1. What drew you to writing YA fantasy?

YA Fantasy is what I’ve always loved reading, so it seemed natural that I would gravitate toward writing it. I love how diverse YA fantasy is these days—contemporary fantasy, historical fantasy, magical realism, mythology based, religion based, monster based…it just has so many avenues to explore.

2. What inspired you to write Sisters Red?

I always knew that I wanted to tell a story about what it means to be an older sister and what it means to be a younger sister. I also had this idea for a badass Little Red Riding Hood who wasn’t afraid to fight back. The ideas sort of melded into one another, and SISTERS RED was born.

3. I love your fairytale retellings, what is it that drew you retellings?

Fairytales are so engrained in everyone, worldwide—they’re some of the very first stories we hear. Yet we all hear slightly different versions, since it’s in the nature of fairytales to be altered and to morph with time and with each new storyteller. I was really drawn to taking the original fairytales and morphing them into something new and fresh, while still maintaining some of the themes that everyone is familiar with.

4. Can you tell us a little bit about Sweetly (coming August 2011)?

SWEETLY is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel, about a girl named Gretchen who is afraid of witches in the forest. It’s all set in a South Carolina chocolate shop in a tiny, half-dead town called Live Oak. I really love this story and can’t wait for it to be in stores.

5. Can you give us a peek into Purity (coming 2012)?

PURITY is my very first contemporary novel! I’m really excited about it as well, especially since I was sort of scared that my publisher would be hesitant for me to switch genres. PURITY is about a girl named Shelby who is trying to lose her virginity before the Princess Ball, where she’ll have to vow to her father to live a “pure” (no underage drinking, drugs, or premarital sex) life.

6. What advice would you offer an aspiring YA fantasy writer?

Don’t try to copy someone else. You can’t do Tolkein better than Tolkein did, or Twilight better than Meyer did, or Harry Potter better than Rowling did. Create your own world with your own rules and, most importantly, your own unique characters. And don’t feel like you have to explain every little detail, every spell, every little mushroom in the forest. After all, you don’t know all the details about THIS world, I imagine, so why would you need to know all the details about your invented one.

Jackson Pearce is twenty-six years old and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once, but didn’t make it; other jobs she’s had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist. In addition, Jackson coaches both colorguard and winterguard at a local high school. Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn’t tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since. Jackson is the author of SISTERS RED , AS YOU WISH , and the upcoming SISTERS RED companion book, SWEETLY .