Q. In your essay in Secrets of the Dragon Riders, “My Dragon, Myself,” you write that contemporary writers have been exploring a more rounded view of dragon characters. Do you feel that this new look at “bad” characters is a common trend across genres?

A. What an interesting question! Yes, I do think that contemporary writers are actively working to explore the human side of the traditional “bad guys” of literature, like vampires, werecreatures, witches and even serial killers (the HBO series “Dexter” is actually based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay).  If I had to guess, I’d say that people are more aware of other cultures, and that the “rules” for being a good person aren’t as cut and dried as any one culture may suggest. Having been raised back and forth over the Mason-Dixon line during the Civil Rights movement, I can attest to how awareness of different cultural rules can open someone up to a less absolute view of good and bad.

Q. You seem to have studied dragons in literature pretty closely. Do you have a favorite dragon?

A. I wouldn’t say I’ve studied dragons as much as I’ve been drawn to them when I read because they seem so fearsome and beautiful. My favorite kinds of books take a peek behind some automatic assumptions (St. George had to slay the dragon? Did he? Why?). Perhaps because of my upbringing, my Spidey sense tingles whenever some being is labeled completely evil (or completely good). I have an overwhelming urge to explore what’s behind the curtain of absolute definition. Plus, as bad guys go, dragons are much sexier and more dangerous than werecreatures (or serial killers).

Q. Your essay explains how dragons have been misunderstood for thousands of years. Do you feel that literary traditions have misrepresented any other creatures or people in a similar way?

A. Literary traditions aren’t as much guilty of misrepresentation as they are of focusing too much on the “good guy” in my opinion. For the hero of the story to be heroic, he or she needed to face implacable evil. It would have been very inconvenient to peek behind the curtain of evil to see that the dragon is protecting vulnerable young. So the traditional writers didn’t bother to go there. We writers who are building on and exploring traditional constructs can go there, with relish. Take Diana Peterfreund’s Rampant, for an example of a writer who is looking at unicorns in a whole new way. Or Carrie Jones’ Need series as an example of pixies who are more victims of their own insatiable drives than evil creatures who mean to do harm to humans.

Q. How did you come up with Prudence Stewart and St. Agatha’s Day School for Witches in your series?

A. I could go on about that for days. However, long story short, I adored the Bewitched TV series when I was young, and then my children (all three of them, and the youngest and oldest are 10 years apart!) tuned in to Sabrina, the Teenage Witch for a solid fifteen years of first run and syndicated reruns. I think Sabrina was one at least once a day, maybe more, for a very long time. So when I got the idea for The Salem Witch Tryouts (from mishearing someone at a conference), I thought about what I’d loved in those series, and decided I wanted to stay true to the good witch theme. Pru was born, a cheerleader who hadn’t been allowed to use magic, but now had to go to a magic high school. Naturally, the magic high school had to challenge everything about her, so Agatha, the ancient headmistress who didn’t think Pru was cut out to be a witch, was created to keep the pressure on Pru. I decided to put the school in a magical dimension, which allowed for students from witch families all around the world to attend. Every culture has its own magic traditions, which I alluded to, but unfortunately wasn’t able to explore. Although that might be a great idea for a short story!

Q. Would you want to have magic powers like the characters in some of your novels?

A. Anyone who says she wouldn’t want magic powers is just plain fibbing. Just this week I was trying to carry some heavy bins up from my basement, and I would have loved to be able to levitate them instead of grunt and heave and grumble my way up the steps. The daunting thing about power, including magic power, is that it brings responsibility with it. That’s something that my character Pru learns in the course of her series. Just because you can do magic, doesn’t mean you should do magic. Pru has to learn not only how to do magic well, but responsibly.

Q. On twitter (@kellymcclymer) you tweet a lot about social media itself. How has it most helped you as a writer?

A. I am a Twitter newbie. It appalls me that I have more Tweets than followers, but I hope to change that balance in the future. I was surprised how much I enjoy dipping into and out of Twitter, especially the hashtag conversations on the digital revolution in the publication industry like #dbw, and the teen writing conversations like #kidlitchat. I feel much more plugged into a wide and vibrant network this way. Just last month, I used Twitter to line up an interview for an article I was writing, which was an unexpected benefit. I also participate on Facebook, but mostly in a family and friends oriented way (it helps me keep track of my far flung homies). Right now, I’m still learning how to use social media in the most beneficial way, but I see great possibilities—if I am disciplined enough not to be a social media diva 24/7.

Q. Your website says that you teach writing in addition to writing yourself. Do you teach young students or adults?

A. I teach adults, through Longridge Writer’s Group, which offer long distance lessons. I have been doing that for almost ten years and I really enjoy the work. Helping other writers strengthen their work has definitely helped me strengthen my own.

Q. What is your favorite thing about teaching writing classes?

A. I have two favorite things, one student-related and one very selfish. First, I love it when a student nails a writing technique that has been a struggle (show vs. tell, realistic dialogue, voice, point of view, etc.). I think I love that even more than when a student sells something they worked on in the course. Selfishly, I love it when I’m writing comments on a student’s manuscript and a lightbulb goes on over my head about some scene or event in my own work. After so long as a writer, I marvel at how it is still much easier to see the problems/solutions in other people’s work than in my own.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’m still trying to decide. After finishing a novel about a girl who is being tormented by Baba Yaga, the old fairy tale crone, I am deciding between two science fiction ideas and something historical (with witches). I definitely don’t like to pin myself down to one genre, and I have more ideas than I will ever be able to write. I’m exploring these three in outline and opening chapters to see which will ultimately prove to be strongest.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Besides being a read that will keep you on the edge-of-your-seat, it has wonderfully drawn characters and a conflict that will make you think about the TV show Survivor in a whole different light. Please note that my answer changes on any given day, but for today—The Hunger Games wins hands down.

Q. Your latest book, Raised by Wolves, is about a girl named Bryn who lives with a werewolf pack. Why did you choose to write about werewolves?

A. When I write, I generally try to find two major elements—one that’s supernatural or fantastic in some way and one that’s more a part of everyday teen life—that fit together really well to tell a story. I’ve always been a huge werewolf fan, but it wasn’t until I came up with the idea of writing a human living among them that I knew I really wanted to write my own werewolf book—one that was about family and Pack and what it meant to be coming of age when the pull of those two things was so strong.

Q. Bryn is a spunky character who likes to do things her own way. Were you anything like her as a teen?

A. Bryn and I have certain things in common, but they tend not to be the traits that people associate most strongly with her personality. She’s really physically strong and very much a risk taker, and in the course of my life, I’ve been referred to as “sweet” much more often than I’ve been called “badass.” I’m more of an observer, and she’s the type to dive straight into the middle of things; I think things through, and she has to struggle to look before she leaps. But we’re both sarcastic and fiercely loyal, and we both know what it’s like to be underestimated, overprotected, and dismissed, because we’re young and female and—in Bryn’s case—human.

Q. Did you read up on were-lore before writing Raised by Wolves, and if so, did you learn anything particularly interesting or cool?

A. I actually didn’t do much book-type research for Raised by Wolves, because I’m the type of person who really likes to research by doing. So for Raised by Wolves, I really tapped into personal experiences more than written research. My background is in animal social behavior and cognition, and I’ve spent a lot of time in the wild, researching a variety of non-human primate species. Like wolves, the monkeys I studied live in large social groups, have a defined hierarchy both within and between groups, and use a lot of non-verbal communication to convey things like dominance and familial relationships. As a result, pack mentality, pack structure, and silent communication all ended up playing a really big role in Raised by Wolves, and I wove my own experiences as a human amid pack animals into more traditional werewolf lore.

Q. Being the only teen human among werewolves has to be hard for Bryn, and (minus the weres) her life seems to capture the outsider position many teens feel that they inhabit. Do you think that’s part of what makes Bryn so relatable?

A. I think that just about everyone feels like an outsider at one point in another, and I do think that’s part of what makes Bryn easy to relate to. She’s a really strong person, but she’s also the underdog, and I think that’s also something that a lot of adults and teens can sympathize with—mainly, though, I think that the thing I relate to the most in Bryn’s life is her relationship with her (mostly werewolf) family.  Regardless of your situation, I think that a large part of being a teenager is finding a balancing act between who people expect you to be and who you are, who your parents raised you to be and what you want out of life on your own. Raised by Wolves is very much so a book about finding independence, and the things you have to let go of when you grow up.

Q. Can you give us any hints as to what’s next for Bryn in the sequel to Raised by Wolves, Trial by Fire?

A. There really isn’t much I can say about Trial by Fire without giving away the ending of Raised by Wolves, except to say that you get to see a lot more of the world, both in terms of werewolf politics and in terms of things that will take Bryn completely off guard. I can also say that at the start of Trial by Fire, Bryn’s kind of struggling to redefine her relationships with all of the major players in her life, as a result of the way things panned out for her at the end of Raised by Wolves.

Q. In your Mind-Rain essay, “The S-Word: Science in the World of Uglies,” you take on the science of beauty and the notion that knowledge—scientific and otherwise—is power. Even though science isn’t fun to learn sometimes (ahem, physics), do you think that is has a place in every person’s life?

A. I think that it’s really easy for people to think of science as being all about memorizing facts or equations, but to me, science really boils down to a process. It’s about asking questions and systematically ruling out alternatives until you know the answer, and then turning around and asking more questions. While I’d never say that everyone should embrace physics or biology or any given domain of science, I would say that I think learning how to ask questions and figure out what you think about the world is an extremely important skill—and to me, that’s what science is all about.

Q. Your bio says that you’re pursuing graduate studies in developmental and evolutionary psychology, so clearly knowledge and learning are important to you! Do you ever find that your studies help with writing?

A. My studies work their way into my books in subtle ways. For example, one of the major themes in Raised by Wolves is also an area of significant debate in developmental psychology: the whole question of nature versus nurture. How much of who we are is based on our biology/genetics/innate personality? How much of it is learned from our environment? Or, in Bryn’s case, as a human raised by werewolves, what parts of her are still fully human, and in what ways is she more like her adopted family? I think this is a question Bryn asks herself constantly, because she’s simultaneously very aware of the fact that she’s not a werewolf and the fact that she doesn’t quite fit in around other humans either. She’s caught between two worlds, and nature and nurture are forever battling it out in her head.

Q. Can you tell us about your essay for the upcoming Smart Pop Vampire Diaries book, A Visitor's Guide to Mystic Falls?

A. Sure! My essay is called “Sweet Caroline,” and it’s a deeper look at Caroline’s character. I think she’s seriously underestimated, both by the other characters on the show and by the audience, so I had a lot of fun writing a grand defense of the “shallow end of the kiddie pool” to both of the above.

Q. What authors or books have influenced your own writing?

A. I read nearly constantly, and I think most of what I read (or watch on television, for that matter) ends up influencing me in one way or another. For Raised by Wolves, I think I was really influenced by a variety of writers writing werewolf books for adults, starting with Kelley Armstrong, whose Women of the Otherworld series is one of my all-time favorites. For more general influences, I’d say that Joss Whedon is a huge one—no matter what form he’s writing in (TV, comics, web-shorts), he’s an incredible storyteller who writes high concept that is, at the end of the day, character-driven, and that’s definitely something that I strive for in my own writing.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I just finished the first draft of Trial by Fire, and now I’m waiting on revision notes and working on my next book, Every Other Day, which is the story of a teenage demon hunter whose powers only work every other day, leaving her vulnerable to the supernatural the second her abilities click off.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than Raised by Wolves) what would it be?

A. I have a really hard time when people tell me to pick just one book. I read constantly, so at any given moment, I have a ton of recommendations! Some of my most recent favorite YA reads are The Demon’s Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan, which is the sequel to The Demon’s Lexicon and somehow manages to do everything that a middle book in a trilogy needs to do, while still being just as intriguing and compelling as the first book. Also, Mistwood by Leah Cypess, which has one of the most awesome protagonists I’ve read in a long time—I love watching not-quite-human characters struggle with the ways they are and are not human, and the author handled that, and the resulting romance and emotional development, so very well.

Q. In your latest book, The Evil Within (sequel to Possessions), Lindsay Cavanaugh and some of her classmates continue to be possessed by vengeful spirits. Where did your idea for a story about possession originate?

A. My father was a psychiatrist in the U.S. Navy, with many hair-raising stories to share about insanity when he came home from work. He loved to tell me about some of his more extreme patients (without naming names, of course). He would give them tests to figure out what was “wrong” with them—i.e., were they bipolar, psychotic, etc. If he got an “interesting” result, he would ask the patient to take the test again, but he would tell him or her that this time, s/he should answer all the questions as if she or he were “fine.” The scores almost always changed. A lot. As in “normal.” (He also brought my Christmas caroling group into the psychiatric lockdown ward, but that’s another story!) 

So he used to talk about us being “more than one person” inside our minds. (He also loved trying to hypnotize me. I had terrible insomnia—busy brain! But that is also another story.) He thought we were having some great philosophical discussions about the nature of consciousness, but the whole subject gave me the willies (which made it tougher to sleep). I was a young teenager and I was having enough trouble figuring out who I was, much less who else I might be. But I never forgot how intrigued he was and, actually, it is intriguing.   

Now I am the mom of a young teenager and one day she was acting so weird that I said, “OMG, are you possessed?” And I thought, “Wow, maybe she really is!” So I asked her, “If you are, can you just try acting like you’re fine, or could someone else in there get your math homework done?” And she just stared at me and started laughing. Like I was the possessed one. Go figure. 

Q. Growing up, did you go to a private school (and was it anything like Marlwood)?

A. I did go to a private school. It wasn’t a boarding school, though. It’s called Francis Parker and it’s here in San Diego. The biggest downside was that I had to take a bus and the other kids in the neighborhood found this very suspicious. So I had my school friends and my neighborhood friends. We didn’t have school uniforms, but we did have the ugliest gym uniforms ever created, which was possibly an even more downer of a downside. They were all white one-piece belted things with enormous baggy shorts. So whose butt would not look big in such a monstrosity? I think this is where my lifelong interest in dance began, because in high school, if you took modern dance, you didn’t have to wear gym clothes. So I became a dancer. Creative, no? 

Like Lindsay, my mom died when I was young—I was nine—and my female teachers at Parker were very momful toward me. One of them even took me to the Mother-Daughter banquet at school. 

We had a Lower School, which was K-8, and an Upper School, which at the time held only 9^th and 10^th grades. The Upper School had dances. The eighth graders were invited to the last dance of the school year, which was preceded by playing a sort of “Capture the Flag” game with a kickball. By the eighth grade, I was a complete, total klutz (most dancers are) of the variety that gets picked last in team sports. 

Nothing was different about this night and this team sports activity—except I won the game for my team with the tie-breaking point. It was a complete accident. The Upper School students raised me up on their shoulders and paraded me around while everyone cheered. I was in a daze. I had no idea how I had made us win. Then the cutest guy in the entire Upper School (shoutout, Dean Ouer!) asked me to slow-dance at the dance. Dreams can come true! 

Despite this milestone, I dropped out of American high school in my junior year and moved to Germany, where I attended a music high school. I majored in dance, to put it into American terms. This was more like a trade school, not like the creative and performing arts high schools we have here. The only academic subjects we had were art and Labanotation, which is a “language” created to write down choreography. I lived in a women’s boarding house run by the same religious group as in The DaVinci Code—I am not lying!—and later, in a youth hostel. At the hostel, I shared a room with the maids. One of them was a Finnish girl named Arja and she gave me her extra maxi-coat because I was freezing to death. That explains my preoccupation with long coats in Possessions, and also with hypothermia. 

Q. Throughout The Evil Within Lindsay struggles with doubt and never knows who she can trust—including herself. Do you think that learning to overcome self-doubt is a part of growing up?

A. I think that learning to overcome self-doubt is a part of life, period. This is one of the el biggos that stays with us all our lives. I think we become aware of it when we’re children, but as teenagers we have to focus on it more because everyone is telling us we have to take responsibility for ourselves. I used to imagine myself with a lasso, lassoing myself. “Yah!  I got you!” Then I would hog-tie myself with responsibility. 

A friend of mine who is a dad said: “Kids are like windup toys. You have to wind them up, set them down, and try to keep them from falling off the table.” But, y’know, what if your winder is a psycho? 

The most important thing I’ve learned about that is that we aren’t just windup toys. We are fabulous creations that run on the super-charged love of the universe. It’s inside us from the day we’re born and the real quest of growing up is to find the treasure that is our own human heart. All we need is love and we already have it. No lassos needed, either.

Q. What is your favorite scene from The Evil Within?

A. That is like asking me which part of my daughter is my favorite! (I’m very partial to the part that gets her math homework done, by the way.) There were a lot of parts of my own life incorporated into this story. Without spoiling, I really like the scene where Shayna has her meltdown and in spite of everything, Mandy shows some thoughtfulness toward her. Lindsay sees it and acknowledges it. 

I also love the Riley scenes. That relationship reminds me of one my first boyfriend—especially the scene in the movie theater and the drive up the coast.  BTW, I have had two boyfriends with the names of famous comedians—Steve Allen and Danny Thomas. Shoutout, boyz!

I also love all the scary bits, of course. I wouldn’t be a card-carrying member of the Horror Writers Association if I didn’t!

Q. Like Possessions, The Evil Within also ends with a major cliffhanger. Can you give us any hints as to what’s coming up next for Lindsay?

A. Lindsay is going to die! Okay, maybe that’s a lie. Let’s just say Lindsay’s going to figure out all kinds of interesting things . . . including whom to trust . . . a little . . . . And she’s going to have to go through more terrifying experiences. But she is also going to learn the big lesson, which is that she has everything she needs right here and right now to be okay. 

Q. Both Lindsay and Jilly, the main character in your short story, “Changed” (from Immortal), have problems with depression. Do you think that these struggles make them more relatable to teen readers?

A. I was depressed as a teenager and I even asked to see a therapist about it. I went in and we sat around, and I said, “Aren’t we going to talk with puppets or anything?  At the end of the session, the guy said, “You’re fine.” I didn’t feel fine, but then I even questioned being depressed about being depressed! What the heck did I know about how I was feeling? When I write, I try to say the things my readers may be thinking but are afraid to say themselves. The best compliment I can get is when a reader says, “How did you know?” 

Adults have a lot invested in seeing teenagers a certain way, so they’ll project their expectations onto them. They see what they want to see or are afraid to see. They start labeling them—“My kid the superachiever”; “my kid the shy one.” And they also get invested in “proving” that these labels are true. So sometimes they work hard to convince their kid to wear the label. They might not even realize they’re doing it. That can make it hard for a teen to get past the notion that they can be or have been labeled in the first place. I think that’s why my daughter and I squabble sometimes. Okay, fight. We fight. 

Sometimes I look over my daughter’s shoulder into the bathroom mirror as she is looking into it, and I see her differently—not my kid, but an individual, a person I don’t “own” and who is probably very different from the person I have come to expect her to be. All she needs is some help not to fall off the table. BTW, that’s part of the reason there’s so much imagery in the Possessions novels about mirrors. 

Q. There’s certainly nothing sexy or romantic about your vampires in “Changed.” Why did you decide to take this route?

A. I was actually planning to incorporate “Changed” into a world I had already begun working in, the world of the Gifted. In that world there are sexy vampires but they’re evil. I realized I was doing too much explaining, as that world has been established over in the paranormal romance world I inhabit at Harlequin and not in the YA world. The story got away from me, to be honest. Leah Wilson, my editor, helped me get back to the essentials. Props to you, editor woman! This is a great place to acknowledge my editor at Razorbill, Brianne Mulligan. She is so awesome!

Q. There are so many YA paranormal series out now—do you have any favorites?

A. I’m always nervous about naming series because I’m going to forget someone. I love the Vampire Babylon series by Chris Marie Green and I really enjoyed the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong. I’m excited about the Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready. Plus, as we say, “and many more!”

My frequent co-author, Debbie Viguie, is working on a series about vampires for a Christian publisher. I haven’t read it yet but I know I’ll love it because I love everything Debbie writes.  

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I just turned Possessions 3 in to Brianne. It will probably be titled The Screaming Season but that may change. And Debbie and I have a new paranormal series out in September from Simon and Schuster. It’s called Crusade. We are very excited about it!

Brianne and I are talking about the next book after Possessions 3. I just read Rosebush by my fellow Razorbill author Michele Jaffe—sly and brilliant!—a totally cool murder-ish mystery. Hopefully Brianne and I will also do something equally sly and brilliant on our next writer-editor date.  

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than your own, of course!) what would it be?

A. I would hurt feelings from here to eternity if I answered that with the name of one living author. I will say that I really love reading Shirley Jackson. She’s one of my literary heroes. So how about an oldie but a goodie: The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson. 

And stay away from psychology textbooks. At the very least, you will convince yourself that you are possessed. 

Q. The seventh Morganville Vampires book, Fade Out, was action-packed and tumultuous for your characters. After everything that had happened, how did it feel to start on your latest book and the eighth in the Morganville Vampires series, Kiss of Death?

A. Every time I start a Morganville book, there is this sense of the unknown . . . how much I still don’t know about the town and the characters. And the unknown is both terrifying (the blank page is always terrifying!) and tremendously exciting. I always have a lot of creative energy going into a new book, and Kiss of Death was the same . . . although I was late getting it started, which added that panicked feeling, of course.

Q. Why do you set Kiss of Death outside of Morganville?

A. This one, in particular, was an interesting challenge, because I needed to take them (and myself) outside of my comfort zone, and tell a story that didn’t involve a lot of the characters I’d come to depend on in earlier books. It was, in a sense, a “back to the basics” kind of story, and that was challenging and exciting to me.

Q. How do you think the relationships between Claire and Shane, and Eve and Michael change in this new installment?

A. I think the relationship between Claire and Shane is strengthening, and really setting itself as an adult, caring relationship. Eve and Michael, on the other hand, are still fighting to figure out what their relationship is, exactly. . . and I don’t think that will change any time soon. Michael’s still figuring himself out, much less Eve!

Q. Like much of your other writing (including your A New Dawn essay, “The Great Debate”) Kiss of Death has some wonderfully humorous moments. Does humor naturally work its way into your writing?

A. It does. Humor is a way of coping, for a lot of people, and it certainly is for me. My characters seem to see the absurd and the funny in just about every situation, and that helps me paint the darkness just a bit darker than I would, otherwise, for contrast.

Q. We already know that you stand in the Edward Cullen camp. But from the Morganville Vampires, would your teen self rather have dated Shane or Michael?

A. Oh my, tough question! I was a tremendously enthusiastic classical musician in my teen years, so Michael would be the obvious choice . . . but then, he also plays rock, which my teen self would have not thought cool. (I know, I was weird.) And I actually DID date a boy who reminds me a bit of Shane, although he had considerably less baggage in his life and, as far as I know, didn’t fight nearly as much. So probably Shane. 

Q. Ghost Town, the ninth Morganville Vampires book, comes out in November. Can you give us any hints as to what might happen?

A. Well, Claire and Myrnin are under a lot of pressure to repair the damage that was done to the Morganville “systems” when the old computer (Ada) expired—so much pressure, in fact, that when Claire gets herself into trouble defending her friends, she’s put under a sentence to fix things, or else. And she does, apparently.  But when people inside Morganville start losing time and forgetting entire years of experience, Claire may be the only hope to put things right . . . before she loses all her friends, and Shane, forever.

Q. Which Morganville book is your current favorite?

A. It’s so hard to judge, for me, because it’s more about the amount of work I put in versus the experience readers take from it! But from my perspective, I am pretty excited about Ghost Town, because I got to write some things that particularly challenged me. 

Q. There are so many YA vampire series out now, are there any that you particularly enjoy or think stand out from the pack?

A. I really adore Heather Brewer’s Vladimir Tod books, and Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series, but I’m also just now getting into Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods as well!

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’m finishing up three Morganville short stories—one for Britain, one for Germany, and one for the website! And then I’m diving deep into Unseen, the next Outcast Season book.

Q. When we interviewed you about two years ago we asked what book you would recommend that we read that year (you said Those Who Hunt the Night and The Great Book of Amber). Do you have any new favorites that you’d like to recommend?

A. I’m reading Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia, and I have to say, it’s breathtaking. I just love it! 

Q. In your latest book, My Double Life, eighteen-year-old Alexia Garcia experiences every teen girl’s wish come true when she has the opportunity to work as a double for pop star Kari Kingsley. How do you think Alexia’s experience in the spotlight would have worked out if she weren’t so level headed?

A. Well, being level headed isn’t a quality that seems to be in high demand among the celebrities of the world, so maybe no one would have even noticed. Alexia would have probably ended up with her own reality show, a perfume line, and a book tour.  But I think as readers, we think that we would remain level headed even if someone did hand us all the glitz and fame of a celebrity life. We would still be true to ourselves, our values, and our roots. So that’s how I wanted Alexia to be.

Q. It’s very satisfying when Alexia’s rival’s attempt to hurt her—by posting a picture of her online—backfires, and instead gets Alexia her gig as Kari’s double. Have you ever experienced such a perfectly karmic moment?

A. Being an author is the best karmic payback you could ask for because you get to put your bad experiences in your novels. It’s like getting paid to go to junior high. And the guys who dumped me in high school—sooner or later they’ll all find their way into my novels as the villains.

Q. Alexia starts out in a small town but ends up finding herself and her family in Los Angeles. On your website you say that you also grew up in a small town—did you end up finding yourself in the big city like Alexia?

A. I am definitely a small town girl at heart—and yes, I live in one of the suburb cities of megatropolis, Phoenix, Arizona. (Why so many people want to live in an area whose summertime temperatures rival Hades, I’ll never know.) I can drive for an hour in any direction (and sometimes I do, because I get lost easily) without leaving civilization. There is something wrong about that. (Both the sprawl and the fact that I get lost easily.)

Q. Family is an important subject in My Double Life. Do you think Alexia’s family life ultimately shapes who she is?

A. Families give us our first sense of identity. They tell us who we are, and (hopefully) love us better than anyone else. (They also borrow our stuff without asking and barge into our bedrooms without knocking, but that is a different subject.) Alexia has grown up without her father and desperately wants to get to know him and gain his love. At first glance, My Double Life seems to be a book about wish fulfillment.  Alexia goes from pauper to rock star princess, and gets a teen idol boyfriend along the way. (This is how my life should have been, but sadly wasn’t.) However if you look at what Alexia wants and what she ultimately thinks is important—the book is all about the importance of family. That’s why I dedicated this novel to my parents. They were always there for me.

Q. What was your greatest challenge in writing this book?

A. I do a lot of research for every book I write. I can find out a ton of stuff on the internet, but not everything. I always end up calling places and asking whoever picks up the phone a bunch of odd questions. I tell people I’m an author doing research, but I worry they think I’m a crazy person making crank calls.

Here are some actual questions I had to ask random strangers while writing this book:

• What kind of tile is on the lobby floor of the Waterfront Place hotel?
• What does the housekeeping supervisor wear?
• Do people in West Virginia have sprinkler systems in their lawns or do they just rely on rain? (After living in the desert for 20 years, I tend to forget that some plants grow on their own.)

The strangers in West Virginia were very good about answering my questions, but trying to find out anything about celebrities, their schedules, and their fees—not so easy. Hollywood is much harder to talk to than West Virginia. Hollywood is like the homecoming queen of cities who turns away and walks faster when she sees you coming down the hallway. I had to sift through a lot of entertainment and reality shows about celebrities to get the few facts I needed.

Q. In A New Dawn, your essay, “To Bite or Not To Bite; That Is the Question,” is about internal struggles and the importance of choice. While Alexia doesn’t have to restrain herself from killing people and drinking their blood, do you think that she also has to struggle to do the right thing?

A. Hmmm, suddenly I wish I had turned Alexia into a vampire because that would have been an interesting twist, wouldn’t it? But yes, the reason why the issue works in so many books is that we all can relate to it. Everyone struggles at one time or another with doing the right thing. 

With Alexia, it’s a more interesting struggle because her stakes are higher. It’s easy to justify deceiving people about her identity when she has such good reasons for doing it—and it brings her fame, adoration, wealth, and the ideal boyfriend. Who wouldn’t pretend to be someone else for that? And yet at the same time, how can you put a price tag on your identity? Are those things worth it if people don’t know who you really are and don’t value you for being you? 

Q. The title of your essay, as every high school English student will know, references Hamlet. Are you a Shakespeare fan?

A. I guess it depends on what you consider a fan. Do I think he was a talented writer? Yes. Did I read and appreciate his plays when I went to school? Yes. Do I read him in my free time? No. I’m too busy reading all the great contemporary stuff that’s around. I’ll probably get back to him someday. That’s the great thing about Will. He’s very patient about my reading schedule.

Q. And of course, I have to ask the question we’ve asked all of our A New Dawn contributors: Edward or Jacob?

A. I was totally team Edward until I watched New Moon . . . and now I want to ride a motorcycle in the hope that if I crash, a Taylor Lautner look-alike will whip off his shirt and use it stop my bleeding. Sorry, Edward, maybe my allegiances will switch during the next movies.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I’m up to my eyebrows in revisions. I’m revising the sequel to My Fair Godmother and I also have a stack of revisions to do on a dragon book that I’m writing under a pen name. (Don’t worry, you’ll know what book it is when it comes out, because I’ll be constantly praising its brilliance.)

Q. If you could recommend one book to read this year, what would it be?

A. Mine, of course—My Double Life—it will make you instantly popular, wealthy, and thin. Oh, you meant besides mine? I always recommend Hunger Games.  (Go team Peeta!)

Q. In your latest novel Fire Will Fall (sequel to Streams of Babel), four teens—the Trinity Four—survive a bioterrorist attack in Trinity Falls, a fictional town based on the one you live in. Why did you set it there?

A. I’d heard some readers wondering why I set so many stories at the shore, and hence, I wanted to give them something new. I believe, however, that setting is like a character, and hence I wanted places where I’d actually breathed the air and enjoyed the surroundings. 

Trinity Falls is actually a take off of a town just behind the South Jersey barrier islands (where many of my stories are set) called Linwood.  It’s a really pretty place and is true to the form of Streams of Babel, mostly white-collar professionals, very staid and lovely scenery. It’s sort of a microcosm of the American Dream, which plays into the plot, of course.

Fire Will Fall, set in an old mansion in the Pine Barrens, is actually a takeoff on a property on the historical register in South Jersey called Batsto. However by necessity, I had to move it closer to the water, so it’s like Batsto, but sitting on the Back Bay instead of inland (Ah, what we can do in fiction!).

Q. Despite the horror of their experiences, the Trinity Four still manage to find love. Do you think that love can sometimes help heal emotional trauma?

A. I’m sure love can heal trauma. I just couldn’t resist romances with ongoing characters. I don’t know too many teenagers who aren’t either in love, looking for love, or dreaming of love in spite of any horrible situations they’re dealing with. It’s just the age of love, and the way it’s played out, not too smarmy, I thought even guys would relate to what goes on.

Q. Do you think that teens fall in love differently from adults? What are the challenges of writing about teens falling in love?

A. Teens fall in love differently; they’ve often not yet learned to guard their hearts and emotions. This “what if someone dies” question that underlies the story creates that necessity to guard the heart.   

