1. What drew you to YA fantasy writing?

Actually, it was an editor asking if I had anything YA. I did have the first few chapters of a story with a teenage protagonist, but it had patricide in the first five chapters. So I never thought it would actually be a YA. Given my subject matter and my absolute refusal to back down when it comes to some issues, honestly, I never thought I would write YA. I actually called the editor before agreeing to Strange Angels , saying, “You know what I write, right ? You know there may not be a happy ending, and that my characters swear and get hurt and do bad things, right ? You’re prepared to be behind me on this, right ?”

“Absolutely!” came the answer. So I decided to step in and try it out.

2. Can you tell us what inspired the Strange Angels series?

Some books are “what-if” books-I take a particular question, like What if the police knew about the paranormal and wanted a specialist to handle it ?, and I answer that question with a story. Other books-the majority-are what I call “organics.” I’ll be doing something-brushing my teeth, making the bed, washing dishes, jogging-and all of a sudden I will have what I can only describe as an immersive hallucination. I will literally see and hear and feel a character in a particular scene doing something, and then I will go and write and figure out how that character got there and how this entire thing is going to play out.

Strange Angels came about as an organic. The genesis was me seeing a teenage girl with long curly hair in her kitchen, boxes waiting to be unpacked all around her, staring with a look of utter terror at something off-frame. The angle panned around, I heard a strange tap-tapping noise, and I saw that she was staring at a zombie peering through her back door. I immediately knew three things: that her name was Dru Anderson, that the zombie was her father, and that she was in a hell of a lot of trouble.

Then I started writing to find out why.

3. How would you describe Dru Anderson?

Dru has a quality of toughness I admire. She had the benefit of knowing she was loved and accepted absolutely by her caregivers, even though those caregivers sometimes did not make the best choices, strictly speaking, for her. So at rock bottom, Dru has a sense of herself and her own worth that is really quite remarkable. It’s certainly something I’ve never had, and I often wonder where it came from.

4. Can you tell us about one of your latest releases, Heaven’s Spite , the 5th book in the Jill Kismet series?

Heaven’s Spite is the beginning of my farewell to Jill Kismet. I could have gone on writing her stories for a long time, but it just wasn’t.it just wouldn’t be right. In Heaven’s Spite the certainties in Jill’s world, the things she built her self-image on, the things that keep her sane when she’s out fighting hellbreed, are built on sand. She just didn’t know it until now. So it’s a book very much about what happens when those things you thought were solid, those things you fight for, become unstable.

5. Can you tell us about one of your latest releases, Defiance , the 4th book in the Strange Angels series?

Defiance is also the next-to-last book in a series. It’s the book where Dru, I think, does a great deal of growing up. It was necessary for Dru to start thinking and acting for herself instead of running and reacting. When you have a teenage protagonist, one of the things you’re going to deal with is the fact that (hopefully, at least) your character is growing up , making mistakes and taking responsibility, making choices and learning those things that you have to know to be an effective adult. So Defiance is where Dru takes that step into doing what she thinks is right, not necessarily what she’s told. And, because no growth comes without cost, this is the book where the things that matter to Dru begin to be taken away. The things she’s learned to rely on in the first part of the series are rudely yanked away from her.

Most, if not all, of my characters endure this sort of stripping-down. I’m fascinated by how people deconstruct and behave under extreme stress. Part of my fascination comes from dealing with trauma, with trying to come to terms with my own experiences of being robbed of everything but my core, my will to survive. Those aren’t comfortable or happy things, but I think they’re important, and I think it’s important to use the art of telling a story to think about and “digest” them as experiences.

6.   As a fan of vampires and shapeshifters, I’m really excited about Taken . Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Taken ‘s original title-and the title it holds in my heart-was actually Weasel Boy . I wanted to write a were-animal, but I didn’t want any of the traditional predators-wolf, big cat, you know. I wanted an animal that wasn’t necessarily sexy. So along came Zach and his family of shifters, and I had that story hanging around when I was asked if I’d like to do a Nocturne. I was dying for the chance to write for Harlequin, so I jumped on it and ran with Zach and Sophie’s story.

7.   Can you give us a sneak peek into Angel Town , the final book of the Jill Kismet series due out Fall/Winter 2011?

Actually, I can’t say much about it. Given the way Heaven’s Spite ended, anything I say will be a spoiler. I will say that Perry the hellbreed finally gets what he deserves, and that I think the ending is the right one.

8.   Strange Angels is my favorite series and I will be so sad to see it conclude. Can you give us a sneak peek into Reckoning , the final book due out Fall/Winter 2011?

Reckoning starts with the road trip from hell, detours around the Gulf of Mexico, features a poisoning and the Maharaj and plenty of action-and I will also add that Sergej, the “king” of the vampires, finally gets what he wants. That’s about all I can say.

9.   Do you have any book tours/signings scheduled in 2011? If so, where can we get information?

I have an Events page and an open Events calendar at my website, www.lilithsaintcrow.com

10.   Many of our readers are aspiring writers. What advice would you offer someone who’s interested in writing YA fantasy?

Do not ever doubt you have stories inside you, stories that are unique, that only you can tell. Practice your craft until you can tell them. Start acting like a professional from the very beginning, so it’s a habit when you’re building a career. If you truly want to be a writer, then write . Make writing a priority. Do it every day.

Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. Lili lives in Vancouver, WA with her children, a houseful of cats, and assorted other strays.