1. What drew you to YA fantasy writing?
When I was writing Wither, I wasn’t thinking of any particular genre. I wasn’t thinking “this will be YA fantasy” or even “this will be a dystopian.” I had an idea for a story that began with a girl in a dark place who was afraid of where she was headed. I didn’t know her name or where she’d come from, but I wanted to find out, so I kept writing her story. That’s usually how I begin; I start with my protagonist and gradually pan out to the bigger picture.
2. On your blog, you have the sentence, a broken violin on an August afternoon which I believe comes from Portrait of a Lady by T. S. Eliot. Does that poems mean something special to you?
I’m definitely a huge fan of T.S. Eliot, so I have been known to quote him in random places, but that particular quote is there because it reminds me of a character in one of my unpublished manuscripts, to whom I’m still very attached.
3. Your website says that you wrote two adult books before Wither . Do you consider yourself a young adult or adult writer?
I wrote two adult manuscripts that were represented by my agent, and another adult manuscript before that. I don’t consider myself any particular sort of writer. I’m always interested in broadening my horizons, dabbling in new things. I wouldn’t say I’m just an adult writer or just a young adult writer. I’m a writer, and I take ideas as they come.
4. When I read your book, I found the story very unique. I actually read it in one day and I’m curious what inspired Wither ?
I’ll never know where my ideas come from; I’m sure they’re a culmination of many things-conversations, news stories, books I read as a child, movies, light through treetops. Anything really. With Wither in particular, I think a lot of my ideas stemmed from my natural fascination with not only polygamy, but the family dynamic. I’m also very interested in modern science-how we can genetically engineer foods, and potentially create new allergic reactions as a result, how we can try to conceive children without the gene for breast cancer. I also have a very active sense of “what if” What if we changed our DNA and new ailments arose that we didn’t have the research to understand?
5. How would you describe Rhine Ellery?
She’s a girl with a one-track mind; she doesn’t let herself lose sight of what’s important to her. She’s also compassionate, and for that I worry she doesn’t give herself enough credit in her narrative. To hear her tell it, her twin brother, Rowan, is the strong one, the logical one, the brave one. But what she’s doing takes strength, logic and bravery as well.
6. Could you give us a sneak peek into Fever? (Release date: February 2012) You can read a sneak peek here: http://thechemicalgardenbooks.com/wither/?page_id=102
7. Do you have any other book signings/tours planned in 2011?
I’ll be posting all of that information on my facebook page as it comes.
8. On the FAQ’s page on your website, I noticed you had 140 query rejections before you found your agent. What advice would you offer someone who going through that now and considering giving up?
It’s hard to give writing advice. Writing is a personal journey for each individual, and I don’t know that there’s any one thing I can say that would motivate everyone. There were plenty of times when I felt discouraged, and I didn’t want to write. So I didn’t. But I always came back to it eventually. I kept going, and sometimes that’s the best a writer can do.
9. When writing, do you listen to music? Do you have a playlist for Wither ?
I do listen to music sometimes, but there’s no special playlist-I can listen to anything from Italian pop rock to indie folk to dance remixes. Sometimes I post them on twitter as I think of them.
Lauren DeStefano was born in New Haven, Connecticut and has never traveled far from the east coast. She received a BA in English from Albertus Magnus College, and has been writing since childhood. She made her authorial debut by writing on the back of children’s menus at restaurants and filling up the notepads in her mom’s purse. Her very first manuscript was written on a yellow legal pad with red pen, and it was about a haunted shed that ate small children. Now that she is all grown up (for the most part), she writes fiction for young adults. Her failed career aspirations include: world’s worst receptionist, coffee house barista, sympathetic tax collector, and English tutor. When she isn’t writing, she’s screaming obscenities at her Nintendo DS, freaking her cats out with the laser pen, or rescuing thrift store finds and reconstructing them into killer new outfits.