Q. What is your favorite scene in Fire Will Fall?

A. Wow, that’s a tough one. I’d say it’s a toss up between a couple. In one scene, Scott has to dress a mystery wound that Rain got while touching some strange animal carcass she found on the property (the implication is that the terrorists killed the animal with an experimental Weapon of Mass Destruction). Cora is in love with him, and it’s told from her viewpoint of watching our “ultimate healer” in action. I kind of have a crush on Scott myself, so the scene just spilled out.

The other is a scene on Rain’s bed between Rain and Owen, where she’s trying to whiten his teeth, and they have a very frank discussion about sex. It cracked me up because I can hear a million teenagers having conversations like this. There’s a thread that runs through the manuscript between Rain and Owen, and Rain’s infernal curiosity that’s just recently hit her. The subplot totally cracked me up whenever I came back to it. 

In real life, I’m what parents might call a “success story” in the teaching of abstinence by one’s family. Hence, I’ve never been comfortable writing about teenagers having sex (I think it can only hurt them, don’t find it normal, don’t find it funny in the least). The illness caused by the WMD gives me an excuse to keep my characters out of trouble when, surely, trouble would be found otherwise. But they’re human, too, and they enjoy the same very frank discussions I did with my friends. 

Q. Are there any particular challenges to writing a sequel versus the first novel in a series?

A. It’s really fun to write a sequel because you already know the characters totally, and they tend to write their own lines very easily. I felt like the sequel gave me more time to be with those guys, whom I loved and missed. The challenge is where to leave off the first one/where to pick up with the next so that the story feels seamless and keeps building.

Q. In your essay, “Q: How Does a Fifteen-Year-Old Do This? A: The Same Way a Fifty-Year-Old Does” in Secrets of the Dragon Riders, you discuss how Paolini has an edge over older writers in that younger people tend to have more dynamic imaginations. Do you think teens get written off for their youth more often than their youth is seen as an asset?

A. Teenagers do have greater imaginations than adults, and many more could do what Chris did. The challenge is that they’re spending so much time either in school or in front of electronics (both artificial assimilations of reality) that they don’t have much time to (a) be alone and imagine, and (b) jump full force into reality, which means spending time around real-world adults who are not their parents or teachers. They’re kind of living in a misty Limbo: Nothing’s quite real, nothing’s quite the full-blown imaginary world that requires time alone to erect for fun and escape.  (Obviously there are exceptions.) I get these kids as freshman in college, as I teach English Composition. It’s tragic to see how the best minds are often burned out and discouraged (historically, the best writers are fair-to-good students but not great students). They’re often what I call “toxic” from learning methods that they couldn’t adapt to. It leaves images in my mind of dogs chained up in the backyard for life because they’re just too hard to walk.  

Chris Paolini opted to write novels and learn from home instead of going to traditional high school. The situation put him in contact with many more adults than most teenagers are exposed to (schools have to protect kids from those who aren’t school employees due to fear of predators, etc.). It also gave him enough time alone to develop the imagination needed for a novel-length work.  

As a home schooling mom for five years, my message to lots of kids and their families is that you don’t have to be a teacher in order to home school, and that friends who are worth having will not drop a kid like a hot potato if he opts not to go. It’s all in a little memoir I put out called Homeschooling Abbey, about my years with my daughter. It used to be that the best writers got their careers together in their twenties. Nowadays, the best writers are first publishing in their late thirties/early forties, and I think that Chris got a jump on that by some of the decisions he made about how he was going to spend his time. It takes a lot less time to school at home than to school with a host of others who all learn differently than you do.   

Q. In your essay you also discuss symbolism in dreams, and how an “artist’s conscious mind works with his subconscious to create.” Have you ever found inspiration for one of your books in a dream?

A. The Body of Christopher Creed was sparked by a dream I had of kids I went to school with who were picked on a lot. I dreamed that I was my current age, but these kids were in front of me as they were when I was with them—perhaps ages nine through high school. They all looked very sad, almost crying, like they used to when picked on. An adult of some sort was with them who looked like a very nice gym teacher (or maybe an angel) who comforted one and said, “You can talk to her; she won’t hurt you now.”

I was all, “WOW,” because the implication was that at one time I might have hurt one of them. I had never picked on any of the bullied kids when I was in school, but I had never reached out to help one either. As an adult, I had to look back and ask, “Where are these kids now?  Are they all right?” and know those questions would never be answered. Most were gone from the area without leaving any forwarding address. It was haunting. 

I wrote Creed to sort of exorcise those demons about never having been very nice to those kids.  

Q. Which book in the Inheritance Cycle is your favorite so far? 

A. I’d say Eragon. I have yet to see where any later book in a series exceeds the first—so I’m hoping I’ll be a first with Fire will Fall.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I just finished a sequel to The Body of Christopher Creed, which was ten years coming. People always asked if I would write a sequel, and I always said no, because I couldn’t think of anything good that would happen. I held out for “that good thing” to come into my mind and didn’t try to write something simply because the first book was doing well. It’s a roller coaster ride, a long time coming, but I kept my integrity.   

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A. The Bible. I just reread it this year and found a great theme I hadn’t noticed in earlier reads: Nearly all of God’s chosen people, from Noah to Moses to Gideon to the prophets, had this moment of “Why me?  You gotta be kidding…” None could believe that God would use them for great things. It’s a great walk through some great stories, most with a reminder that we’re all incredibly valuable, regardless of what we think about ourselves…

Q. The main character in The Six Rules of Maybe, Scarlet Hughes, is always taking care of others over herself. While selflessness is a great trait, do you think sometimes that it can backfire?

A. Absolutely. And why is it that people who are selfless tend to be HUGELY selfless? Selfless to the point of resentment and exhaustion? Even to the point where “self” starts to disappear? Too, selfless people can end up marked with some invisible X that only selfish people seem to see. (As Scarlet says, you’re certainly also the one the dog stares at during dinner.) I guess like every other thing in life, balance is the key. Looking after your own needs is not a bad thing, but an important one.

Q. Even though Scarlet and Juliet are sisters, they are incredibly different from each other. Do you have any siblings? If so, is the relationship depicted in The Six Rules of Maybe modeled on your experiences?

A. Like Scarlet, I do have an older sister. She couldn’t be more different than Juliet, though. Actually, she’s much more like Scarlet with her endlessly giving heart. Not much in their relationship is anything like ours. Of course, like Scarlet, as a little sis, I did think my sister and her friends were Gods who might (maybe-please-oh-please) let me play with them. Figuring out what in a book actually happened to the author and what the author made up is a tempting but tricky endeavor. Sometimes even we have a hard time unwinding those strands.

Q. Scarlet couldn’t have picked anyone more unattainable than her brother-in-law, Hayden, to have a crush on. Why do you think Hayden is so appealing to her? Have you ever had a completely unattainable crush?

A. I think Scarlet generally seeks out the unattainable, at least in the beginning of the book. She often tries to control the uncontrollable and manage the unmanageable.  Like a lot of us, she’s linked “struggle” with “love.”  Something easy and available just isn’t that interesting to her. But, too, Scarlet sees Hayden as being more like herself than like Juliet. And it’s true—they are two of a kind. Hayden is also a giver who struggles for the unattainable. Scarlet recognizes herself in him.

As for me?  I’ve never really had a completely unattainable crush, unless you count Robert Ganning, seventh grade, who might have been attainable if I’d have had the guts to say one word to him.

Q. The Sixth Rule of Maybe is, in a nutshell, knowing when to give up. Why do you think this is such an important lesson to learn, especially for teens?

A. I think we are hit over the head lately (teens more than anyone) with the idea that WE CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING! All we have to do is set a goal and put our minds to it, right? But it’s not true, not really. What I think is more important to know is not that we can reach that goal, but that we can be resilient when we don’t. Resilience is a much better “key to success” than even success itself.  

Q. What was your greatest challenge writing The Six Rules of Maybe?

A. Six Rules was actually a tough book for me to write. It’s funny, but some books fly from your fingers like magic, and others have to be wrestled into submission (literally). The trouble with Six Rules was that life kept intervening in ways that posed great challenges to my work. I was moving to the city from my long-time home in the country, staying in a houseboat temporarily, and dealing with the illness of someone very close to me. Everything was upside down (or missing in some box somewhere), and yet Scarlet and Juliet and Hayden were waiting, waiting, waiting for me to get them out of the mess I’d gotten them into. It was one of those times when life piles it on. When I write, I find it’s best when the emotional stuff is cleared off of the mental desk as much as possible. That way, the emotion is saved for the work itself.

Q. In your Through the Wardrobe essay “Just Another Crazed Narnia Fan” (which is being re-released this fall), you discuss the beauty in C.S. Lewis’ wording and say that language gives Narnia its true power. Even though you don’t write fantasy, did Lewis’ writing style influence your own?

A. I don’t know if his style influenced mine, really, but his style taught me some things that are important for any writer to know: Remember the lushness and power of setting. A simple, true word can have more beauty than many elaborate ones (think “snow.” Think “lamppost.” Think “fawn”). Good writing is often about the rhythm of a sentence, how it sounds. And, if at all possible, strive for something that lasts.

Q. It’s clear from your essay that you love all of the Chronicles, but which book in the series is your favorite?

A. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Q. Your essay came out in the first edition of Through the Wardrobe about two years ago. In the meantime, did you ever get your beloved copy of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe back?

A. Lisa Miller, I’m still waiting.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I’ve just turned in Stay, which is about a girl and her father who run to a remote beach house to escape her obsessive boyfriend. While there, she meets two young brothers who captain a beautiful sailboat, a lighthouse keeper with a secret, and an old friend of her father's who reveals secrets of his own. Stay is moody, fast-paced, and atmospheric, and it flips between the tumultuous past relationship and the present. It’s about what we owe others, and what we should never, ever owe anyone.  the tumultuous relationship in her past and the sweet, growing one in her present present, STAY talks about the things we owe others and the things we should never, ever owe anyone.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than yours, of course!), what would it be?

A. I am too much of a book lover to ever choose just one. Still, if I must choose only one…  The Lion. The Witch, and the Wardrobe, of course.

Q. What was it like growing up with authors for parents?

A. Actually, only one of my parents is an author, my father, Richard Dokey. All during my childhood, he taught school during the day (as did my mother, who was a kindergarten teacher), and wrote in the evenings after dinner. This was in the days before computers. Dad wrote things out in longhand, then typed them—via the two-finger method as he’d never taken a typing class—on this old Royal typewriter. He was pretty inspirational, actually. Incredibly disciplined and dedicated. He works on a word processor now, but he still types with just two fingers. Gotta love it!

Q. Your cats are named after Shakespeare characters, and your essay in Demigods and Monsters opens with a reference to The Winter’s Tale. Which Shakespeare play is your favorite?

A. True confession: I love pretty much all of Shakespeare so it’s hard to pick a favorite one. At the risk of sounding corny—maybe Romeo and Juliet? How could you not love a play where the guy says about the girl, “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright.” On the other end of the spectrum, I’m also a big fan of some of the more action-packed ones. Henry V. Richard III. MacBeth. Which you’re never supposed to say out loud, by the way. In the theatre, (I was an actor before I became a writer) saying that out loud is supposed to be bad luck. That’s why people in the business always refer to it as “The Scottish Play.”

Q. In “Why Do So Many Monsters Go Into Retail” you explain Percy’s encounters with monster retail. Do you like to shop?

A. Of course! But only for specific things—books, of course. Plants for my garden. I hate to break it to you, but I truly hate to shop for clothes. I think I want to be like Michael Kors. Always wearing the same thing sounds just fine to me!

Q. Most of your essay focuses on scenes from The Lightning Thief.  Which of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books is your favorite?

A. It would have to be The Lightning Thief, I guess. As both a reader and writer, I always love the set-up. Riordan does such an outstanding job of creating an exciting new world in The Lightning Thief, at the same time he paves the way for the stories that will come. This is no easy task. It made me so happy as a reader—satisfied, yet ready for more.

Q. Your essay explains how most of Riordan’s characters have something to hide, whether it be their identities or their desires.  Do you find yourself using this idea in your own writing?

A. Oh sure. I think so. I think I actually said in one of my own books that nobody shows their true face to the world all the time. (Now I have to go back and figure out which one it was!) Not that what’s being hidden needs to be bad, of course. Simply that we all pick and choose what we share with the world at any given time.

Q. Who is your favorite character in the Percy Jackson series?

A. That would have to be Grover.

Q. Your Once Upon a Time books are a series of retold fairy tales.  What do you like most about reinterpreting classic stories?

A. There are a couple of things I love. One is going back and reading previous versions of whatever tale I’m about to re-tell. It was in this way I learned that, in the earliest versions of Cinderella, her father was still alive! Yet still the stepmother gets away with all that bad stuff. How on earth could any father allow that to happen? I wondered. That actually turned out to be the whole launching point for what eventually became my story, Before Midnight. Mostly, I just love pushing on stories a little bit. If you mixed things up a bit, where might you end up?

Q. Do you have a favorite fairy tale?

A. Well, it’s interesting I just referenced Cinderella because I think it would have to be that one. And before you ask, no, I did not spend my childhood as a drudge! I just so love the transformation that happens there. True love and perseverance rewarded. And speaking of the masks we talked about earlier—seeing through them to what lies beneath—and it turns out to be pure gold! Sigh …

Q. Which Ancient Greek story would you most like to retell?

A. There are a couple I’d like to work on. Cupid and Psyche. The unlikely romance that develops between Persephone and Hades. And I’ve always thought it would be interesting to write a version of the Trojan War from Helen’s perspective. That girl gets an awful lot of bad press.

Q. What are you working on now?

A. I’ve just finished a re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk entitled The World Above. It will release later this year.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A. Oooh. Tough one. My guess is you’re hoping for some contemporary choice. But my favorite book of all time is Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. I think everybody has an experience where they read a book and suddenly realize the way books can take you places you never thought you’d go. That was the one that did it for me, so of course I think everybody should read it. 

Q. If you could have the powers of one Greek god, whose would you choose?

A. I am a total water baby, so I would choose Poseidon. How cool would it be to have the ocean at your beck and call?!  

Q. In your essay you write that Hermes’ child could do all the traveling he or she wanted. Where is your dream travel destination?

A. Olympus! Just kidding. Gosh, there are so many places I would like to see. Greece, Sardinia, Japan, Kenya, Alaska, Ireland.  I would have to put Fiji at the top though, if only because it looks so pretty on the water bottle. 

Q. Percy Jackson (in Book I) and the main character of your book Shug are the same age. How do you think they would get along?

A. Ooh, I think they would get along great. Annemarie would probably have a crush on him, especially because she loves to swim. But alas, he already has a girl in his life. 

Q. Are you going to see Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in theaters?

A. For sure. I saw the preview and was blown away. I can’t wait to see Percy on the big screen! I am really curious about who they chose for Aphrodite and Apollo. 

Q. In addition to your essay, your book The Summer I Turned Pretty also has some references to classical studies. Were you a Latin scholar yourself?

A. Indeed I was! Although my Latin teacher Ms. Brodie would probably tell you that referring to me as a Latin “scholar” is a bit much. I was pretty horrible in Latin. The only part I enjoyed was the cultural stuff. I also eagerly anticipated Flavia and Sextus’s burgeoning romance. 

Q. Your book The Summer I Turned Pretty and its upcoming sequel both take place in the summer. What is one of your favorite things about the season?

A. I don’t have one favorite thing about summer; I have many! To name a few: lemonade, outdoor movies, sundresses, True Blood, flip flops, the beach, suntan lotion, barbecues.  

Q. Your website (dearjennyhan.com) says that you work part-time at a school library. What is your favorite thing about that job?

