Thursday, July 15, 2010

Author Interview and Giveaway: Maggie Stiefvater discusses Shiver and Linger

As part of the launch promotion for Linger (which a I gave a rave review), I was asked to conduct an interview with Maggie Stiefvater. Intimidating! Maggie posts all the time on her blog and there are about 3 zillion interviews with her on the web - how was I going to come up with orginal questions?

But after doing hours of research, I felt up for the challenge. And I asked Maggie to give me an interview score at the end...



So here goes!

Let’s say you were asked to write a novella featuring a minor character from your Mercy Falls series (a la SM and Bree Tanner). Who’s the star and what’s the story?

Oh, I have fantasized about released the THE BRIEF LIFE OF THE UNNAMED GIRL IN ZIP-TIES for a very long time now, and to know it could be a possibility . . .

Okay, I’m kidding. Beck. Hands down. It would be fun to look at Beck, Ulrik, and Paul and see how this strange arrangement in Mercy Falls came together. I get to play with tiny bits of Beck’s back story in the series as it stands, but because he’s not there for much of it, and because so much of it is through Sam’s memories, it’s only a tiny window.

Perhaps someday, when I’m 80, I will do THE WEIRD AND FANTASTIC WOLF PACK OF GEOFFREY BECK.

ESQUIRE.
Possibly.

Ha! I was totally thinking of Beck when I asked that question. Awesome! LINGER is now available in ton of foreign editions. If a fairy godmother were to grant you the ability to speak any of those languages fluently, which would you choose and why?

Yeah, can you believe it? I sure as snot cannot. Every time a new cover comes in, I clap my hands like a seal; it never gets old.

If a fairy godmother were to grant me the ability to speak one of them fluently . . . mmmm . . . I am always working on my German, but I think I’d have to go for one of the languages that’s supposedly very difficult to learn, like Greek or Japanese. Because they I could skip all the annoying bits of grammar and learning to change the pitch of my voice or writing with weird characters and just go on to shocking and awing party guests.


Take it from me, Japanese is hard! Good choice. So, if Oprah came to you and asked you for three book picks to kick off her new YA book club, what would be your response?

“How did you get this address?”

Well, no, that aside, assuming I knew Oprah was going to show up, hmmm . . . well, book club books should be ones you can discuss endlessly, so . . .

1. FEED, by M. T. Anderson, because it’s good for you, and it’s raw, and unflinching, and will make you afraid of billboards.

2. MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD, by Francisco X. Stork, because if you’re going to read a coming of age novel, it might as well be a beautiful one.

3. STOLEN, by Lucy Christopher, because I just read it and I want a book club to discuss it with now. NOW.

I completely agree with your choice of FEED (read my review). Sounds like the fantasy Oprah Teen book club will get off to a great start! Changing gears...will your October visit to Germany this year coincide with the Frankfurt Book Fair by any chance? Emmy and Finn would love to meet you!

It will indeed coinciding with the Frankfurt Book Fair -- or at least that’s the plan at the moment. I don’t have my official schedule which is why there’ve been no blog announcements. *pets hairy creatures, virtually* The plan now, actually, is to tour overseas in October and December in over six countries, which is insane.

Insane but exciting!! What is a question you get asked all the time that makes you roll your eyes and think “not again”?

Oh, that’s easy. “What inspired you to write this book?”

Book gestation is such a slow and random process that even when there is an A-HA! moment, it’s usually still such a small moment that it makes for an extremely tedious answer. :)

Thanks Maggie! How'd I do?

You get 11 out of a 10 for your question score. They were EXTREMELY fun. Thank YOU!

Aww! Yay! Now how about a 2 book giveaway to celebrate?


I have one paperback copy of SHIVER and one hardcover copy of LINGER to give away to one lucky blog reader. To enter, leave a comment telling me one interview question that you think is way overused or just say something relevant to the interview. Be sure to leave your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win. This contest is sponsored by a publicity company and is open to those with mailing addresses in the US only. It will remain open until July 30th at 11:59 CST.

LINGER is out now...what are you waiting for? Go, go, go!

One last thing... Maggie's having a twitter party on Thursday, July 22, between 8:00 and 9:30 p.m. EST. Check out this post at The Story Siren for more information.

96 comments:

jpetroroy said...

I definitely see the "Where do you get your ideas from?" much too often.

jpetroroy at gmail dot com

holdenj said...

Although I always enjoy the answer, I see "What book have you faked reading?" all the time!
Thanks for the great interview to read and chance to win.
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

Splendibird said...

