Interview With Heather Fawcett!

Today I'm pleased to present an interview with Heather Fawcett! Ms. Fawcett is the author of the YA book Even the Darkest Stars, which releases September 5th! :)

Here's the interview!

The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.

Would you please describe your book, Even the Darkest Stars, in seven words?

Oooh. I like a challenge. Here's five: Magic, monsters, and girl mountaineers.

What was the inspiration for the book?

Lots of things--my love for hiking and climbing; my fascination with exploration in general. I started thinking seriously about writing a book like this after watching a documentary about the Himalayas, one of the most beautiful regions on the planet. They're very much the inspiration for the backdrop of EVEN THE DARKEST STARS.

Random question! If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you most like to visit right now?

Does the International Space Station count as "the world"? In addition to my love for fantasy, I'm a sci-fi geek and obsessed with all things space travel-related (Firefly and Battlestar Galactica=best TV ever). It would be amazing to see the Earth from space.

Love this answer! And I totally agree, it would be amazing!

What's one piece of advice you would give to aspiring authors?

Be passionate about writing, but also be passionate about something that isn't writing. The publishing industry is unpredictable. It can take years and/or multiple novels for someone to find an agent/publisher who loves their writing. During the ups and downs, it's helpful (and sanity-inducing) to be able to put the book aside for a few hours and focus on something else you love--whether that's knitting, or rock climbing, or designing cat hats. No judgment :)

Great advice!

What are some MG and YA books you're looking forward to in 2017? And if you've already read some '17 books, which books have you loved?

I highly recommend EMPRESS OF A THOUSAND SKIES by Rhoda Belleza for anyone who loves epic sci-fi. THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Katherine Arden is a magical, beautiful book inspired by Russian fairytales. Both are out early '17 so you don't have too long to wait. I'm looking forward to reading so many others--to name just a few: AN ENCHANTMENT OF RAVENS by Margaret Rogerson; SHIMMER AND BURN by Mary Taranta; MAYBE IN PARIS by Rebecca Christiansen; GAME OF SECRETS by Kim Foster; THE SKELETON TREE by Kim Ventrella; WEAVING A NET IS BETTER THAN PRAYING FOR FISH by Ki-Wing Merlin; THE HIDDEN MEMORY OF OBJECTS by Danielle Mages Amato. I could go on...

Ooh, these all sound awesome! 

Thank you so much to Ms. Fawcett for participating in this event! :)

Author bio: Heather Fawcett is the debut author of EVEN THE DARKEST STARS and its sequel, both forthcoming from HarperCollins/Balzer+Bray. She has worked as an archaeologist, an aerospace technical writer, and a backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theatre company. When she isn’t writing, she can be found reading, hiking, reading, eating ice cream, or reading.

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram

Her Goodreads