There were two primary motivations for choosing this wonderful medium.
First, I meet so many kids out on the road, and I always ask them what they like to read. Quite often I meet the kids who can't think of a thing. They struggle. Like my brother, they are visual learners, and looking at a page full of words can intimidate them and turn off their brain. A graphic novel is a wonderful combination of novel and cinema. There's a visual hook that helps those visual learners read through the story, and by the end, you see their confidence swell. ”I read this! I read a whole book!” And they're more fearless going to try new books. I really wanted to have a book I could give those kinds of readers. (And now I do!)
And second, I wanted to collaborate with my husband, who is a marvelous writer and been a part of all my books behind the scenes. We decided to combine our two passions: fairy tales and superhero comic books. Rapunzel became a comic book superhero, and what fun we had! The illustrations by Nathan Hale are fabulous, and we've had so many great reactions from kids and adults who had never read a graphic novel before and loved it. I'm super excited about it.
What was it like to have Princess Academy named a Newbery Honor Book? Does this validate your choice to focus on females as the primary vehicles of your storytelling?
Getting the Newbery Honor was so overwhelming, and the feeling hasn't faded. It's the gift that keeps on giving! It is incredibly validating and gives me encouragement to keep on doing what I love.
Describe the girl you'd most like to reach through your books, and the message you hope she's taking from your work.
I write for my own internal reader, which seems to be a mix of me now and me at the age when reading was golden--10-16. I hope I'm reaching girls like my younger self, who feel lonely and strange and weak at times, but full of hope and wonder too. And according to my fan mail, about half my readers are adults who were those girls once and still carry them inside.
I'm sure you've seen the sweatpants that many girls wear with provocative messages across their backsides. If you could create a t-shirt with a message you'd like to see girls and young women wear, what would it be?
I really, really want to think of a funny answer to this, but I'm stumped. I'm going to think of a perfect response later and curse myself.
In the future, will we see more classic fairy tales revisited and revised by you, or more original stories taking place in Bayern and other imagined countries? Will you ever write a contemporary tale about contemporary girls?
I'm working on the fourth book in the Bayern series now, which will be out fall '09. Rapunzel's Revenge, our graphic novel, is out August ‘08 and will be followed a year later by Calamity Jack, a sequel and my fourth fairy tale retelling.
I'm also working on my second book for adults (like my first, Austenland, it's sort of a romantic comedy in a contemporary setting, but I still think of them as fairy tales), and after that I'll start a series for young adults called Daisy Danger Brown. Ack! When am I going to find time for all that? I've got two little kids! I must be crazy...
