Interview with Malinda Lo

I had the huge honor to interview the amazing Malinda Lo earlier this week, and here's the result =)

I hope you learn more about her and her debut novel, Ash.

How would introduce Ash to readers who haven't heard of it yet?

Ash is a retelling of Cinderella, except in Ash, the fairy godmother is a slightly creepy (and sexy) male fairy — and Cinderella falls in love with another girl, not Prince Charming.

If you could describe your main characters with only 2 words, what would they be?

Ash: complicated, new
Sidhean: strange, powerful
Kaisa: kind, confident

Are there plans for a series? or Ash is a stand alone?

Ash is a standalone novel, but my next book is a companion novel set in the same world. There are no crossover characters.

Any projects for a new books?

Yes, my second novel, as described above!

Is Malinda Lo a pen name or your birth name? Malinda seems like a very original Chinese name.

Malinda is an Old English name that I chose for myself when I was 6 years old; it is my legal name. I chose the name Malinda because in America, no one could pronounce my Chinese name, which I've retained as my middle name. Lo is the romanized form of my Chinese surname.

What is the most difficult part in the entire publishing progress?

The waiting is the most difficult part! Waiting to hear back from people on whether they like your book, whether they want to buy it, whether there are a thousand more edits to do, etc. There's a lot of waiting!

And the most exciting part?

The most exciting part for me has been seeing Ash as a real, live book! Holding it in my hands and turning the pages is an incredible experience.

Now up to some fun and random questions =)

Whats you favorite breakfast?

Mmm, I love breakfast. :) Well, I think that one of my favorite breakfasts of all time is definitely fresh berry buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and bacon (mmm bacon). I drop the fresh berries into the pancakes once I've poured them onto the griddle, so each pancake has an even proportion of fresh, whole berries. Wow, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Where are we most likely to find you at 11pm ?

Asleep in bed! My days as a night owl are long gone. :)

Your favorite perfume?

I don't wear perfume actually; it makes me sneeze!

A bit morbid, but if you had to choose, what would be written on your gravemark?

My name ... spelled correctly. :)

If you could only read 1 book for the rest of your life what would it be?

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I can read that book repeatedly and it never ceases to amuse me.

Last movie you saw on big screen?

Julie & Julia -- loved it!

What would you consider the craziest thing you've ever done?

When I was 28 years old, I move from California to Boston, and then from Boston back to California, all within six months. That was definitely a crazy year for me.

Thanks for the interview!
Best,
Malinda

Thank you very much Malinda for taking the time to answer me questions! It is much appreciated ad I had a great time getting to know you better =)

I really love to learn the origine of your name!

If you wanna learn even more about Malinda and Ash, stop by her website!

Posted by Tynga at 00:54

 Interview  6 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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