Now on to the interview!
Hi Lindsey! First I want to say welcome to Two Chicks on Books! THE
MARKED GIRL was absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait for my readers to read it!
And am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!
For the readers:
can you tell us a little bit about THE MARKED GIRL and the characters?
Thank you so much! THE MARKED GIRL is a portal fantasy turned inside out.
Three characters from a medieval world – Cedric the
prince, Kat the warrior, and Merek the snarky sidekick – all find
themselves in modern-day Los Angeles. There they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster
girl who decides to help her new friends get around the city and eventually get
home…even if she doesn’t
really want them to go.
So do you have a
title for book 2 yet?
Yes! It’s called THE BROKEN WORLD.
Were any of the
characters in the book inspired by people from your real life?
I think Liv was partially inspired by a few women I know who are very
driven by a particular passion or ambition. I’m always in awe of people who
know what they love to do and then go out there and do it. Los Angeles is
filled with people like that, especially of the aspiring filmmaker variety.
Who was your
favorite character to write? What about your least favorite? (Mine was Cedric I
loved him)
I’m so glad you like Cedric! His confusion over modern-day life made
for some of my favorite scenes to write. I think overall, I liked writing Liv
the most because I just really felt
her voice and her drive. I think Malquin was the hardest. Villains can be
tricky – you want them to
be mysterious, but you also want their motivations to make sense. It’s a fine line to walk.
What is your
favorite passage/scene in THE MARKED GIRL?
Banter is always my favorite -- I could write fun dialogue all day
long. I think my favorite scenes come from Liv trying to explain stuff like the
internet to Cedric and his friends. I realized that I have very little idea how a lot of our modern conveniences work,
so figuring out creative ways to explain them was a lot of fun.
What kind of
research did you have to do for the story?
Even though I live in LA, I had to go visit a few places to make sure I
was getting the geography and setting right for some scenes. But it was pretty
fun to spend a whole day at the Natural History Museum in the name of
‘research.’ (p.s. they really do have a great dinosaur bones exhibit – highly
recommended!)
Who is your
ultimate book boyfriend?
Just one?!? SO hard to pick. I
was really into Captain Thorne from Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles series. I’m a sucker for a Han Solo type.
What inspired you
to write YA?
I’ve always loved YA stories, and I’ve always loved writing. When I
decided to finally sit down and finish a book, it was never a doubt in my mind
that it would be YA. There’s something about YA that I’m drawn to – the great female
narratives, the focus on story, the infinite possibilities.
Lightening Round
Questions
What are you
reading right now? Or what do you have on your TBR that you’re dying to read?
--Right now I’m reading Uprooted
by Naomi Novik, and it’s a great fantasy read. Up next is Please Don’t Tell by Laura Tims, and I’m really excited about that.
I also haven’t started the new Sarah Maas series yet, so that’s on my desk,
ready and waiting.
What Hogwarts
House would the Sorting Hat place you in?
Ravenclaw, though I’ve got some Hufflepuff in me, too.
Twitter or
Facebook?
Facebook for keeping in touch with far-away family and friends, Twitter
for learning about new YA reads and also for getting angry about things.
Favorite
Superhero?
Thor. The fantasy aspects of Asgard and Thor are right in line with my
interests.
Favorite TV show?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sweet or Salty?
Salty
Any Phobias?
Spiders. Clowns. Whatever’s clogging up my kitchen drain at the moment.
Song you can’t get
enough of right now?
‘Hold Up’ by Beyonce
Spring Movie
you’re most looking forward to?
Ghostbusters!!
Thanks so much Lindsey for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone
to read THE MARKED GIRL!
Thank YOU!!
