Thank you! One of my favorite elements to write about…Okay, I’m not going to lie. I like writing kissing scenes best.
I enjoyed your cast of characters. Which character surprised you the most in terms of how they developed over the course of the story?
Cosmé definitely surprised me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with her when we first met, but she seemed to jump off the page in every scene, and I just knew I had to make her important.
How did you come up with your character names?
The language of the book is an egregiously warped version of Spanish. But I also tried to give each region its own flavor, so Orovalle names have an Aztec feel (Ximena, Aneaxi, Baraxil), while Joya d’Arena names are more standard/common Spanish (Alejandro, Hector, Eduardo), and most Basajuan names are a touch more exotic, almost Basque (Ariña, Cosmé). I did allow some overlap, simply because no culture lives in a vacuum.
Elisa is a well developed character and someone I felt was so relatable. What's one thing you feel you have in common with her?
We both have a passionate love for food. Describing all her food was one of my favorite parts about writing this book! And Alejandro’s favorite dish, pollo pibil? Seriously, you have to try it.
The story's world is well created and so fascinating. What inspired your setting?
I knew I wanted to write a desert fantasy (I love deserts!), and since ancient texts and secret scriptures play such an important part in Elisa’s story, it made sense to draw inspiration from desert countries with rich manuscript traditions like Israel and Turkey and Egypt. A lot of the pseudo-Spanish of the book is morphed to show Italian and Arabic influences. I took a lot of inspiration from Spanish Morocco for this and for the architecture of the cities.
I love finding out what inspired authors to start writing. Did you always want to be a writer? If not, what inspired you to start writing?
I have always wanted to be a writer. I can’t remember wanting to be anything else. I tried other things, of course, because when you embark on a dream so tenuous and amazing, the conventional wisdom is to have a Plan B, right? But my heart has only ever been in writing.
What's one book you've recently read that you'd recommend we pick up?
I just finished INCARNATE by Jodi Meadows, which will be available from HarperCollins in February 2012. It was amazing. Jodi is a nerd like me, so I appreciated the gorgeous details of her world building. It’s a fascinating book because it works on a couple of levels—there’s the commercial, romantic-adventure aspect that should have broad appeal. But she also pokes fearlessly at the premise of reincarnation, giving the book a deeper, philosophical level for the reader who loves to indulge in a good ponder. Okay, I’m gushing. Stopping now.
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I love the inspiration for her setting! Great interview ladies. The Girl of Fire and Thorns sounds amazing and I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteHeather- Her setting is amazing. I'm so glad you enjoyed the interview. Thank you so much!! The book truly is amazing!
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