Interview With Mara Rutherford!

Today I'm happy to present an interview with Mara Rutherford! Ms. Rutherford is the author of the YA book, Crown of Coral and Pearl, which releases August 27th.

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.

1. Would you please describe your debut book, Crown of Coral and Pearl, in seven words?
Gah, I'm so bad at this! So I'll use the tagline: Steal the crown, save the kingdom. Of course, the book is about so much more, like Family, Duty, Courage, Freedom, and Home, with a little Romance and Royal Intrigue thrown in for good measure. I did mention I was bad at this, right?

2. What was the inspiration for your book?
Crown of Coral and Pearl was inspired in large part by my relationship with my own identical twin sister, particularly the ways we have been compared all our lives. In my book, the girls' fates are determined by a single, small scar on the main character's cheek (just not in the way they think). I also wanted to create two very different worlds: Varenia, a village in the ocean where Nor and Zadie grow up, and the castle she goes to, which is carved into a mountain. Duality plays a large role in the book.

3. Random Question! What's your favorite food?
The one food I feel like I would never get sick of is peanut butter. But I just took a trip to Paris, where I had a dessert called a St Honore, and it was the best thing I've eaten in years. The one I got was basically a cream puff topped with profiteroles - it's named after the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs, to give you some idea of how good it is.

That sounds really good! :)

4. What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
When I was on submission with the book that got me my first agent, I was stalking editors (not recommended, by the way) and found an interview with one. She gave this advice to writers, and it has stayed with me ever since: Follow your compass, not your clock. If you want to be a traditionally published author, set deadlines on yourself in terms of word count or finishing a revision, but not on the things you have no control over, like getting an agent by 25 or getting published by 30. If you focus on where you're going, rather than when you'll get there, you can enjoy the journey a lot more.

Good advice! :)

5. What are some books you're looking forward to reading in 2019? And if you've already read some '19 books, do you want to mention them?
I'm super excited for Joan He's book, DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE. Joan was my first Pitch Wars mentee and this was the manuscript that I fell in love with from the first page. It's going to be amazing (and the cover is so gorgeous, I cried when I saw it). I think Gita Trelease's book, ENCHANTEE, is going to be fabulous, and I can't wait for THE BEHOLDER by Anna Bright. I've heard wonderful things about Hafsah Faizal's WE HUNT THE FLAME, too. Plus some of my fellow Inkyard authors, like Laura Namey's THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS, and I've already read a couple of books, like AN AFFAIR OF POISONS and FIREBORNE by Rosaria Munda. Both are amazing. It's impossible to choose!

I want to read a lot of the books you mentioned! :)

Thank you to Ms. Rutherford for letting me interview her and for participating in this event! :)

Author bio: Mara Rutherford began her writing career as a journalist but quickly discovered she far preferred fantasy to reality. Originally from California,Mara has since lived all over the world along with her Marine-turned-diplomat husband. A triplet born on Leap Day, Mara holds a Master's degree in Cultural Studies from the University of London. When she's not writing or chasing after her two sons, she can usually be found pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone, whether at a traditional Russian banya or an Incan archaeological site. She is a former Pitch Wars mentee and three-time mentor. Her debut YA fantasy CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL will release from Inkyard/HarperCollins in August 2019.

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram