely, but I've found that in the past year or so, I've been more and more drawn to what I call "light fantasy." This is probably not the actual technical term, but when I say light fantasy, I mean a story that takes place in the contemporary world and has a magical element thrown in. Going back to Lisa Gail Green's handy post on the different types of fantasy, I would say that light fantasy falls under the contemporary fantasy umbrella.

Some examples of light fantasy are Eleven Birthdays by Wendy Mass in which a girl must relive her eleventh birthday over and over, and You Wish by Mandy Hubbard in which a girl's birthday wishes start to come true. Both stories feature everyday characters dealing with magical situations. I think part of the fun of stories like this is that you don't need to travel far to be in the world of the story, and thus the unusual events seem almost plausible.

When I've talked to people about light fantasy, I've found that many don't even think of it as fantasy. For lots of readers, fantasy equals dragons and elves and magical quests. When a story is set in the real world and only features one fantastical element, it almost doesn't feel "otherworldly" enough to be fantasy. I think that's why this kind of fantasy has a broad appeal, even for readers who are often hesitant about reading fantasy.

As for why it appeals to me personally, I love imagining the real world with a twist. Throwing a magical wrench into the regular world often results in humor and some serious shenanigans--it's so fun to watch!

Any other light fantasy fans out there? What do you think of this type of fantasy?

Inkpot Andre Norton Award Roundup - Part II

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:20:02 GMT

As promised, here is another collection of books eligible for the Andre Norton Award, as recommended in the comments to the previous post!

Plus, a discussion in the comments led to the realization that mid-grade books are also eligible for the Andre Norton. So, the mid-grade books featured in the Inkpot this year are also included below.

Remember, February 15 is the voting deadline!

(The Andre Norton Award is SFWA’s award for young adult and mid-grade speculative fiction. All writer members of SFWA can vote, and the current voting period, for books published in 2011, is Nov. 15 - Feb. 15.)

Interview With Kersten Hamilton

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:00:12 GMT

This is now my most favorite interview ever. Not only do I love Kersten's books, but her answers to these questions have made me smarter, I think, just from reading them (or cleverer, or prettier...something-er, for sure). Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since it was her interview with Ello that made me move TYGER TYGER from the seems-kind-of-intriguing pile to the must-read-NOW pile (which turned out to be a very good call, since I LOVED it).

And now that the second book, IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT, is out, I get to talk to Kersten about it! Woohoo!

From Goodreads:

Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive, but the Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Tea’s goblin cousins show up at her school, sure she will come back to Mag Mell, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken. Soon she will belong to Fear Doirich and join them. In the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or kill Tea’s family and friends. Tea knows she doesn’t have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured and killed. A wild Stormrider, born to rule and reign, is growing stronger inside her. But as long as she can hold on, she’s still Teagan Wylltson, who plans to be a veterinarian and who heals the sick and hurting. The disease that’s destroying her—that’s destroying them all—has a name: Fear Doirich. And Teagan Wylltson is not going to let him win.

Hi Kersten! Since we've had a bit of your history before, in your interview with Ello, I'm going to go about the intro a bit differently: what five(ish) things have you done or not done that have led to where you are today, with the second book in the Goblin Wars trilogy having just come out? Things you are glad you did; things you shouldn't have done but turned out well, things you (wisely or not) avoided doing?

Five? I’m sure you don’t want five! I will tell you about one that I shouldn’t have done; one thing that might have crippled me. I had been submitting stories for a few years, and gathering hundreds of rejections. One day I decided that I wanted to be published too much…maybe more than I wanted God. So I sacrificed my dream. I promised God I would never write again.

And I didn’t, for four whole years. Not a word. Then one day, not a birthday or a holiday or an I’m–sorry–I–forgot–our–anniversary–day, but just a day, my husband brought me a present. An electric typewriter with a spell checker.

I had given up my dream before we were married. He had no idea that I wanted to write. He had no idea that I’d given it up forever. Under fierce interrogation, he admitted that he had no idea why he’d done such a terrible thing as bring me a present.

The next day, I was left alone with that typewriter. I set it on the table and circled it. I discussed it with the Almighty, but the discussion was one sided. I poked the typewriter with one finger. I sat down, breathed a prayer of repentance—whether I was repenting of making that stupid promise, or repenting of breaking it I wasn’t quite sure—and began to write.

One story. I allowed myself to write one story, and told myself that if it sold that meant God wanted me to write. I chose to retell a Bible story I’d never seen in a magazine. One with zip and zing. I slapped it in an envelope and sent it out. Then I didn’t touch the typewriter again. For two whole weeks, because that’s how long it took for the acceptance letter to arrive.

At this point, I probably should mention that the Creator of writers and Forgiver of young fools has a terrific sense of humor—the story I’d never seen in a magazine before? The one that sold to a national Christian children’s magazine in record time? It was about a eunuch—a man who had been intentionally maimed so that he could never have children. The way I would never have had book children if I hadn’t repented of my foolishness. God had never asked me to give up writing. I’d never even asked Him if it was a good idea. I’d just done it in a fit of religiosity.

The thing is, I didn’t know the Creator of creation nearly as well then as I do now. I was passionate, religious, and completely ignorant of the love a parent has for a child. Now, if I meet young people who tell me that they have given up writing, or music or art because they think they love it too much and God would not approve (or would be jealous) I take them by the shoulders and lovingly shake them until their teeth rattle.

You see? That was just one story. If I told five your readers would all give up on us. Or fall asleep. ☺

Um, that may be my most favorite answer ever. You make excellent points, and if we had met a few years ago, you may have had to shake me a bit...thankfully, I'm all better now!

You write across all kidlit genres; what's your favorite to write? Which is easiest? Hardest?

None are really easy for me. I like to say that picture books are the hardest, and that when I finish one, I put on my novel writer’s hat and send my picture book author self a box of truffles. But really, whichever book I am struggling with at the moment is the hardest. There is a point in every one—even the 98 word picture books—where it just isn’t working. The whole thing seems impossible, and I want to throw it out the window. But I don’t. Because then I wouldn’t get any truffles.

*nods* You are very wise.

Will you please post the link to your short story that inspired and grew into TYGER TYGER? It's so very lovely; if anyone who hasn't read your books wants a sample of your writing, they can go here and fall in love.

I’m glad you like it. It is a re–imagining of The Lords of the Grey & White Castles by Francis Brown, Ireland’s blind storyteller.

I stripped the story to its bones, wove in the creatures of older, darker tales from Scotland and Ireland, and reinforced the ancient fairy tale form. The result is Loveleaves and Woodwender, an almost-new fairy tale with very old roots. You can find it here:

http://home.comcast.net/~kerstenhamilton/stories.html

Is it weird that I now want to crawl inside your brain and just...go exploring? There must be such good stuff in there!

I seem to have this tendency to fall in love with one character per book I write (I'm talking Ponyboy Curtis/Gilbert Blythe want-to-marry love); does that happen to you? And if so, which character from the trilogy is it, and what makes him so dreamy? [Shameless confession: I choose Finn.]

Not want–to–marry–love, but…I do fall deeply in love with my characters. All of them. Teagan, Finn, Aiden, Abby. Maggot Cat….

Awww, so sweet. You and Teagan are a bit alike, I'd guess.

I like the world you've created, where Christian/Catholic characters deal with God and with goblins; the presence of one doesn't preclude the reality of the other. How did you come to create such a place, and how closely do you think it resembles our own world?

I think it resembles our world very closely—if you believe in God, it is very hard not to believe in evil beings as well. At least in the world we live in. I work hard to tell the truth in my books in the same way Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis and Tolkien told the truth in theirs:

“For Lewis, Tolkien, Williams, and other Inklings, romances and fairy- stories—or more broadly, the speculative kind of mythopoeic fiction they enjoyed and wrote themselves—put mortal humanity in contact with the immortal and the divine. Tolkien’s method was subtle, engaging readers with a feigned history of Middle-earth, whose wars for world domination have a resonance with our own. Lewis’s method was more direct with popular apologetics, science fiction, and fairy-stories bearing clear Christian parallels. Charles Williams’s method in fiction was to confront evil squarely, gazing steadily at the operations of ancient occultic powers in the modern world with his spiritual thrillers. Each of them thus dealt with the difficulty of maintaining old-world notions of heroism and faith in a post-war era that had led many of their contemporaries to adopt a bleak outlook of modernist disillusionment.” -- Jonathan B. Himes Truths Breathed Through Silver: The Inklings’ Moral and Mythopoeic Legacy

I would never claim to be as great a writer or thinker as Lewis, Tolkien or Williams—but like them, I am reaching for old world notions about things such as heroism and love and the reality of a loving Creator in a world that has grown cold and cynical and lost its way.

Okay, maybe that is my favorite answer ever. I've never heard of this Jonathan B. Himes, but I feel like maybe I need to read his book immediately.

Again I want to pick your brain: you've said in other interviews that you weren't traditionally educated beyond a certain point; how have you continued to educate yourself on your own? What kind of habits/attitudes/worldviews have stood you in good stead and fattened your wonderfully creative mind?

I was born with a hunger to know practically everything all at once—couple that with learning disabilities, and it is difficult to settle into formal school situations. I read a lot and followed my interests wherever they took me—astronomy, psychology, entomology, philosophy, or theology.

I think possibly the most important thing I do is ask God every now and again to pry me open and help me see the world as it really is—not as I wish it would be, or as any religion teaches it is. I ask Him to help me be still and listen to people who are very different from me. To listen and understand. I ask the Creator to help me learn.

Your strategy seems to be paying off (and we get to reap the benefits!).

There seems to be a lot of discussion in ITFOTN about becoming--or not becoming--who you were created to be, and that it's all about choices. In light of how TYGER TYGER ended, of a certain choice Teagan made, it fits perfectly...was this a conscious theme you built the story around, or did it develop as the characters and story did?

I built my story around it. It is close to my heart. I’ve told the story of getting the idea for the Goblin Wars series from MacDonald’s book many times. But what I haven’t said is: I didn’t relate to Curdie, the hero in that scene. I related to Lina, the goblin beast. When I read it, I suddenly understood why the world treated me the way it did. I was at least as distressing as Lina on the outside. I was very, very poor and unkempt, and I had very crooked teeth. I had no mother to look after me. My father chopped off my hair and dressed me in my brothers’ hand–me–downs. I did my own laundry in a bathtub, so I didn’t smell very nice. Add to this the fact that I am a dysgraphic dyslexic (the learning disability I mentioned earlier) and it was a perfect storm. When people looked at me they saw a dirty, smelly, retarded child. No one knew what was inside me. No one cared to take my hand in theirs to find out. But beastly Lina had chosen to be on the side of Curdie’s Grandmother, no matter what others thought of her. And I had chosen the side I would be on too, even as a child. No matter what others thought of me. And even as a child, I knew I wanted to write books that opened people’s minds to thoughts like that.

That's exactly the point of writing books, isn't it? Or a point, anyway...and you certainly deliver.

You've written several novels and picture books, so can you tell us newer writers if there are aspects of the process that get easier? Because writing books is REALLY HARD.

It has never gotten any easier for me. But don’t we write to change the world? I’m not sure changing the world is supposed to be easy.

Fair point.

You've also recently signed with an agent (and sold a fantasical MG! Congrats!). How was the agent search for you? Any less nerve-wracking than for the unpublished? And what's been the greatest plus of partnering with an agent after going solo for so long?

Thank you! I think searching for an agent was lot less nerve wracking for me than it is for a new writer.

I had contacted an agent in New York the year before I actually signed with one. I thought things were going swimmingly until he asked where I saw my career going. I said I planned to be a best seller. There was a moment of grim silence, and then he said that best sellerdom is not something that you can plan; it is like being struck by lightning. There is no predicting it.

I told him that if you strap a lightning rod to your back and scale the Empire State Building you have a much better chance of being struck than if you simply walk about in the street talking about it. I said I had my lightning rod strapped on and I was climbing.

I never heard from him after that conversation, and it kind of soured me on the idea of having an agent.

Then, a few months ago, overwhelmed by the amount of time it was taking me to keep track of industry changes such as e–royalty rates, I decided to look around again. I contacted two agents who were suggested to me, and they were both interested. I decided to go with Erin Murphy because I feel she is a kindred spirit.

I forgot to mention that I am dangling by my finger tips from a ledge on the twenty-fifth floor of the Empire State Building waiting for lightning to strike. Do you think I should have mentioned that? ☺

Haha, no, just surprise her with it.

Finally, do you have any special traditions for completing an MS/selling a book/release day/any other writing-related achievements? A bottle of wine? Tattoos? Custom-made cat-sidhe bobble-headed figurines for your dashboard?

Completing a manuscript is the only one I really celebrate. I like to set off fireworks to mark the occasion.

Thank you for interviewing me on the blog today, Amaris!

You are more than welcome, and thank you for your clever-making and prettifying answers. Seriously. FAVORITE INTERVIEW EVER.

Inkpot Andre Norton Award Roundup - Part I

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:56:13 GMT

It's voting time! For those of you who are members of SFWA, Nov. 15-Feb. 15 is the voting period for the Nebula Awards -- and for the Andre Norton Award, which covers young adult speculative fiction published in 2011. (more info here, or here if you are a SFWA member)

Needless to say, a lot of the books featured on the Inkpot this year qualify for the Andre Norton Award. Below are the fantasy books we’ve featured that qualify.

And of course, these are only a few of the many great books that are eligible -- so if you have other favorite YA books that you think belong on the ballot, mention them in the comments and we'll feature them in our next post!

Day Late Shamelessness

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:35:34 GMT

I beg forgiveness. Second Shameless post in a row that I've not posted until Sunday? How, exactly, is it supposed to be "Shameless Saturday" on Sunday? Fail, fail, fail.

But I was running around to a bunch of author events yesterday so I'm going to forgive myself. :)

Just a few pieces this week, but they definitely deserve the spotlight!

Ellen Booraem's SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS made another "best of the year" list, this time Kirkus Reviews' "Best Childrens Books of 2011." Kirkus called Ellen's middle grade fantasy "smart, earthy, and thoughtful."

Not only that, but SMALL PERSONS also was one of five books recommended by School Library Journal blogger and New York Public Library children's librarian Elizabeth Bird in "Books for Harry Potter Lovers," a video she made for About.com. Ellen is on FIRE!

Anna Staniszewski also has an awesome review for MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE, from the Girls' Life website. Plus, Anna has teased to me that there might be some more exciting shameless news next week, so stay tuned!!!

From November 28 through December 19, Leah Cypess is running a blog tour with a unique grand prize - a one-of-a-kind edition of MISTWOOD annotated by the author! Comment on any of the stops on the tour and be entered to win. Full tour schedule here.

Time to start that gift list!

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:56:00 GMT

Naughty? Nice? Faeries? Mice?

It’s never too early to panic about holiday giving. But what’s a better present than a book? We’re partial to middle-grade and young-adult fantasy, of course, so we figured we’d look for (and maybe hand out) a little genre advice for gift-givers.

In the comments, please weigh in with suggestions for five middle-grade or young-adult novels you’d give your favorite fantasy lover. They don’t have to be new titles-- whatever you think belongs on the gift list.

We’ll be checking it twice.

[posted on behalf of Ellen Booraem, due to technical difficulties!]

What We're Reading

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:12:47 GMT

It’s time for another round of the Inkies sharing what we’re reading! All of these look so wonderful (and hint to anyone who has gifts to

give their favorite fantasy reader – Christmas is coming!), but where to start?

