Interview with Heather Maclean!

Today I'm happy to present an interview with Heather Maclean! Ms. Maclean is the author of the YA book, Toward a Secret Sky, which releases April 4th! :)

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 book, Toward a Secret Sky, in seven words?

Scotland, secret societies, otherworldly mercenaries, deadly romance

Ooh, sounds good!

2. What was one of your favorite books when you were a kid?

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. It’s even funnier than the movie. I frequently quote it at inappropriate times. Like when I’m the one who has to bring in the trash cans, I’ll spout: “So bow down to her if you want, bow to her. Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence!”

3. Random question! Who is your favorite Disney Princess?

Not so random to me! I’m a huge Disney fangirl! I met my husband at Disney (he was working at the Rose & Crown Pub in EPCOT, and I was on Spring Break… so against the rules), and I got married there… twice! The first time was for real at Disney World to my Scottish hubby, and the second was at Disneyland to a co-worker for a billboard campaign advertising Disney weddings in Japan. Weddings weren’t allowed at Disneyland yet, and you weren’t allowed into the Park in costume, so as we walked around taking pictures, all the little kids thought I was Cinderella on her wedding day. Best day ever!

My favorite princess was always Ariel though, but I’m recently obsessed with Moana. I guess I can easily relate to spunky 16-year-olds with big, crazy hair.

I love this story! And I really need to watch Moana!

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

Never give up! The market moves in cycles. One year everyone loves vampires, the next year it’s astronauts. If your manuscript is great, it willget published. You just might have to put it in a drawer and wait a few years for the market to be ready for it again. In the meantime, write something else!

Definitely good advice!

5. 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’m looking forward to so many of them! I actually just finished two ’17 books this week that were so, so good: Gilded Cage by Vic James, a dystopian thriller set in not-so-future England, and City of Saints & Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson, a contemporary murder mystery revolving around a Kenyan refugee. I just got Wait for Me, a WWII historical fiction about a German POW sent to live on a Scottish farm, and I can’t wait to dive in!

Awesome!

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

Author bio: Heather Maclean is the author of 15 published books—4 of them New York Times bestsellers. After graduating from Princeton University, she began her career at The Walt Disney Company where she has the distinction of being the first person to ever answer Mickey Mouse's email.

Founder of children’s media sites Little Laureate and BabyGizmo.com, Heather was named one of the “16 Best Entrepreneurs in America” by Sir Richard Branson and chosen to accompany him on a 50,000-mile trip around the world, during which she became the first civilian mom to experience zero gravity aboard a “space plane,” an experience that gave her a fear of flying for life. Their journey, titled The Rebel Billionaire, was televised on Fox TV in 2004/2005 for an audience of 8 million viewers. As leader of the been-there-and-barely survived alumni group, Heather then became a ghostwriter for her reality star friends, penning all manner of things for more than 10 of them.

When not castle hunting in her husband’s native Scotland, she fills her days with her two girls, Hunter and Hadley, and son, Gavin.

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter