In November 2007 I entered a contest somewhere or other and got an email saying I had won a book. That book was Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder and it opened me up to a whole new world. It took me a month to get hold of a copy of Magic Study, the second part in the series, and to read it. I was addicted to the series and wanted part three. I spent the whole of December hyping up the series for a contest set by the author and won! I got my ARC copy of Fire Study in January and read it straight away. I had read the whole series within a matter of months.Now a new series is coming and Maria was nice enough to let me interview her and see what the future holds. If you haven't already read the Study series then I highly recommend it but now there is a Storm coming and you can win an ARC of the first in Maria's new series (I envy the winner!) if you read till the end of the intervew and enter the contest!
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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is lovely to have you here as my guest and I hope you will enjoy your visit :) Maybe you can start things off by telling my readers about your amazing 'Study' series?
Maria – Hello Amberkatze! Thank you for inviting me to your book blog.
My series is mainly about Yelena. In the first book, Poison Study, Yelena is in the dungeon awaiting execution. She killed a General’s son and the military dictator (the Commander of Ixia) has a zero tolerance policy for murder. However, he also is rather fair, so when his poison taster dies, Yelena is offered the job (the logic is if she dies then no problem as she was going to die anyway). Yelena takes the job and learns about poisons and tasting. Oh and she can’t run away – she’s been poisoned and if she doesn’t get a daily antidote, she’s dead.
Yelena is going to make the most of the situation, and try to find a way to escape. Despite being poisoned, despite being chased by the General bent on revenge for his son’s death, despite the attempts on the Commander’s life, despite having Valek, the Commander’s Chief of Security, assassin, and major hotty watching her every move, and despite discovering she has magical powers, which is against the law, and, if she’s caught, she’ll go right back to death row. Whew – I’m tired just writing about it :)
In Magic Study, Yelena is trying to learn about her magic in the southern lands of Sitia, but there’s a rogue magician trying to kill off young magicians and it seems Yelena is in the magician’s crosshairs. She’s also dealing with her fellow magicians, who think she’s a spy for the Commander, and her recently discovered family especially her brother who would like to see her dead.In Fire Study, Yelena is a little more confident of her magical abilities, but she’s not so sure she should be so quick to use them all the time. Her magic can heal others and she’s been told she’s a Soulfinder. She hesitant to embrace the whole thing and instead concentrates on helping the Sitian Council recapture a serial killer. Then a Fire Warper is after her and her magic won’t work against fire and the Sitian Council believes she has turned rogue and she has no where to go but back to Ixia to seek help from the Commander and Valek.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the Study series? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?
Maria - I was reading Orson Scott Card’s book, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. In chapter 3, Card tells the writer to consider some questions before choosing the main character. He wrote, “Too often - particularly in medieval fantasy - writers think their story must be about rulers. Kings and queens, dukes and duchesses - they can be extravagantly powerful, yes, but too often, they aren’t free at all. If you understand the workings of power in human societies, you’ll know that the greatest freedom to act in unpredictable ways is usually found away from the centers of power.”
This comment led me to think about a person who was close enough to the centre of power to witness important events, yet not be the Prince or Princess. I thought about a food taster because my husband tastes chocolate as part of his job with a major candy company. A scene then jumped into my mind. I saw a woman tasting food that was most likely poisoned through the eyes of the King. He watched her with heartbreaking horror because he had fallen in love with her. That led me to wonder about this woman. Who was she? Why was she there? Why would a King fall in love with her? And Poison Study was born. Then the Commander came along and assassinated the monarchy – he was tired of reading all those fantasy novels with monarchs.
Amber - The books are so well written that the reader really feels like they are in Yelena's world. How did you manage to make things so real? Did you spend a lot of time planning the world? How easy/hard is it to 'discover' a whole new world?
Maria – One of the reasons the readers feel like they’re in Yelena’s world is the first person point of view (pov). This pov allows the reader to be in her head, seeing the world through her eyes, experiencing what she’s going through right with her. I really like first person pov.
I didn’t spend a lot of time before writing the book on planning the world. I'm what's known as a "seat of the pants" writer (a.k.a. pantser). I like to discover the world, plot, and twists as I write.
However, I usually have a general idea of where and how the book will end, but I wouldn't write it out until I reach that point, because it can always change. Also, for me, the world develops around the main character, but at some point in the story, I have to sit down and write out the “rules” for my world. At that point, it’s not too difficult.