For me, Jennifer Nielsen: I’m reading RAVENWOOD by Andrew Peters, which I picked up to prepare for a conference where he’d be appearing. What started out as “homework” has quickly turned into a wonderful adventure story of Ark, lowest on the social ladder rungs, who has to act against all odds to save the treetop kingdom.

Laura McCaffrey: I'm reading Paolo Bacigalupi's SHIP BREAKER. Never has oil seemed quite so disgusting, and I love the abandoned ships they have to search - the darkness and the echoing emptiness.

Carmen Ferreiro: I just finished the GOBLIN trilogy by Hilari Bell. A well plotted story with sympathetic characters and an evil antagonist with redeeming qualities, the best kind in my opinion. Currently I'm reading THE IRON KING. If you like love triangles and fairies you'll love this one.

I'm also reading Cheryl B. Klein's SECOND SIGHT. AN EDITOR'S TALKS ON WRITING, REVISING, & PUBLISHING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT. I highly recommend Cheryl's insightful and hands on approach to the revision process.

Cinda Chima: I'm reading an older high fantasy series by Garth Nix, THE ABHORSEN TRILOGY. It's a very creative fantasy world, involving travel to and from the world of Death. I started reading it because I did an event with Garth Nix when I was in San Diego for the World Fantasy Con and I'd not read anything he'd written.

Lisa Green: I am eagerly looking forward to gobbling up Tahereh Mafi's SHATTER ME when it comes out. I've pre-ordered it after trying unsuccessfully to score an ARC! I know it will be wonderful, not just because of the reviews, but because Tahereh is amazing. :D

Leah Cypress: I'm currently reading DRINK SLAY LOVE by Sarah Beth Durst and really enjoying it. It started out being pure fun, but now is managing to be suspenseful too, without losing the fun. Also, what other book has vampires AND unicorns?

Deva Fagan: I'm currently reading THE VESPERTINE, a YA historical fantasy by Saundra Mitchell. I had heard about the book because I know Saundra online and she is awesome, but what made me move it to the top of my list was a glowing recommendation from fellow Inkie Elizabeth C Bunce who raved about a very effective turning point partway through the book. I immediately had toknow what that turning point was! But aside from that, the book features some truly gorgeous prose and fascinating premise (a girl who sees visions at sunset).

Legend Interview with Marie Lu

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:22:35 GMT

This month at the Inkpot, we've talked about science fiction and fantasy and how the two don't seem really all that far apart. And these days, with the Hunger Games movie anticipation reaching feverish heights, we can't forget about dystopia. So in continuing this theme, I have the great pleasure of sharing with you an interview with Marie Lu, who's debut novel Legend is our very first dystopian/sci fi novel highlighted on this blog.

As soon as I heard about Legend, I knew that I absolutely had to read this book. Just read this caption and you’ll know exactly what I mean:

‘Legend’ is set some time in the future, when the United States has split into two warring nations–the western Republic and the eastern Colonies. 15 year-old Day is the Republic’s most wanted boy criminal, while 15 year-old June is the Republic’s most famous girl prodigy. When June is hired to hunt Day down, the two begin a dangerous game of cat and mouse that ultimately reveals the dark secrets that their country is hiding from them.

When I received the ARC, I devoured it in one sitting and then immediately emailed Marie asking her when I could get the second book. Yes, it was that good. For me what really worked was how much I loved the kickass heroine June is. I adore strong heroines, and June is one of the best of the lot. She’s strong with a hint of vulnerability. I loved her. She’s not Katniss, she’s (I dare say) even better.

Ello - Hi Marie! Thanks for stopping by the Inkpot during our November science fiction/dystopian celebration month. Since this is when Inkies are focusing on science fiction and dystopia, can you tell us about why you were drawn to writing a dystopia book?

ML – Thank you so much, Ello! It’s such an honor to be here at the Inkpot this month. You know, it’s odd; when I first started writing Legend, I hadn’t really realized it was ‘dystopian’. I’d first come up with the basic storyline when watching Les Miserables on TV one afternoon, and decided I wanted to write about essentially a teenage ValJean character versus a teenage Javert character. The sci-fi setting came about after I saw a map online of what the world would look like if all our freshwater ice melted and the oceans rose 100 meters. The simulation was so fascinating that I decided to set my story in that world.

Ello - That is the coolest explanation of how a writer came up with their book idea! I love it! And I can totally see the Les Mis theme in it! Now why do you think teens like to read dystopia?

ML – I think we all tend to have a dark fascination for how things can go horribly wrong, and whether we can do something to prevent it. This applies right now more than ever, being the pre-2012 and post-9/11 years. The end of the world is lingering in the back of all our minds. For the teen generation in particular, characters in dystopia tend to be surrounded by an extremely oppressive environment that teenagers probably empathize with. It’s a genre that has a lot of parallels with the teen years. I also think it’s heartening to see the characters in these dystopian worlds rising above the oppression to take control of their lives and their societies.

Ello - Yep, I remember feeling terribly oppressed by my parents when I was a teen. And now I am the oppressor of my children! ha ha.
Ello - I find dystopia world building can be similar to fantasy world building because you are essentially creating everything an entirely new world from scratch. You’re the creator setting the rules that your society will abide by. And just like in fantasy books, world building is incredibly important in dystopia. I think you do an excellent job in Legend. Unlike other recent dystopian books, I felt your world was very clearly articulated. I understood it. Not everything was explained, but it didn’t need to be. Tell me about your world building. How did you go about it? What research did you use?

ML – Worldbuilding is one of my favorite aspects of writing. I really wanted to create a futuristic United States that felt like it could actually happen. Many of the dystopian elements in Legend are drawn from real-world dystopian events and societies. I researched the eugenics movement that happened in the early 20^th century, for example. Such a horrifying and fascinating school of thought. Eugenics became the inspiration behind the Trials that children have to take in Legend’s world. I also researched North Korea’s regime, ancient Sparta, and China’s Cultural Revolution. Speaking of China, I was five years old and living in Beijing at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and I can still remember the tanks in the streets. There’s a scene in Legend created directly from that experience.

Ello - I can't even imagine what that must have been like - and yet I can in some way because I've read your book.
Ello - You have two great main characters and you switch POVs with every chapter. Was this difficult to do? Did you intend to do this when you started?

ML – Back in high school, I wrote a high fantasy story with two alternating, first-person POVs. Day (Legend’s boy protagonist) first appeared in that story. But I always wanted him to have a rival who could be an equally strong match for him, and that didn’t happen until I finally came up with the idea for Legend’s June character. So, I suppose I did always want to write a book with two main characters and two POVs! Writing Day felt pretty natural because he’s been in my head for so long. June was a completely different story. She was extremely hard to write because she and I have very, very little in common. It made for a fun challenge, though!

Ello - June is a great kickass female character. I loved how tough she was and yet she had some vulnerability. Day is warm and sweet and heroic. You can’t help but root for them to beat the odds. But I have a favorite, and you know who it is. I have to ask if you have a favorite. Did you go into this book thinking it was Day’s story or June’s? Or are you the proud Mom who loves all her children equally? If you were forced to tell this story from only one POV, whose would it be and why?

ML – I do know your preference! It’s so funny—I went into the story convinced that it was Day’s story. He’s the character I’m most familiar with, after all, and I was all prepared to wrap the novel around him. But when June came onto the scene, she just took over. She’s that sort of person, I guess. Legend does have two main characters, but I’d say June is the protagonist because she grows and changes the most out of the two. If there were only one POV, it’d probably be hers. I love her because she has a lot of characteristics that I wish I had in myself. She’s also not easy to like. Day is more easily likable, I think, having been dealt a harder set of cards in the game of life. But is it possible to love June in spite of all her high class snobbery and occasional rudeness? That’s something I loved exploring. Having said that, Day has a very special place in my heart. He’s been with me since high school, after all. I can’t decide—I do love them both equally!

Ello - Well, mothers aren't supposed to have favorites so don't worry about it! I remember hearing the news that CBS Films was making the Legend movie and just being so thrilled. Can you tell us what that process has been like? How is it different from finding out about your book deal? Is there anything you can share with us about the movie development?

ML – The process has been wonderful so far! With the book deal, it was a goal that I at least knew to dream about and work toward. On the other hand, the movie deal was a complete surprise (in the best way possible). So far, Jonathan Levine (“50/50”) is attached as the director, and the screenwriters, Gabe Ferrari and Andrew Barrer, are currently working on the first draft of the screenplay.

Ello - What’s after the Legend trilogy? Do you have any ideas for future books? If yes, what genre?

ML – I do have an idea in mind for post-Legend! I can’t say much about it yet, but I can say that it’s not set in the future. J I’m really excited about it.

Ello - I'm always fascinated by authors who are also illustrators because I don't have that artistic side and I envy it so much. When you were writing Legend, did you illustrate anything for it? And if yes, at what stage? Before, during, after, all of the above? I would just love to know how the artistic side of you coexists with the writing side. Does your art help you with your writing and vice versa?

ML – Yes, I did! Before I started writing Legend, I sketched out Day and June as well as a couple of the side characters. I tend to do this for most of my stories because I like to be able to picture my characters properly before I start writing about them. I also sketched things whenever I had trouble writing Legend or was suffering some writer’s block. It’s a way for me to get my creative juices flowing without actually putting words down. Usually it helps my writing to start up again, too.

Ello - And thank you for sharing some of your illustrations here on the Inkpot. I just love your art!

ML - The top two are Day and June. The bottom is of Day and Tess.

Ello - I love getting to see how you pictured them as you wrote this book! Ok some last questions. What were your favorite books to read growing up? What book or books would you say most influenced who you are and how you write?

ML – Brian Jacques’s Redwall series was my very first introduction into fantasy (and ultimately SF). I would have to say that those books were my childhood favorites and really defined my current reading tastes. Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow were two other favorites. I also read a lot of horse books as a kid—Marguerite Henry’s Chincoteague books, the Black Stallion series, Black Beauty, and so on. If it had a horse in it, I probably read it!

Ello - Last question. I’ve decided I’m going to ask all my authors this one because it always amuses me. So you are on a deserted island and meet a genie who can’t get you off the island but can fill one suitcase with 10 of your favorite things. Assuming that food (not including sweets and luxury items) and clothing (loin cloth at the very least) is already taken care of, what would that suitcase contain?