I'd have to also go with the "what gave you the idea for this book" type questions. I feel for the poor authors who have to answer them over and over again.

Julie@My5monkeys said...

I seem to see more questions about playlists or songs inspired books

loved the oprah idea.

aprilmom00 at gmail dot com

JKB said...

I agree with jpetroroy!!!

"Where do you get your ideas from" makes me want to puke. Ugh!

I vote we grab Maggie from her followers and take her to a biergarten in October, dear Lenore, dear Lenore!

I'll be at Frankfurt too!

\o/

Emily said...

Awesome interview! Definitely some original questions (and answers).

I am bored of the "what inspired you to become a writer."

marian said...

like the others said, definitely "where do you get your ideas from" is used alot

mariannguyen16(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Abby Stevens said...

How about "What tips do you have for aspiring authors?" I KNOW that one's got to be overused.

Thanks for the great interview!

thetabbycatt@gmail.com

Orchid said...

If I had a fairy godmother I too would ask to learn one of the more difficult languages, like Japanese. Awesome interview, loved how the questions weren't of the norm. ^_^

Melissa @ Mel's Books and Info said...

I would say the question where they ask "What authors influenced you and your writing?" Wonderful interview!

wheems01(at)gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Hmm, the questions I always hate seeing time and space wasted on (are ones like: Where do you get your ideas from? HOW DO I GET MY BOOK PUBLISHED? What sort of music do you listen to? What other books are you reading right now?


mediate27@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

Brilliant questions Lenore! And great answers Maggie! I can't wait to read Linger :)

Anonymous said...

By the way, I'm not elegible to enter, so that's why I haven't left an email address. *sighs* :)

Brittany said...

One that I think gets over-used besides of course, where do you get your ideas from, is why did you become a writer? Thanks for this great interview. Great question i especially the first one.

teensatthelibrary[at]yahoo[dot]com

The Readings of a Busy Mom said...

you did s well with the interview!!! i thin i would love to see a book on how the wolves came upon that would make a great read

Again well done- wish me luck with my interview with Bree Despain

My Blog

The Library Lurker said...

I always get tired of "What character is most like you?" Sometimes the answer is interesting, but most of the time it's the mc.

Great interview!

librarylurker@gmail.com

Shelley said...

Sorry about the spamming-I get that on my site with my writing too. Just wanted to say that I wish all interviewers were as serious about their research as you are!

Angiegirl said...

Well done, Lenore! And Maggie. :)

The where did you get the idea or, as Emily said, what made you want to be a writer questions are so overdone. Otherwise, I generally enjoy most good interviews.

This one was very refreshing.

Christa said...

I think anytime the "inspiration" question is discussed by an author, they all admit to hating it... so I have to wonder why people keep asking it! lol. In fact, people are still trying to figure out Da Vinci's inspiration for the Mona Lisa (was it himself if he'd been born a woman? Someone he was in love with? A random woman he met on the street?)... So when people ask you next time, maybe you can say, I'll let you know as soon as they tell me why Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. : ) And laugh.

Thanks for the giveaway!
ambience.of.rain {at} gmail.com

Mardel said...

Usually there's some version of "how much is this character like you" or "how much of this novel came from your life". This is strange, especially when it's asked of a urban fantasy writer - LOL. There's not a lot of people that are running around hunting "baddies", or even that many women who are truly kick ass personalities, ready with the knowledge of how to fight...

wandasissleatyahoodotcom

Karissa E said...

One of the first interview questions is always "What made you want to start writing?" I think it's an interesting questions but it is always overused!

karissae(at)gmail(dot)com

Sab H. said...

Over used? Besides the "idea" question, I'd say "Any advice for aspiring authors?" which is actually a great thing! We need TONS of advice.. :)

yabliss AT gmail DOT com

Readingjunky said...

"When did you start writing?" is one that I see too often.

Lenore - Your questions were great! A real inspiration for future interviews.

Maggie - Your answers were loads of fun!

shkruger@hotmail.com

Unknown said...

Definitely agree with the "where doy ou get your ideas from". Love the giveaway!

Thanks,
Ashley

Please check out my blog and giveaways here:
http://ashleybook.blogspot.com

Trisha said...

Most people have covered the horribly common interview questions; I think for YA authors one of the most frustrating is: Are you ever going to write an adult book? Like YA is practice before writing the "real" novel.

eclectic.eccentric[at]hotmail.com

Jenna said...

The most overused interview question, that I have seen, is, "What is your advice to aspiring writers?". In fact, it's in almost every author interview I read.

Thanks for the contest!

jennapomme[at]yahoo[dot]com

donnas said...

