Interview with Lisa McMann

Yes, it is Sunday, but I couldn't wait. I am thrilled to post my interview with Lisa McMann, bestselling author of Wake, Fade, and the upcoming Gone. Gone will be released February 9th. (Check Horserider's sig on AW for the exact count down ;)

Q: What inspired you to write Wake, Fade, and Gone?

A: The trilogy’s plot was inspired by a dream I had, that I was in my husband’s dream, watching what he was dreaming about. The characters were inspired by the characters that I loved as a child/teen.

Q: What was your querying process like?

A: Well, WAKE was the third manuscript I wrote. I received 69 rejections on my query for my first manuscript, and I never queried the second manuscript because it really wasn’t good. Then I queried WAKE to twelve agents, and within 48 hours I had seven requests for fulls. By the end of a week, I had an offer from the agent who was #1 on my list, Michael Bourret. I was overjoyed. I’m glad I didn’t give up after manuscript #1, but I’m very glad I gave up *on* manuscript #1 and moved on. It’s definitely important to keep writing while submitting.

*bclement's note: You can check out her query for Wake here*

Q: What authors have influenced you as a writer?

A: Roald Dahl, Louisa May Alcott, Madeleine L’Engle, Chris Crutcher, E.B. White, Barbara Kingsolver.

Q: Have any of your own dreams/nightmares contributed to Wake, Fade, and Gone?

A: Yes! Carrie’s dream in WAKE was a recurring nightmare I had when I was a kid. Always woke up crying with that one. And there are other dreams in FADE and GONE too – the second dream in GONE was from a recent nightmare I had about my daughter. Horrible!

Q: Both books deal with very edgy topics. How did you prepare yourself to write something like that? Lots of research? Personal experience?

A: Lots of research. It was especially creepy researching date rape drugs. I felt very dirty trying to find that stuff out. Not really personal experience, though the relationships people have in my books are sometimes based on personal experiences.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: All kinds of stuff! I just turned my next manuscript to my editor for next year’s paranormal, Cryer’s Cross. It’s a stand-alone, quite different from Janie & Cabe but there’s definitely a creep factor as well as a romance. I have a middle grade dystopian fantasy novel coming next fall – my first foray into that market. I’ll keep writing YA, putting those books out in the spring of each year, and the middle grade stuff will be in the fall.

Q: In your opinion, what is the best part about writing young adult fiction?

A: Young adults are the most exciting age group, hands down. So much happens during that time – emotionally, physically, intellectually – it is the opposite of boring. That’s what makes YA so fascinating. There are so many things, so many issues to explore. And it’s a challenge, because teens are critical and they can be a tough sell. They’re not afraid to tell you that you suck. But be authentic and not preachy and you have a fan for life. I like that challenge.