We recently caught up with the wonderful Malinda Lo, whose new book ‘Huntress’ comes out next Tuesday! Here the author talks about the DIYA book tour, new projects, and poison apples!

Your upcoming novel Huntress is intended as a prequel to Ash, but it is set within a universe and populated by characters not mentioned in the previous installment. Do you feel it could be read as a standalone novel as well as a companion piece?

Absolutely! I don’t think you need to have read Ash before reading Huntress, or vice-versa.

If you could be any fairytale/fantasy archetype, what would it be? Do you think you would you enjoy the life of a huntress?

Honestly, I’m not super athletic, so I would probably suck as a huntress. But I wouldn’t mind being a fairy queen!

Could you perhaps describe some of the Chinese influences that helped to form Huntress? Were they enjoyable to research?

The magic system in Huntress is based in Taoism and Chinese philosophy. I actually have a master’s degree in East Asian Studies with a focus in Chinese anthropology, so it was a lot of fun to dig out some of my old books and academic articles. I read additional material, too, about Chinese medicine, divination, and meditation. I probably could have continued doing research for a lot longer than I did, since I love it so much.

Cinderella fairytale was, at least in part, your inspiration for writing Ash. Aside from the wish fulfillment aspect, what elements of that narrative really attracted you?

I think my favorite aspect of the Cinderella story is the fact that a hard-working girl, who is mistreated by her stepmother, ultimately triumphs over her. I like the fact that the good girl wins.

You’ve listed Robin McKinley’s fairytale retellings as works you greatly admire. Are there any other authors or titles you enjoy in this particular sub-genre?

I love Angela Carter’s fairy tale retellings, although they are not young adult.

What, in your opinion, is the reason behind the lasting impact of fairytales, their narratives and characters?

I believe that fairy tales endure because they’re simply great stories. They have memorable, iconic characters that take on life-changing tasks. And yet these stories have an amazing flexibility; they lend themselves easily to many different retellings.

Being an outsider, Ash’s journey towards self-awareness and discovering love is portrayed as a gradual and very individual process; she arrives at her answers on her own and with no startling moments of revelation – no real ‘fairy godmother’ figure. Was it a conscious choice to have the protagonist undergo this type of journey essentially on her own?

Well, there is a fairy godmother figure in Ash: Sidhean. I’ve heard some people refer to him as the prince figure, but it was my intention for him to serve as the fairy godmother. (And there is a human prince, Prince Aidan.) Of course, I also intended for Ash to save herself despite Sidhean’s supposed help, since fairies never help anyone without a price.

One of the truly admirable aspects of Ash is the nature of its love story, and the social framework of this fictional universe, which depicts a community at ease with same-sex relationships. It’s almost utopian, but subtly so. Was this always a narrative intention, or did it occur organically during the course of writing?

When I decided to tell the story of Ash falling in love with Kaisa, I knew immediately that I did not want to write a coming-out story. That meant that Ash had to live in a world in which coming out was unnecessary: a world in which same-sex relationships are perfectly normal. So it was absolutely a narrative intention of mine, but it also seemed to emerge pretty naturally. I didn’t have any trouble avoiding homophobic situations!

It seems that more and more adult readers are finding their way to YA books. Why do you think that is?

I know that I personally enjoy reading YA because it’s really fun, and there are some great stories being told in YA! I bet other adults like that, too. Good writing is good writing.

Have any of your characters demanded more page space than you had originally planned? 

Yes, absolutely. In the book I’m currently writing (Adaptation,which is a sci-fi-ish YA coming out in fall 2012) there’s one character who basically tried to take over the story. I’ve had to be very firm with her, but I admit, I keep trying to find ways to give her more page time.

What is your writing process like?

When I’m drafting or revising, I start the day with meditation. Then I turn off the internet (I use Mac Freedom) and work for several hours at a stretch. I take breaks, though, by reading fiction. Sometimes my brain just needs a recharge, and it helps to be reading a great book that inspires me. If I’m drafting, I try to reach a certain word count, like 1500 words a day. When revising I have a goal, too, like get through chapter 6 or something. It’s important to have a goal.

What is the best part about being an author?

Writing a good sentence is the best reward

And the worst?

Bad reviews can be a downer. That’s why I try to avoid reading all reviews.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Believe in yourself and don’t give up!

You are also co-founder of Diversity in YA Fiction (DIYA). Could you tell us what it is about?

Diversity in YA is a book tour and website that I co-founded with Cindy Pon, another YA author. When we discovered we both had Asian-inspired fantasies coming out at the same time (hers is Fury of the Phoenix), we decided we wanted to do something to celebrate, since it seemed like an amazing coincidence. So we’ve invited some fantastic authors to join us at events in several cities across the United States. In May, we’ll be going to San Francisco, Austin, Boston, and New York. You can check out all the tour details, and read great posts by authors who write about diverse characters, on our website, www.diversityinya.com.

Fairytale weapon of choice: poison apple, spinning wheel or the power of a name?

Poison apple! I can’t resist the symbolism.