1. What is it about faeries that made you want to write about them?

I have loved faeries since I was tiny. I don’t know precisely why I had the fascination. I guess part of it is that I always wanted to be able to fly. (I adore flying in airplanes, perhaps those are related too. Hmmm . . .) The first faeries I was introduced to were flower fairies and I always loved the idea of flying around on beautiful wings and living among the flowers, wearing flower petals. Tinkerbell was always one of my favorite Disney characters, I loved the movie Ferngully, etc. it’s just always been something I liked. So, of course, it took me reading an agent’s blog talking about faeries in YA before it occurred to me to write about them. Duh.

2. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, any particular artist or types of music?

I generally don’t actually, and I know this often annoys readers because they like to put together a playlist for their favorite books. But first off, I am SO bad at starting to put words from lyrics into my book and I don’t want to ever play with plagiarism that way. (It works for some people–I just apparently have no aural filter.) Second, I wrote not only the first two Wings books, but two other (unpublished) books while my husband was at law school and I had little kids at home. In other words, it was me and my kids at home. All. The. Time. I needed to be able to hear them no matter what. Because of that, not only have I gotten used to writing without music, I prefer it. That being said, when I get to a tough spot in revisions, I often will go somewhere and put in my headphones and blast one song, over and over again for hours. Like, five to eight hours. I don’t remember which song went with Wings, but I can tell you that I did eight hours of really grueling revisions on Spells at my mom’s house one day with Juice Newton’s Angel of the Morning blaring so loudly, my mom had to tap my shoulder if she wanted to get my attention.

3. For those who haven’t read the series, can you tell us a little bit about Wings ?

Wings is the story of a fifteen year old girl named Laurel who discovers she’s a faerie and it’s nothing like the storybooks say. She becomes involved in an ages-old battle between the faeries and the trolls over the gateway into Avalon, which, in my books, is the faerie realm. There are two hot guys–because I think every story should have two hot guys– and Laurel has to choose between them, but involved in that choice is also choosing the human world or faerie world.

 4. How would you describe Laurel as a character?

Laurel is, I think, a very normal teenage girl. She is fairly shy and on top of that, has been home schooled in very, very tiny town. So she has been a little sheltered. In Wings she is really learning how to make friends and interact in a large group of peers for the first time. Laurel is very musical; she plays the guitar and sings really beautifully. She doesn’t do choir or drama; she keeps her musical talents to herself, but she really enjoys music. Laurel is also, because of my faerie mythos, very attractive, but like most teenagers, even though she can add up her physical attributes, she doesn’t realize just how beautiful she is. I think a lot of teenagers–heck, women in general!–are like this. As Wings starts, to be honest, this is really all there is to Laurel. One of the fun things about writing her through the three years that my book spans is that she grows and progresses immensely! If you were to ask me to describe Laurel at the end of Book 4, the description would be very different. (And spoilery!:D)

4. I’m a Team Tamani for sure. Do fans ask you all the time who’s your favorite for Laurel or do you just laugh at the debate?

It’s hard to laugh at a debate I purposely started! People do ask me all the time who my favorite is, but usually it’s an attempt to get me to reveal who Laurel goes with at the end. However, since the end of the entire book has been planned since I plotted out the first book, I always tell them it’s cheating.:) I finished the fourth book recently and, yep, it turned out just the way I planned.

5. Can you give us any new information on Wings the movie? Is Miley Cyrus still attached to the lead role?

I’m afraid I don’t have any news. And if I did, you would probably know sooner that I would! No really. I did, after two years of nit-picky negotiations, finally sign my contract last month, and though that is big important news for me, it doesn’t really matter to anyone else.

6. Illusions is the third and latest release in the series, can you tell us what we can expect in that book?

In Illusions the two worlds that Laurel has been trying so hard to keep apart come crashing together. Tamani is back–not only back, but attending Laurel’s school and posing as a human. There is one new main character that you meet very early in the book, and let’s just say she going to be a hassle for Laurel. There are lots and lots of answers in this book, however, I’m afraid I balanced it out with a cliff-hanger ending. I really do apologize! When you read the fourth book you’ll see there was no better place to end it.

7. Can you give us a sneak peek into the fourth and final book of the series? What’s the title and when will it be released?

Oh, the fourth book! I am so excited for this book!! (I just finished copy-edits yesterday, so it’s feeling really fresh in my mind this morning!) Sometimes when I describe Illusions I say that it is the two guys at their worst. And it really is. The fourth book shows the two guys at their best. And it has been really exhilarating to write them that way. Not only that, but this is Laurel and Chelsea at their best too. Everyone, has to be their very best in this book, because the entire faerie world hangs in the balance. Literally. The fourth book will be released in Summer of 2012, and we aren’t totally confirmed on the title yet. Sorry!

8. I know you just recently finished a tour, do you have anything else planned (signings/tours) in the rest of 2011?

Actually, I have a really exciting event coming up next month! I am attending the Humbolt County Author Festival in Eureka, CA. Humbolt County is the county Crescent City (my setting) is in! I take a lot of the Fall off travel-wise so that I can write, but I am thrilled to be attending this festival!

9. Can you tell us about your next project after this series is complete?

Oh man, I am so excited about my new series! I’m not telling a ton about it yet, but it involves reincarnation, soulmates, and of course, magic and kissing!

Aprilynne has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting and reading. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah in the USA, and dreams of warmer climates. For more information about Aprilynne, go to www.aprilynnepike.com