Hi Claudia! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books I
always love to have you here for a visit! A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU can’t come
soon enough I am dying to read it!
I'm so, so glad you're looking forward to the book! Working on this
series has been maybe the most fun I've had as a writer, so hearing that people
have enjoyed reading it means a lot.
For the readers:
can you give us a small recap for the Firebird series so far and the
characters?
The Firebird series began with Marguerite Caine, the daughter of two
famous scientists, chasing the person she believed was her father's killer
through alternate dimensions. In each world, she leaps into another version of
herself, so she not only has to figure out how each alternate reality differs
from our own, but also who she is there, and the roles the different people in
her lives play. On that adventure, she both fell in love with grad student Paul
Markov and learned that the evil Triad corporation, led by tech titan Wyatt
Conley, intended to dominate the multiverse—with her as their
unwilling tool.
Since then, she's visited many new dimensions, trying to outwit Triad,
and bonding more closely with Paul…even though their
friend and ally Theo Beck's unrequited feelings for Marguerite have made that
awkward at times. Triad's ultimate gambit in book two: Kidnapping Paul's spirit
and splintering him—sending pieces of his consciousness into
different dimensions. Marguerite managed to put him back together again, but
he's been changed by the experience. He's angrier, more volatile, more unsure.
Paul has pushed her away "for her own good," and Marguerite doesn't
know how to make things right again.
And now in book three, she's pitted against her ultimate enemy: Another
Marguerite, the cruelest, most dangerous possible version of who she can be. To
save her dimension and countless others, she has to outwit this wicked
Marguerite, and she can only do that by confronting and understanding the
darkness within herself. Can she do this before reality itself is torn apart…and will Paul be
by her side, or lost in the coming madness?
So I know this
isn’t the first series you’ve finished but can you tell me how finishing the
Firebird series was different from finishing the Evernight series? And what are
you working on now?
Both the Evernight and Spellcaster series felt satisfying to finish. I
loved, and still love, those characters, but I knew I was leaving them
precisely where I wanted to. Now, I feel like I do that for Marguerite, Paul,
Theo and company in A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU as well—but in all
honesty, when I wrote the last sentence of the first draft, I burst into tears.
I did the same thing on revisions, too! This series and these people mean a lot
to me, and in some ways I wish I could keep telling their stories forever.
Right now I'm writing the second novel in my DEFY THE STARS series,
which starts this April. It's been described as "Battlestar
Galactica" meets "Casablanca," and takes place 300 years in the
future where colony worlds are rising up against Earth, where artificial
intelligence plays a role in war, and where a young soldier and a AI prototype
are forced to work together on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Were any of the characters
in the book inspired by people from your real life?
Nope. I've only ever directly based one character in any of my books on
a real-life person; in STAR WARS: LOST STARS, the character of Yendor bears a
strong resemblance to my friend Rodney, even though Yendor's a Twi'lek and
Rodney is, unsurprisingly, a human being.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?
For this series? My favorite to write has been Theo, because he has
such a distinctive voice and attitude that spending time with him is a lot of
fun. (Also, he has the kind of voice that could deliver exposition without it
sounding like exposition, which may be the greatest favor a character can do
for an author.) Least favorite?
Gosh, in this one I don't know that there's
anyone I disliked writing. Some characters were tougher than others—Paul's so quiet
and guarded that he's challenging—but I still loved
writing for him.
Of anything I've ever written? Theo is probably tied for all-time
favorite at the top with Verlaine from the SPELLCASTER books. Least favorite?
C-3PO in STAR WARS: BLOODLINE. I mean, I love Threepio and all, but he's much,
much more difficult to write than you'd think.
What is your
favorite passage/scene in A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU?
I can't really describe it without being too spoilery! But it takes
place in Singapore, about three-quarters of the way through the book, and
involves a very important meeting. My very close second favorite is a scene
between Marguerite and Paul in Russia…but not the
Russiaverse we first got to know in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU.
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
A short list of things I looked up? The history of the theory of plate
tectonics. The scaffolding for the painting of the Sistine Chapel. Grammar for
another language Marguerite speaks in this book, one very unlike the ones she's
been able to speak before. Student IDs in the USSR. The housing situation in
Singapore. Geography for the city of Rome. Cabins in aircraft carriers. How to save
yourself in one very particular emergency that takes place. Outdoor cafes in
Ecuador.
Man, I'm going to miss this series.
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
You know, I'm still in love with Peeta Mellark. It's going to be a
while before any guy can live up to the combination of "enduring, selfless
love" and "ability to make cupcakes."
What inspired you
to write YA?
I feel like the things we go through while coming of age are some of
the most universal experiences that exist. Touching base with that time of
life, with those concerns, makes me focus on the absolute purest essence of the
characters. I'm not sure precisely why
that is, but it's true.
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
I'm working on a first draft right now, so I'm reading nonfiction, a
book called DR. ECHENER'S DREAM MACHINE, about the development of the Graf
Zeppelin in the first half of the 20th century.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
I keep thinking I'm a Ravenclaw, but on every single test, I come up
Gryffindor. Who am I to argue with the Hat?
Twitter or
Facebook?
Twitter. As you know if you follow me there…
Favorite
Superhero?
Professor X, who has had the good fortune of being played onscreen by
two of my favorite actors, Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy.
Favorite TV show?
At the moment, "Mr. Robot."
Sweet or Salty?
Sweet!
Any Phobias?
Not in the truest sense of the word. Not a big fan of spiders, though.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
Listen, just because I've been listening to the "Hamilton"
soundtrack for a year now doesn't mean I have a problem.
Winter Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
We have tons of good space adventures coming this winter!
"Passengers," "Star Wars: Rogue One," "Arrival" – I'm going to be
in the front row for each one.
Thanks so much Claudia for answering my questions! I can’t wait for
everyone to read A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU!
Thanks for having me! I hope people will enjoy the book.
