Recently, I got an amazing chance to chat with the famous, award-winning author, Mrs. Aprilynne Pike. I asked her some questions, and she graciously responded with some wonderful answers. Take a peek below!

1.)
Q: What inspired you to begin to write books?

A: I've been spinning tales since I was a little girl. I have a degree in Creative Writing, but in college I always wrote short stories. After working as a freelance editor for a little while, I decided that I should try my hand at writing a book of my own! It was really hard, so I quit. :)

But a few months later I met a really nice woman who had just gotten a really nice publishing contract. Her books weren't out yet, but she was incredibly inspiring and told me I should get back to my word processor and try writing another novel. She read and critiqued my stuff (and I got to read her stuff before it came out in stores) and this time I actually finished writing my very first book. It wasn't very good, and I had to write a few more before I had something worth publishing, but I never would have gotten there without Stephenie's help and encouragement.

2.)
Q: What made you want to write books about mythical things, like faeries?

A: I have always loved faeries. When I was little I had a book with pictures of faeries and I used to look through every single page, then close the book, flip it over, and start again from the beginning. I love faeries. :)

3.)
Q: What is the message you want your readers to know?

A:Read more books. :)

4.)
Q: Do you base a lot of your books on things that have actually happened to you?

A: Nope!

5.)
Q: Who is your writing mentor and why?

A: I already mentioned that Stephenie Meyer acted as my personal mentor and really taught me a ton about the writing industry. I am also a huge fan of Lois Lowry's work. Since Wings came out I have met a lot of other authors and I think I learn something about writing from all of them! It's a wonderful industry full of wonderful people.

6.)
Q: Are there any new YA authors that you like right now? If so, what books have they written and why do you like them?

A: Oh, so many. Too many to name them all, and I always forget and leave out someone important! Right now I'm loving Janni Lee Simner, Lauren DeStefano, Saundra Mitchell, Janette Rallison... I could go on for a while. :)

7.)
Q: Besides the Earthbound series, are you working on anything else? If so, what?

A: I have a book coming out in April called Don't Close Your Eyes. It's a thriller. :)

8.)
Q: What is the hardest part of writing a book for you?

A: Edits are so hard. And I'm actually really good at them--I know a lot of authors who hate edits even more than I do. I pride myself on never missing a deadline, though (I still never have!) and that sometimes makes edits even tougher than they have to be! Most authors are notorious about missing deadlines. :)

9.)
Q: What are your writing rituals? (I.E. do you have an office, sit on the couch, drink tea, etc.)

A: I have an office but with four children I'm afraid rituals are out of the question. I write whenever I can, wherever I can. I write at home or at the library or at a restaurant or on a plane... I like to set word goals, usually around 3,000 to 5,000 words per day, when I'm drafting. I like to drink tea and I like to snack. But because my children are young, what I like and what I get are sometimes very different things.

10.)
Q: What have you learned from being a writer?

A: That it's a job. It's the best job in the world, but it still takes work. No matter how many best-sellers you write, no matter how many awards you get, at the end of the day you only get another contract if you write another book.

11.)
Q: With the release of Earthbound, how has your life been for you?

A: I have never been busier. Busy is good, but it is also stressful. :)

12.)
Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

A: Read, read, read! Write, write, write! Revise, revise, revise! Lather, rinse repeat.

13.)
Q: Do you ever have writer's block and if so, how do you deal with it?

A: If I don't believe in writer's block it can't hurt me.

There is a popular conception in our culture of authors as sensitive artists who have to seek out their muse or they can't write. I wish I had such a luxury! But I write for a living. If I don't write, I don't get paid. And if I don't get paid, I don't get to eat and my children don't have a place to live. That sounds a little mercenary, I know, and some people might accuse me of "selling out." But even though it's the best job in the world, writing is my job. I can't just go around having days where I don't feel like I can do my job. Anyone else who does that too often gets fired. If I don't feel like writing, I sit down and write until the feeling goes away.

14.)
Q: Could you tell me a little bit more about your personal life?

A: I'm happily married and I have four children. We're not very exciting people; we work and play the same as most families. I like my life; it's happy and mostly drama-free and I hope it stays that way for a good long while. :)

That's all for now! If you'd like to learn more about Aprilynne Pike, please visit her website at www.aprilynnepike.com

Oh, and she has a new book, Don't Close Your Eyes, coming out in April! Also, her first book in the series Earthbound came out over the summer and the second one is coming out in July!