Part II Interview with Sara Zaske, author of The First

Welcome back to Part II of the Sara Zaske interview!

Author Blurb:

Sara Zaske has lived a variety of places including eight years in Oakland, California where The First is set. A former journalist, she currently works as a freelance editor and writer in Berlin, Germany. She also hosts the book blog: YA Fantastic Book Review. Occasionally, she still dreams of California.

Author Interview Part II.

1. What authors have inspired you and affected how you write?

Ursula LeGuin and Margaret Atwood are two of my all-time favorites. LeGuin builds amazing worlds; Atwood has an wicked sense of humor; and they both tell fantastic stories with insightful social commentary.

2. How do you go about writing a book-- plotting everything out from the start or creating your characters and seeing how it goes?

I like to have almost everything figured out before I write page one. OK, sometimes I just have to write the opening scene and then I go back and figure out the rest, but I do spend a lot of time imagining and re-imagining before I begin typing in ernest. Of course, the plan always changes, but I like to have a very well-developed story in mind before I begin.

3. Have you started another book? Can you give us a hint of what it's about?

I am revising a book I wrote before The First that I'm tentatively calling Spitfire. It's about a girl who has a magical ability to make fire. The only problem is she can't control it, and it makes her spectacularly unpopular, as a few burnt-down houses and body parts will do. Then, along comes a handsome boy and then, a dragon...   It's kind of like Steven King's Carrie meets A Princess Bride.