Amber - Yelena is a very strong character, despite everything she has been through and goes through, is she based on anyone you know? Is there a little Yelena in you?
Maria - I always enjoyed reading about strong female characters. And I loved the TV series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer – so there is some Buffy in Yelena. There is a little of me in all the characters. I have to “become” them in order to know what their thinking, what their motives are, why are they who they are. It’s very similar to acting (which I dabbled in High School). So when I write about a character, it is filtered through me.
Amber - The Study series is made up of three books. Will there be anymore in the series?
Maria - I feel the three Study books do a good job of telling Yelena's story. In fact, I wanted to title the last one, Final Study, but my editor would not let me :) I'm taking a break from the series for now, but I'm sure there’ll be more adventures for her in the future. After all, she is rather tenacious.
Amber - Is the study series for adults? or Young adults? Do you think there is a difference?
Maria – Originally, I wrote the books for an adult audience. But when my 14-year-old niece read Poison Study and loved it, I thought it might be good for the YA market. When LUNA books first published Poison Study, they put it in the adult section, but I received a ton of emails from younger readers – as young as nine! And as old as 81! I think the books can be read by anyone aged 12+ (younger if they’re an advance reader).
I think the difference between YA and adult is the age of the protagonist. In YA, the protagonists tends to be 17 to 21 years old, while adult books have older protagonists. Complex plots and tough subject matters are in YA books – as well as mature situations and harsh language. Back when I was a teen, I read adult books because there wasn’t a YA section – it didn’t exist. J.K. Rowling created a completely new section of the bookstore, making it easier for teens to find good books.
Amber - Did you have to do a lot of research for the series? Tasted a lot of poisons? Did some magic? ;)
Maria - I was fortunate to have an in-house expert (my husband) to teach me about real life tasting methods. It surprised me how much science is involved with tasting, but there is also an artistic element, too. It was fun learning about how to discern different tastes and textures. Also eating chocolate as “research” was a delicious bonus!
Another area I needed to research was how to pick a lock. It was scary just how much information I discovered on the subject on the Internet. I found out that the oft-used hairpin in movies and television is completely inaccurate. When Yelena learns this skill in Poison Study, she does it right! And, in case, any of my neighbors are reading this…. I had nothing to do with the strange run of break-ins last summer. Really!
I prefer a more hands-on approach if possible. For Magic Study, I learning how to ride a horse. I also took a couple of courses on glass blowing for writing Fire Study.
Amber - What comes next? Well I know the answer to that...Storm Glass...but maybe you can tell us more about that?
Maria – Storm Glass is set in the Study world. The story’s events take place 5 years after Fire Study. Yelena and Leif and a few familiar characters are all in it - it's just Opal Cowan is the main character, so I thought I would change the title a bit and do a Glass series with Opal. It's scheduled to come out on April 28, 2009. Sea Glass, the second Glass book is scheduled to come out in September 2009. A third Glass book (no title yet) will probably be released sometime in 2010.
Here's the cover copy for Storm Glass: “As a glassmaker and a magician-in-training, Opal Cowen understands trial by fire. Now it’s time to test her mettle. Someone has sabotaged the Stormdancer clan’s glass orbs, killing their most powerful magicians. The Stormdancers—particularly the mysterious and mercurial Kade—require Opal’s unique talents to prevent it happening again. But when the mission goes awry, Opal must tap into a new kind of magic as stunningly potent as it is frightening. And the further she delves into the intrigue behind the glass and magic, the more distorted things appear. With lives hanging in the balance—including her own—Opal must control powers she never knew she possessed...powers that might lead to disaster beyond anything she’s ever known.”You can read the first chapter of Storm Glass by clicking here
Amber - Are you working on anything else? Or will the Glass series be taking main stage for now?
Maria – I have another book coming out in 2010. Inside Out, is a science fiction novel for YA readers (although I didn’t write it any different than I did the Study books).
Inside Out is about Trella. She lives in Inside - a metal cube of a world with lots of pipes. She hates her life - she's a scrub and she is one of many. Overcrowding is an issue and Trella is sucked into a quest for Gateway - a possible doorway to Outside. She's a hard character at first - bitter, stubborn, nasty - but she grows on you. I tell people it’s the City of Ember meets Logan’s Run :)
Amber - If the Study series was going to be made into a film or TV series. Who would you like to see playing the main characters?
