Author Interview and Giveaway: Malinda Lo discusses Ash

This is the 2nd stop of Malinda Lo's 7 stop blog tour which commenced yesterday at Teen Reads and continues at Hope's Bookshelf tomorrow.

As part of the tour, I got to ask Malinda some questions about her debut YA novel ASH (which I enjoyed and reviewed here).

ASH is set in a fantasy world. Did you create a map to help you get your bearings?

Yes:

Now that you’ve retold Cinderella where the main character falls for a woman instead of the prince, do you have any plans to tackle other fairy tales?
I do have one fairy tale in mind, but it would not be a young adult novel, so I’d rather not say more at this time. I’m a little superstitious about revealing too much about what I’m working on in the early stages!

My next novel, though, is not a fairy tale retelling. It is set in Ash’s world, and it’s a fantasy quest-type of novel.

Which classic work of world literature is ripe for a GLBT retelling in your opinion?
Hmm ... well, one of my favorite novels of all time is Pride and Prejudice. Everybody seems to be redoing Jane Austen with monsters these days, so how about instead of zombies, we had Pride and Prejudice and Lesbians? That idea cracks me up, except I love P&P so much that actually I would hate to have any of it changed. (I admit, I can’t bring myself to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.)

Wait! I’ve thought of one. Little Women. I want a retelling of Little Women in which Jo actually is gay instead of merely coded as gay, and she does not marry that German professor guy. That would make my day.

You did graduate research about The X-Files. What where some of your findings? And what is your all time favorite episode of the series? (Mine is “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”)
I thought it was really interesting how the producers of The X-Files did incorporate fan feedback into their creative process, while simultaneously having extremely mixed feelings about the incredible level of investment fans had in the series. They wanted to please viewers, but they didn’t quite know what to do with their fans.

Since The X-Files was one of the first TV shows to have a dedicated online audience, the producers were some of the first people in Hollywood to be forced to deal with the blessings and curses of internet fandom. Sure, Star Trek came first, but most of Star Trek fandom developed before the World Wide Web, and it’s impossible to overstate how much of an impact the internet made on creators of TV shows. Instant feedback can be good, but it can also be stifling on creativity.

My favorite X-Files episode ... I just looked through an episode list to refresh my memory, and one stands out from the rest: “Bad Blood,” written by Vince Gilligan. A hilarious take on vampires. I love it every time.

I love that one too! Thanks Malinda!

Also check out Malinda's website for answers to frequently asked questions about ASH.

Want to win a gorgeous hardcover copy of ASH? Just tell me in the comments what fairy tale you'd most like to see reworked and what your fresh spin would be OR tell me what your favorite X-Files episode is if you are a fan of the show. Extra entry for linking to this contest in your blog (sidebar is fine) or social media site (please leave a separate comment indicating that you did so if you want the entry to count). Contest will remain open until 11:59 PM CST on Oct 3rd and is US and Canada only.