ML - Ooooh. Here’s my list (in no particular order):
1. Glasses (I’m blind without my contacts)
2. A knife
3. A photo of my boyfriend, mom, and dogs
4. Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
5. A radio with lots of extra batteries
6. Lots of paper
7. Colorful pens and pencils
8. Flaming Hot Cheetos
9. Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card
10. A flare gun (you know, to signal boats and stuff….and for entertainment when bored)

Ello - Thank you Marie for being here at the Inkpot with us today and congratulations on your book release! Legend is out in stores November 29th. For a chance to win an ARC of Marie's fabulous debut book, go here!

Moonlit Interview with Elizabeth C. Bunce (LIAR'S MOON)!

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:46:01 GMT

Digger is back! In Elizabeth Bunce's LIAR'S MOON, out this month from Scholastic's Arthur A. Levine imprint, the wily, charming, stubborn thief of STARCROSSED, having accidentally started a civil war, finds herself back in the city of Gerse and once again all tangled up in a poisoned snarl of politics and magic. If she doesn't figure out who killed her friend Durrel's thoroughly unpleasant wife (and why there are smears of magic on the walls), he is likely to meet a very nasty end. But everywhere she turns, Digger finds more lies and more magic . . . .

INKPOT: Thank you so much, ecb, for agreeing to do a LIAR'S MOON interview for the Inkpot! We all loved STARCROSSED at our house and have been looking forward to this return to Digger's world for a long, long time . . . .

My only complaint about STARCROSSED was that it didn't contain a helpful map, so you can imagine how delighted I was to open the gorgeous covers of LIAR'S MOON and find, not one, but two maps, one of the city in which almost all the action takes place, Gerse, and one of Digger's world (Llyvraneth) in general. (I think I'll photocopy the world one and tape it into our copy of STARCROSSED, for future reference!)

Please, though, in the next book could you include a chart of the Llyvraneth sky? I'm sure I'm not the only person completely in love with those seven moons. In fact, let me start my questions with something astronomical:

What night of the year is the best time to visit Llyvraneth, from the moon-viewing point of view? Do the moons line up in interesting ways in certain seasons, and so forth? Did you ever find, while writing STARCROSSED or LIAR'S MOON, that hours would slip away while you thought about the appearance and orbits of the seven moons? Or are you a stronger person than the rest of us?

ecb: I didn't lose sleep over the moons while writing, but I did find my mind wandering while looking at our own moon. Writing these books has definitely given me a far greater appreciation for our own planet's lone natural satellite than I ever got from science classes, and I now find myself watching for moonrise and tracking the phases of the moon (and for the first time in my life actually *know* when a new moon is occurring, rather than just not noticing if there's a moon out or not).

As for stargazers visiting Llyvraneth? Well, in addition to the interdimensional portal to take you to the fantasy world, you'd also need a time machine. The most spectacular astronomical event in the planet's history actually happened several hundred years before the events of *StarCrossed* and *Liar's Moon*--a total solar eclipse known as The Darkened Day, during which the Moon of Marau caught an asteroid in its orbit, which became the Moon of the Nameless One. As you can imagine, the birth of a new moon (not to mention its representative goddess!) was a significant cosmic and cosmological event for Llyvraneth, and, in fact, was the major factor behind the religious and social destabilization that led to the Inquisition of Digger's day. But it had to have been spectacular to witness! (Even without the telescope, which is brand-new technology in Digger's era.)

INKPOT: ("The Darkened Day"! Umm, could you please write that one up? Please? Prequel? Please please please?) Ahem. Although A CURSE DARK AS GOLD, STARCROSSED, and LIAR'S MOON all count as "fantasy," in fact each one of them seems to explore a different genre as well: CURSE would appeal to someone who enjoys historical fiction, STARCROSSED has that high fantasy/adventure swoop, and LIAR'S MOON could also be seen as a pretty wonderful detective story! Did you know from the start that LIAR'S MOON would be a mystery? Is there any other genre you would like to explore some day?

ecb: I absolutely knew *Liar's Moon* would be a mystery. In fact, I had a title and a premise long before I knew for sure that *StarCrossed* was to be a real book! Years ago, I had found the phrase "tincture of the moon" in a book about archaic English words, and jotted it in my journal. When I stumbled across it again during the early, early draft of *StarCrossed* I knew immediately it would make a spectacular poison in Digger's world--and even that poor young Durrel would be accused of murdering his wife with it. And, of course, that Digger would then be engaged to clear his name.

My editor has told me that I write "mysteries disguised in fantasy dress," which is pretty accurate. But I also like blending genres (incidentally, one of my favorite parts of writing YA), and knew when I started Digger's series that I didn't just want to write One Book In Three Parts; as a reader--and definitely as an author--I'm more attracted to series that give the characters new adventures in each book. I find that the characters and their situations typically suggest the genres to me; in fact, I've just realized that my current WIP (not about Digger) is far more a straightforward romance than any other book I've yet written, and that's entirely thanks to the main character. There's plenty of fantasy and mystery as well, but for the first time, the romance is going to the forefront of the plot, instead of being a subplot. It's exciting to explore new genres, and I think it's an excellent way to grow as an author, as well.

