Beginning of September marks the release of Maggie Stiefvaters “Lament” here in Germany. Therefore I thought this might be a good idea to ask her some questions about the novel and to her working live – and Maggie kindly agreed.
For those who didn’t read “Lament” yet, for fans of the author or for those who are just curious about her answers: Enjoy!
Short interview with Maggie Stiefvater on “Lament”
Please let us start with you introducing yourself to us and be so kind to tell us how you became a writer.
Well, I’m Maggie Stiefvater, a 27-year-old mom, wife, musician, dog-walker, cat-wrangler, artist, and author. I’m in love with muscle cars (I own a classic Camaro naked Loki) and driving in general.
I’ve always wanted to be a professional writer; I’ve written stories since I was a tiny thing. I was actually on track to get my phD in history when I told my advisor that I wanted to focus on my writing instead. He was not thrilled. I can’t wait to see him this semester and let him know that I’ve hit the bestseller list over here; hopefully I’ve made up for giving up the phD!
Without giving too much away: How would you describe „Lament“ in just a few sentences?
Deirdre, a painfully shy musician, falls in love with Luke, an enigmatic flute player. As four leaf clovers and odd characters begin to appear in Deirdre’s life, she finds out that Luke is a soulless faerie assassin, and she is meant to be his next target.
Could you tell us a little bit about the main characters of the novel.
Well, as I mentioned before, Deirdre is an introverted musician, very much under the thumb of her mother at the beginning of the novel. Luke is conflicted, torn between an unthinkable life and unthinkable consequences. And James is Deirdre’s funny best friend, hiding secrets of his own. There’s also a host of faeries, some bad and some — well, not exactly good, but not out and out evil.
What was your best experience during writing that book?
Man, it’s been so long — you have to realize that you guys are getting the book a year later than the US market, and it was written a year before that for my US publishers. And I’ve written three books since then. So we are talking distant memories here! But I still distinctly remember when i was trying to get into the head of Luke, the assassin, and I was driving my car (I often do that to get ideas), and I had just seen one of the Bourne movies in theater. A new song by Shiny Toy Guns came on while I was musing on Luke, Bourne, and life in general, and a major scene came to me. That was a good moment. I still remember the stretch of road I was on.
What did inspire you to the plot of “Lament”
I’ve always loved traditional Irish folklore and faerie stories, and I’d written several scraps of faerie novels since I was 16.
Did you plan to write a YA novel from the very beginning or did it just ‘happen’ to be one (or better: to be labeled as one)?
I always intended for it to be suitable for YAs, though I never intended for that to be my sole audience. I read a lot of YA myself, even as a 27 year old, and I always wanted to write what I love to read. I’m a big fan of crossover novels that can be enjoyed by 14-up.
After the release of the last Harry Potter book J. K. Rowling announced that her fictional character Dumbledore was meant to be gay, causing a big discussion. What is your point on it: Is homosexuality something one can address in YA novels?
Ha! I’m probably the wrong person to ask about this. My editor at Scholastic, who I love dearly, is David Levithan, one of the major writers of gay YA fiction. So obviously I think there’s a place for it, thought it’s not something that I’ve tackled. I don’t think there’s anything that’s really off limits in YA as long as it is handled appropriately and labeled for parents to know what their kids are reading so they can talk about it together.
Do you think you’ll visit the world of “Lament” or characters from it again at some point in the future?
Well, there’s already a standalone sequel/ companion book: BALLAD, that comes out in the U.S. this October. I have more rattling around in my head, but I have other books waiting in line ahead of it at the moment.
Thank you for doing that interview! All the best for both your private life and your career!
You’ll find Maggie Stiefvater on the internet at:
Her novels Website
Her writing blog
weekly short stories: here!
Her art blog