Meta Chat! That's Where It's At!

Tip of the Day: Jezebel.com has a weekly column called Fine Lines (http://jezebel.com/5046066/sister-of-the-bride-veiled-messages) where they discuss the best remembered YA novels of their childhoods. They read V.C. Andrews so you don't have to!



We have a special round of interviews this week. For a change of pace, we've decided to interview each other. So welcome to Meta Chat! Pull up a comfy chair and get to know the phenomenal Emily Marshall and her writing. I got to pick five questions for her. How would you answer these?



1. Do you prefer to write in first person or third person? Thoughts on why?

First person all the way! I’ve attempted to write in third person, and that lasts for about a chapter or two before I give up. It’s a good training exercise for me, but for some reason I lose touch with my main character when writing in third. Plus, I love reading first person books for the same reason: it’s easier for me to relate to the main character. Since I love reading first person, I think it’s only natural I prefer to write it. But I would still love to try another third-person book again in the future.


[From Kate: First person can be a lot of work! Obviously Emily's not afraid of it, which totally sounds like her, doesn't it?]

2. If you were forced to name one adjective to describe most of your main characters, what would it be?

Wow, this is a tough question. It would probably be something like “searching” or “lost,” because none of my main characters have a good grasp of who they are as an individual at the beginning of the book. Probably because I feel like when I was a teen I was still trying to figure myself out.

[From Kate: Great answer! I love that searching aspect of writing YA.]


3. Anything exciting you about your latest project you're willing to share with us?

It will have boys, boys, and more boys! I don’t like to talk about specifics of a book, especially in the early stages. For some reason I lose momentum if I talk about it excessively, unless I specifically talk about it with writing friends to brainstorm. So the only thing I can really share is that this book will have more boys than all three of my previous books combined. I think it’s going to be a challenge to differentiate all of their voices, since I have a tendency to make my boys sound a bit girlish at times.

[From Kate: Mmmm, boys!]


4. TV, movies, books: who is your favorite villain?

This would probably depend on how you define a villain. I’m not a fan of any character that’s just mean at the core for no reason. But I have a soft spot for love interests that have villain-like characteristics (what can I say, I’m a sucker for the bad boys.) Logan from Veronica Mars is my favorite that would fit in that category. When the series starts you think he’s the villain, in terms of how he treats Veronica. But as the series progresses and you see more of why he acts they way he does and his relationship with Veronica has much more of a past, he loses much of his villain-like qualities and his character comes full-circle. Jennifer Lynn Barnes just wrote a good blog entry (LINK: http://jenlyn-b.livejournal.com/160073.html) that used Logan as an example of a good layered character. That’s the villains I like: ones with lots of depth. But I have a feeling many people wouldn’t classify him as a true villain.

[From Kate: Oh, read Fruits Basket! You'd love Kyo. He's a great good/bad boy.]


5. Name something on your writing desk that isn't writing related. Why is it there?

I have several black and white pictures of Paris that I’ve cut out from a calendar. Sadly its main purpose is to hide the clutter behind my see-through desk cabinet door. But I also picked them because I love black & white photographs and I love to travel. So it’s only natural, I’d love the two combined.


Thanks so much for sharing with us, Emily. It was great getting to know more about you. I'd love to read the book you're working on someday!



-- Kate, Miss Apprentice Writer