INKPOT: I so love and admire Digger! She's complicated and competent and deep! I especially appreciate the way you draw her as someone whose feisty sense of humor has built itself up around an old heartbreak (the loss of her lover Tegen, way back before STARCROSSED even really begins). Her heart is not healed up all nice and tidy, but she still is able to feel twinges of interest (perhaps more than twinges?) when attractive people show up in her world. How do you see Digger's emotional evolution, from the first pages of STARCROSSED to the end of LIAR'S MOON?

ecb: I think Digger's emotional growth is twofold, and it's kind of summed up by her rules: *Stay alive, don't get caught, don't get involved*. At the outset of *StarCrossed*, those are her priorities, survival at almost any cost, definitely at the cost of emotional and ideological attachments. She also has an underdeveloped moral compass (which may account for her chosen profession and her propensity to be creative with the truth). By the end of *StarCrossed*, of course, she's gotten *completely* involved, thoroughly entangled with people who love her (and whom she's come to love, as well), and with their cause. But (as *Kirkus* pointed out), in *StarCrossed*, it's easy for Digger to identify the Good Guys, the people worthy of her love and support. In *Liar's Moon*, things start to get more complicated, and it's harder to tell strict right from wrong, good from evil, and people aren't necessarily who or what she thinks they are. Bad guys are suddenly sympathetic; good guys do bad things... there's a lot more grey in this world, and it's going to continue to affect her character arc.

INKPOT: Something I so admire in your world-building is the way you make so many things seem like the "tip of the iceberg"--as in real life, every character seems to have a whole story of his/her own, even if we don't hear all the details. Do you secretly plot out the rest of the iceberg for each of these characters, or are you an expert in leaving things mysterious and open and suggestive, even for yourself?

ecb: Oooh, good question! The answer is, mostly yes--I try to know a lot about all of my characters before I put hands to keyboard, but that doesn't mean they never surprise me (or keep secrets. Yes, Character From WIP, I am glaring at YOU.). But as an author it's important for me to tell stories that are real and authentic; this may be a fantasy world, but I want my readers to *believe* in it--characters should feel like real people, with deep and complex personalities, and the world itself should give the sense that it existed long before this story began, and spreads out well beyond the pages of the book. If nothing else, it makes my job 100% more interesting; why bother writing about people who are boring or who *don't*surprise you?

INKPOT: No pressure, but I would love to hear more about Digger's brother. I love super complex kind-of-evil-but-maybe-not people, and you are so good at maintaining ambiguity over a long stretch! Come to think of it, you give us quite a crowd of those ambiguous characters in LIAR'S MOON: Durrel, Geirt, Lord Ragn, Koya. . . . Everybody, just about! Are there some of these secondary characters you especially care about?

(WARNING: Spoiler for anyone who hasn't read *StarCrossed* below!)

ecb: Funny you should ask! I got a letter from a teen reader who said her favorite character was Werne, and she wanted to know more about him. I do, too! For instance, the question I'm asking right now is, why isn't he married? A Llyvrin man of seven-and-twenty, particularly one in such an esteemed position, should be well married by now, with a brood of children... so why isn't Werne? (I like to think the answer is more than simply, the author did not yet see fit to provide him with one!) In this instance, I beg Digger's ignorance. My knowledge and familiarity with Werne seems to have ended with Digger's. I can tell you a lot about Werne's childhood and adolescence in the Celystra, as well as a fair amount about his rise to power... but the man now is a bit of a cipher, and I definitely look forward to exploring his character, and his troubled relationship with his sister.

INKPOT: What was the hardest part of writing LIAR'S MOON?

ecb: I think *Liar's Moon* was actually the easiest of my books for me to write so far. Part of it was working in a well-established world with characters I knew really well. A large part of it was working with my editor for the third time. Even more of it was the massive amount of prep-work and outlining I did (thanks to a foreshortened publication schedule). And part of it was a decision, after two-and-a-half books, to stop working weekends.

But if I absolutely, positively *had* to pick something difficult... it was laying the groundwork for a third book. We wanted *StarCrossed* to stand alone, so in revisions for that work, we actually stripped away some hints for the sequel. But in revisions for *Liar's Moon*, we were working them back in... since I hadn't yet sold a third book, we were trying to make references to a story that didn't yet exist, which was an interesting challenge, to say the least! I now have all these intriguing pieces to work with, and I think it's going to be really fun to piece them all together properly (who's killing Greenmen? What do the purple handprints mean? What about the plague in Markettown? What will post-war Gerse be like? And, well, if you've read the book, you know about That Other Thing.;).

INKPOT: What was a scene that you felt especially happy with, as soon as you typed it up?

ecb: Oh, that first kiss! It went differently in my head (the other party was supposed to make the first move), but as is so often the way, the characters had their own plans. I had actually discussed the "who makes the first move" issue with my editor, and we both liked my initial plan--and I did actually write a version that went along with that plan--but when my editor read the scene as written, she said it was too perfect to change.

INKPOT: What projects do you have going now? More Llyvraneth? Other things entirely?

ecb: I think everyone would love a chance to work on another book about Digger! So that's definitely on my To-Do list, and I've made a lot of notes and brainstormed quite a few scenes. It's ready to go whenever we get the go-ahead. But right now I'm working on a totally different book that surprised me utterly this summer, and about which I could not be more excited, and about which I'm going to tell you absolutely nothing! Everyone will just have to wait.

INKPOT: Thank you so very, very much for bringing Digger's world into our world, thank you for being willing to answer all of these questions, and may all curious readers quickly find their way to a copy of LIAR'S MOON!

