Back in the day, I was given two pieces of writing advice: “write the books you love to read” and “write the books you wish you could find on the shelf but can’t.”
I loved to read the award-winning fantasies that my mother gave me and that I found in the library — Narnia, Wrinkle in Time, Dark is Rising, etc. etc.
But I also loved to read the shoddy and terrible action thrillers my father handed down to me — pulpy things called SHOT DEAD and POINT BLANK and MAN ON THE RUN.
So as a teen, I’d try to write fantasies about magic that felt so real that you felt ill and I’d try to write thrillers with hitmen with hearts of gold, but really, what I wanted was a series that did both of these things well.
That’s what I was thinking when I began the Raven Cycle when I was 19.
And that’s what I’m still thinking as I begin the next trilogy. Let’s see if I can get a little closer to the books that teen me wished she could find on the shelf but couldn’t.
You are a fantastic mix of creative and career minded. You are terribly successful and fun and easily the most dedicated writer I’ve ever known (and remember, I am personally acquainted with some Big Name Authors). You have this hugely popular thing that you could brag about constantly, but you’re actually really low-key and cool about it and that’s kind of impressive.
ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN WATCHING MY SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS HAS BEEN AWARE OF A STEADY DEVOLUTION OF THE FINER POINTS OF MY PERSONALITY AS THE END OF THIS SERIES DRAWS NIGH I’VE BEEN WRITING IT MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE I CAN’T BELIEVE I HAVE TO PUT THE TOY DOWN NOW IT IS MY FAVORITE TOY SOMETIMES I TRICK MYSELF BY SAYING I’LL WRITE SPIN-OFFS AND EXTRAS EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT WOULDN’T BE THE SAME ALSO I’M SLOWLY GIVING AWAY ALL OF MY RAVEN CYCLE ART BECAUSE IF I FIND IT IN A DRAWER SIX MONTHS FROM NOW I WILL BE FORCED TO BURN IT WITH EMOTION THAT IS HOW IT MAKES ME FEEL
