Author Interview: Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Today, I'm so excited to feature Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, authors of Beautiful Creatures! BC hits shelves by Dec. 1, but BC is in stores now!

When did you start to write? Why?
Margie: I began writing poetry in elementary school, but the first story I ever wrote was called “Princess Primrose,” and had a wizard named Gandalf in it. Wonder where I got that idea? J I loved to read and wanted be a writer so I could live in a book.
Kami: I wrote poetry obsessively as a teenager. I have at least forty journals in big, plastic tub. I got my friends a lot of dates.

How did it feel working with Margaret/Kami to write Beautiful Creatures?
Margie: Kami’s been my friend for so long, and she knows me so well. It’s easier to go through the craziness of writing & publishing a novel when a friend is going through it with you!
Kami: Margie is like my sister, and she is the best writer I know. Aside from the low ice supply at her house, she is the perfect writing partner.

How are you and Lena or Ethan alike? How are you different?
Margie: Like Lena, I love to write, and like Ethan, I love to read. Like both of them, I wear the same pair of ratty Converse most days, though mine are red. Unlike Lena, I have a nonexistent sense of style, and unlike Ethan, I only aspire to be brave.
Kami: I write poetry like Lena, and I’m fiercely loyal like Ethan. I don’t have any supernatural gifts, unless typing with three fingers counts. I also grew up with a lot of very strong women in my life, like Ethan.

If you could pick a theme song for Beautiful Creatures, what would it be and why?
Margie: Any song off the Spring Awakening soundtrack. When I wrote Beautiful Creatures, I played it every moment I wrote. It’s pure teen angst, beautiful, tragic.
Kami: The two songs that come to mind are both on Ethan’s playlist: “Lucky Man” by the Verve & “Show Me What I’m Looking For” by Carolina Liar. I listened to a lot of Southern rock and Soundgarden while writing BC.

Is there anything you would like readers to take from Beautiful Creatures?
Margie: As they say on www.castergirls.com, a true Caster is someone with the power to be themselves, supernatural or not. That’s what we wish for ourselves, and all our readers.
Kami: My favorite quote in BC is, “The right thing and the easy thing are never the same.” It’s hard to be yourself, to make the choices you want to make – not the ones your friends or family want you to choose. But it’s worth it.

Do you have any must-haves while writing?
Margie: Diet Coke or Starbucks. Wheat Thins. Earphones. Music. Reading Glasses.
Kami: Diet Coke, with lots of ice. The Comfy Chair. Pizza. Quiet.

What is the best piece of advice for those young aspiring writers out there?
Margie: Don’t give up. Don’t stop reading. Don’t stop. Don’t be afraid to show someone your writing. Remember there’s no such thing as a bad book, only an unfinished draft. It might take years, but if you work hard enough, you’ll get there.
Kami: Read great books, and just write. Forget outlines and arcs and perfection. Just write. And write about what you know. My first book, which no one but Margie will ever see, was about a fairy. There are no fairies in the South. Now I stick to what I know.

Lastly, is there anything else you'd like to add?
Margie: The YA community rocks! We feel like our writer and reader and blogger and twitter friends are an enormous extended family. You’re the people we’re on this roller coaster ride with, and we couldn’t be happier. THANK YOU!
Kami: It’s still hard for me to believe that we’re published authors. When I think about the YA authors I read and love, it’s hard to believe we’re part of the club now. I’m honored to be in it. For people who think YA isn’t “real fiction,” I dare you to write some. YA readers are hardcore.


You can keep up with Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl at www.BeautifulCreaturestheBook.com.

Visit Little, Brown’s Beautiful Creatures website at www.SomeLovesAreCursed.com.

Thank you Kami & Margaret! That was a fabulous interview! Be sure to get your own copy of BC since its in stores now! I know I will. =)