The Ultimate LINGER Roadtrip: Signing recap and GIVEAWAY!

On Friday, Frankie, Sara, and I drove to Williamsburg, VA for a LINGER signing at the Williamsburg Library. Sure, it's a 6-hour drive from Philadelphia, but Maggie Stiefvater's one of our favorite YA authors and kinda an awesome person in general, so what better way to spend a day off?

We tweeted throughout the roadtrip from @FirstNovelsClub, but there's plenty we weren't able to cover in 140 characters or less... and here it is!

FUN IN WILLIAMSBURG

After getting caffeinated, we checked out Mermaid Books --- an eclectic basement used bookstore filled with strange-looking mermaids and various sea creatures hanging from the ceiling. (Totally reminded me of A Blue So Dark.)

Met up with Maggie, who led us directly to Wythe Candy & Gourmet Store, which was the delicious-smelling inspiration for the Shiver candy store.

The chocolate-covered strawberries were AMAZING.

Wandered Colonial Williamsburg, avoiding the horse poo in the street. Maggie made sure we took the obligatory tourist picture in the stocks.

I'm standing in the middle, blocked by the giant pole. But I'm smiling.

Dinner! Somewhere magically vegan-friendly (for Frankie) and preservative-free (for Maggie). And yummy!

LIBRARY! The Williamsburg Library, where the signing was held, had very fun book statues outside.

And now to the good stuff... THE SIGNING!
Maggie was as relaxed and entertaining behind a microphone as she is in person, and she gave some great insider info on her writing life, what's up next, and the answers that everyone wants to know!

HER MOST COMMON QUESTIONS, ANSWERED.
What inspired you to write Shiver? She claims she’s a terrible person who likes to make people cry. (Somehow, we doubt the terrible person part, but we've used our share of tissues!)

For Linger, did you do a lot of research? She spent hours looking at medical textbooks and websites, and she often called her father, who’s a doctor. She watched so many wolf documentaries that her terriers started howling like wolves in their sleep. She also research rehab forums and German poetry.

Why werewolves? She joked that she prefers to call them “human impaired.” Seriously, she’s not sure. She also joked that "they’re not “werewolves,” they’re shapeshifters, and they’re also symbolic of the homogenization of society… oh whatever, they’re werewolves."

WHAT'S NEXT
Will there be a Shiver movie? Warner Brothers has optioned the film, and the screenplay is now written. The next step is to find a director.

Tell us about Forever! It’s longer than Shiver or Linger. There are more than two narrators, but she won’t say how many. And there will be no werewolf baby. And she’s aiming for happier and sadder moments than in the previous two books.

What are you currently working on? She just turned in her final draft of Forever last week, and now she’s writing a new novel. She can’t say much, but it’s a standalone paranormal YA that’s coming out a couple months after Forever. She said it’s about “blood and beaches and kissing” … but not about a Kraken, because she doesn’t do tentacles.

Maggie's smexy car, Loki, with the bestest vanity plate around.

MORE BURNING QUESTIONS
How did you come up with the titles? Shiver originally was “Still Wolf Watching,” but her editor asked her, “Well is it Still Wolf Watching or Still Wolf Watching?” She didn’t know, and it became Shiver. Linger and Forever were chosen because they were the most appropriate words ending in –er.

Why a trilogy? Shiver was intended to be a standalone, but her editor said there were too many loose ends. Instead of rewriting Shiver to tie them all up, she chose to do so in a sequel, and then she realized she needed three books total.

Are your characters based on you/people you know? Her characters all start with a Maggie human heart, and then they get “Frankensteined” using people and traits from real life.

Why did you add Cole and Isabel's narration in Linger? First off, she spent a year writing Sam and Grace, and eight months revising their story, so she would’ve been tired of more of Sam and Grace kissing. Secondly, she wanted to see Sam and Grace from the outside. Also, she wanted to explore choice – namely, the difference between Sam, who didn’t want to be a wolf, and Cole, who did. Also the difference between Sam and Grace’s healthy love versus Cole and Isabel’s unhealthy dynamic.

Out of the books you've written, what's your favorite? For personal reasons, Ballad is her favorite book.

Is writing work or a passion? It’s a mix. The muse comes to you, but you need to lock her in a closet so that, when you need her, you can let her out and force her to work.

Would you ever consider writing for younger children? Nothing in the plans yet, but she definitely is interested in writing a graphic novel one day.

She's seriously too funny.

Whew! We couldn't even begin to cover all the funny anecdotes Maggie told, so if you have the chance to see her talk in person, it's well worth it!

For more roadtrip madness, check out Frankie's blog, where she gave a rundown of our apocalypse-worthy roadtrip snacks, watching an Arnold Schwarzenegger mullet-happy movie dubbed in Spanish, driving during highway monsoons, and FNC Lady Gaga sing-a-longs.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!! Maggie generously offered up a signed copy of both Shiver AND  Linger for one lucky winner!

*** THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. ***