Introducing 2011: Victoria Schwab

Introducing 2011 is a new feature where I will interview a YA Author with a novel releasing in 2011!

I am the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, I have been known to say "tom-ah-toes", "like", and "y'all". But since this is about what I write and not how I pronounce my a's, I will say that I tell stories. I love fairy tales, and folklore, and books that make me wonder if the world is really as it seems. I love writing about doors, and places between, and the cracks where reality slips into something darker, stranger, and invariably more interesting.

Her debut novel, THE NEAR WITCH, will be published by Disney*Hyperion in August 2011.

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What was your writing process like?

Messy. Inefficient. I outline when I should freewrite, and freewrite when I should outline, and stop at inopportune moments, and get distracted, and then write 15 pages in one sitting. My process somehow works for me, but I'd never wish it on anyone else.

I do have one consistent method, though. I start my projects with a list of images, of still frames from the book I want to write :)

In what ways do you relate to Lexi, your main character?

I relate a lot to Lexi. I call her a slightly more tempered version of Katsa, from Graceling. She's strong, and independent, and searching for ways to feel connected to her world. I've always felt a bit at odds, a bit out of place, and my characters always mimic that unrest. In NEAR WITCH, Lexi can't seem to stop moving, and I think that's the way in which we're most alike.

What other 2011 YA Releases are you most looking forward to reading?

Oh wow, so many good ones!! I am REALLY looking forward to my witchy kin (I swear 2011 will be year of the Witches), The Iron Witch, Blood Magic, and Witch Eyes. What I love about witches is that they can be envisioned in SO many different ways, as compared to say, vampires (nothing against, I love vamps).

Was there a specific author/family member that inspired you to start writing?

I would say both my parents, not because they write, but because they READ to me. All my life, they read to me, especially poetry, inspiring a love of rhythm and rhyme and the way words sound when we string them together. It all just kind of sunk into me, and now I somehow have Seuss and Silverstein and Blake in my bones.

What's next for you writing wise?

I am working on my next book! It is still in the early stages, and thus steeped in secrecy, but I AM writing! I would say I have three books in the works, so I hpe I won't disappear off the face of the lit world too soon ;p

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Thanks so much, Victoria!

Click here to visit Victoria's website!