Countdown to YallFest -- Cinda Williams Chima Interview

Two months from today, I will be in Charleston, SC to attend YallFest.  I get to spend an incredible weekend smooshing on tacklehugging hanging out with some of my favorite bookie friends and meeting some of my favorite YA authors.  Just in case you need a bit more clarification, the gif below is an accurate depiction of my feelings: 

Almost as exciting as the big event is the fact that I am one of the lucky bloggers chosen to post interviews from YallFest authors - so look for those on Mondays and Fridays between now and the big day.  It is like the organizers knew I'd need something to keep me occupied :)

So without further ado, let the countdown to YallFest begin!

First up is author Cinda Williams Chima. 

From Goodreads:




New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima comes from a long line of fortune-tellers, musicians and spinners of tales. She began writing romance novels in middle school, which were often confiscated by her teachers.

The Warrior Heir was named to Voya’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2005-2006, is a 2006 Booksense Summer Reading Pick, was named to the 2007-2008 Lone Star Reading List, and was a finalist for the 2006 Great Lakes Book Award. Warrior Heir received a starred review in the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and a “Perfect Ten” (5Q, 5P) in Voya. The Wizard Heir also received a “Perfect Ten” from Voya and appears on Voya's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2007. The Dragon Heir received a starred review in Kirkus, was named to Kirkus's Best YA 2008 list, was a VOYA Perfect Ten, and is a USA Today, Indie Next, and NYT bestseller.

Chima's Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King in October, 2009.It received a starred review in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, was a Voya Perfect Ten and was named to the 2009 Voya Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror List. The Exiled Queen followed in September, 2010. It received a starred review from Kirkus, was a Voya Perfect Ten, and a New York Times bestseller. The Gray Wolf Throne follows in September, 2011.

Chima is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and the University of Akron. Chima is an active member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. She has been a workshop leader, panelist, and speaker at writing conferences, including the Northern Ohio SCBWI Conference, the Western Reserve Writers’ Conference, and the World Fantasy Convention. She frequently speaks to young writers and readers at schools and libraries nationwide.

Chima lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel.

 
What one thing do you need to have when you write?

A computer

Describe your book in 5 words

Wizards misbehave, magic goes mutant.

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?

Usually the lines in between.

Best writing tip you ever received?

Give yourself permission to write badly.

Tell us 5 random facts about yourself.

1. I am a twin.

2. I am named after a character in a novel.

3. I didn’t really start driving until I was 27.

4. I am descended from Puritans and scoundrels.

5. I used to be in a folk music band.

Where's your favorite place to write?

On a balcony overlooking the ocean.

What are you working on now?

I’m writing The Sorcerer Heir, the fifth book in a trilogy.

At what point in the development of an idea do you know that it will become a full-length novel?

When I’m finished with a full-length novel.