Maria – That’s always a tough question. I think Summer Glau from The Sarah Connor Chronicles (and Firefly) TV shows would be a good match for Yelena and I like Brian Austin Green (from Sarah Connor) as Valek – although others have said Henry Cavil. There’s a group of readers called The Study Buddies on Goodreads.com – they’re been having a rather lively debate on the subject.
Amber - What kind of books do you read when you have time? Do you have any favorite authors or must have series?
Maria - Currently my favorite authors all have humor in their books. Since my life is so stress-filled and complicated, I’ve been enjoying light and fluffy reading with Mary Janice Davidson’s vampire series and her new mermaid series, Connie Willis is another favorite of mine, and I’ve recently discover the mystery/suspense thrillers of Harlan Coben—he has a great sense of humor!
I read a ton of mystery novels growing up because that is what my mother enjoyed. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys were my favorites before I graduated to Agatha Christie, Dick Francis, Robert B. Parker, Barbara Vine, and Ed McBain.My all time favorite mystery author is Dick Francis and his books have influenced my writing style. I also use first person point of view and try to keep the story’s pace moving. My cliffhanger endings are a direct result from his books; I can never stop reading one of his books at a chapter break. My favorite fantasy writers all have strong female protagonists and interesting characters in common. Barbara Hambly’s books have a nice mix of action, character and humor—all essential elements to what I consider good fiction.
Amber - Did you always want to be a writer? How did you get into the writing business? What did you do for a living before writing?
Maria – No, I wanted to be a storm chaser and chase tornados :) Unfortunately, in order to find them you have to be a good weather forecaster, which I wasn’t so I went into the air quality (pollution etc…) field with my meteorology degree. The writing stared because of boredom! My first job after college was for an environmental consulting firm. The amount of work came in waves, and we were either extremely busy or very bored. During the slow times, I started writing a short story. Ideas were always floating around in my mind, but that was when I began using them. I submitted my first short story for critique at a writing conference in Philadelphia, and when the workshop leader gave me 7 out of 10, I thought that was good for a first effort and decided to stick with writing for a while. After my son was born and I only had about one hour a day to myself, I had to decide what was important enough to spend that precious time on. Most days writing won.
I worked part time as a meteorologist until my daughter was born in 1997, then I stayed home to do the Mom thing and transitioned into full time writer.
Amber - What have been the ups and downs of your writing career? Any advice for writers trying to get published?
Maria – The downs have been the rejections. Poison Study gather 17 rejections before finally finding a publisher. I’m still getting rejections. I’m trying to get my short stories published, but, so far, I’ve only sold two.
Persistence is my biggest advice. I’d been writing for ten years and submitting for eight before I sold anything. Poison Study was rejected many times, but I kept submitting the book and had planned to submit until I ran out of publishers to send it to. I also tell writers to be wary of predators, if someone is asking you for money proceed with the utmost caution. Get feedback on your stories from fellow writers before submitting. Joining a critique group is very helpful. I also find that if I let a story sit on my desk for a few weeks I can pick out all the problems, typos and inconsistencies easier. And I agree whole heartily with Stephen King’s advice in his book, On Writing. He wrote, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” And don’t give up! Ever!
Amber - How do you relax? Do you enjoy watching TV? Listening to Music? Have any interesting hobbies?
Maria - I enjoy reading, and I play volleyball and do kickboxing for exercise. I watch a few TV shows, but not many. I love to travel. My hobbies are photography and scrapbooking.
Amber - You are stranded on a desert island. What 5 things do you hope to have with you?
Maria – LOL! My five things would be, a survival expert (male, single, and with a great bod), a satellite phone with a fully charged battery, plenty of food and water, and a still!
Amber - Thank you so much Maria! I hope you will come back again sometime and I can't wait to read Storm Glass!
Maria – You’re very welcome – I would love to come back and “talk” some more :)
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Contest Time!Storm Glass isn't due out until April but Maria is giving away an ARC copy to one lucky person! This is a prize I would love to win myself but firstly I am sure you wouldn't like me much if I won all the contests and secondly this contest is open open to people with a US or Canada mailing address!
So if you fit the criteria and want to win then enter the contest by posting on this thread telling me what you would like to do for a living? I quite fancy being a CSI or forensic anthropologist myself but I would be happy just being paid to review books ;)
No telling me = No entry!
