Interview with Aprilynne Pike

A little birdie informed me that Wings has been nominated for the 2010 Texas LoneStar Reading list. Congratulations. I will have a 6th grader in 2010 and would love for Wings to be on her required reading list for next year.

WOW! RILLY?!?!?!? A little bird has not mentioned that to me yet! Thanks!!!!!

1. Since Wings is optioned for a movie- is there anyone you would like to see play your characters?

Not really. I never actually expected Wings to be optioned for film so quickly, so I hadn't really started considering it. However, the suggestion of Ben Barnes has been made for Tamani by several fans and, um, I think that would be awesome. *wipes drool away* Ahem . . .

2. Can you give us 5 random things about Laurel, David and Tamani?

Laurel is five foot two, her favorite color is pale green, she likes to read and has a soft-spot for classics, math is not her best subject, and she likes to swim, although she doesn't get a chance to very often since most water you swim in is either salty, or chlorinated.

David is five eleven as Wings opens, his favorite color is dark green, he prefers non-fiction and reads very few novels, wants to study biology in college, and still enjoys soccer although he doesn't play for the high school team.

Tamani is five foot eight, his favorite color is black, he and Shar are best friends despite their fifty-year difference, he is obsessed with the human world and is always trying to learn more about it, and is an excellent dancer.

3. Can you describe Avalon using a few adjectives?

Beautiful, fragrant, alive with plant life, and not nearly as perfect as it looks.

4. What do you read in your spare time, any books you would recommend?

I read a lot of YA. I tend to read a lot of debuts because I belong to a big debut group. Some of my very favorites include Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner, Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell, Dull Boy by Sarah Cross, and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. And those are all 2009 books.:)

5. You say on your web page that this is a 4 book series; does the series have a name?

Not that I know of.:D

6. Will you be doing a larger signing tour for book 2?

I don't know that yet either! Although I should soon! I do know that Harper is doing another Supernatural Summer tour again next year, and I've been invited to participate in that.

7. What was the inspiration for the faerie names?

*laugh* Pretty mundane, actually. Because of some severe plot issues when I was first writing the book, I just slapped a couple of names on these random faerie sentries. Shar is the name of a kitchen store in Phoenix that I like, and the name Tamani comes from an old history lesson about Tammany Hall. But when I realized my plot was totally off-track and that I needed some main faerie characters, I kept the names, and I think they fit!:D

8. In the MM cookie, David mentions that Laurel was "gone the whole time", where was she?

Hmmmm, if you guess, you're probably right, but I'm not going to tell you straight out.;)

9. Do your personal views find their way into your writing?

Not usually. You will find my appreciation for natural medicine in Laurel's mother and my love of biology in David. You'll also see my love of singing in Laurel and my history of running cross country in Chelsea. But that is more along the lines of writing what I know than any particular belief system working it's way into the story.

10. Will we meet a different antagonist in Spells?

There are lots of new characters in the second book, but which side of the fence they fall on is not always clear.

11. Can you tell us anything more about Chelsea's "bigger role" that was hinted about on your blog?

It's not any one thing or another, I simply put her in the book more. It feels more like the natural consequence of her and Laurel getting closer as friends. However, she does show up in a big way near the end.

12. Any similarities between one of the characters and you (Laurel’s mom)?

As I mentioned earlier, Laurel's mom and I share the idea that most problems can be fixed without a doctor (though I am not quite as extreme as Sarah.) I had all of my babies out of the hospital and tend to lean to home remedies and the body's natural healing abilities.

13. Did you start out with Laurel only drinking sprite, or was that added in later?

That was always in there. She actually can drink any kind of soda that does not have caffeine or artificial sweetner in it. However, some artificial colorings will bother her and she learned when she was young that Sprite works the best.

14. If you could collaborate with another author on a book, who would it be?

*laugh* She totally doesn't know this but I would so attempt to collaborate with Janni Lee Simner. I am such a huge, fangirly, fan of hers! However, I really don't think I would be a good collaborator. I like to have too much control over my plot.

15. Will Laurel come out of Spells knowing the full extent of her faerie power(s) or will she have more to discover in the future books?

Oh no! There is so much more to discover!