Exclusive Interview with Aprilynne Pike

I am so excited! I don't know how I scored an exclusive interview with my new favorite author Aprilynne Pike! I asked her and she said YES!! Her debut novel, WINGS, has been out only a few months and has already hit #1 on the NY Times Best Selling List!! HOW LUCKY ARE WE?!


Sweet Bookshelf: I'm squealing with delight! Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Thank you!! OK, let's get started! First things first, I'm a HUGE fan! How did you come up with the idea for WINGS?

Aprilynne Pike: Actually, I came up with the idea for WINGS on purpose, strangely enough. I already had an agent and she had been shopping a book that clearly was not going to sell. So I knew that if I wanted to keep her as an agent, and, more importantly, continue pursuing this dream to be a writer, I needed another book. A better book. I didn’t know what to write about though. So one day I was trolling industry blogs and came across one where an author had said, almost in passing, that Barnes and Noble was expecting fairies to be one of the new trends in YA literature. Now, I have always loved faeries; I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love faeries. And I have also always loved YA. So I don’t know why I had to get hit over the head with this idea before I put the two of them together. But I remember very clearly sitting at my computer thinking, “Oh my gosh!! A YA faerie book!! I want to write a YA faerie book!” and my next thought was, “And I have to do it RIGHT NOW!” Luckily, my husband had just gotten out of school for the summer, so he watched our kids for six hours a day and I wrote during that time and any other time I could steal throughout the day. I finished WINGS in about six weeks. (I paid for writing it that fast in revisions though.;)

SB: Tell us a bit about you and your family.

AP: I am a mom with an incredible husband and three young children. My husband is a recent graduate of law school and while he is preparing to take the bar, he is also playing stay at home dad so that I can keep working on the Wings series!

SB: What prompted you to become a writer?

AP: I've been writing stories for as long as I can remember! In college, I actually started out as a pre-med major. But after a good heart-to-heart with a professor, I decided that I should switch to Creative Writing. I think that was what really started me thinking I could be "a writer." I began my first serious attempt at a novel in 2002. The first time I truly "completed" a book was in 2005. I finished my first publishable book in 2007. :)

SB: I'm in love with Tamani, what more can you tell us about him?

AP: Um, that he will be back in book two??? :) Tamani is much deeper than meets the eye. We are really going to get to know him better in the second book. Some basic info that doesn't really play a big part in the book: he is five eight, weighs about 160 pounds (he's on the slim side), and is 21 years old. He has been a sentry since he was fifteen. The rest you'll have to wait and find out!

SB: Will Mr. Barnes, the evil troll, be making another appearance?

AP: Mmmmmaybe.:)

SB: What book are you reading now?

AP: I just finished A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker. It will be out next Spring, but I got an early peek.:)

SB: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

AP: Honesty? What I always tell writers is to read. Not only read, but read, read, READ! I believe that you learn more about writing by reading than any other single thing. And after that, just write! Just do it! You will never be "ready" to write your novel; you just do it anyway.

SB: What can you tell us about the 2nd novel?

AP: In the second novel readers will actually accompany Laurel right into Avalon as she is summoned to the Academy to learn how to be a Fall faerie. While in Avalon, we will get to see more of Tamani and learn more about him as a person. On the human side, we'll get to see Laurel and David as a couple, and Chelsea will take a more major role.:)

SB: Congrats on the film rights being acquired by Disney! I think Miley Cyrus will be a great Laurel. If you had your way, what stars would play David and Tamani?

AP: Strangely, I actually like Miley's ex-boyfriend, Justin Gaston, as Tamani.:) I saw him in Taylor Swift's video and I was like, hey! It's Tam! For David I have always like David Padeleki as he looks in Season Three of Gilmore Girls with the good-looking hair. (i.e. not the terrible bowl cut of Season One, bleh!)

SB: What's the best part about becoming a published author?

AP: Correcting people when they have asked me what I do for a living, and I say "I'm an author," and they say, "No, I mean, what is your job?" :D Because really, I have the best job in the whole world!!

SB: Is there anything else you'd like to share with The Sweet Bookshelf readers?

AP: Actually, yes! The number one question I always get asked is when the sequel is coming out. And I just recently got that date! it will be out June 10th, 2010.:)

SB: My hubby wants you to know he bought the book for me. Will you sign my book? PLEASE?!?!

AP: Of course!!! How did you want to do it?

Thank you so much for taking the time with me to do this interview Aprilynne! We wish you all he best, and can't wait till your next books!! Thank you!!