Visit with Cynthia Leitich Smith

www.cynthialeitichsmith.com

Today we're visiting with Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of several titles for kids and young adults. Her newest release, ETERNAL, was published by Candlewick on 2/10/09!



With diabolical wit, the author of TANTALIZE revisits a deliciously dark world where vampires vie with angels — and girls just want to have fangs.

At last, Miranda is the life of the party: all she had to do was die. Elevated and adopted by none other than the reigning King of the Mantle of Dracul, Miranda goes from high-school theater wannabe to glamorous royal fiend overnight. Meanwhile, her reckless and adoring guardian angel, Zachary, demoted to human guise as the princess’s personal assistant, has his work cut out for him trying to save his girl’s soul and plan the Master’s fast-approaching Death Day gala. In alternating points of view, Miranda and Zachary navigate a cut-throat eternal aristocracy as they play out a dangerous and darkly hilarious love story for the ages.


Eternal Trailer

OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS | MySpace Video

I had the chance to ask Cynthia some questions about her life and writing, which she graciously answered to share with all of you!

1) If you could bring any character from one of your books to life, who would it be and why?

Joshua, the guardian angel liaison, who periodically checks in with his GA buddy Zachary in ETERNAL (Candlewick, 2009, 2010). Joshua is high-spirited and a total charmer, but also loyal to his best bud.

2) Twitter your newest or upcoming release in 140 characters or less.

Guardian angel fails girl he loves and loses wings but gets second chance to redeem them both after she becomes vampire princess.

3) You have the chance to spend the day with any character from one of your favorite books. Who would you choose and why?

Kit Tyler from THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND by Elizabeth George Speare (1950) so I could thank her for making me feel like someone understood what it was to be me.

4) When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Up until I was about 22, I wanted to be a reporter. I was editor of my high school newspaper, wrote for my college newspaper, and worked as a reporting intern during college and law school for several small town newspapers as well as The Detroit Legal News and The Dallas Morning News.

5) Your favorite subject in high school – and your least favorite.

My favorite subject in high school was AP European History and my least favorite was Algebra.

6) The one book everyone in the world should read.

MARLEY'S GHOST by David Levithan (Dial, 2005). It’s a terrific tribute to Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL and a tremendous celebration of love.

7) The book you wish you had written.

BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause (Delacorte, 1999), though I could never part Annette’s byline from it. This is the novel that got me writing YA.

8) Your five favorite reads from 2009 (books you read during the year; they do not have to have been published during 2009).

THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams (St. Martins, 2009).
GEEKTASTIC: STORIES FROM THE NERD HERD, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci (Little, Brown, 2009), which does include my short story, “The Wrath of Dawn,” co-authored by Greg Leitich Smith.
GOING BOVINE by Libba Bray (Delacorte, 2009).
JUMPED by Rita Williams-Garcia (HarperCollins, 2009).
WATERSMEET by Ellen Jensen Abbott (Marshall Cavendish, 2009).

9) The 2010 release you’re most looking forward to reading.

THE LESS-DEAD by April Lurie (Delacorte, 2010), a serial-killer story set in my hometown of Austin, Texas.

10) What is your astrological sign? How closely does it match your personality?

I’m a Capricorn of the mountain-goat variety, always try to push myself to greater heights and having to make a special effort to play once in a while.

11) You’re going off your diet for one day and only eating food from restaurants. What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? (Include the restaurant each meal comes from.)

Sausage Migas Con Queso from Maudie’s Tex-Mex.
“Two eggs scrambled Mexican style with sausage or chorizo, tomatoes, onions, serranos and corn tortilla chips. Finished with queso amarillo and served with refried beans.”

Trio at The Four Seasons Austin
“Turkey Wrap – Whole Wheat Tortilla, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Avocado, Farmer's Greens, Melon Trio”

Musashino Sushi
Avocado Kama, edamame, miso soup, Alaskan roll, and spicy salmon roll.

12) What is your ultimate vacation destination?

The Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.

13) If you weren’t an author, what job would you be doing?

Librarian by day, Batgirl by night.

14) Your publisher has instructed you to write a new series based on an endangered species. What animal do you choose?

Indian Python.

15) The paranormal genre is big in teen/YA literature right now. Most bestsellers feature vampires, werewolves, faeries, angels, or the like as a main character. In your opinion, why are teens currently fascinated with all things paranormal?

Teens have always been fascinated with all things paranormal. What we’re seeing is a correction in publishing. For many years, editors were telling writers that they weren’t interested in seeing fantasy stories—“kids don’t read fantasy anymore.” Thank you, Mr. Potter.

16) You’re writing a book where you can change one major historical event. Which event do you change? (For example, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t assassinated, or Japan never bombed Pearl Harbor.)

Oh, no. I’m well versed in the ripple effect.

17) A group of teens ask you the best way to become a published writer. How do you answer the question?

Don’t focus on the “published” part. Focus on the “writer” part. The rest will come.

**Thanks so much to Cynthia for visiting with us today! Make sure to visit her website listed above; it's an invaluable source of information for those in the writing/reading/publishing business. You can also find her at several other places online: Blogspot, LiveJournal, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or email her directly at cynthia@cynthialeitichsmith.com.

Cynthia will be stopping by throughout the day to see what we're discussing, so be sure to leave any comments or questions you have for her in the comments section. She'll also be sending one lucky person a copy of ETERNAL, plus their choice of an ETERNAL T-shirt - so post away!