Ever wonder how science fiction writers came up with the ideas for your favorite book series – or how certain authors write romantic comedy? Check out these interviews with YA authors on the inspiration behind their books, their creative writing process, and their opinions on children’s literature.
One word of advice – most of the time, the authors gave such interesting responses to my interview questions that I couldn’t possibly fit them all in a single article, so I split the interview up into multiple articles. Find them all by clicking the links at the end of each author interview!
What can one say about Shannon Hale? Talented (she's written novels that are received well by both children and adults), funny (check out my coverage of a hilarious routine she did at a benefit auction a while back), and a heck of a nice person too! Shannon's busy schedule makes it hard for her to give interviews, but she kindly made time to answer some of my questions on her books via email. Check it out -- she's a lot of fun :)
It’s always exciting to interview an up-and-coming YA author like Kimberly K. Jones, whose books have already become favorite books for schools and libraries. What’s great about Kimberly is that she not only writes for all age groups but also enjoys experimenting with multiple genres – from fairy tales to realistic fiction. During our interview, she mentioned she had ideas for YA problem novels that dealt with prejudice, a sequel to her fantasy novel The Genie Scheme, and even a possible superhero novel… she’s definitely an author readers will want to keep an eye on.
Talking with PJ Haarsma (author of the popular sci fi series The Softwire) is always fun because you’re never talking to just a science fiction author, but a video game designer, an advocate for children’s literacy, and a major sci fi geek (I’ll admit I related best to the last one).
If anyone’s wondering why I tend to write so many articles about PJ’s books, online role playing games, and nonprofit organization Kids Need to Read, it’s simply that PJ has so many interesting ideas and projects it’s a shame not to let any of them go unreported.
I met Janette during a presentation she was doing at local Tempe bookstore Changing Hands, and found her to be a very approachable author with a great sense of humor (as anyone who’s read her romantic comedy novels for young adults will know). Janette recently had her romantic fantasy novel My Fair Godmother optioned for a movie, and may write several more fantasy novels in the future – which can only increase her fan base.
For many authors, writing young adult books is something they fall into – and that’s certainly the case with Laurie Brooks, who started her career as a playwright for young adult theatre – then decided to adapt her popular play Between Land and Sea into her award-winning YA novel Selkie Girl. Talking with Laurie was particularly fascinating since she offers perspectives on playwriting and novel writing – and the creative possibilities offered in both fields.
