Interview with Andrea Cremer!

Today at the FNC we have a very special guest--Andrea Cremer, author of Nightshade!  Nightshade is her debut novel, coming out from Philomel in just a few short weeks.  I have so many awesome things to say about it (like in our co-review!) but seriously, y'all better be grateful this is a series, because there is just too much epicness to fit into one book!

Andrea was sweet enough to stop by and answer some questions for us, about really important things in life, like lolcatz, writing rituals, and being awesome!

First though, if you haven't already, you should check out our co-review of Nightshade.  If for no other reason than to a) oogle the cover one more time, and b) be jealous over Andrea's awesome hair.

And now, onto the interview!!

1. Describe the plot of your novel using lolcatz speak.

Oh noez! Iz Calla bitin the hawt boyz again?

2. NIGHTSHADE is your debut novel.  A lot of writers talk about their novels being their babies.  Yours is about to grow up and go out into the world!  What parenting advice will you give to it?

Stay true to who you are. Ignore mean people. Be honest. Be grateful. Share the love.

3. You have a wonderful knack for creating lovable, interesting characters with very few words.  But of course, Calla is my favorite.  When did you know Calla's story would be more than one book?

Thank you!! Calla was the inspiration for the series, so I’m thrilled she’s your favorite. I tend to write from characters and Calla was floating around in my head for a week or two before I started putting her story onto the page. I knew she was a girl who was also a wolf. I knew she was strong, but also in serious trouble. I couldn't figure out how someone so powerful could be in that sort of a fix. That's where Nightshade's world emerged it was all about building a history and society that explained Calla's predicament. That predicament is a rather epic journey that I knew from the start would take the form of a trilogy. Prevailing wisdom says you’re not supposed to go looking for an agent as a debut author with a series, but fortunately for me my agent and publishers both wanted multiple books from the get go!

4. What's your favorite murdered darling from the book?  The one character, scene, plot, or even line that you really wanted to keep, but ultimately had to cut?

Revising is actually something I enjoy, it’s like taking a work in progress and making it something truly beautiful. In Nightshade I can’t think of anything I cut that I wished had remained. In Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2), one of my characters had a habit of drinking coffee with eggnog that grossed everyone else out, especially Calla. I ended up cutting that part of the story but I loved that quirk and I miss it J


5. It's pretty clear over here at the FNC that two our big guilty pleasures are Disney and teen movies.  What's your guilty pleasure?  What's the TV show or movie you can't live without?

My guilty pleasure is Project Runway. The TV shows I can’t live without are Buffy, Supernatural, and Mad Men. Movies: Ghostbusters, Aliens, and Last of the Mohicans.

Pug Pillow!  Cutest pillow EVAH!

6. What's your workspace look like?  Do you have any rituals or superstitions you follow when you write?

I don’t have a workspace so much as a couch. I also have a writing secret weapon – pug pillow! I don’t have rituals or superstitions. I just need lots of coffee.

7. Everyone has days when they wake up feeling crappy.  But, even better are the days when you wake up, look in the mirror and say, "I'm awesome!"  When's the last day you were awesome, and why?

Yesterday I was awesome because I got to announce the amazing campaign Penguin has launched for the lead-up to Nightshade’s release. One of the trilogy’s characters, Shay, is stepping into the real world for the next six weeks. You can meet him on Facebook and at his blog.  It’s innovative and so much fun!

 
Thanks for stopping by, Andrea!  We're pretty sure EVERYTHING you do is innovative and so much fun!  But seriously, I've been keeping tabs on Shay, and it's pretty awesome what's going on over there.  Definitely check it out, and put Nightshade's release date on your calendar! (And then block off the next three days because once you start, you won't want to do anything but read it.)