A. My favorite thing about working at a school library is recommending new books to kids. I buy a lot of our YA and middle grade collection, so I try to keep up with all the new books coming out. Our kids are such fast readers, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with them but it’s fun to try.

Q. The sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty, It’s Not Summer Without You, comes out this spring. Could you tell us a little about it?

A. It takes place a year later, and for the first time in her life, Belly isn’t spending the summer in Cousins. There have been some pretty major changes in her life, and she is just now dealing with them. 

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I am working on the final summer book, tentatively called We’ll Always Have Summer. There is a bit of a jump in time with this one. It’s definitely a challenge to write the last book in a series, because there are so many loose ends to tie up! You want your readers to feel happy but more importantly, satisfied. I hope I manage to do both! 

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A. It would be A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant. It’s set in Restoration London, and it’s about a bookish teenaged girl named Meg, who longs to write exciting stories. It came out a few years ago, and I really and truly loved it. 

Q. Earlier this fall the first book of your new YA series, My Soul to Take, was released. Where did you get your inspiration for making its main character Kaylee a bean sidhe, or banshee?

A. I did a lot of research, intentionally looking for a fantasy or mythological creature that hadn’t been explored much in the fiction I’ve read. I knew a little bit about bean sidhes already, but when I started looking into the lore, I was surprised by how open to interpretation the details were. There was plenty to play with in bean sidhe lore, if that makes any sense. I’d just found a new creative playground!

Q. What are the challenges and perks of writing supernatural fiction?

A. The biggest perk is that you get to make a lot of stuff up. Nothing’s impossible, so you can really let your imagination go. But that leads to the biggest challenge: making the impossible seem possible. The rest of the story—the emotions and day-to-day stuff—has to be really well grounded, because if readers find flaws in the stuff they know about, they’re going to assume that there are also flaws in the fantasy part, and that ruins the illusion.

Q. In your latest book, My Soul to Save, Kaylee and Nash are on a mission to literally save the soul of a famous pop star. Is this book a commentary in some ways on what real-life pop stars will do to get ahead?

A. Um … yes and no. I don’t know any real life pop stars. I’m not that cool. But I’ve seen a lot of ordinary people do some really stupid things to get ahead—figuratively selling their souls—and that’s just as scary in the real world as in the fictional world. You have to believe in something, or life is meaningless. One of the things I believe in—as cheesy as this might sound—is integrity. Staying true to who and what you are, even if it might be more profitable—in any sense—to do otherwise.

But ultimately, the book was written to entertain. So you don’t have to follow it any deeper than that, if you don’t want to.

Q. Nash seems like the ultimate high school boyfriend. Were you fortunate enough to ever date anyone like him?

A. Oh my, a personal question … Let’s hope no one I went to high school with is reading this.

I did my fair share of dating in high school, but no one quite like Nash. Nash is kind of a composite of the guys I went out with, or wanted to go out with. I dated a really smart under-achiever. I went out with a football player. I dated the drummer for a local band. And I went out with, or had serious crushes on, several other guys who aren’t so easy to typecast.

Nash is both all and none of those guys. He’s smart, confident, and a bit over-experienced. On the surface, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, but Nash has his problems, and they’re more serious than Kaylee could possibly imagine when she meets him …

Q. Would you rather have the powers of a bean sidhe or a reaper [another supernatural creature in the Soul Screamers series]?

A. Oh, I’d much rather be a reaper, if that didn’t mean I’d died! Who wants to scream all the time? Plus, I’d love to be able to hang out when people couldn’t see me. Just listening. And maybe playing pranks.

Q. For those of us who have already read My Soul to Save, can you give us a hint as to what the future may hold for Tod and Emma?

A. Tod and Em both have some rough stuff coming. Tod didn’t deal well with the way My Soul to Save ended, and that’s ultimately going to get him—and a lot of others—in trouble.

Emma is … I love Em! She’s a good foil for Kaylee, and so loyal to her best friend, even though that puts her in a lot of danger in the books after My Soul to Save. I can’t say too much about that yet, but I will say that there’s a scene in My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers book 3, June 1, 2010) that made me very uncomfortable on Emma’s behalf. She’s a major player in that story, but this one scene in particular… I kept wanting to apologize to her.

Q. Did you ever have nightmares about the Netherworld while you were writing?

A. No, I daydreamed about it! I love writing the Netherworld! It’s my favorite fictional setting so far, and the Netherworld scenes are my favorite in the entire series.

But then again, I love scary movies, so … take that as you will.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I’ve just turned in the revisions for My Soul to Keep. Next month I’ll be writing two short stories (one set in my adult Shifters universe, one set in the YA Soul Screamers universe), then I’ll be starting Soul Screamers book 4.  I’m very excited about that one!

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than your own!), what would it be?

A. My favorite YA of 2009 was probably The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. Beautiful but accessible language, and way-post-zombie-apocalypse setting! Stunning.

Q. You write a lot in your A New Dawn essay about how teenage romance is an experience akin to addiction. How do you think Bella and Edward’s relationship would look 50 years from the events in Breaking Dawn, when they are still be teenagers in body, but not in mind?

A. You know, I don’t know! The vampires all seem to stay the age that they are, so maybe they get to have teenage love forever. Though that’s pretty hard with a baby!

Q. In your essay you discuss the darker overtones in Bella and Edward’s relationship. Have you received any flak from the twi-hards for your criticism?

A. Fortunately, no. I know a woman who was told she should be tied to a tree and fed to werewolves for mentioning something similar, and that sounds like a really unpleasant way to go.

Q. Even though your essay critiques Twilight, would you consider yourself to be a fan of the series?

A. I have some problems with the series. But I did find the first couple of books very engrossing.

Q. Are you planning on seeing New Moon?

A. We have a small boy so it’s hard to get out to the movies these days. But New Moon was my favorite of the books.

Q. And of course, the question we're asking all our New Dawn contributors: Edward or Jacob?

A. Jacob!

Q. Outside of the Twilight series, do you have any favorite vampire stories?

A. I love Buffy. There’s a great Robin McKinley book called Sunshine that I’m hoping people rediscover.

Q. Why do you two think vampires have become so popular lately, especially in teen fiction?

A. Vampires seem to capture our collective imagination every couple of decades; it often just takes the right book to spark it. I think Twilight actually created this current round. Impossible love is a timeless story, and vampire romance really taps into that.

Q. One of your latest books, The Immortal Fire, takes place in a world where Greek mythology is real. Would you rather live in a world where centaurs and Poseidon existed, or vampires?

A. Oooh, tough call. I guess the Greeks. I had nightmares about vampires when I was a kid and wouldn’t want them to be real.

Q. How do you think your characters Charlotte and Zee would react to discovering the existence of vampires?

A. Charlotte actually gets nearly attacked by a shapeshifting succubus in the first book. Fortunately she recognizes it for what it is.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I can’t seem to settle on one project, unfortunately, but I’m trying! I’ve had trouble starting something new since finishing the trilogy.

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than A New Dawn!), what would it be?

A. The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness. It’s brilliant.

Q. Where did you get the idea for The New Kid?

A. I had a dream, actually, in which I was the New Kid, and instead of just the normal bullies and creeps I had to deal with, I had to battle demons. Teenage demons. Hence the term "demonteen." Who doesn't know one? We've all met them. There were certain kids in high school who weren't just bad, they really exuded evil. And it came to me in the dream that they were real demons. I knew I had a great story when the dream recurred.

Q. Given the explosion of science fiction and fantasy books for teens lately, what do you think sets The New Kid apart?

A. I would hope that what sets it apart is the uniqueness of the story, the elements of melding the video game designer aspect of the character with his demon-hunting exploits in real life. That's something I've never seen before and I'm certain that readers will really enjoy. How cool would it be if you found out that that video game you've been playing is actually happening in someone's life?

Q. Has science fiction and fantasy always been something you were interested in?

A. Yes, I've always loved science fiction ever since reading Robert Heinlein when I was a teenager. I love the sense of possibility that science fiction allows. I was also very big on James Bond as a teen, which I think is reflected in the amazing weaponry and techno-gadgets in The New Kid.

Q. The New Kidmain character Will was forced to move around a lot before arriving at Harrisburg High. Did you have a similar experience during your teenage years?

A. I didn't move around as much as Will but yes, I was the New Kid in junior high, and then again in high school, so I definitely know what it feels like. It's a great feeling in some ways because you're an unknown entity, a mystery, and kids (especially girls) seemed to like that. I think being the New Kid is something that everyone can relate to, because they've either been the New Kid or have known a New Kid.

Q. Part of the premise of The New Kidis that you're most vulnerable to being infected by evil when you're sixteen. Why sixteen?

A. Well, that's the age when humans are crossing over into adulthood, so it seemed like a very natural marker for making teens susceptible to influences of evil. And of course one can finally drive a car when one turns sixteen, which creates incredible freedom and opportunity. And it's a time of cleaving from your parents; again an opportunity for the dark forces to take control.

Q. You've done an amazing amount of work in television and film. Why did you decide to make the leap into teen fiction?

A. Writing scripts for movies and TV is very rewarding, but the format, the documents themselves, are not particularly enjoyable to read. They're really blueprints for making the finished product, a film or TV show, so the actual writing, the narrative prose, isn't terribly important. I wanted to spread my wings and be free to write to be read, not just to be seen.

Q. What would you say is the hardest part about switching from writing for film and television to fiction writing?

A. It's the same aspect I just mentioned about writing a blueprint and writing something that will be read for pleasure. When you know that your work is going to be, in essence, the final product, you tend to be much more careful while crafting the prose. It's a challenge and a joy at the same time.

Q. Do you envision The New Kidon the big screen one day? Would you write the screenplay? And who could you imagine playing Will and Natalie?

A. I absolutely see The New Kidas a major motion picture and a killer TV series. I will write the movie and as many episodes of the TV show as time permits. As for who would play Will and Natalie, with these kinds of projects starring teens, often it's best to cast talented young actors who aren't already household names. You approach the casting with an eye on who knocks your socks off in the audition and can carry the movie, not who's on the most magazine covers. Whoever does get to play Will and Natalie will be two very fortunate actors.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. A "bromantic" comedy.

Q. If you could suggest one book to your readers this year what would it be?

A. Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.

Q. In your essay for Secrets of the Dragon Riders you write about the use of anthropomorphic animals in fiction, like dragons in Paolini's books and birds in your own. If you could have an anthropomorphic pet what would it be? What human characteristics would it have?

A: I would have a miniature griffin-like creature, who'd canter around on my desk as I write. He'd have white fur and feathers, with black letters of the alphabet speckled over it, and because he'd eat wood he'd keep my pencils sharp. My pet would speak, of course, and wear little reading glasses. "What happens next in the story?" he would often say.

Q. What is your all-time favorite anthropomorphic character?

A: I love Charlotte the spider, from Charlotte's Web by E. B. White.

Q. The average ten-year-old isn't sitting at home starting a novel. How did you end up starting on such a big project?

A: The idea for Swordbird came from a number of places. I was inspired by the woods near my home and my love for birds. I had also been learning about different wars in my history classes. I had visited the World Trade Center several months before 9/11, so that experience affected me as well. One night when I was in fifth grade, all of these things whirled into a strange dream, of birds in old-fashioned clothing battling one another, and of a huge white bird with a sword. When I woke up, I wanted to write about the dream as a story, as a way of expressing the importance of peace and freedom.

Q. How did the teachers and kids at school react to you becoming a bestselling author?

A: They congratulated me. My classmates asked me to sign their copies of my books after class. People kept coming up to me in the hallway to exclaim, "You're the one who wrote the book!"

Q. Have your parents always been supportive of your writing?

A: They are always very supportive, and they make sure I get enough rest. They help me find a balance between schoolwork, writing, and extracurricular activities.

Q. What are your plans after high school? Do you want to continue writing?

A: I plan to attend a university and study literature. No matter what I will do or become when I'm older, I'll always write!

Q. Your Web site mentions that you practice martial arts and love birds. Obviously, your interest in birds shows in your writing. Do you think your martial arts background is reflected in your writing as well?

A: Yes. In fact, I started practicing martial arts because of writing Swordbird. I became a disciple of a martial arts master for a few weeks to find out what it is like to wield a sword, so I could describe scenes of battle better. From this, I learned that the ultimate meaning of martial arts is to prevent violence and to keep peace. This is a recurring theme in my books.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A: I am working on Sword Mountain, a sequel to Sword Quest. It's about a royal family of eagles and what happens when the disowned son of the eagle king returns from exile.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than yours, of course!), what would it be?

A: Brisingr!

Q. In your essay for Secrets of the Dragon Riders you talk about how being older doesn't always make you wiser. What do you think you're less smart about now than you used to be?

A: I believe I'm less intuitive, or that I've forgotten how to listen as closely to instincts, intuition, and impulses/urges that probably represent my deeper connection to the world and universe. I second-guess and analyze too much, instead of taking action. I rely on my eyes to "see" instead of my heart, and to be more balanced and wiser, I should give my heart a louder, stronger voice.

Q. Do you agree with Eragon that it's more important to possess wisdom and a good heart, or do you agree with Oromis that it's more important to be able to use logic?

A: I agree with Eragon, 100%. Logic can be cold and cruel without wisdom and a good heart. Many, many times criminals and despots are following solid logic when they commit atrocities, but without wisdom and that good heart, the logic leads them horribly astray.

Q. You have a lot of pets. If you could choose one of them to be able to talk with the way Eragon does with Saphira (though I don't think anyone would ever call her a pet!), which would it be?

A: Yeah, Saphira would roast you over the whole pet-thing. For sure. But me, hmmm. I think I would most like to be able to speak more directly with my parrot, Frank. We almost do have conversations, simple ones, but I know Frank sees things in the universe and in me that I don't understand. Plus, I'd really really like to be able to convince Frank not to bite my toes, my son-in-law, and the bathroom door.

Q. The essay you did for Through the Wardrobe actually talks about a similar topic-how just because characters (like Reepicheep the mouse or the Pevensie children) are smaller, that doesn't mean they can be discounted. Do you think the Inheritance Cycle and the Chronicles of Narnia have anything else in common?

A: I think both sets of stories deal with lands who have once known spectacular magic, but through short-sightedness and greed (or poor luck), have lost that magic. They have a chance to rebuild, to rise again and regain that which has been lost to them, but those with good hearts must triumph over evil, and learn the depths of their own true strength. Both sets of stories also deal with very different types of creatures and races learning to work together in harmony to achieve a common goal.

Q. Your Narnia essay was pretty focused on the events in Prince Caspian. What did you think of the 2008 movie version?

A: I was pleased with the movie version. It was, like the story itself, action-oriented and tense, with very high stakes. I really liked the casting of Prince Caspian himself, and Miraz. I would have liked to have seen more of Miraz's betrayal by his own people-but overall, I definitely give the movie an "A."

Q. Your A New Dawn essay suggests that Edward might actually be a sociopath. Have you made sure your number is unlisted?

A: I have gotten plenty of angry email about that one, mostly from young women who got ticked and didn't read the piece through to see the other side of the argument. Once they do, they usually retract the death threats and at least half the nasty insults about my jealousy and crappy writing ability, etc., etc. In my opinion, though, anything of great worth brings with it great risk-there's a lot of risk to Edward, and some ambiguity in his character. Nothing wrong with celebrating that, or poking at it a little bit, right?

But, um, yeah. My number is way unlisted.

Q. We're guessing this essay was at least somewhat influenced by your background in psychology. Do you think your psychology background affects any of your other work?

A: I think that's inevitable, yes. The psychologist in me reacted negatively to the obsessive nature of the relationship between Bella and Edward. If, and I'm just saying if, Edward had really been a sociopath or even just a selfish or bad-tempered guy, Bella might have opened herself up to significant emotional if not physical abuse. In the best of circumstances, obsessive relationships are not safe, though deep, wild first love is always a bit obsessive, no matter how healthy we try to be. I think my profession leads me to be more aware of character composition and dynamics, and how trauma plays out (or should play out) emotionally. I also want to scream incredibly loud when I run across inaccurate depictions of psychological issues, illnesses, or conditions-which is, unfortunately, more often than I'd like!

Q. And of course, the question we're asking all our New Dawn contributors: Edward or Jacob?

A: I had a soft spot for Jacob all along, but in the end, I probably would have picked Edward, too.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A: My son and I are finishing a two-part epic fantasy for Bloomsbury, tentatively entitled Oathbreaker. The first volume will be Assassin's Apprentice, and the second volume Son of the Wolf. As you might could tell from the title of the first volume, Oathbreaker tells the tale of a young boy forced into training with a guild of assassins, how he copes with this wicked turn of fate, and how he comes to be completely dedicated to his cause.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than yours, of course!), what would it be?

A: I just finished Tower of Silence by Sarah Rayne. Disturbing and absolutely creepy! Worth it.

Q. Your essay in Secrets of the Dragon Riders describes Roran as a hero (more of a hero, in Eldest, than Eragon, even). What do you think makes a great hero?

A. I've finally figured out that perfect heroes are bor-ing. True heroes are made, not born that way. The greatest heroes of fiction frequently appear as tragic figures, conspicuously deficient in moderation, self-knowledge, and self-restraint. They seem to possess a much greater sense of helplessness-- an unwillingness to accept their destiny along with a feeling that they are unworthy of wearing the mantle of hero. Almost unconsciously they begin to know themselves by developing courage, wisdom, moderation, a sense of justice, and self-confidence as a direct result of their deficiencies. In real life there are well-known heroes like Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi, and there are those -- ordinary people-- who emerge unexpectedly. A nine-year-old boy in my neighborhood emerged as a hero last summer when he snatched his younger brother out of the claws of a cougar. I'd like to think I'd save one of my kids or any kid from a cougar attack, but I don't really know if I'm a hero because I've never been tested like that. What if I ran away in terror? And I can't even begin to understand the inner reserves of strength, the sense of duty, and the amazing courage of those firemen and women in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. We don't even know their names, but talk about real heroes!

Q. Who would you say is your favorite hero of all time?

A. What a brain-squeezing question! OMG! Asking me to choose one favorite hero from the pantheon of past and present fictional heroes is like asking me to pick my favorite star in the sky. There are so many great heroes, and I love them all, including the comic book heroes Batman and Spiderman. I still cry when Boromir dies in Lord of the Rings-- what an awesome tragic hero. I'm sad when I read about Anomander Rake, Steven Erikson's Son of Darkness in the Malazan Book of the Fallen-- another great tragic hero. There are Lloyd Alexander's Taran and Homer's Odysseus. There are Beowulf, Ulysses, Athena, Harry Potter, Hagrid, and Zorro, not to mention the kids in the Chronicles of Narnia. But, when it comes right down to it, I have to say that my absolute favorite fictional hero is Aeneas from Virgil's great epic poem, The Aeneid. He's wise, strong, loyal, and courageous, and human. I believe he'd die to save me. That's the sort of leader I'd willingly follow.

Q. Why do you think so many people are fascinated by tales of heroes?

A. Tales of heroes transport us from our mundane world into a world of magic-- a place we can only reach in our imaginations. Despite their fictional existence though, heroes are very real in that they inspire us and make us want to be better human beings. Our world would be a less interesting place if there were no Harry Potter, no Hobbits, no Spiderman. Our fascination with heroes is as old as civilization and the earliest myths. We have made of heroes models for our own character development. I believe that if we didn't have literary heroes to emulate, the effect would be the same as if someone erased a vital ingredient of our moral development. Heroes help us have dreams, give us hope, and make us reach for the stars.

Q. Brisingr is due to be released next week. What do you hope to see happen in the book?

A. Besides wanting to see more of Roran, I'd like to see Eragon lose his obsession with himself and emerge as a great tragic hero, passionately committed to ridding his country of Galbatorix's evil rule and risking everything to that end, like Boromir, whose love of his country was so palpable, so naked and raw, that it was painful reading for the reader. I'd like to see Eragon fail and plummet to the depths of despair, and then claw his way back, becoming stronger, humbler, and a better man in the process. I hope to see Roran changed by his adventures in Eldest. After what he's been through, he shouldn't be content to simply marry Katrina and farm his land. He must ascend to the next rung on the ladder and keep climbing. I felt that Paolini was grooming him to be a real King in Eldest, so I'm hoping Roran becomes the great King to replace Galbatorix. Finally, I love Saphira and hope to see more of her, especially scenes that reveal her dragon wisdom and keen insight.

Q. You named the King of the Dwarves in your book The Serpent's Egg after your son. Was there a reason you chose that particular character to share his name?

A. Just as Elves have calm-sounding names like Elester, Ellesmere, Ruthar, and Leonara, in the Serpent's Egg trilogy, I wanted gruff- or abrupt-sounding names for my Dwarfs (or is that Dwarves?), especially for the King of the Dwarfs. My son's name is Gregor. And while he's not an actual dwarf, his name is wonderfully gruffish, i.e. dwarfish for my dwarfs. To keep peace in the family though, I had to get his permission to use his name in the story. I couldn't believe it when he agreed without any objections at all. I think he's secretly proud to be King of the Dwarfs; he probably thinks he's now immortal or something. Interestingly, I got the idea for matching names to places and people from Tolkien. His love of linguistics and philology is evident in Lord of the Rings. Euphonious or beautiful names are reserved for the Elves and good things. Really evil names, such as Sauron, sound like a snake hissing-- for the devil Satan. Cacophonous or guttural-sounding names are given to brutish, ignorant followers of evil leaders, such as Orcs, and individual Orcs like Gorbach. Names are important in stories, and Gregor is a perfect Dwarf king.

Q. Literacy is obviously a very important cause for you. How did you get involved in it?

A. During my articling year as a law student, I spent a lot of time with young offenders at remand court. I was appalled to discover that many of the kids I represented had never read a book for the sheer pleasure of reading or had given up reading before they reached their teens. For them, reading was so not cool. After my articling stint, I got involved in other areas of law and never returned to juvenile court. But I couldn't stop thinking about those kids and how unimaginative and empty their lives must be without books and fabulous heroes to make them think, to help them reason, and to inspire them to want more out of life than to merely exist-- finding thrills in swarming weaker kids for a few dollars or a new leather jacket. I gave up my law career and sat down to write The Serpent's Egg, hoping that it would appeal to kids who hated reading. I especially wanted to inspire boys to trade their X-boxes for a book and read for ten minutes a day. I know I can't change the world with my writing, but hopefully I can make an infinitesimal difference. Hundreds of letters from parents (and reluctant readers) telling me how my books changed the course of a kid's life … well … what could be better than that?

Q. If we want to get involved too, how would you recommend we do so?

A. As an author, it's relatively easy for me to promote literacy. I visit hundreds of schools, meeting thousands of kids every year. Today, publishers have a daunting challenge, trying to publish quality books while facing competition from television, computers, video games, radios, and iPods. Publishers are cash poor compared with high-tech corporations like Microsoft. To compete, publishers, public libraries, schools, bookstores, authors, and readers have to somehow get together and coordinate their efforts to make reading cool without sacrificing quality or reducing reading standards to the lowest common denominator. Literacy affects every aspect of society, from poverty to the crime rate. It's no longer enough for an author to show up at a book signing and expect to draw crowds. We have to work together to become creative. As individuals, we can also get involved by supporting and using our public libraries, and fighting to elevate the status of school libraries to the most important place in our schools. A doctor I know promotes literacy by giving the parents of newborn babies their child's first book as they leave the hospital. Many parents insist on giving only books (without apologizing) as gifts to adolescents and teenagers. Kids can encourage the entire family to sit together for five minutes in the evening to read aloud and discuss what they're reading. We have to become aggressive in promoting literacy. Or we're in BIG trouble. When was the last time you saw an ad for a book on TV?

Q. You don't just write books, you've also written documentaries and television specials! How does writing books compare with writing for more visual mediums?

A. While both are writing genres, writing books and writing for television are as different as golf is from tennis. The images of a television drama or motion picture tell a great part of the story. The writer doesn't have to describe a room or the weather or how a character feels. The pictures reveal all. Writing is focused on what the pictures can't show-- the hidden things. By contrast, writing a book is much more daunting. There are no pictures of angry, black thunderheads and giant waves to warn the couple on the boat that a storm is building. There is no image of twilight fading to night. No twinkling stars overhead. The author must use words to paint images. The reader takes the author's words and paints his or her own image of the perfect storm or stars twinkling like diamonds in a cold winter sky. Interestingly, our imaginations are inactive when we watch television or a movie. If we all watch the same image on television, and then draw that image, our images will contain the exact same elements. But if we all read the same description in a book and draw our interpretation from the author's words, no two pictures will be alike. We have to use our imaginations when we read.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. I needed a break from trilogies because by the time I get to book three I can't remember what I said in book one. So I decided to write a single book. I just completed the first draft. It's a dark, sad tale about a famous Russian boy and the last free Russian dragon. It is part history as seen through the eyes of the boy and his four older sisters, and part fantasy as the boy escapes from his an incurable, life-threatening disease to rescue kids from Russian mythological monsters. At times, the boy's real story broke my heart but, despite the tears, I loved writing this book.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than yours, of course!), what would it be?

A. Leonardo's Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci's Servant, by Christopher Grey

Q. PC, you were the editor on the Teen Libris fiction anthology Immortal: Love Stories With Bite, a collection of vampire short stories by a great group of YA authors (including Kristin!). Was this your first time heading up an anthology?

PC: Yes, it was my first time! I had such a wonderful experience, thanks in great part to our fabulous BenBella Books editor, Leah Wilson, that I'd love to do it again and again!

Q. Kristin, speaking of Immortal, tell us a little bit more about your story, "Amber Smoke," and the process of writing it.

KC: Actually, writing on my own was very hard for me. I'm used to having the framework already set up and just having to fill in the blanks. It was very different trying to make the characters come alive on my own. "Amber Smoke" is, of course, about vampires, and my vamps are on missions to recapture spirits that have escaped the Greek Underworld; they also each have a unique power that helps them throughout their journey.

Q. Why do you two think vampires have made such a big comeback lately, especially in teen fiction?

PC: I discuss this in my intro to the anthology. Basically I think vampires are an alluring fantasy because they represent the mystery and magnificence of eternal youth. It's sexy and fantastic! There are so many fictional possibilities when you introduce the idea that your character can virtually live forever (and be gorgeous!), that vampires equate to a wonderful adventure.

KC: I didn't really know that vampire stories had ever gone away! But, I guess, the idea of a vampire character is very romantic. There is always a struggle of how the vampire will fall in love, and the whole living forever thing presents a kind of large problem sometimes (not to mention … vampires are super fine!).

Q. You guys collaborated on the (now New York Times-bestselling-- congrats!) House of Night series. Whose idea was that?

PC: A couple years ago I was at a national writers' conference in Reno having drinks with my agent, Meredith Bernstein, and she said she had an idea for a series she wanted to give me. Then she said the three magic words: vampire finishing school. I took it from there!

Q. How weird is it relating to each other not just as mother and daughter, but as co-writers? Do either of the relationships ever get in the way of the other?

PC: I don't think it's weird relating to each other at all because no matter what we're still mother and daughter. Kristin and I have always been very close, and I love working with her. It's really fun now that the series has become so successful that we're being sent all over to promote it-- and we get to travel together! It's great because Kristin and I have loved to travel together since she was a little girl (actually she was born in Japan on Yokota AFB). It is interesting that as Kristin gets older (she was barely 19 when we started writing together and now she's 21) I can depend on her professional judgment more and more. I value her opinion about the business aspect of writing-- she's grown up as the daughter of an author and she understands much more about the business of publishing than a typical 21 year old. Our publisher, St. Martin's Press, also values her business savvy and has used several of her ideas for marketing and publicity, as well as offering her an internship with them.

KC: My mom has always been an author, so this has just been a chance to spend more time with her and share something that we both enjoy. I don't even see a difference in the co-writer and mother/daughter relationships.

Q. Kristin, how hard is it working on the House of Night series and going to school at the same time? Do your professors accept "But I had an editorial deadline!" as an excuse for late papers?

KC: It isn't too hard until I have to miss class to go out of town for a signing or other event, because my mom understands the importance of my education. Unfortunately, I attend a private university that only believes "literature," and not pop fiction, is worth reading. With that said, the majority of my professors could actually care less, and often don't take my NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING writing career seriously (even after I give them signed copies of books … sigh).

Q. PC, you have a day job too-- teaching high schoolers, no less. How do you think working with teenagers has affected the way you write young adult fiction?

PC: It's had a profound affect! I've been teaching freshmen and sophomores since 1993, and had I not been so immersed in their crazy teenage world for so long there's no way I could write a first person YA and make it believable-- at least not one set in a modern version of our world. Teaching the same age as the kids I'm writing for and about allows me to get inside knowledge of what's really going on with today's teenagers.

Q. Let's talk about the House of Night series. When I finished reading them, the first thing I did was pass the books on to my mom. So I was curious-- do you have a lot of mother-and-daughter fans?

PC: I do get a lot of mail from mother-daughter readers. Actually, I get a lot of mail from older readers. That doesn't surprise me, though, because I'm definitely older and I enjoy reading YA. The reason I took this series in the direction of YA rather than an adult slant is because I like today's young adult genre and read qite a bit of it. I've always said authors should write the book they would love to curl up and read, so really I'm just following my own advice.

Q. The House of Night series, like a lot of YA series these days, is a lot darker (and racier!) than the YA books of previous generations. I suspect this resonates with today's readers-- and would have resonated with those past generations' readers too!-- but have you gotten any parental backlash from that?

PC: I get very little parental backlash, or at least not personally. I am aware of negative comments on the web, but I don't read those. Kristin and I are not trying to please everyone. We're trying to write a series we believe is authentic. The content in our books that is sexual or violent or displaying bad language is not there gratuitously. It's there because it's there in the real world of teenagers, and even though we've created a fictional version of that world, we want it to resonate with today's teens, which means it must be accurate. Because of my years of teaching I'm acutely aware that there is a type of parent who believes he/she has the right to dictate what all kids are exposed to because he/she has the only correct point of view. If one doesn't agree with this type of parent, one is considered not just wrong but inherently sinful. I loath this type of attitude and consistently stand up to it in my classroom. It's just a natural extension of my belief system that in my novels I deal with controversial issues head on. If that offends some parents then I suggest they don't read my books. Kristin and I choose not to dwell on negativity, so we don't spend a lot of time worrying about not pleasing everyone.

Q. The students (and professors) at the House of Night school aren't your average vampires. The fact that they Change into a vampire is a lot more like puberty than like death is only the beginning. What are the reasons behind changing the mythology of vampires so radically?

PC: I decided if I was going to write about vampires I was going to do it on my own terms. While I do give fictional nods to some of the classic vampire mythos elements, i.e., aversion to sunlight, bloodsucking, enhanced powers, long lived, etc., I also create a world that is very much my own. My vamps have a strong biological basis because I have a strong biology background - I was a literature major in college, but took so many premed classes I could have minored in biology instead of secondary education. My father is a biologist, and I went to him to brainstorm the biological basis for my vamps. Together we came up with a strong physiological element that I think mixes well with the paranormal aspect of the world.

