1. What drew you to YA fantasy writing?
We all start out by reading fantasy-consider how many children’s books include fantasy elements. Some of us never lose our love of the magical. I have read and loved fantasy all of my life. That said, my first novels were more like romance novels-written in junior high. I still have some of those, so I can always visit my 15-year-old self.
As an adult, I made a few attempts at writing mysteries and thrillers. Then, when my sons were 13 and 16, we all read and loved fantasy, and I thought, I’d like to write something they would enjoy reading. And I began to write The Warrior Heir .
2. Who are some of the writers that inspire you?
When I was a teen, YA fantasy just wasn’t available. So I read Tolkien, I read Mary Stewart’s Crystal Cave series, I loved Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Arthurian stories, and Mercedes Lackey’s culturally diverse fantasy. More recently, I’ve enjoyed Tad Williams’s Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, Robert Jordan’s work, and George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire. These days, I read mostly YA of all genres, with a few “grown-up” books sprinkled in. There is so much great work out there these days. I especially like Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce, Cassandra Clare, Megan Whalen Turner, and Franny Billingsley.
3. What inspired the Seven Realms series?
The Seven Realms series is set in a world I created for a high fantasy series, The Star-Marked Warder, that I never finished. After I finished the Heir series, I thought, I’d like to write epic fantasy for teens. And I realized I had a world, and characters I already loved. So I took two of the characters, Han Alister and Raisa ana’Marianna, back to when they were teenagers.
In terms of other writers, the series was most inspired by George R.R. Martin’s work with character. None of his characters were stock villains or heroes-they were all flawed, layered, nuanced, and believable. I recall one character in particular-he made me hate him. And then he turned around and made me love him. Though there is a magical element to his series, the focus is on the people. And I thought, I want to do that.
4. How would you describe Han Alister?
One of the cool things about using a medieval setting is that teenagers in those days were virtually adults. They can get into lots of trouble that way. Although Han is only 16, he’s a very successful streetgang leader in the mountain town of Fellsmarch. In The Demon King , he discovers that he is heir to a dangerous magical legacy. Over the course of four books, he transforms himself into someone who can successfully navigate the treacherous Gray Wolf court. It’s been lots of fun to put that transformation on the page.
5. Can you give us a sneak peek into The Gray Wolf Throne , the third book in the Seven Realms series (release date: August 30, 2011)?
In The Gray Wolf Throne, the conflicts that have been simmering in the queendom of the Fells come to a rolling boil. The characters who have been following separate paths in the last two books come together, secrets are revealed, and sparks fly. Han discovers that his friend Rebecca Morley is actually Raisa ana’Marianna, the heir to a royal family that Han blames for the deaths of his mother and sister. Meanwhile, Raisa is trying to stay alive long enough to claim her inheritance.
6. What inspired The Heir Chronicles ?
Like everyone else, I was inspired by the Harry Potter series, but I wanted to put magic into the real world. I wanted to write a contemporary American fantasy-a story that could take place in the mysterious midwestern world of Ohio. I created a fantasy architecture–five magical guilds with different strengths and capabilities. Most of my books seem to be about wizards behaving badly. I believe what they say is true-power corrupts. And wizards are extraordinarily powerful people.
7. Congratulations on the new book deal for two more Heir Chronicles novels, can you give us a sneak peek into Book 4, The Sorcerer Heir ?
At the end of the first three Heir Chronicles, the magical guilds have achieved a tenuous peace. A possible tagline for the new series: Some people don’t want to give peace a chance .
As with my other Heir books, the new books will build on the old ones, while introducing new characters and magical elements-this time, a mingling of magic and music.
8. Do you have any upcoming tours/book signings in 2011/2012?
I’ll be appearing at the Books by the Banks Bookfest in Cincinnati, the Spartanburg Teen Reading Festival in SC, the World Fantasy Con in San Diego, the Buckeye Bookfair in Wooster, OH, and the Rochester Teen Bookfest (TBF Live) in Rochester, NY, next May. You can find a listing of all my events here. http://cindachima.com/Events/events.htm
9. Where is the best place for readers to go for more information about you and your books? Do you have a facebook or twitter page?
Visit my website ( www.cindachima.com ,) or my blog at http://cindachima.blogspot.com/ I’m on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Heir.Chronicles and http://www.facebook.com/Seven.Realms
10. What advice would you offer someone who’s interested in writing YA fantasy?
Because many of you are in the target audience yourselves, you will hopefully avoid the mistake many writers make about writing for the teen audience-the notion that it’s easy. Or that YA fiction is like adult fiction, only simplified or dumbed down. Never, never, never condescend.
The most important thing for a writer to do is to read widely in the genre you want to write in-and then write. And write. And write. That’s the way you find your own voice. Writing is like any other skill-it takes practice. It’s not enough to have an awesome idea. It’s about the execution-really. It is.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing poetry and stories in third grade, and novels in junior high school. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.
Chima’s best-selling YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) and The Gray Wolf Throne (August, 2011.) The Crimson Crown is scheduled for fall, 2012.
Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists. Her books also appear on numerous state awards lists. Both series are New York Times bestsellers.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009. She lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel.