Submit Your Questions for a Shannon Hale Interview
Shannon Hale has agreed to do an author interview this month on the Maw Books Blog. I’ve just read Rapunzel’s Revenge and will have a book review coming soon. I’ve got her Bayern series in the TBR pile, but have reviewed Austenland, Princess Academy and Book of a Thousand Days.
I’ve met Shannon Hale a couple of times, and let me tell you, she’s a riot! Remember the zucchini? Need I say more? Anyways, I thought that this time I’d make it your interview! So if you could ask Shannon anything, what would it be? I’ll be emailing Shannon near the end of this week, so hurry and get those questions in!
Shannon’s Bio: New York Times best selling author Shannon Hale started writing books at age ten and never stopped, eventually earning an MFA in Creative Writing. After nineteen years of writing and dozens of rejections, she published The Goose Girl, the first book in her award winning series, followed by Enna Burning and River Secrets. She also has two standalone books for young readers–Book of a Thousand Days, a CYBILS award winner, and Princess Academy, a Newbery Honor Book. Austenland, a romantic comedy, is her first book for adults. Her latest is a graphic novel co-written with her husband Dean, Rapunzel’s Revenge, an Al’s Book Club for Kids selection featured on NBC’s Today. They reside near Salt Lake City with their toddler son, baby daughter, and their pet, a small, plastic pig. Visit Shannon’s website.
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Ooh, I really love her YA novels, but I was wondering if Shannon is going to write any more adult novels along the lines of Austenland (you know like a romance)? What future projects does she have in mind that we should be on the look-out for?
on September 8th, 2008 at 10:16 pmOoo, I’d love to hear if there was ever a response from Colin Firth after Austenland came out.
on September 8th, 2008 at 10:27 pmOK, BTW M stole my first question! Here is another: I wrote a review of Austenland (which I loved – you can see it here: http://thewrittenword.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/austenland-frontier-house/) and compared it to the PBS series of reality tv (mostly Frontier House and Texas Ranch House) where modern day people get to experiene life for five months in a completely different time period. Austenland reminded me quite a lot of this series. Has she ever watched any of them? If not, where did she get her inspiration?
on September 9th, 2008 at 9:24 amI wonder if Shannon might share a little bit about her writing process. I’d especially like to know if she is a meticulous planner (e.g., outlines; character sketches).
on September 9th, 2008 at 9:30 amno! not yet! i haven’t gotten a chance to read any yet!!! and yes i do remember the zucchini. lol. i guess if i could ask her one question it would be, why the zucchini? lol. =]
on September 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pmIs it wrong to be jealous? I’d love to do a Hale interview
I love her work.
on September 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pmOk, I have one question for Shannon, though there are many others I would love to ask her. What impact did achieving an MFA degree do for her career as an author and why?
on September 9th, 2008 at 2:50 pmI can’t think of any specific questions to ask, but I wanted to say that I’m really looking forward to the interview. I love Shannon Hale!
on September 9th, 2008 at 2:55 pmokay, I can only think of one thing, but first let me say how insanely jealous I am. She is one of my favorite authors, and I can tend to be picky. So I’d like to know:
What was the publishing experience for you, and what advice would you give to others on getting published?
And
How did you find the genre you were most comfortable with writing?
CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE ACTIAL INTERVIEW!!
on September 9th, 2008 at 8:06 pmI have read and loved Goose Girl, Enna Burning, and River Secrets, and the covers were almost as lovely as the stories within. My question for Shannon is this: Did you have a lot of input when it came to creating the cover art?
I’m really looking forward to your interview!
on September 9th, 2008 at 10:49 pmDear Shannon Hale,
We really enjoyed your book “Princess Academy.” We really enjoyed how you made it exciting and let your readers want to keep on reading until they finished. It was very dramatic when her sister got hurt. We thought she was going to die! How did you make your book so exciting? How old are you? How long did it take you to write the book? What was your insperation to write the book? Where do you live? Please write back.
Sincerily,
on September 10th, 2008 at 9:18 amDenisha and Meghan
Great questions everybody! Keep them coming!
Beck – I think I have the homecourt advantage! It’s hard for them to say no when you corner them at book signings!
Denisha & Megan – Shannon lives in Salt Lake City, Utah and it’s probably a safe bet to say that Shannon is in her early thirties.
on September 10th, 2008 at 10:02 amDo you think being a Newberry Award winner creates extra pressure when you write a new book? Or is it one of those things that you try not to think about?
on September 10th, 2008 at 5:08 pmDear Shannon Hale,
We really enjoyed your book,”Princess Academy.” We really enjoyed how you made it exciting and let your readers want to keep on reading until they finished. It was very dramatic when her sister got hurt, we thought she was going to die! How What gave you the inspiration to write the book? How long did it take you to write the book? How did you make it so exciting? Please send us a copy of her book Princess Academy. We would really like to read your other book Goose Girl too. Please write back.
Sincerely,
Meghan and Denisha
on September 10th, 2008 at 5:46 pmI’m jealous Natasha! I want to meet Shannon Hale
I’ve read 2 of her books and have the rest on the ‘to read pile’ which is pretty long at this point. I want to ask her how to get a zucchini that big. I want one! I can’t grow a decent zucchini in my garden. They get about 5 inches max. Mmmmmmm zucchini.
on September 11th, 2008 at 10:05 pmOh Oh Oh…and if she is going on any book signing tours in California. I’d love to get my hands on some signed copies of Princess Academy and Book of a Thousand Days.
~sigh~ lonely out here in California.
on September 11th, 2008 at 10:11 pmwrite us back
on September 13th, 2008 at 11:55 am[...] around) is a great Shannon Hale interview. You won’t want to miss this one. She answers your questions! addthis_url = [...]
on October 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 am[...] Comments Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale on Submit Your Questions for a Shannon Hale InterviewJanssen on Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine PatersonRapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale on [...]
on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am