Q. The next House of Night book, Untamed, is coming out in September. I'm anti-spoilers, but-is there anything you can tell us about what we have to look forward to?

PC: Hum…I can tell you that Zoey has a mess from Chosen she has to clean up! And in Untamed we finally get to see why Neferet has gone bad, which brings us to a whole new evil Zoey and the House of Night come up against. This book is darker and scarier than the previous books-- I scared myself while I was writing it!

Q. What are you both working on right now?

PC: Right now I'm almost done with the draft of book 5, Hunted, which means very shortly Kristin will be working on it. Besides my YA world I have another Goddess Summoning Book for Berkley I'll be finishing (Goddess of Camelot, release date June 2009), as well as a book I'm doing for Harlequin's Nocturne line where I'm one of the four authors leading off a new series written by women who are all military veterans. The heroines of our books are military women, too. It's a great paranormal series that should debut in 2009.

KC: Besides awaiting the arrival of Hunted to my hotmail inbox, I am working on taking "Amber Smoke" and making it into a YA novel, and perhaps the beginning of a new series!

Q. If you could each tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

PC: Untamed!

KC: Immortal!

Q. In your essay in A New Dawn, you weigh the benefits (and pitfalls) of dating a werewolf versus dating a vampire. Which of the two would you pick?

A. Well, in the essay Aunt Charlotte says that Bella ought to pick a nice safe human boy to date, but of course Aunt Charlotte is just being stuffy. In real life I would of course eschew the nice human boy for the sexy vampire or werewolf. And I'd have to say I'd go for the vampire-the immortal life thing is too good to pass up.

Q. Along those same lines: Edward or Jacob?

A. Aieek! Who can choose? Edward, I suppose. I am a sucker for a tragic backstory.

Q. In City of Bones, your heroine Clary Fray has romantic feelings for both her best friend Simon and mysterious demon hunter Jace. How does her dilemma compare to Bella's?

A. Bella, it seems to me, is well and truly torn. She has sincere feelings for both boys. Clary's situation is complicated by the fact that she can't be with Jace. It's impossible. She has to look elsewhere, but she doesn't really want to, and she knows that's unfair to Simon.

Q. You write about vampires in your Mortal Instruments series. How are your vampires different from the vampires in the Twilight series?

A. I chose to go with a very traditional vampire mythology. My vampires are allergic to crosses and sunlight, can't go into churches, fear holy water. I decided on this because I wanted to fit my vampires into a much larger world mythos of angels and demons that are the cause of everything supernatural in our world. I wanted to explain the mythology we already have in a new way rather than inventing a new mythology. Whereas Stephenie has really created a new kind of vampire-stripping them of their traditional weaknesses, but adding new ones.

Q. Obviously, you thought vampires were interesting enough to feature in your novels. Why do you think vampires continue to fascinate us?

A. Vampires fascinate us because they are monsters with human faces. They are both everything that terrifies us-a creature that wants to eat us!-and simultaneously everything we're attracted to (youth, beauty, strength).

Q. You describe your novels as "urban fantasy"-a genre everybody seems to have a different definition for. What do you mean when you use the term? And do you think the Twilight series falls under that category too?

A. When I use the term I mean a subgenre of contemporary fantasy in which the urbanity of the setting is important. The city itself can come to be almost a character in the plot. Urban spaces take the place of what used to be the dark forest of fairy tales-full of violence, magic and intrigue. I would call Twilight contemporary fantasy, but perhaps not urban fantasy, because it's small-town, rainy, naturalistic setting is so important.

Q. Clary's first name is similar to your last name. Are there any other ways you and your character are similar?

A. Oh, good Lord, no. And the name thing is sort of an accident. I actually picked Clary's name before I decided on the spelling of my own pen name and then it never occurred to me that the two were similar until it was pointed out to me later. Hindsight! Anyway, I deliberately made Clary very different from me. She has a male best friend-I never even had a guy friend until college. She's very headstrong-I'm way meeker. And she's a visual artist, a visual person, where I'm a word person.

Q. Growing up, you traveled around the world, and you continue to travel as an adult. I should ask you something smart (like, "How does this affect your writing?"), but instead I'm going to ask: What's your favorite place you've ever been?

A. Oh, it's so hard to pick a favorite place. It's like picking a favorite friend. I'd say my favorite big city is London. My favorite small city is Lucca, in northern Tuscany. And my favorite spot in the world is at the top of Temple Four in the ancient ruins of Tikal, in the Guatamalan jungle. The view is amazing.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A. Right now I'm working on the first book in the companion series to The Mortal Instruments. It's called The Clockwork Princess. It's set in Victorian London and deals with the story of a girl who goes looking for her missing brother in London's underground supernatural world, and finds out she's a supernatural creature herself.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A. That's tough! Right now there are so many books coming out that I'm looking forward to but haven't had a chance to read yet, like John Green and MT Anderson's new books. At this point, my current favorite YA book is The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart.

Q: It's pretty obvious from your piece in A New Dawn, "The Great Debate," that you're a member of the pro-Edward camp. Why do you prefer Edward over Jacob? And does that mean you think Bella should, too?

A: Oh, y'know, I'm pretty easy. Stephenie is in the driver's seat, and justifiably so; she's written incredibly engaging characters who have formed passionate fan followings-- not an easy thing to do. I think I like Edward partly because of his hidden depths; one of the attractive thing about vampires for me is the breadth of their experience. They've been there, done that, and so when something sparks a reaction in them, it seems more powerful to me. Not that I don't think Jacob is also awesome. I do. But Bella's mind (and Stephenie's) must be her own.

Q: Who is your favorite Twilight series character (presuming, of course, it's not Edward)?

A: Probably Bella. I think she's incredibly well written-- a real, live person who is trying so hard to be responsible and good. She's insecure and uncertain, and she comes across to me as absolutely someone I'd like to spend time with in real life.

Q: So okay, you write in "The Great Debate" that the Twilight series's vampires appeal to us because they represent "sexual fulfillment, the lure of social power, and the romance of adulthood and immortality, as well as the hidden power of the outcast." But what about Twilight's werewolves? Do they stand for the same thing, or do they represent something a little different?

A: Werewolves, to me, have always represented not so much the outcast-- although they are-- as the power of the wild. Vampires, no matter how vicious, come in human form, and can be dealt with mentally as at least having human touch-points. Werewolves are something else again, at least part of the time, and anybody who's experienced being attacked by an animal, particularly a large canine, knows that you just can't tell what they're thinking. There's an overwhelming sense of beauty, loneliness, rage and tragedy to werewolves for me, partly because we're losing so much of our natural world.

Q: In your piece, you have two academics, arguing that the Twilight series is inappropriate for teenagers, squaring off against two teenage bloggers, arguing (of course!) that the Twilight series is totally appropriate for teenagers. But what really struck me was the fact that the "pro" side were both bloggers. How do you think the Internet has affected reading?

A: For those below the age of about 30? Tremendously. It's funny, I was at a SF/F convention this last weekend where one of the topics was "Blogging: Is It Helping or Hurting Your Career" … and I couldn't quite wrap my head around that. Why is it even a question? Yes, it takes time, but people now interact online, or at least through technology, at least as much as they do in person (and quite likely more). I think the question is more why wouldn't you blog?

Blogging has a tremendous power. People declare their opinions on books from one end of the internet to the other (well, it's more like a donut than a straight line, but you get my drift). And those opinions sway others. Especially in the teen markets, having books recommended by your peers is heavily influencing how teens read, I believe.

Q: And a follow-up: How do you think the Internet has affected your writing?

A: I have to resist the urge to put smileys in my prose.

No, really.

But … it's a huge advantage to me. I can instantly research questions. I can quickly and efficiently ask for (and receive) feedback. I can poll readers to find out what they like and don't like. I can organize and inform my fans. HUGE benefits that quite literally didn't exist before the rise of the web.

Q: You also contributed a story to an upcoming Borders Exclusive anthology about vampires and love, Immortal, edited by P.C. Cast. Will you tell us a little bit about that story?

A: I am always delighted to take a quick side trip to Morganville, and this anthology gave me a golden ticket to do just that. Since the Morganville Vampires books are told from Claire's perspective, I like to use short form to explore other characters in more detail. This particular story happens to be about Shane, although Michael also has a part in it, and Claire and Eve make cameo appearances. The biggest challenge is to take that quick side trip and not interfere with my timeline of events in the books, but it's huge fun to do.

Q: Speaking of your Morganville Vampires series: How do the vampires in the Twilight series compare to the vampires in your books?

A: The Twilight vampires have certain aspects to them that are so unique and interesting (which I won't go into, for fear of spoilerage) that I think they really do stand in a class by themselves in some ways. The Morganville variety are more traditional, but they've also absorbed some lessons from non-traditional sources … they're organized more like the Mafia, and it's really all about self-preservation for them as a species-- and power structures. They're probably more organized that the Twilight vampires, in terms of how they inter-relate.

Q: What do you think would happen to Edward and the rest of the Cullens if they somehow stumbled onto Morganville?

A: I think they'd probably end up very quickly on Amelie's side, and she'd find them extremely valuable as allies. They do share a lot of personal values. However, she'd make very sure that they understood the rules of Morganville … or else. And that might lead to some very interesting confrontations.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: Book 8 of the Weather Warden series, as well as Book 6 of the Morganville Vampires (Carpe Corpus). I also have a new series starting up in January 2009, Outcast Season.

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: I have certain books I re-read every year, so I'll choose from those. I'll make two recommendations, one vampire, one non-vampire.

Vampire: Those Who Hunt The Night, by Barbara Hambly. It's in competition for my favorite vampire story of all time (with Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin)-- and I still absolutely love this book.

Non-vampire: The Great Book of Amber, Roger Zelazny. This is actually all 10 volumes of Zelazny's Amber series, which riveted me when I first read it and still entrances me every time I read it.

See how I managed to get a third rec in there? Sneaky of me.

Q: Your essay in Demigods and Monsters is about what it takes to recognize monsters in the Percy Jackson series. In The Battle of the Labyrinth, we're reminded that there are some mortals, like Rachel Elizabeth Dare (and Percy's mom, a little), who can see through the Mist and recognize monsters instantly, rather than learning how to do so through training. Do you think one is more important than the other?

A: With Percy's mother, I figured that either Poseidon magically gave her that ability, or once she knew about the stuff beyond the Mist, the Mist didn't work on her like it does on normal people. I think that most people are much more likely to deny the evidence of their eyes when their brain can come up with a logical, rational explanation. But maybe some people are more willing to believe, making them less susceptible to the Mist.

And if that's true, then there's something about Rachel that accepts the supernatural, no matter what modern logic tells her. I don't know if it's more important than training, but I think it's pretty special, almost like a superpower, even though she is (or appears to be) completely human.

Q: Speaking of recognizing monsters-Maggie Quinn from your Girl vs Evil series also has the ability to recognize the supernatural. Why do you think this ability is important in a hero?

A: Well, it's really handy to see what might be coming after you. If your mind is closed, the monsters are going to eat you while you're denying they exist!

Similar to the Percy Jackson books, in Maggie's world, there is all this supernatural stuff going on beneath the surface of our real world rules of physics and science. Maggie is born with the ability to see it, but it takes her awhile to believe her own sixth sense. Once she does, she can figure out the rules, and how she's going to fix the supernatural problem. Which is really the most important part of being a hero: recognizing the problem and figuring out what you're going to have to do to solve it.

Q: If you were a half-blood, who do you think your Olympian parent would be?

A: Athena. She's always been my favorite. Smart and strong, stubborn, quick-tempered, artistic in a practical kind of way. (She not only invented architecture, but also weaving and sewing.) I'm not sure I'm wise, but I'm definitely a font of useless (and useful) facts and information. Kind of like the Internet. (Which I'm sure Athena invented, though Dionysus might have had a hand in some of the content.)

Q: In "Romeo, Ripley, and Bella Swan," your essay in A New Dawn, you characterize Bella as a classic tragic heroine. Does she have any differences from her predecessors (Juliet, Antigone, and company) that give us hope she might survive the Twilight series?

A: Bella has a self-awareness that could save her, if she would let it. She recognizes her similarities to these heroines, so theoretically, she could learn by their example. But in New Moon, five minutes after deciding that Juliet (she) could be happy with Paris (Jacob) and not have to commit suicide, she hears about Edward and it's all "screw Paris, I'm going to Romeo even if it kills me." Obviously we can't rely on rational behavior to save her, bless her heart.

It cracks me up that Bella comes up with these elaborate rationalizations, but again and again proves she's entirely governed by whim and emotion. But then, we don't read about Bella to see her be all logical, do we? That's sort of the opposite of the point of these books.

Plus, survival is relative when you're dealing with the undead, isn't it.

Q: Do you think there's a reason vampire tales work well with a tragic storyline (other than the whole them-being-dead thing, of course)?

A: Sure. With the supernatural element, you have different kinds of death, and different kinds of survival. There's death of the body, death of the soul, and death of one's plans and dreams. Edward believes his soul is gone. Rosalie saw the death of her hopes to have babies. Bella would have to die to her family and friends if she becomes a vampire. And if she doesn't turn, then part of her heart will die, because she will either have to give up Edward, or deal with growing old while he doesn't, and the distance that would but between them.

So even if there's a happily ever after for Bella and Edward (or Jacob, if you're in that camp), there's also going to be some kind of irredeemable loss.

Q: We're taking an informal poll in our interviews with A New Dawn contributors: Edward or Jacob?

A: Edward. It's clear he's the one for Bella and vice versa. Loving Jacob is one of her rationalizations. And I think loving her is one of his. He hasn't imprinted on her-- what if he later meets HIS one and only? Which will be freaking awesome, and I hope Meyer writes about that.

Q: Do you have a favorite character in the Twilight series (presuming it isn't Edward or Jacob, of course)?

A: Alice, hands down the most awesome character in the books.

Q: What do you think Maggie Quinn would have done if she'd been the one to move to Forks and meet Edward?

A: It would have been a very short book because (A) it wouldn't have taken Maggie 250 pages to realize what he was, and (B) she has a really low BS threshold, so I'm pretty sure all that brooding and lurking outside her window wouldn't have gone over well.

On the other hand, I like to think Maggie and Alice would have become great friends and have a marvelous time together, hanging out and nirping psychic tips and stuff. Maybe Alice could help Maggie with her awful fashion sense.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I just wrapped up the third Girl vs Evil book (in which Maggie and her BFF Lisa take on the chupacabra). And I'm finishing a new book, a gothic romance set in rural Alabama. It's full of ghosts and magic and romance. I'm really enjoying writing it, so hopefully it will be fun to read, too.

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: Besides Prom Dates From Hell and/or the sequel, Hell Week? I think Twilight readers will love Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr. It's edgier than the Twilight books, but so lushly romantic, I couldn't put it down. (The sequel, Ink Exchange, just came out, but I haven't read it yet.)

If you're looking for more vampire goodness, you need to read Robin McKinley's Sunshine. It's not a YA book, and there are some scenes that are at least PG-13. There is a romance plot (with a vampire, who is definitely more scary than sparkly), but the focus is more on defeating the very very evil vampires preying on the city. (I'll also mention that McKinley wrote three of my favorite it YA books in the history of ever. The Blue Sword is seriously awesome, and if you like non-modern fantasy books, you should definitely read that.)

Okay, that's a lot more than one, but books are like potato chips that way, you know?

Q: Your brother Jeremy Owen's essay in Secrets of the Dragon Riders, the book you were editor on, is about seeing the author in his or her work-and how you're really only seeing yourself. Which character from Paolini's books to you most see yourself in?

