1. Spell Bound is the next release in your adult urban fantasy series, Women of the Underworld , can you tell us a little bit about that?

It’s a direct sequel to Waking the Witch . That’s a first for The Otherworld, where the books are usually standalone adventures. While the main plot of Waking the Witch seemed to be resolved, readers will discover that it was only the start of something larger. The Otherworld series is ending-or, at least, going on hiatus-after the next book, so this trilogy is my grand finale and with Spell Bound, readers will really see that, as all the major characters return to fight this new threat.

2. You’ve written so many wonderful novels, do you have a set schedule for your writing or simply work when inspired?

With a full household-husband, kids and pets-and a busy travel schedule, I’ve learned to live by the Jack London quote that you can’t wait for inspiration to strike; you need to go after it with a club. I get my writing in whenever I can. My basic routine is to start when the kids go to school and work (writing, editing, outlining, etc.) until they come home, then work on business after dinner and on weekends.

3. Do you listen to music while you write? Do you have a specific songs or artists you listen to?

No music for me. I need quiet to fully immerse myself in character. If I’m “on the road” and need to write in a noisy public place, I’ll use headphones, but the music is white noise that I just tune out.

4. How would you describe Chloe Saunders?

She’s a shy fifteen-year-old who’s led a very sheltered life. When she’s hit with trouble, she’s very vulnerable and unsure. At that point, her options at 1) to curl up in a ball and pray for rescue or 2) develop the skills to deal with the threat. She picks number two.

5. I just finished reading, The Gathering , and I loved it. Can you tell us what inspired that book and maybe give us a sneak peek into The Calling ?

I didn’t really have a single point of inspiration. I knew the basics of what I wanted to do-focus on a second Edison Group experiment (the first was the basis of Chloe’s trilogy). The rest unfolded through brainstorming-what I envisioned for characters, setting, supernatural types etc.

The Calling picks up right where The Gathering left off.not surprisingly given that rather abrupt ending. As readers will discover, though, it would have been worse if I went on another chapter or two! Unfortunately, I can’t say much more about the plot. As I learned when my publisher showed me the jacket copy, any description of the book will have spoilers. There’s no way to give any sense of what happens otherwise. If readers don’t mind some spoilers for the first few chapters, the description is up on my website.

6. I’m really excited about this project your working on with Melissa Marr called, The Blackwell Pages . Can you tell us anything about that and when it will be released?

The Blackwell Pages is a middle-grade trilogy based on Norse mythology. Melissa and I both have teenage daughters, and we connected through that-our daughters each enjoyed the other’s YA books. We also both have preteen sons and we were keen to write something “for them.” As parents, we read and enjoy middle-grade fantasy and wanted to explore that, with the added bonus of trying co-writing.

1. What drew you to YA fantasy writing?

I had an idea inspired by my second adult novel, Stolen, but it was about supernatural teens-when they just come into their powers, which wouldn’t work for an adult series. That idea was still in my mind as I received an increasing number of emails from readers I considered too young to be reading my other books. So I decided to try that YA idea.

8. Do you have any upcoming book tours/signings? Do you twitter?

I keep my appearances schedule updated here: page

I am on Twitter . I’m not incredibly active on it, but I probably average a Tweet a day, running contests, making announcements, talking about writing etc.

9. Many of our readers are aspiring writers, what advice would you offer someone interested in writing YA fantasy?

Keep writing. It’s boring advice, but it really is the most important thing. You need to love writing and to keep at it, even if you don’t get published quickly (most authors don’t!) Do it for the love of story-telling, and likelihood of publication will rise exponentially as you perfect your craft.

I’ve been telling stories since before I could write. My earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, mine would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to my teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make me produce “normal” stories failed. Today, I continue to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in my basement writing dungeon.