You can also earn yourself an extra entry by posting about this interview and contest somewhere on the net. Make sure you leave me a link so I can confirm the entry!
Remember this contest is only open to people with a US or Canada mailing address.
The contest will close on the 1st of february 2009 at 4pm CET.
All entrants should check in after the contest closes to see if they have won. I do not chase down winners and the winner should contact me! I will pick a new winner if the prize isn't claimed within 7 days of the winner announcement.
Wanna enter? Go ahead and good luck!
Labels: Author Interviews, Contests, Maria V. Snyder
I LOVED the Study series and I can't wait to read Storm Glass. I'm hoping Yelena and Valek will make an appearance or at least they get a new book.
Honestly, I've always had a secret fantasy that I'm some miracle nuclear robotics engineer. Don't ask me why, but I would love to build something like Iornman (just finished watching the movie - awesome).
However, I so don't have the patience, attention span, or the money to do something like that so I would like to get paid to read and review books as well as help promote authors. That has got to be an awesome job.
I'll be adding a link to your contest with my news post tomorrow, so I'm not going to include a link now, but it'll be there tomorrow.
At 25 January 2009 at 13:24, 
Leslie
Wonderful interview! I always love to read how authors get their ideas. Sometimes the smallest thing can spark such great imagination.
What I would like to do for a living would be an illustrator of book covers. There are some beautiful covers out there and to be able to do that would be the best job.
I posted about this contest on my blog ~
http://lesliespsyche.blogspot.com/2009/01/maria-v-snyder-contest.html
I had this discussion with my parental unit just last night when we were looking through a giant book of colleges. A journalist if I can't be an author or an editor.
I love her books! I'm trying to get Fire Study, but I'm having a hard time. Stupid economy. I can't wait to read this new series.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=685282052&v=info&viewas=685282052
I want to write nonfiction history books on Rome. It would give me the perfect excuse to travel to Rome and view ancient ruins around the Empire. Plus, I love researching and writing about history; my degree is in history. I just need to advance enough that I can do this. It's my plan!
I blogged your contest:
http://morbid-romantic.net/2009/01/19/book-giveaways-0119-0125
Valorie
morbidromantic@gmail.com
At 25 January 2009 at 20:24, Kimberly B.
I would like to be queen!
Barring that, well, the two things I wanted to be when I grew up was a writer and an actor. The writing part is going to come true eventually, so I'll use the wish of acting. I always wanted to do theater, mostly, particularly musicals. Unfortunately, I have two left feet!
I also want to wish good luck to Valorie, who posted above me; I am a PhD student in ancient history myself! it can be done!
there are several things that I would like to do, one is I would really like for my charas to come back so that I may right my book, but they have decided to take a long vacation and will not talk to me anymore :( I would also like to go into the business field anything to do with computers. OK now I will shut up and prey that I win a copy of this book and I will be puting up link on myspace (myspace.com/mstylp)
Growing up I always wanted to be an archaeologist. Part of me still wants to be.
I would also love to know if I could handle being a forensic anthropologist like my favorite tv character, Bones! I love puzzles and figuring things out, discovering things about people and cultures.
I also would love to be a book or movie reviewer.
-- Sarah Weir
I always wanted top be like a Tomb Raider or a girl version Indiana Jonesn or the Libraian. An archeaologist that works secretly for the government and go on badass missions. I was actually going to pursue it and major in archaeology and excercise science and join the CIA when I was finished with my masters, but I am legally blind in one eye and would have to get eye surgery to even be considered. So instead, I am going to be a nurse and do the one thing I love and help people.
rebid42@hotmail.com
Wonderful Interview and I just found myself a new series to read! Thank you Amber and Maria!
I posted it on my space blog here:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog
and as to what I would love to be....
A writer/author and if not that then a medium, like Patricia A. on her tv show!
Have a Great Week to both of you!
Chris J.
I've always been interested in being a writer. I find it fascinating that someone can create a world, characters and situations and pull the reader in. I often sit in amazement of these new creations and wonder why I didn't think of that.
I really enjoyed Poison Study and have both Magic Study and Fire Study on my shelf waiting to be read. I better catch up soon.
Ever since I was little I dreamed of working with animals. I wanted to be a vet. I used to take thin wire and stitch up my stuffed animals and give them colorful bandaids.
Now that I've gotten older I began studies in Marine Biology. Hopefully In the future I will be training whales or protecting the marine wildlife (of course publishing my book on the side).
