1. What drew you to YA Fantasy writing?
I lived and breathed YA fantasy as a child. Among my favorite books were Susan Cooper’s Dark Is Rising series, Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain, and C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. When I started writing novels there was no question that I’d be writing YA fantasy – it’s always been my first literary love.
2. I noticed you have a playlist on your website. Does music play an important role during your periods of writing?
Absolutely! I create soundtracks for all my books and music is incredibly inspirational. I find that if I get stuck with a passage or a character it’s often listening to the right song that gets me back on track.
3. How has your life changed since becoming a NYT bestseller?
I’m just busier with interview requests, but I’m still living life as usual – walking my dogs, doing laundry, playing WoW, and of course writing!
4. Where did the idea for Nightshade come from?
Calla was the inspiration for Nightshade. I knew she was a strong, independent young woman who was facing a crisis. I also knew she was a wolf, which presented a problem for me because as much as I’m a lover of paranormal and fantasy I’ve never been a fan of werewolves. I grew up in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the wilderness was always magical and beautiful to me. Wolves are intelligent, graceful and social and I wanted to reflect my admiration of wolves in Nightshade’s mythology. That influence plus my work as a historian, who studies witchcraft, built the world of Nightshade.
5. How would you describe Nightshade to someone who is unfamiliar with the series?
My favorite description comes from the LA Times: A fantastical mash-up of religious warriors and witch hunts, of feminist will and societal oppression, “Nightshade” is historical fiction – with a modern, pop culture twist. An intelligent reimagining of the past played out in the present with shape-shifting werewolves residing in Vail, Colo., “Nightshade” is a book for well-read hopeless romantics who like their heroines conflicted, their love interests smoldering and their passions triangulated and torrid, yet unfulfilled.
6. I have a preference for tough, kick-butt heroines, can you tell our readers a little bit about Calla Tor?
I have the same preference! Calla is caught between her sense of duty and her desire to lead. While she’s an alpha, the laws of her society require that females submit to a male hierarchy. She’s stoic and tries very hard to think of her pack before herself, but as she uncovers secrets and lies surrounding her life, she begins to question everything she’s valued.
7. I’m very excited about your upcoming release, Wolfsbane (July, 26th 2011). Can you give us a little sneak peak of what we should expect?
You’ll learn a lot more about the Keepers and Searchers and their intertwined histories.
8. My current reading fetish is steampunk so I’m very excited to hear about your work-in-progress. Can you tell us a little bit about The Inventor’s Secret ?
I love the steampunk series. I’m currently committed to a few other projects, so work on The Inventor’s Secret is slow but steady. I’m hoping it will enter the world around 2014.
9. Do you have any signings/upcoming tours scheduled in 2011? Where can readers find you on the internet?
I’ll be at the Houston Teen Book Con on April 9, after that I’m not sure what my schedule is. The best places to find me are on Twitter @andreacremer and my web site www.andreacremer.com
10. What is the best writing advice you’ve ever been given? If you can’t think of something specific then what writing advice would you offer an aspiring YA fantasy writer?
To write what you love and what you want to know more about – writing is about passion and comittment, so you need to have a story, characters, and subject that you’re willing to devote yourself to completely.
Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the “Canadian Shield” rather than the Midwest.
Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. When she’s not writing, Andrea is a professor of history at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.”
In the little spare time she can find, Andrea stares up at trees, rescues infant rabbits from predatory cats, and invents names for pug puppies with her husband. She has an unfortunate tendency to spill things – white carpets beware!