Aprilynne Pike Interview

For the last day of BEDA (oh my gosh FINALLY) I have an interview with Aprilynne Pike for you.

In case you didn't know what Aprilynne's debut, Wings, is about, here is a description straight from B&N:

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

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1) Your book is being released VERY SOON. How are you feeling now that you're so close to the release date? Have you done anything special to prepare for the release?

Nervous! Excited! Freaked! Overjoyed! It's such a mixed feeling to have your book coming out. I'm thrilled out of my gourd, of course, but everything will suddenly be very real on May 5th. At the moment I'm standing on this huge chasm of potential. Anything could happen!

My publisher is touring me the first week after my book comes out (yay!) so there's not a lot I can personally do right in that first week, but on the 14th I am having a launch party at my local Indie book store, The King's English with a little party before a reading and signing. That's been my main baby.:) But I also have had decals made up to give away at signings and will be doing some fun things on my blog. . . I'd tell you what but, well, I haven't decided yet. I should probably do that.:D

2) Wings is one of countless books that deal with faeries. Why do you think people like faeries so much?

Faeries are timeless. A lot like vampires. But I think something fun about fairies is that the lore is so mixed. I mean, based on the stories and folkore, you can't really tell a lot. Are they big, small? Do they have magic? Do they have wings? Are they friendly or fiendish? There is so much room for interpretation. That means you can write a million different stories about them and nevre see the same thing twice. I think that is a major draw to faeries.

3) Why did you choose to write about faeries?

Because I love faeries! Have since I was just a little girl. They have always fascinated me.

4) I've seen that your book has been blurbed by Stephenie Meyer. I'm sure all the other authors out there are burning with jealousy. Has getting a blurb by someone so ~*famous*~ helped calmed any debut author nerves you might have?

I have certainly been lucky in my professional associations.:) However, on the flip side, it does draw the inevitable comparisons. It's a little daunting to be compared to such a publishing giant! Thos are big shoes to fill! But overall, I love that it piques the interest of Stephenie's fans, and i hope they will pick up the book, read it, and love it!

5) Wings is the first in a four book series. Which book in the series are you currently working on? How's that going?

I just turned in my first (and biggest) round of revisions on the second book. I am hoping to get a good start on the third book this summer and to finish it by the end of the year. That will give my incredible editor, Tara, and I six months to get it all polished up and ready to go into production next summer.

6) Did you have any trouble trying to combine the human world and the faery world while writing?

Not really. I do tend to do a lot of staring off into space when I should be doing other things (burnt dinner, anyone???) but I have always had such an active imagnation that I have spent most of my life with make-believe creatures. It's just more of the same.:)

7) What are you most looking forward to about having your book be released?

I've been lucky enough to have my floor display picked up my a lot of stores along with my book and I am so excited to not only see my book on shelves, but to see a floor display full of my books!

8) Come up with your own question and answer it! :D

Favorite candy bar?

I find it very interesting about myself that with all of the toppings I like on my ice cream, and filler in my cakes, pies, etc, my favorite candy bar is a plain old Hershey Bar. Unadulterated chocolate for me, please!:D

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Thank you Aprilynne! You rock. And congrats on your very soon release!

Wings will be out next week, on May 5th (Cinco de Mayo!), so be sure to be on the lookout for it.

As Aprilynne said in her interview, she's going on a small tour. You can check out the tour dates here.

You can also check out Aprilynne's website here, her blog here and follow her on twitter here.