Quick Fire Shamelessness!

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 04:47:13 GMT

Yes, I'm a Top Chef fan. :D

Malindo Lo just launched her BRAND NEW WEBSITE last week. It's about the coolest thing ever.

Ellen Booraem's SMALL PERSONS WITH WINGS made Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2011 list. Here's the blurb:

Call them Parvi Pennati, call them Small Persons with Wings, just don’t call them fairies. Booraem’s middle-grade novel, in which an outcast girl comes into her own, is frequently sad, but those moments are perfectly balanced with humor and hope. The result is a deeply believable and human story—one that also has room for vainglorious fairies, talking mannequins, and other wonders.

Deva Fagan's CIRCUS GALACTICUS debuted last week. I'm super ridiculously excited about this one because, in case you didn't know, I sing with the circus. Yes, the circus. So this one is close to my heart!

She has some amazing blurbs and reviews:

"An exuberant, adventurous tightrope walk over the stars."
—Lisa Mantchev, author of Eyes Like Stars

"Highly, highly recommended!"
—Elizabeth C. Bunce, author of A Curse Dark as Gold

"A book that reaches for the stars and provides a thrilling ride."-Kirkus

"Reminiscent of the juveniles of old, Fagan’s story makes sci fi fun. It’s loaded with wild coincidences and easily spotted inspirations (X-Men, Doctor Who), yet the underlying idea of valuing diversity, friendship, and self-esteem shines, carried by Fagan’s solid writing, appealing characters, and sprinkles of whimsy."—Publishers Weekly

Yeah. You WANT to run out and buy this one!

Lastly, Lena Coakley’s WITCHLANDERS has received another starred review, this time from School Library Journal! With her Kirkus and PW reviews, this gives Lena a three-star hat-trick. SLJ says, “This ambitious tale is tautly spun. Coakley’s world comes to life with exquisite detail and imagery… High fantasy lovers will gobble up Witchlanders.”

Short, but amazing. Inkies rock.

An interview with Kiki Hamilton

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:44:01 GMT

Today we have someone quite familiar to the Inkpot: Kiki Hamilton. Kiki’s debut novel, THE FAERIE RING, released in September 2011.

Here's the book description from Amazon:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.
Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Welcome, Kiki! Hi Nandini! Thank you so much for inviting me back to The Enchanted Inkpot!

--Why Victorian England? I love that era. I love the mystery, the dichotomy of classes, the deep belief in mysticism and the world of Faerie, that existed side by side with the Industrial Revolution. Plus, I LOVE London – what a magical city with so many untold stories!!

--How did you research the London setting from way over in Seattle? To be honest, I didn’t know much of anything about the City when I started writing. I’d never been there, never really studied it much – it was quite serendipitous that I set my main character living in Charing Cross, which is the true heart of London – the center point from which they measure all distances, even today. I used the internet , which is a fountain of fascinating information, I read books and I used my imagination. After I sold THE FAERIE RING I had an opportunity to actually go to London and walk in my character’s footsteps from Charing Cross to St. James Park and Buckingham Palace, etc. It was so fantastic and surreal!! And the best part – it all worked!! J

--Even though Tiki was a gentleman’s daughter, she mingled with a different social class—orphans, thieves, pickpockets—than the typical heroines of the period. I really enjoyed seeing London through her streetwise eyes. How did you decide to make her a pickpocket? That was the one thing I knew when I started writing: Tiki was a pickpocket and she lived in Victorian London. The idea of pickpockets in that time fascinates me – the shadowy life they live in London’s underbelly, struggling to find or steal enough to eat. Tiki didn’t really mingle with orphans, thieves and pickpockets until she became an orphan herself – and then it was a matter of survival.

--Is the magic in TFR based on folklore, or imagination, or a bit of both? I tried to be respectful of existing Faerie lore. The Seelie and UnSeelie courts are well documented in many stories about the fey and I used that as a foundation from which to build but I very much wanted to create my own Otherworld. That was a large part of what prompted me to write the story: I wrote what I wanted to read.

--A dilemma for writers of historical fantasy is whether to write dialogue in period language or contemporary language. Is it better to be authentic, or write in language that conveys a character’s meaning and intent to today’s readers? It’s my opinion that to try and read (or write!!) an entire story in period language would be exhausting for both the reader and writer, as that’s not the way we think or talk any more. However, I do love the flavor of period language so I tried to add a hint – enough that you felt like you were in the era, but not so much that it overwhelmed the story.

--Writing is a second career for you. What inspired you to start writing? Harry Potter inspired me to write. I was a voracious reader in high school – three or four books a week – but as I went on to college and then on to work my discretionary reading time diminished. I read the first four Harry Potter books in one week and suddenly remembered what it was like to LOVE reading again. That’s when I decided to write a story for my daughter.

--What was your writing journey like? While it seems like it’s been a slow process, I think I’ve been fairly lucky and had a pretty typical progression. It took me about a year to write my first novel and then a year to revise it. As I queried agents with that, I wrote THE FAERIE RING. It took about six months to sign with my agent, Kate Schafer Testerman, and then it took about nine months to sell the book. From that point it has taken two years until THE FAERIE RING finally just released on September 27th. I’m so happy it’s finally out there!!!!

It was good to have you back here, Kiki. Thanks for visiting! Thank you so much for having me over, Nandini!