I am very excited to be participating in the YA Reads 2016 Debut Authors Bash! Today is my blog stop for the bash and I am hosting an interview with debut author Lindsey Klingele and her book The Marked Girl. Find out more about Lindsey, her book, and enter the giveaway!
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
A lot of different things came together to inspire me to write this book! The very first idea came to me when I was showing my family around LA for the first time -- just seeing all of those iconic LA sights again through their fresh eyes inspired me to write a story about that experience. What would LA look like to someone not just from the Midwest, but from a literal different world? I also just love my adopted city and I love portal stories and fantasy worlds, so it made sense to combine those things.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
My favorite character is the MC, Liv. She’s a foster kid who hasn’t had a real home in a long time, but in a way, she considers the entire city of LA to be her home. She also wants to be a movie director, and I really wanted to portray her ambition and drive to make that happen. Directing is something she can control in a life she has little control over. But her knowledge of movies, tropes and story structure also really helps her figure out what to do when a fantasy world crashes into her life.
The notion of having an MC directly reference stories the rest of us already know really appealed to me. I think that if crazy things actually happened in our world, we’d rely on the stories we know to help orient ourselves. Like, if a zombie apocalypse came tomorrow, most of us would kind of know how to handle that, because we’ve seen so many movies about it, right? Aim for the brain, raid a Wal-Mart, find a roving band of badasses and ally ourselves with them. We wouldn’t be starting at absolute zero because we’d have a frame of reference to draw on from the stories we’ve seen. And as a movie lover, Liv’s frame of reference is pretty broad, and it helps her to get through the fantastic things that start happening when she meets Cedric.
Which came first, the title or the novel?
The novel! The title went through a few changes before landing on this one.
What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
Oh man, such a hard/good question! I love all the scenes that are mostly comedy - usually when the medieval teens try to figure out some aspect of modern LA life. But the most rewarding scenes are the ones when Liv finally figures out how to open up and share a part of herself with someone else. It can be a really scary, hard thing to do, to open up and make yourself vulnerable for the first time without knowing how people are going to react. Those scenes can be scary and hard to write, too! But it’s rewarding to feel like you’ve gotten close to capturing an emotional experience like that.
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you've learned as a writer from then to now?
That your writing isn’t going to be perfect right off the bat. In fact, it may never be perfect. A scene can always be better, a character can always be more clearly drawn, an ending can always be stronger. It’s easy to compare yourself to other writers and feel like you’re coming up short. But there’s a reason you’ve come this far and a reason to keep going -- your writing today is better than it was yesterday, and if you keep at it, your writing tomorrow will be better than today.
What do you like most about the cover of the book?
Everything! I love the book’s cover so much. The colors and the imagery are just beautiful. I think I love seeing the various LA landmarks the most, though.
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2016?
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater -- that series is so good, and I’m excited to see how it ends.
What was your favorite book in 2015?
SIx of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I was in awe as I read that book; she’s working on a whole other level.
What’s up next for you?
Right now I’m finishing up the sequel to THE MARKED GIRL. It’s called THE BROKEN WORLD, and it will be out next summer!
Is there anything that you would like to add?
Thank you so much for having me on your blog! The YA community has been such a welcoming, inviting place, and it’s so cool just to be here :)
Lindsey Klingele grew up in Western Michigan, where she read every book she could get her hands on. She eventually moved to Los Angeles (the real land of make believe) and worked as a writers' assistant for TV shows such as THE LYING GAME and TWISTED. She still loves living in LA, especially since it's home to great television shows, truly excellent cheeseburgers, and her pitbull, Bighead.
Expected publication: June 7th 2016 by Harper Collins
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (Los Angeles)… When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow royal friends (including his betrothed, Kat) find themselves stranded in modern-day L.A. via a magical portal and an evil traitor named Malquin, all they want to do is get home to Caelum—soon. Then they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster girl who just wants to get out of the system and on with her life. As she and Cedric bond, they’ll discover that she’s more connected to his world than they ever could’ve imagined…and that finding home is no easy task… Worlds collide in The Marked Girl, an exciting fantasy tale turned upside down.
Thanks for joining the #16DABash!
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What a great interview. I've had my eyes on this book for a while.
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