ASH Celebration: Interview with Malinda Lo!

(The excitement for this is self-explanatory, but in lieu of fears of redundancy let me just say this: I AM SO EXCITED TO BE SHARING THIS INTERVIEW WITH YOU ALL!) :) Welcome, Malinda Lo to Steph Su Reads!

1. ASH contains many magical elements, including fairies and an enchanted wood. From where did you draw your magical inspirations?

A lot of it came from the fairy folklore I read -- British and Irish folklore collected by Katherine Briggs was a major influence on the fairies in Ash. A lot of the magical quality of the Wood was based on my own experiences of the woods in Northern California. They really are beautiful, magical places.

2. Describe your writing process for us. Do you have a particular time and location where you like to do most of your writing? Do you plot carefully, or let the words come as they will?

I have always been an organizer, but I've discovered that even though I like having lots of notes and reference material, when I sit down to write I usually pay no attention to it. In an ideal world, I'd like to have time to do research beforehand, to take a lot of notes, and yes, to outline the book and write up character backgrounds, stuff like that. I look at the outline as a basic map to where I'm going, and I start writing at the beginning. But I usually discover that the story takes me in directions the outline did not anticipate, so I don't really force myself to stick to the outline. In fact, after I've written the outline I pretty much never look at it again!

If I'm deeply into the writing, the words do come quickly. But the words rarely, if ever, stay in the first form they came out in. I go over every word in many drafts, and the finished product is a lot more focused than the first draft, which is often all about getting the emotion or action onto the page, willy-nilly. That stuff needs to be honed.

3. You do a monthly feature on your blog showcasing covers for debut authors' books. What are some of your favorite covers of all time?

Well, in terms of YA, I absolutely adore the U.K. cover to Graceling by Kristin Cashore. The silhouette is so strong and yet so graceful -- I think it perfectly captures the character of Katsa.

Of all time, though ... One of the most memorable covers for me has been from an adult novel. The Blue Place by Nicola Griffith is a very powerful book, and the cover is, in my opinion, equally powerful. The main character is a strong, self-aware woman, and I think the ease and self-confidence of the woman on the cover fits her perfectly. The first time I saw that cover, I walked right over to it and picked up the book -- it was like a magnet! Note: It is NOT a young adult novel.

I think there is a theme in what I like on a cover. :)

4. What is your favorite contemporary fairy tale retelling? How about a favorite retelling of Cinderella?

You know, I wrote Ash because I hadn't read any retellings of Cinderella that satisfied me, so I don't have a favorite. My favorite fairy tale retelling is probably Deerskin by Robin McKinley. I love her other fairy tale retellings, too, but Deerskin is so incredible. It's dark and complicated, and not exactly for younger readers, but it is amazing.

5. Readers of your blog will know that you like to take pictures of food (a lot!). Do you have a favorite dish?

Oh my God I LOVE ALL FOOD. OK, of course I have a favorite dish! My mother's beef stew -- it's her version of hongshao rou, which is translated as "red-cooked pork." It is fabulous. I don't know how she does it. She makes it every time I come home! I even wrote an essay about it.

6. If you could retell another fairy tale, which one would it be and why?

Bluebeard. It was brilliantly retold by Angela Carter in The Bloody Chamber (also not YA). I'm drawn to the horror in this story, and the possibilities for it. OK, so actually I do have plans to retell this story, but it would not be a YA novel simply because of the content of the tale.

7. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Read! And eat. And cook. And watch Top Chef, which often leads to cooking and eating. I am a total Top Chef fan. I'm so excited that the new season has begun! I'm also a big fan of Mad Men and I cannot wait for 30 Rock to return. And Lost -- so bummed I have to wait till January! So, I love to watch TV, too. :)

8. Can you tell us what's next for you in terms of writing?

My next book, which I'm currently revising, is a companion novel to Ash. It's set in the same world, but several hundreds of years earlier. It's about the first huntress in that Kingdom, and it's an adventure.

9. If you could ask yourself any interview question, what would it be and how would you answer?

I'm not sure how I would frame this in terms of a question, but I truly hope that teen readers who are not LGBT will still give Ash a chance. I've read countless books with heterosexual romances in them, and even though I'm not straight, I can still relate to the straight characters and their love interests. We're all human, and we all experience love as a big, life-changing event, no matter the gender of who we fall in love with.

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Thank you SO much for providing fascinating answers to my questions, Malinda! If you're like me and can't get enough of her writing, you should make sure to check out her regularly updated blog, where Malinda likes to write about Ash, food, pictures, queer stuff, and more!

For more information and links to the ASH Celebration Givaway, click HERE.

For one entry: Comment on what most interested you about this interview and/or leave another question you'd be curious to know Malinda's answer to.