:)
I'm going to go with the obvious choice for me. Since I was little, I've wanted to be a writer. (yes, unoriginal, but truth.) I've always had my mind travel somewhere else, where the main character leads me through their world and describe their lives to me. It seemed only natural to write it all down.
Unfortunately, I do not have as much time as I used to, so for now I'm editing my friend's book instead. I find that to be very enjoyable as well! I would not mind doing that for a living either. Maybe it's easier for me due to me being a writer as well. Who knows?
I like this contest idea. Reminds me of my dreams. lol
Hi there,
For my whole life I haven't known what I wanted to do, and I still don't (what 19 year old does!). However, I'm getting a degree in marketing, and one idea I have is to work for a major bookstore or even an individual author (like Maria!) marketing books somehow. I love to read and I hope that whatever I choose to do it lets me furnish my future home with an enormous library.
I love the Study series and have recommended it to my friends numerous times. I would love to win the ARC of Storm Glass.
Hope you choose me!
Lianne
lcuscani@aol.com
At 26 January 2009 at 20:24, Cyndi
I really don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I know what I want to do. I would love more than anything to be an actress. There's just something so amazing to me about being someone else and seeing myself as someone else. It's like seeing yourself live the perfect life almost.
Anyway I would love an ARC copy of Storm Glass. Maria V. Snyder rocks!
-Cyndi
musicandbookscyndi@hotmail.com
I love Maria V. Snyders books and have read them many times...
Choosing what I want to do is complicated, I do want to do something in the musical sense. However my mother works in a library and I have learned many new things warming up to the idea of working in a library. But I would love to own my own Book Store. I would love to win an ARC copy of Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Amber J
tenthgenie@yahoo.com
What you would like to do for a living? This is an excellent and constructive question because I am in college and am having problems figuring out my future career. One of several dream jobs that I would like to have would be to write and publish fiction, but I sadly do not seem to have the awesome imaginative talent of being able to create worlds, characters and situations. I have imagined some story plots, but putting them down on paper is very difficult for me. I am very envious of writers. Since I can’t seem to write, I also thought it would be fun to be an editor. My problem there is my very poor spelling and grammar. I have two friends who write stories that I read and comment on their work as they write and create and do my best to give back feedback and constructive criticism, but I know when it comes to spelling and grammar I am extremely lacking in this ability to help. Since writing and editing seem to be out of the question, but a wonderful dream, I think doing something creative and artistic would be great. I have always been very artistic. I like to draw, Crochet, and decorate things like cakes, so something artistic and hands on would be a great dream job for me. I also think it would be great to do something in geology. I have always like and have been fascinated about the earth and how it works. I have even taken some geology classes that helped explain to me how geological structures, rocks and special stones that we see around us on earth are created, work, and destroyed. So these are some of the things I would love to do for a living if I could. Thank you the chance to win Storm Glass. I love the Study series and really enjoyed reading the interview and hope to be able to read more interviews in the near future.
At 27 January 2009 at 15:45, phillyone88
Amber, yet another great interview..
Ha I've wanted to do many things since I was a little kid. My most liked careers that I would of wanted to be, would be a vetrinarian, teacher, or writer. Though my dream as of the time since I was eightand I am 20 has been a writer.. I know that it takes alot of hard work, and alot of time. I also know that you can't expect to have a major hit like Twilight or Harry Potter until you promot, and get somethiing that catches on. I know that its may not happen until many year from now. But every day I atleast write something. Even if its a scentence. It takes time to get you goal, but when you do. It will be well worth it. So that's my dream Career. To be a writer.
I would love to be a writer and a book reviewer and painter in my free time, if i could be anything. I however did what my parrents said, and got a practical degree, My BA in Criminal Justice and I'm working towrds my MA in Organizational Leadership. I write, read, and paint in my free time. Some day I'd like to see my name in print. - Miranda Boyer
by Kelley Armstrong
I'd like to solve supernatural crimes. It's so interesting to me how another world might truly exist along side ours without our knowledge and I'm one of a elite group that knows about it. I've been reading Dead Like Me by Anton Strout and really, it was quite interesting what the lead character could do. They even had a show called Special Unit 2 that got me thinking how cool it would be. Plus, if vampires were truly as hot as they come off in books, I'd love to snuggle up against some tortured soul every night. LOL.