Before we begin I just want to say Thank You to Maggie for allowing us to ask her questions. She is such a sweetheart and a very talented writer! Can’t wait for Linger to be released in stores! Thanks again!
-Brandi
An Interview with Maggie Stiefvater
Q1 - Would you want to become your character “Grace” and live her story in “Shiver”?
From - winkyblinky1 on YouTube.
Holy cow, no. I torment the living daylights out of all of my characters — they’re all going to need therapy by the end of the trilogy.
Q2 – Name a place in the world that you have not visited yet and is next on your list, and why?
From – Livia on LifeAfterTwilight.Net
I really want to visit the highlands of Scotland — I’ve only been as far north as Stirling. And I’d like to visit Nova Scotia. And Australia. And . . . I seem to have this cold island thing going on, I just noticed. With the exception of Australia, most of my places I’d like to visit are great places for a pasty girl like myself to blend in.
Q3 - Who would be your dream cast for Grace, Sam, Olivia, etc. If Shiver were to become a movie?
From – MrsJasperHale08 on YouTube.
I actually did a blog post on this. This isn’t really a dream cast, since I don’t know how some of them act (with the exception of the character I picked for Ulrik). It’s really more of “this is how I think the characters might look, if I was picking famous people.”
Q4 - What is your favorite book ever and why?
From - Krazygonekenna32 on YouTube.
Er. I’m afraid my answer for favorite book changes all the time, so I could answer this, but I’d be lying. But I have all of my favorites up on Goodreads (I only put my five star absolute favs up there).
Q5 – What has been the craziest or funniest thing you have ever done to find inspirationfor a story?
From – Brandi (Me) on LifeAfterTwilight.Net
Well, I went to the UK this year and hunted down cliffs for story research (photos here!) That was pretty entertaining, I don’t know about crazy or funny. My google search history is full of things that will make the FBI raise their eyebrows, like “could a bloodbank get infected” and things like that. Most often inspiration comes by accident rather than when you hunt it down with a pointy stick.
Q6 - If you had to pick any three of the characters from the Shiver series that you were forced to spend the rest of her life with, (unknown reason) who would it be and why?
From - chi2235 on YouTube.
Wow. The rest of my life with? That’s . . . a long time. It also gets rid of a lot of the most interesting characters, like Cole from LINGER, because I’d strangle them after day three-hundred or so. Also keep in mind that I’m happily married, so I don’t really need to install cute guys anywhere in my house. So with that in mind, I’d pick Beck, Ulrik, and Paul. They would be inoffensive next door neighbors, they entertain themselves, and plus they’re wolves for half the year, so I wouldn’t have to worry about them most of the time anyway.
Q7 – This is a challenge rather than a question. I challenge you to come up with a crazy story idea in less than two minutes by answering the following: Who? What? When? Where? Why?
From – Brandi (Me) on LifeAfterTwilight.Net
During the hottest summer Confluence, Maryland’s ever scene, a boy’s life is changed forever by a runaway girl who claims demons are after her. Does that answer everything? I think it does . . .
Q8 - Did you already know the ending to Shiver when you wrote it, or did it come to you as you wrote?
From - SuperBookie100 on YouTube.
I definitely knew it before I started. I used to start novels all the time, get stuck, and not finish them, so I made the rule that I wasn’t allowed to start writing until I knew what the last scene was.
Q9 – If you could put any of the other characters you have previously wrote into Shiver, who would it be & why?
From - maxstrife on YouTube.
Into Shiver? hm. James, from Ballad, is really fun to write. I’d put him in everything.
Q10 – Since becoming an author, what is something interesting or silly you have done?
From – Brandi (Me) on LifeAfterTwilight.Net
Well, when I sold SHIVER, I bought myself my dream car, a ’73 Camaro, as my business vehicle — I drive it to all my instate book signings and events. It has, um, a lot of horse power, however, so it took me a while to get used to driving the clutch. The very first time I drove it, I was leaving a Wal-mart parking lot and quite by accident spun my tires in front of a posse of old ladies. I just had time to see a rear-view mirror full of faces shocked by my ballsiness, and then my Camaro ripped out of the lot.
I’ve learned a bit about first gear and 350 horsepower since then. Old ladies can once again cross the Walmart parking lot without fear of vehicular hotdogging.
Links – Maggie Stiefvater
LAMENT (Flux ’08), BALLAD (Flux ’09), SHIVER (Scholastic ’09), LINGER (Scholastic ’10)
My novels: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com
my writing blog: http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com
weekly short stories: http://www.merryfates.com
my art blog: http://greywarenart.blogspot.com
Be sure to check out Linger, Coming July 20, 2010
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