A: I would dearly love to say Eragon, but I'm afraid it's Roran. He's a guy who makes lots of good decisions that unfortunately have bad repercussions. He's always trying to do the right thing, but can't seem to catch a break. I hope I'm luckier than he is-- but the fact I can identify with his struggles may mean that I can give myself the opportunity to learn from his character. There are always opportunities to learn, and grow-- and to try to make better choices than the characters we identify with in the books we read.

Q: You write about dragons yourself in Here, There Be Dragons and the rest of the books in that series (The Search for the Red Dragon, The Indigo King). Are your dragons anything like Saphira?

A: Hmm. Good question. I think yes, after a fashion-- because all dragons are going to be unknowable in a lot of ways. They're going to be older (as a species) and wiser, and enigmatic. But those traits make it more significant when one of them DOES form a bond with one of us humans. They're something to be feared and respected in both my books and Christopher's.

Q: What fascinates you about dragons? Why do you think other people are fascinated by dragons?

A: Mine came about because of the Imaginarium Geographica, the atlas of maps of every land you've ever read about from every myth, legend, fable, and fairy tale. On the eastern edge of all the maps is the warning, "Go ye no further, for here there be dragons." I got it from a real old mariner's map, and so of course, I had to have dragons in the story! But I think the possibility that creatures may have existed that we know nothing of today inspires something even more powerful: belief. We WANT to believe in dragons. We WANT to believe in magical creatures. We WANT there to be something out there to discover. And for me, one of the best metaphors for that belief is dragons.

Q: You also wrote an essay for our anthology on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, A New Dawn. You were our only male contributor, and we're lucky to have you, because I feel like we girls could use a male perspective on this particular question: Edward, or Jacob?

A: *Blink blink* I just realized that I was the only male in that group. Suddenly I feel like I'm in Eighth-Grade Orchestra all over again-- surrounded by a bunch of pretty, talented women who are all shorter than I am.

Between the two (Edward and Jacob) I prefer Edward. Jacob has appealing traits that are subtle, but end up outshining his obvious flaws; Edward is appealing from the start, and then Bella has to reconcile the flaws that appear. But he is always the hero of the story-- and every guy wants to be the hero in his girl's eyes.

Q: Your A New Dawn essay is partly about the undervalued genre of romance. Will you tell us a little bit here about what "romance" used to mean, and what it has in common with stories about dragons?

A: Romance (with a capital R) used to be the genre of possibility: anything could happen in a Romance, and usually did. It's only been in recent decades that Romance has been overtaken by (little r) romance and straitjacketed into one narrow category of story. Romance used to be the province of writers like Shelley and Keats: it's these people writers like Stephenie and (I hope) myself are following after, learning from as we blaze our own trails. And regarding dragons: what could be more romantic than discovering a great adventure, than finding lost maps, or leaning that one is the lost heir to a magnificent legacy? What's more romantic that believing-- even if only for a brief moment-- that dragons might really exist? That sense of wonder, and the flame it fans within each of us is literally what good Romance-- and stories about dragons-- are all about.

Q: You were the illustrator for the books in the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica as well as the writer. What was it like wearing two "hats" for the project?

A: I've never separated the two. To me, all of my work-- novels, comics, screenplays-- contain both components. I write visually, and when I'm first outlining a book, I'm composing thumbnail illustrations of the art at the same time. My early drafts of comic books are no different than my early drafts of novels. I also think one strengthens the other. Sometimes the art will inspire new scenarios in the writing; and sometimes the writing will evoke images that hadn't yet occurred to me. It works both ways-- and they're interconnected. I sometimes feel something is missing if I write something I don't also illustrate. And I've often illustrated other writers' work, but that's more interpreting than creating to me, because it's imagery that someone else invented.

Q: Paolini was pretty young when he first wrote Eragon. When did you first discover your love of writing?

A: Chris and I have that in common. I started doing little versions of Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood and selling them to the neighbors when I was five. When I was fifteen, I wrote and illustrated a comic called Pryderi Terra and then published it myself. At sixteen, I was the youngest professional exhibitor ever to attend the San Diego Comicon - and all of that work and experience later coalesced in my graphic novel project Starchild. The graphic novels led to an invitation to write the Mythworld novels, and those gave me the experience I needed to write Here, There Be Dragons.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: Book Four and Book Five of The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica; the next issue of Starchild: Mythopolis II; and one or three other things

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: It'd be hard to go wrong recommending A Wrinkle in Time or any of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, but at the moment, I'm really pleased with how The Indigo King turned out, and I don't think anyone who picks it up will be disappointed. It has several badgers, among other things-- and if the presence of badgers isn't a sign of a worthwhile book, then I don't know what is.

Q: Your essay is Through the Wardrobe is, in part, about traveling between worlds-- some of them hidden. What do you think Narnia and the Hidden World from your Thomas Trew series have in common?

A: They are both places you reach through our (human) world, and both are places where only exciting-- and no dull and boring and humdrum!-- things happen. Sometimes those things can be scary but they are never boring.

Q: If you could put any character from Narnia into one of your stories, who would it be?

A: Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle from The Silver Chair. I love him!

Q: Has religion played a part in any of your books?

A: Quite often in my books there is a religious or spiritual undercurrent, but not usually specific or full-on. In two of my books however, religion played a central role: The First Day (2000), and Snow, Fire, Sword (2006).

Q: In your essay for Demigods and Monsters, you talk about having nightmares as a child of the Medusa, and how you defeated them. What do you think is the scariest monster in Greek myth? Still Medusa, or has that changed?

A: I think Medusa is still the scariest of all of them, because in a way I feel sorry for her-and yet it's fatal to feel sorry for Medusa! It seems such a terrible fate and yet you can't afford to pity her, or you're stone dead.

Q: If you were a half-blood, which Greek God do you think you'd be the daughter of?

A: Hermes-- I always liked him in the myths, and he gets to travel a lot!

Q: Stories based on Greek myth seem to be really popular lately. Any ideas on why that is?

A: They are really strong, powerful stories with great characters and adventures, lots of extraordinary creatures, magic, and some very full-on gods and goddesses! Plus they still have a lot to tell us about life, people, and the world.

Q: You write regularly for a blog called Writer Unboxed. Will you tell us a little more about the blog?

A: It's a blog written by a group of professional authors who all write in different genres-- fantasy, crime, YA, historical, and more-- in which they share their writing experiences, discuss the literary world, and post on topics that concern or interest them. I've written on such things as how myths and fairytales can be great sources for writers, about the influences I had as a writer, and more. I post there once a month.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I'm working on a YA novel called The Madman of Venice, which is set in the 17th century and is a mystery partly based on two Shakespeare plays, The Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet. I'm in the editing process right now-- the book is coming out next year.

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: A book I've really loved this year is the extraordinary The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick-- it's a mixture of novel and pictures and works almost like a film in book form. Amazing and very beautiful!

Q. For the Immortal anthology, edited by P.C. Cast, you wrote a great story, "Free," featuring Patrice, a character from your Evernight series. But while Evernight is set in the present day, "Free" is set in New Orleans more than a hundred years ago. How is Patrice involved in the Evernight series?

A: Patrice is the vampire roommate of Bianca, Evernight's main character. In Evernight, Patrice comes across as somewhat self-absorbed, even shallow at times, and we get only a peek at the deeper secrets she hides. "Free" takes us back to her life as a human being and sheds more light on why she behaves the way she does. Despite her love of clothes and makeup, Patrice has real steel in her spirit.

Q. New Orleans is ripe with vampire legends. Is that why you chose it for the setting of your story?

A: Not really-- I used to live in New Orleans, so I learned a lot about the city's history then. That history inspired Patrice's character, more as who she was when she was still alive than as the vampire she became.

Q. Do you have any favorite literary vampires?

A: So many! I'm especially fond of the many variants of Dracula, who is really more interesting than he gets credit for these days, when he's mostly known as a Halloween costume or the inspiration for Count Chocula. My favorite from TV or film would be Angel on both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and his own show.

Q. There's a lot of variation in vampires these days. Some of them aren't undead, or can go out in the daylight, though they usually do still like blood. What do you think is absolutely necessary in order for a vampire to be a vampire?

A: I think the only "must-have" is drinking blood. Without that hunger for blood, you've got a different kind of creature. It's the blood-drinking that makes vampirism such a wonderful metaphor for so many things.

Q. Do you think of vampires as monstrous or romantic?

A: Depends on the vampire in question! My books have plenty of both kinds.

Q. If you had the choice, would you become a vampire?

A: Probably not. It would depend on what kind of vampire I'd be turning into-- are we talking about the creepy, smelly, Romanian-style vampires? That's a definite no. If we're talking about the more glamorous, self-controlled type, I'd have to think about it, but I still suspect immortality would get terribly old after a few dozen centuries.

Q. You have both a LiveJournal and a MySpace page. What kind of impact do you think the Internet has had on how readers find books, and how they interact with authors?

A: I don't know that I can analyze it, but I love it! Hearing from readers is just the ultimate thrill. They e-mail me to talk about what they liked, what they didn't like, dreams they had about the story, and I feel like I learn so much from all of it about what parts of Evernight have really resonated with people.

Q. You mention on your Web site that you love travelling. What's your favorite thing about it?

A: The best thing about traveling is finding new ways to experience the world. That can be a new cityscape, or a new view, or foods you've never tried before, or music you're not familiar with, or even the different character of the light in another part of the globe. There is so much out there to discover, and I feel so privileged to see even a small part of it all.

(For what it's worth, I buy carbon offsets for every airline flight I take.)

Q. What are you working on right now?

A: Right now I am revising Hourglass, the third novel in the Evernight series, and developing outlines for some future YA projects I hope to publish in the future.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: Besides mine? I'd say, keep a lookout this fall for Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. It's dark, it's intense, and it's amazing.

Q: Your essay in Through the Wardrobe is about (as you titled the piece) "Missing the Point"-- how not understanding the religious symbolism doesn't mean you can't appreciate the books. When and how did you find out about the whole religious symbolism thing?

A: Last week. Okay, maybe it was a bit longer ago than that, but I know I didn't figure it out on my own. Someone told me. And then I denied it for a while. I'm pretty good at the whole denial thing. Once (and this really was a long time ago-- honest!), I wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy asking what she looked like. I left it with my tooth. In the morning, I discovered a quarter plus a letter signed by the Tooth Fairy that said she looked a little like me but she had brown curly hair and wings. Now, my mom looks a little like me and has brown curly hair … but she doesn't have wings. It didn't occur to me for literally years that perhaps my mom wrote the letter.

Q: Which king or queen of Narnia do you think you're most like?

A: Lucy. If faced with a magical wardrobe, I would absolutely be the first one through it, and I'd love to have tea with Faun Tumnus. I wish I could say that I'd be more kick-butt than Lucy (Susan gets the sweet bow and arrow, and Lucy gets what? The magical version of a hotel room shampoo bottle?). But if I'm going to be honest, I wouldn't be much use in a magical battle. If you gave me a sword, I'd probably just get it stuck in the ground. I'm about as coordinated as a beached manatee.

Q: Your essay in Demigods and Monsters was about how the gods in the series (among others) measure up as parents. If one of your parents was a Greek god or goddess, who do you think it would be?

A: Oh, my, it's so hard to choose! My mom has the wisdom of Athena and the beauty of Aphrodite, and my dad has the work ethic of Hephaestus, the brilliance of Hermes, and the beneficence of Apollo. They also both have Internet access and know how to Google me.

Q: Do you have a favorite character from the Percy Jackson series?

A: Sally Jackson, Percy's mom. Unlike most parents in fantasy novels, she isn't clueless, and she doesn't disapprove of her son's unusual extracurricular activities. Since her pint-sized hero doesn't have his driver's license yet, she chauffeurs him to his battles, much like my mom drove me endlessly to theatre practice, piano lessons, and ballet lessons (see above note about beached manatee, if you want to know how good I was).

Q: Which is easier for you, writing an essay like the ones you did for the Teen Libris series, or writing a novel?

A: Honestly, I don't find them all that different in terms of difficulty. In both cases, you have to tell a coherent narrative/argument, present a consistent voice, and not get distracted by too many shiny things along the way. A novel is only harder because it's so much longer (which means lots more alluring shiny things along the way, such as a new episode of American Idol).

Q: What gave you the inspiration for your Wild novels (Into the Wild, Out of the Wild)?

A: Into the Wild and Out of the Wild grew from two separate ideas that I'd been playing with in the back of my mind since high school:

1) What if a girl had a monster under her bed, and her mom knew about it?

2) If Rapunzel lived in the here and now, she would own a hair salon.

I loved the idea of fairy-tale characters running amuck in my hometown, and I thought the idea of the mother knowing about the monster was an unusual twist on the whole secret-monster thing. But it wasn't until I combined the two ideas that I had a story. I decided that the girl was Rapunzel's twelve-year-old daughter Julie, and the monster under her bed was the essence of fairy tales. Long ago, the fairy-tale characters escaped the fairy tale to live in secret in our world. But now, the fairy tale wants its characters back, and it's up to Julie to save them.

Q: Who is your favorite fairy tale character?

A: Ooh, tough one. I love so many of them! My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast because it's the only one that really involves true love. (Marrying someone based on shoe size? Is that really the best basis for a long-term relationship? At least Beauty and the Beast spend time together first.) But my favorite fairy-tale character would have to be the witch. Yes, she's evil and all that, but without the witch, Hansel and Gretel would be just two kids on a camping trip. Without the witch, Rapunzel would be an ordinary baby with a mom on a health-food kick. Without the witch, Snow White would be … well, she'd still be a ditzy princess who frolics with animals, so no change there. Point is that the witch is often the heart of the story, and there would be no story and (one could even argue) no happy ending without her.

Q: How do you think your main character Julie from the Wild novels would fare if she went "through the wardrobe" into Narnia?

A: Julie's the daughter of Rapunzel. She knows the rules of fairy tales, so she'd know how to function in Narnia: be nice to the talking animals, don't mess with the witch, and expect to be crowned royalty by the end.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: This interview. (Sorry-- couldn't resist.) I am working on a brand-new, top sekrit project. It's a novel. YA. Fantasy. I think it's safe to say that I will always write fantasy. It is my deep-seated belief that all novels can be improved by the addition of a talking cat. But that's pretty much all I can say without going against that whole top sekrit thing … .

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: One book? Only one book? That's like eating one potato chip. Can't be done. How about I tell you a list of books I love, and if you haven't read one of them, you can consider that the to-read book? Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce, Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane, Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones, Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip, Changeling by Delia Sherman, A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Faeries of Dreamdark by Laini Taylor, Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett, and of course The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.

Thanks so much for all the great questions!

Q: Your piece in Through the Wardrobe ("Forgotten Castles and Magical Creatures in Hiding") is mostly about Prince Caspian. Is Prince Caspian your favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia?

A: It's so hard to choose! But I have to chose just one, huh? No, my favorites are The Magician's Nephew and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Well, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardobe. Wow, that's three. I told you can't pick one! But Prince Caspian would be my fourth favorite after those three.

No matter what, I think we call all agree that The Last Battle is everyone's least favorite, right? The book just doesn't work like the others.

Q: You could say your Through the Wardrobe piece is, in part, about how we see things. Did you see anything new in the Chronicles of Narnia when you re-read them to participate in this anthology, that you hadn't seen when you were younger?

A: It's a cliché, but yes, every time I read them, I see something new. This time around, I was struck by Lewis' droll wit and his absolute mastery of storytelling. There are so many indelible moments in those books! And the pace just doesn't stop. Even when he's violated a "rule," it doesn't matter, because you just want to keep reading. That's true genius.

Q: Which king or queen of Narnia would you say you're most like?

A: What an interesting question. I would say I'm like Lucy or Peter-- sensitive and kind or noble and brave. But the truth is I'm probably more like Edmond-- flawed, but ultimately decent.

