Interview with Michelle Zink

Michelle Zink is the author of the new book Prophecy of the Sisters that has recently been released on August 1st, 2009.

You can find out more about Michelle on her on her website by clicking Here or following her on Twitter at: @Michelle_Zink

To find out more about Prophecy of the Sisters, check out my review by clicking Here.

Q: What made you decide to write Young Adult literature as opposed to Adult?
To be honest, it wasn't a conscious decision! I still feel nineteen inside and I always enjoyed the same books as my teenage daughter. There's something really honest and open about YA books that appeal to me both as a reader and a writer.

Q: How long did it take you to write Prophecy of the Sisters?
The first draft only took me about three months, but that's because I prefer to draft in total-immersion mode - i.e. writing 6-8 hours a day, every day, until it's done ver sus a little here and a little there. I don't really allow myself to go back and fix anything in the first draft until it's completely done. If I did, I'd never actually finish! So I manage to write my drafts really fast. The downside is that I have A LOT of revisions on the back end. Between my "keep moving forward" motto and my preference to write without an outline, I usually have a whole lot of work to do once a book is finished. Prophecy took me ten months to edit after that first draft was complete.

Q: Did any of the characters particularly difficult to write? Particularly easy?
Alice was a difficult character for me because I really wanted to defy the cliched black & white evil antagonist. I know from real life that its rarely that simple, and I wanted to craft a character with a dark nature that also struggled with moments of goodness. It wasn't easy! But in the end, it was one of the more satisfying aspects of the book, at least for me!

Q: What would you say is your favorite book of all time and why?
You guys are going to get sick of hearing this in my interviews, but it's White Oleander by Janet Fitch. I've just never read anything that spoke to me as powerfully as that book. I'm always surprised how many people haven't read it! They always say they've seen the movie, and I'm like, "Noooooo! It's not the same!" And it isn't. It's Fitch's writing that gives that book meaning. You have to READ it!



Q: Prophecy is based off the myth about Watchers from the Bible. What is your overall favorite Legend/Myth (besides the one Prophecy is based off of)?
Ohhhhh, that's a tough one! You're talking to a myth/legend junkie! I love pretty much every biblical legend. Demons scaaaaaare me!

Q: Sonia and Lia and Alice all have supernatural gifts. If you could any supernatural gift what would it be and why?
I would love to be able to cast spells. But I would only use my power for good not evil! I promise! Wait... does giving myself the ability to eat whatever I want and be skinny count as evil? *ponders*

Q: Most authors say that music played a big help in writing their book. Did music help you while writing, and if so any particular song or genre?
Music helps me A LOT. I write to film scores because lyrics distract me. I try to find two or three scores that capture the mood of a my next book before I start a project. It helps me tune out the noise of my house (four kids aged 10-17 - need I say more?), is a constant reminder of the atmosphere I'm trying to create, and gives me a way to instantly slip back into the writing mood of a particular book no matter how much time has passed since I last worked on it. For this book I listened exclusively to the score from The Village.

Q: Now I’ve heard that Prophecy is the first of three books. Is that true and if so, is there anything you can tell us about the other two?
It is! The second book is called Guardian of the Gate. I think of the book as "big" - not in terms of length (it's almost exactly the length of Prophecy) but in terms of feel. It's just a big adventure, a lot of action, a lot of growth for Lia and a couple of crazy twists! Oh! And a hot new guy!

Q: Is there any debut novel that you are looking forward to reading?
Oh, my gosh, there are so many! Really looking forward to The Hollow by Jessica Verday, Bedeviled by Shani Petroff, The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard, and Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garci and Maragret Stohl. But that's only a teeny-tiny fraction of the books I'm waiting for!



Q: How does it feel to have a published book?
It's just.... amazing. Surreal. Crazy! My son and I used to go to the bookstore near our small town, and he remembers us browsing the YA section and me saying, "I want a book on these shelves SO BADLY!" And the other day we went in to that same bookstore and walked smack into a HUGE Prophecy display in the very same YA section. My son kept shaking his head and saying, "This is awesome." I'm hoping it's up-close-and-personal proof to my kids that dreams DO come true.

Q: Any advice for aspiring authors?
Read and write as much as you can. Silence your inner editor while working and try to just FINISH something. You'll learn more from that process than from ANYTHING else you can do, and you can always edit later. Most of all, if you really want it, don't give up. That doesn't mean write aimlessly. That means WORK to get better, to learn, to take constructive criticism. But whatever you do, don't stop writing. Because the only sure way you will fail is if you quit.

Q: Anything else you want readers to know?
Just a big thank you to those of you who have done so much to support Prophecy online! You guys have made ALL the difference, and I so appreciate those of you who believed in my book very early on and spent the past few months telling anyone who would listen that Prophecy is a great book. You're the best! <3

Thanks again Michelle for doing the interview!