Where do you get your ideas from is by far the one I see the most.

bacchus76 at myself dot com

PeechieKeen said...

Overused Q: "How did you come up with the title?" Thanks for the great contest!

kittenlover03@sbcglobal.net

Sandy Nawrot said...

Oh me, me pick me! You did an AMAZING job on th questions. I would read your interviews any day. So many of them drive me nuts. One would be "at what age did you know you wanted to be a writer" or some variation on that. Oh I hope I win.

rnawrot at cfl dot rr dot com

Liz said...

I would say "What is your advise to beginning Authors"

Awesome Contest :)

liztapioka14(at)yahoo(dot)com

mo said...

Oh, man. I had a Skype chat with Maggie once. Another overused question is "Why werewolves?" (Yes, I'm a cheater and using what she said at the time, mwahahah!)

I love Maggie and Shiver/Linger with a burning passion. They truly are my favorite books. :D

Great interview question, by the way! Very original!

simplysnazzy@gmail.com

Natalie said...

I really think this is an awesome interview. Except for now I'm feeling self-conscious of mine! Lol. I can tell you put a lot of time into coming up with the questions, and the interview was a LOT more fun to read as a result. Thanks for your efforts!

Natalie
mindfulmusings(at)live(dot)com

Unknown said...

The "Where'd you get your inspiration from?" I need to stop using it - I'm guilty! ;]

McKenzie
mac.attack17(at)yahoo(dot)com

Sarah Laurence said...

Brava, Lenore! One does get tired of reading the same old reviews, and I'm sure authors tire of answering the same questions. I'm sick of "what would you take back in time/desert island." I prefer questions that are unique to the book and help in our understanding of it or ones about the writing process. You are reminding me that I still haven't read Linger and wanted to after reading your review so please enter me in the draw. Here's my email link.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

You did such a wonderful job on this Lenore and Maggie! You both cracked me up.....

Lenore - what an interview and your questions were awesome!

So hmmmmm.... to answer your question on which question is overused... I am guilty of this one myself when I do interviews (because I really do like to know...LOL) but "What books are you reading?" is probably one I could shake up a bit and make something new and fun.

journey through books @ gmail.com

Jessy said...

I liked the questions you asked. They were very original.

I also just read Stolen and I thought it wasw great too!

findjessyhere at gmail dot com

Margay Leah Justice said...

I love Maggie's response to the Oprah question - "How did you get this address?" I'd be wondering the same thing! But then, she's Oprah, so if she wanted something bad enough, she'd get it.

Margay

Margay1122(at)aol(dot)com

Aik said...

I see "Where did your inspiration come from?" frequently.

aikychien at yahoo dot com

Meredith said...

I really loved Marcelo in the Real World, which I read this year. It would be a great book club book. I need to read Feed as well. I wasn't too sure about Stolen, but now I am considering picking it up. We shall see.

x_goodie_x AT hotmail DOT com

Zibilee said...

I would have to say the inspiration question comes up a lot, and also the when do you find time to write question.

BTW Lenore, I loved the questions you asked in this interview! They show a lot of originality and spunk!

zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

Anonymous said...

In it something is. Thanks for the help in this question. I did not know it.

Mariah said...

great interview! I get really nervious when creating interview questions because I dont want to bore the author. I love your question on what books she would recommend!

a_readers_adventure at yahoo dot com

Priya said...

Love the interview! As for an overused interview question, I always see "How long did it take you to write the book?" The response can be interesting sometimes, but it gets boring after a while.

priyagan(at)gmail(dot)com

Erika Powell said...

I feel like is your book based on your life is always asked and the answer is always "to some degree, yes"
sportsDOTerikalynnATgmailDOTcom

Diane said...

I thought your questions were definitely different. Another one I hear a lot is how long has it taken you to get published on your journey. Thanks for the giveaway!

estrella8888 at roadrunner dot com

Melissa said...

I love your Oprah question. I always love reading author recommendations. Thanks for the giveaway.

shhhimreading at hotmail dot com

Michelle said...

I bet you that if Oprah did a Teen Book Club Shiver (and now Linger -- which I loved as well) would be right up there on the list. Fantastic interview!

Sarah said...

I LOVE Maggie's suggestions for YA Oprah book club. All three of those novels are top-notch!

Thanks for the great giveaway!And, the great interview.
taylorse30(at)gmail(dot)com

sadie said...

I see the question, "Describe your writing process" asked a lot but I actually don't mind because I love hearing about how each author goes about things differently.

somanybooks445 (at) gmail (dot) com

Llehn said...

Hmm ... I would think apart from the where do you get your ideas from question, the next one will be "Who's your favorite author."

lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Emma Michaels said...

Amazing interview and contest!!!! I saw that you are a part of the Debut Author Challenge! That is so amazing that you are supporting debut authors and I only recently found out that I am going to be one!!! I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind heading over to my blog and giving me your opinion. As a blogger turned author I would really appreciate it and the publisher is still giving out ARCs so you might have a chance at a free copy! Thank you and I hope you will stop by and check out The Thirteenth Chime!

Sincerely,
Emma Michaels
http://EmmaMichaels.Blogspot.com

P.S.- My release date if Friday the 13th (August this year) isn't that crazy?

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Rhiannon said...

oh boy! i can totally come up with an american address just for this contest! hahahahah, thank god for relatives.
I agree with Maggie, the inspiration question is insipid, I'd rather know about her average work day or maybe how she gets over plot sticking points OR what were plot sicking points for her? I'm way more interested in the actual 9-5 job then the "I had a dream" inspiration story.
rhiannonryder@hotmail.com
the diary of a bookworm dot com

Cindy B said...

Fun interview! How did you get her to be on your blog? That is awesome! I guess I can't think of any overused question that isn't listed already. I hope I'm still eligible!

drorbaugh at rocketmail dot com

Riv Re said...

I see "when did you start writing?" very often.
I <3 these books.

rivkarno1(at)hotmail(dot)com

bermudaonion said...

I know what you mean about being intimidated to come up with review questions - it's so hard when it's a big author. A review question that is overused (I'm guilty of it to) is "What is your writing process like?" milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Erica said...

Hmm, nice interview xD

Let's see. The most often used interview question would have to be anything that has to do with inspiration. Or anything about when the writer had decided to become a writer. Or how long it took him or her to write the novel. Or...well, the list goes on =)

sunny.287(at)hotmail(dot)com

Anonymous said...

I get annoyed of seeing interviewers always asking authors where they got their ideas from. It pops up way too much interviews!

Betrayedkisses(at)gmail(dot)com

Ladytink_534 said...

I see "how did you get published" more often than not. I'm not a writer so it always irks me a little.

Ladytink_534(at)yahoo(dot)com

lissa said...

it's always the inspiration question that it might seemed common and repeated a lot but people do want to know but I think ideas can come from anywhere but reading about it from real authors is a treat

nice giveaway, have not read either book yet, if I don't win, I'll probably buy them

lissawrites(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Having this being my first time visiting I'm already in love! Great interview with Maggie!!! I think an easy and repetitive interview question would have to be "What advice to you give aspiring writers?" but then again the infamous "where do you get your ideas from" is also a top hater for me... if I ask that question I always elaborate... ALWAYS

Awesome questions... they were super awesome!

Sandy said...

Definetely the "What inspires you?" question. I see it all the time and the answers are always the same. It's just too bland.

But these questions are awesome! You get bonus points for creative and original questions. My favorite's the novella one ;)

piratepenguinreads(at)gmail(dot)com

My Life With Books - Jennifer K Jovus said...

This was acutally a fun interview. Most interviews are the same over and over and over. Maggie seems like a really fun person!

kjovus@gmail.com

Jess (The Cozy Reader) said...

I'd say it's "Who is your favorite character?" That's so tacky, it's like asking a parent to pick their favorite child. It's all fine and dandy if they're only the parent to one child but authors will most likely never fall into that category.

Rachel said...

Great interview! I think "What's your writing process?" is asked extremely often. I don't mind it because I like to hear the answers but it does pop up a lot.

hiawassee04(at)aim(dot)com

Michelle said...

Lenore, that is an awesome interview. I'd give it an 11 too! It's great to see some different stuff about Maggie. And thanks for those book recommendations - I'll have to add STOLEN to the pile.

mmillet at gmail dot com

latishajean said...

I would have to say the question where do you get your ideas from is always asked and now the one I here "is your book going to be a movie" and "who would play the parts". That seems to be the knew question lately. Great interview really enjoyed it and great giveaway thanks for the chance :)
tishajean@charter.net

BookChic said...

I was worried about my questions too!! I'm going to ask Maggie tonight what she thought of my questions. Hopefully she did enjoy them.

Your questions were great, and always are! Mine are horrible because I SUCK at coming up with questions, so I usually end up using the same ones and that's probably why no one ever comments (although sometimes even when I do try to come up with great questions, no one comments anyway, lol). Looking over all these comments, I'm guilty of quite a few of these questions.

Anyway, no need to enter me, just wanted to comment!! :)

SLLiew said...

I had studied Japanese for years. Yes, it was hard and challenging but fun as I discover another culture while learning the language. Hontou desu. SL Liew :)

linz said...

While interesting for the first interviews, "what inspired you to become a write" is wayyy overused. Great interview tho. I loved your questions.

dancer_girl76@sbcglobal.net

Yan said...

I agree with many and say that "where did your idea come" is one question I see quite often. I *try* my hardest never to ask that question.

yan.pocky(at)gmail.com

Cathy D. said...

Hey the novella isn't a bad idea. You can get it put in an Anthology. I haven't seen them for YA yet, that's got to be in the works with some publishers now. Great interview. My granddaughter stole shiver from me for the second time this summer. I need to win so I can read both books!

Anonymous said...

I really like the book Feed :) I have to read it for an English class over the summer. It really got me thinking on how dependent we are today.

DiminutiveDeviantArtist@yahoo.com

Serena said...

At what age did you begin writing? That is such a tedious question...

I'd love to be entered in this giveaway since you've raved about these books.

savvyverseandwit AT gmail

Vidisha said...

I think almost everyone ask this question :what inspired you to write this book ?

vidishamun@gmail.com

Jessica ( frellathon ) said...

Where do you get your ideas. A question I don't like I mean how is someone meant to answer that.

jessica(at)fan(dot)com

Anonymous said...

What came to my mind was "how do you identify with your characters?".

I'm so sorry you lost your precious Finn!! He was beautiful.

Kim
pgalusha at cox dot net

Tina said...

"When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?" is over used, in my opinion.

Great interview! :D

skibunny9197 (at) aol (dot) com

engelsigh said...

I think a question that is overused is what was the inspiration for this story? I really liked your quesions for this interview, they weren't your normal preset Q&A

Unknown said...

I'd have ask, "What inspired you to write this book?" or, "Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?".
When ever someone asks questions like that you know they're desperate.

pretty.wombats(at)gmail(dot)com

Eden said...

Great interview- like always! I hate seeing "How did you get your idea for the book?" It's so overused and id get sooo annoyed having to answer again and again.

xnzkisha17 at yahoo dot com

Ashley said...

I super loved the 'fairy godmother' and Oprah questions! I think that a majority of the questions I see in interviews are overused...

But lately- it's the playlist question.

basicallyamazingbooks [at] gmail [dot] com

Anonymous said...

I think that the "What was your inspiration?" is definitely used too much.

atomicxrawr@Yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I like the Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor question.

bjhopper(at)me(dot)com

misskallie2000 said...

Great interview. I have to admit I have never hear of Oprah in a book review. I found the interview delightful and enjoyed it very much.

Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway and the opportunity to enter.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

Kristina said...

"Where does your inspiration come from?" (I feel bad for taking it from her interview, but it's true!)

I've seen this one WAY TOO MUCH. A lot of the responses from authors are something like, "Oh, I don't know. It's just like asking me how I tie my shoes" or something like that. One author (I forget which, now, but the comment stuck with me xD) even commented that she should just wear a sticker on the top of her forehead so she wouldn't get asked that question all the time!

Anyway. I loved this interview! Maggie is sooo cute, and witty. I loved her "first" response to her reaction of Oprah.


angelmistress[at]hotmail[dot]com

CherylS22 said...

I agree, “What inspired you to write this book?” is a much overused question.
Thanks for the giveaway!
megalon22 at yahoo dot com

Jennifer said...

Follower here.
Original question: what language would you want to know?

Maggie sounds like she is a very fun person. I am glad you had the opportunity to interview her.
Thanks for the giveaway, I would love to be entered to win the books.
kennifernjenny(at)gmail(dot)com

Carmen R said...

What age did you start writing?



hdtermite at yahoo dot com

karenk said...

i truly enjoyed this interview...

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Санюана said...

Oh I loved your interview!♥ It was very unique!Maggie sounds like a cool person Definitely "What inspired you to write this book?" way overused.
Thanks for the giveaway! :D
sanjm95@live.com

Meredith said...

I agree with Maggie. Also, I think "what are you working on now?" It's nice to know what's coming up, but it's also nice to have some surprises. Some authors have a lot of projects going on at one time, and rather than give a tidbit about one or two, will discuss their next 5 books or give away spoilers!

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Allison said...

I love the fantasy YA Oprah book club. She should do that!

allisonsbj3(at)gmail(dot)com

Audrey said...

I see "what is your writing process" a lot.
twigerina[at]hotmail[dot]com

Anonymous said...

when is the next one coming out??????