Q: Why did you decide to write for teens?

A: A complete fluke. My book was about a teen character, so my agent said, "This is young adult." I was, of course, completely offended. Then I started reading the books, and I realized how unbelievably strong the genre is. The average teen book is far better than the average adult book, I'd say. Because we're supposedly writing for media-addled "reluctant readers," we're supposed to pay more attention to plot and economy of language. But I happen to think that's just plain good writing!

In retrospect, I can see it's the perfect fit. I always say about teen lit, almost everyone alive today either is teenager, or was one once. So they're truly universal stories! Everyone can relate.

Q: The Chronicles of Narnia were initially written for Lewis's niece Lucy. Do you ever have so specific an audience for your books?

A: I try not to think too much about my audience. Though I think, like all authors, I wrote mostly for myself-- the book I would like to read. As a general rule, though, it's essential to assume your audience is really, really smart-much smarter than you. That's been the case with my readers anyway. (See how I flatter them shamelessly?)

Q: What do you think about the current rise of fantasy and science fiction in books for young readers?

A: I've been waiting my whole life for this moment in time! Both fantasy and teen lit are absolutely at the peak of their respective genres; books in these genres have never been as good as they are right now! So it's inevitable that many writers are putting "teen" together with "fantasy." But what's really interesting is that it's not necessarily "traditional" fantasy. None of the old rules apply, so what's coming out is just so interesting and sophisticated.

Q: Being gay-- and making sure kids know being gay is okay-- is clearly important to you. What do you think about the current state of publishing "for" gay young adults? Are there any books you'd particularly recommend?

A: It's another genre in the middle of a real literary Renaissance. There's so much good stuff! I'd say people should start with a classic: Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger. And I just read a wonderful new book with an outrageous title called Band Fags! by Frank Anthony Polito that will be out in June (it's a little edgy).

Q: You keep a blog (well, okay, a few) that many of your fans follow. How do you think the Internet has changed the way readers interact with authors?

A: It's absolutely revolutionary. The feedback is so personal and so immediate. It's another cliché, but how did authors live without it? I am definitely not one of those reclusive authors that has no interaction with his readers. The interaction is the best part of my job!

It makes all the rest of it-- I'm sorry to say, there is a certain amount of aggravation and frustration in the life of a writer-- absolutely worthwhile.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: Ironically, it's a fantasy for gay teens. It's called Shadowwalkers and will be out next year.

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: Again, how can I pick just one? But how about City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau. She's a friend of mine, but it's also an excellent book, and you'll have read it just in time for the movie, coming this fall.

Oh, and I was serious about the personal interaction thing! Come to my website, then email me and see: www.brenthartinger.com.

Photo by Tim Cathersal

Q: Since we're talking about the Twilight series, we have to ask the obvious question: Edward or Jacob?

A: Definitely Jacob. I was never really attracted to pretty boys, and the whole idea of climbing into bed with somebody who's stone cold is … let's just say sometimes I make my husband wear socks to bed.

Q: Do you have a favorite character or moment in the Twilight series?

A: I am rather fascinated by Carlisle. To be a vampire, and yet choose to practice medicine, where every moment is temptation, embodied? And for him to find the necessary self-control over the blood lust central to what he is? All men, alive or undead, should be so strong, and so noble!

Q: You were hesitant to read the Twilight series at first. Was there anything you found in the book that you didn't expect?

A: Relationships, and uneasy ones at that, yet relationships that mean more than instinct. The Cullen family, helping each other beyond their most basic need. Ditto the Quileute werewolves, whose pack means more than the hunt.

Q: A few of the essays in A New Dawn talk about why vampires are so popular. Ellen Steiber talks about them as a metaphor for what scares us as a society; Rachel Caine talks about Twilight's vampires in particular as appealing because they represent everything our society is not. What do you think is so appealing—or so frightening—about vampires?

A: Well, as a woman, there's something very appealing about being the object of lust. Lust for blood or lust for body is less important than being so desired. I imagine it is no different for men. And for a good number of people, experiencing fear seems to titillate. Why else the preponderance of hardcore adventure seekers?

Q: Stephenie Meyer has mentioned Jane Austen as one of her influences. What authors have influenced or inspired you?

A: Many of the great classic authors—J.D. Salinger. Edgar Allan Poe. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Robert Louis Stevenson. John Steinbeck. As for more modern authors, Stephen King, a master of character. And for me, character is everything.

Q: Are there any similarities between Stephenie's writing and your own?

A: Not many, at least if you look specifically at style. Stephenie's books are lush with language. Like a rainforest, after the rainy season. Thick and heavy. Perfumed. Put down on paper to give readers an exact view of the author's intent. My writing is spare, as poets would have it. More high desert, like where I live. Beautiful, in its own right. But certainly different. Its beauty relies on how the reader interprets each word, carefully chosen.

Q: How do you think Kristina (from your books Crank and Glass) would get along with Bella, were they to meet?

A: Kristina would probably like Bella. Bree, however, would totally disdain Bella's passivity. Bella, conversely, would probably think Kristina was just another face. And she'd probably be a little intrigued by Bree, who also chooses a monster (although a totally different kind) over just getting by.

Q: Why do you write your books in the form of poems? Do you ever think about branching out into prose?

A: Poetry pulls me deeply inside each character's head and heart. Many of my readers comment about how they are "right on the page," becoming the character, or at least becoming the character's best friend. I also like how poetry forces me to make each word count. Some of my readers are "non-readers," now drawn to books because my language does not interfere with the story. Prose? Sure. No doubt. But not right away, at least not with my novels.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I have several upcoming projects. I'm writing my next novel, Tricks, about five teens who fall into prostitution, for very different reasons. I've also got a novella coming up in an anthology, and a nonfiction expose, sort of a high school confidential. And maybe—still working out the details—a collection of short horror. Oh yeah. I once thought I'd be the next Stephen King. Maybe … .

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year, what would it be?

A: Well, of course I have to say my next novel, Identical, due out in August. I'm so proud of this book! It's my best yet. Everything a good read should be. Beyond that, a very good friend has an incredible novel out in October. It's called Freeze Frame, by Heidi Ayarbe. I watched the book take shape over a couple of years and am amazed to see what it has become.

Q: The Percy Jackson series could be accused of being pretty negative about school. For one thing, Percy is always getting kicked out of it. For another, teachers seem pretty clueless (like the gym teacher "watching" the student-cannibal dodge ball game). But you used to be a teacher! What's up with that?

A: Mythology is always bigger than life, so all the problems in Percy's school life are magnified too. If I wrote that Percy's school was great, all his teachers were kind, and he got along with all his classmates, that would be pretty boring. Besides, I don't think any kid who has ever been in middle school would find it realistic. School is full of troubles! I know that firsthand as a teacher. It's not too much of a stretch to think that your teachers are monsters. If the cafeteria food and homework don't kill you, the Furies might.

Q: How did you come up with all the idiosyncrasies for the gods? Were you in cahoots with a Muse?

A: The personalities of the gods have always seemed real to me. It was no stretch at all to image Hermes in a jogging outfit or Poseidon in a Tommy Bahama shirt. The gods have always been very human, just on a bigger scale. I think that's why they're so fascinating. Making them modern is one of my favorite things to do.

Q: Which god would you most like to hang out with for a day?

A: Apollo would be pretty cool. He has the sweetest ride and attracts all kinds of attention. He's easy-going, friendly and can even tell your future. I'd just have to convince him not to spout bad haiku every few minutes.

Q: Is there a Percy Jackson character you're most like? Or most unlike?

A: I'd like to say I'm brave like Percy. Unfortunately, I'm most like Grover. If the monsters invaded, I'd be hiding under a shrub, nervously chewing on a tin can.

Q: Do you have any favorite mythical creatures?

A: I like them all, but you can't go wrong with Medusa. Turning people to stone with your eyes—that's just very cool. And the snakes for hair—I don't know who thought of that idea first, but it's inspired.

Q: Sally Jackson is pretty much the best mom ever (Sarah Beth Durst in Demigods and Monsters thinks so too). Is she based on anybody you know?

A: Well, I have pretty much the best mom ever, so Sally is probably based loosely on her. It's funny. Once an adult reader asked me why Sally was such a weak character. This mom thought I was being anti-feminist, and I just stared at her, dumbfounded. I don't see Sally as weak at all. My whole life has been guided by strong women—my mom, my wife. My agents and editors have all been women. I think Sally does the best she can with some very difficult situations, and she tries to support Percy even though he's got some major problems. You could do a lot worse for a parent than Sally Jackson.

Q: Speaking of Sally Jackson—where did you come up with the whole blue foods thing?

A: That's based on my own life. When I get nervous, I eat orange food. I have no idea why. Once my wife and I were driving through Toronto, and I was nervous because it was my first trip outside the U.S., driving in another country. We stopped for a snack. I got back in the car and noticed I was eating Cheetos, an orange, and a Nehi orange soda. I picked them subconsciously, but immediately I realized I must be very freaked out. Besides, blue food is pretty rare. It must be a delicacy!

Q: In Demigods and Monsters, Ellen Steiber speculates on the reason why Dionysus was put in charge of Camp Half-Blood. Why did you pick Dionysus to be the camp director?

A: I like surprises and contradictions. I like putting a character is a very unlikely situation. It makes for interesting reading. But honestly, I didn't think about it. I just did it. The whole Dionysus thing just sprang to mind as I was telling my son the story for the first time. Maybe it was the Muses at work. Or maybe I'd been drinking too much Diet Coke.

Q: You mention in your introduction to Demigods and Monsters that your son was really the inspiration for the Percy Jackson series. What does he think about how popular they've gotten? Does he ever try to take credit?

A: My older son Haley was the inspiration, though both he and Patrick, his younger brother, have taken full credit for the series since then! They are of two minds about the series' popularity. They think it's great and exciting, but at the same time, they wish the story was still their own. They don't like dad traveling as much as I do. Both my sons are very private and modest. They get embarrassed if people ask them about their dad or give them a lot of attention. They've been asked to do interviews, and they just have no interest in limelight, which is fine by me. When Haley heard about the movie of Lightning Thief, his first comment was, "I know what you're going to ask, Dad, and I DO NOT want to be Percy in the movie!" That makes him the only adolescent boy I've ever met who doesn't want the job.

Q: Was there an essay or idea in Demigods and Monsters that surprised you the most?

A: What surprised me was the variety of ideas! So many fresh and original takes on the series, it really amazed me. I loved the idea of monsters going into retail, and the analysis of the Oracle's prophecies. I thought the grading system for parents was right on target, though it made me a little self-conscious as a parent!

Q: Do you prefer writing for teen readers rather than adults, or is it pretty much the same process?

A: The process is pretty much the same, but writing for kids has taught me a lot about writing well. Kids insist on clear narrative, gripping plot, great characters, humor and action. Adults will put up with a lot of extraneous information. They will bear with you even if your storytelling gets sloppy. But not kids. They will let you know right away if you lose their interest. That's why I like writing for them. They keep me on my toes!

Q: If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than The Battle of the Labyrinth, which we'll obviously be reading anyway), what would it be?

A: Oh, the problem with picking one book is I leave out so many others. I also don't like the idea of "must read" books because it really depends on the reader. Twilight is a must-read for eighth grade girls. For sixth grade boys, I'd recommend Diary of a Wimpy Kid instead. The Warriors is probably my older son's favorite series this year. My younger son liked the Spiderwick Chronicles. So really, it just depends on the reader. It's a good thing we have such a wide range of great books out there. We're fortunate to be in the middle of a YA renaissance.

Q: How old were you when you first read the Chronicles of Narnia?

A: Getting on a bit, actually—late teens or early twenties, as I recall. The thing was I read Lewis's science fiction first: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength. Absolutely adored them and went hunting for more. When there weren't any more, I turned to Narnia in desperation. With a title like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I thought I might be buying something for tiny tots, but instead I found a new Lewis love.

Q: What is it about Lewis's writing that captures you as a reader?

A: I'm hugely attracted to his cosmic vision and the spirituality of his themes. The literary critics I've read all seem to see this in terms of religion—specifically Lewis's Christianity—but I don't think religion has very much to do with it. There are certain great mythic stories that reach out to us down the centuries and Lewis taps into this stream.

Q: Is there a character in Narnia that you particularly take to?

A: Oooh yes—I really fancy Jadis, the White Witch. I've always liked bossy women (you don't have to think when you're with them) and villains are far more interesting than heroes. Besides, she's tall, which is very attractive in a girl, and I heard somewhere that she was descended from Lilith, Adam's first wife. Rabbinical lore has it that Lilith was a hairy demoness. With an ancestry like that, how could I not be fascinated?

Q: There are countless stories of good vs. evil in our culture. What makes the Chronicles of Narnia special?

A: We're back to your second question here. The story of Good versus Evil is one of those great archetypal themes I was talking about that reach directly into the human soul. It's not that Narnia is especially special—it really makes no sense to compare, say, Lewis with Tolkien, who dealt with the same theme. If you can write anyway well (and Lewis certainly could) then the choice of theme automatically makes your work special.

Q: What kind of impact did Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia have on your writing?

A: Do you know, I haven't the slightest idea. Critics are always finding stuff in my writing I never knew was there. My problem is I write in a sort of trance, never plan anything, find characters rather than create them, and can't say how the book will end until it's finished. When I finally climb out of the mess, I usually drink some gin so I'm seldom in a fit state to analyze my influences. [Editor's Note: Kids, don't try this at home. Herbie is a) a trained professional, and b) over 21 years of age.]

Q: Are there any similarities between Narnia and the world of Faerie Wars?

A: Yes. They're both concerned with real people caught up in cosmic themes.

Q: If you could send one of your Faerie Wars characters through the wardrobe, who would it be? What do you think they'd do there?

A: I think I'd send Henry through. Pyrgus would get diverted rescuing fauns, Blue would simply take over from the White Witch, but Henry has a real nose for bumbling through and setting things right, which is what Narnia needs when you go through the wardrobe for the first time.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: A Magician's Memoir. I've practiced magic secretly throughout most of my life and now I've decided to come out of the closet and tell it like it is, trolls and all. Non-fiction, autobiography, and very, very spooky to write. Offers from publishers, preferably mentioning a gigantic advance, should be directed to my London agent.

Q: Are we likely to see any more Faerie Wars books in the future?

A: Ah, never say never. Faerie Lord finishes Henry's story, but I had emails from readers saying they cried at the end because they missed the characters so much. And the realm is still there, lurking. No immediate plans, but my writing has been out of control for years and I can never tell when something like that will come back to haunt me.

Q: What's the best teen lit book you've read this year?

A: Let me tell you something. Most of the time I read books for ideas, which is why science fiction has attracted me for so long. But lately I find adult authors are losing it and the really exciting ideas are appearing in teen fiction. There's one writer in particular who just keeps them coming, and that's Kate Thompson. She's not a super-seller, although she has literary awards coming out of her ears, but she should be. If you haven't read her already, you don't know what you're missing. Start with her Origins trilogy and then, when you've recovered from the shocks, just grab anything with her name on it: I promise you will not be disappointed.

That said, the best teen lit book I've read this year wasn't by Kate at all. It was Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (which was published a few years ago, but I'm slow about these things). It's utterly brilliant, very exciting, and bursting with really quirky, off-beat ideas. So brilliant I've forgiven him for forgetting who I was, even though he illustrated one of my books before he became rich and famous!

And while my friend Eoin Colfer needs no help from me in selling his books, I want to mention the graphic novel version of Artemis Fowl adapted by Eoin and my old mate Andrew Donkin. Graphic novels are tricky and you have to have a really strong story line to make them work, but I thought this one was super. In some ways I enjoyed it even more than the original.