Questions
Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in writing?
I’m the only child of an aspiring writer and a voracious reader. So I guess that writing and reading are in my DNA. I started writing when I was 12 years old, and bored out of my mind during one particular long Science lesson. Not that I would recommend anyone to do that, I got a really bad mark on the Quiz that covered that lesson.
Can you tell us about Interred? How about the next book in the series?
Interred is the story of Baxter Jacobs, who right before she turns sixteen finds out that her family is Magical. She has to come to terms with a whole history that she didn’t know about, plus those pesky time bending abilities and a boy trapped in a time loop, which no one can see, except for Baxter of course.
The second book, Fissure, will be out June 22, and explores the cracks in times as well as Baxter’s ongoing progress with her magical abilities and a few more twists.
Who's your biggest influence?
During my Teen years we didn’t have a lot of teen books that interested me. I think I outgrew Sweet Valley High by the time that I went to High School because the stories were not juicy enough. So during my teen years I read a lot of Stephen King, Anne Rice …. All of those books were hidden from my Mum of course. I guess those are the biggest influence in my writing, or I hope they are.
Would you consider writing in a different genre..like Adult, NonFiction, or Contemporary?
Actually back in 93, the first full length novel that I wrote, was about a girl and her family and what happened to them during the coup d’état in Chile. The character’s age ranged from 18 to 23 throughout the book, I guess this is what we would call New Adult nowadays.
I didn’t start writing for the young adult market until 2008, when I penned my first YA story. I love the genre, and the possibilities that exist within it… so I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I never say never, but right now, I enjoy writing for teens.
Where do you come up with ideas for your books?
Usually when I’m doing house chores or taking a shower. It starts with one character, which is usually very chatty, and then I build the story around them in my head, before I commit it to paper. Though, this doesn’t mean that I always know what I’m writing about. I don’t do outlines until I’m halfway through the first draft.
Do you have any pets?
Not at the moment. I had two Chihuahua dogs growing up. One called Chavo which means boy in Mexico. He ran away and then bit my Mum when she tried to bring him back to the house. Needless to say my mother didn’t try to coax him back to the house
ever again.
My second dog, I had her since I was ten, and she passed away after I had my first child 12 years ago. She was called Princess Scritti Politti Anthrax Bonjovi Knight….. I was ten. *coughs* I would love to adopt a dog, but at the present time it wouldn’t be fair on the dog, as we move around a lot, though it’s on our list of things to do when we finally buy a house.
What's some of your favorite books/Authors?
Oh gosh, how much time do you have? I love the classics. Shakespeare’s Much ado about nothing, Dickens’ A tale of two cities, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, Jane Austen’s Emma, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Geoffry Chaucer ‘s The Canterbury tales, Beowulf, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Alexandre Dumas’ The Three musketeers and La Reine Margot and I’m also very fond of Camus’ The Stranger.
As I said before, I’m a huge Stephen King fan, my favorite book by him is the Shining. I also love Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches books as well as the Vampire Chronicles.
I’m a Potterhead, and I guess that I’ve read every single book in the Harry Potter series obsessively. Another book that inspired a huge obsession with the characters was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
Other books that I love are; Divergent by Veronica Roth, Hourglass by Myra McEntire, So close to you by Rachel Carter, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Carlos Ruiz Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind, Bethany Lopez’ Friends and lovers series, Raine Thomas’ Daughters of Saraqael trilogy, Nikki Jefford’s Spellbound trilogy, Chelsea Fine’s Archers of Avalon series and Terry Giuliano Long’s In Leah’s wake.
What was the first book you ever wrote?
Oh gosh, it was called… Veronica the history of a rocker. I was twelve.
How long does it usually take you to write a book?
The first draft is usually written in a few weeks time. Interred’s first draft took two weeks of almost 24/7 typing. I was a bit obsessed with it.
If your books were made into a movie, who'd be the perfect actors to portray your characters?
I think Hugh Grant would be great Fred. Ben Barnes would be amazing as Declan, because he’s pretty amazing, but also he looks great in Victorian clothes. I think since Jack is also English, someone like Nicholas Hoult would be great for him. Baxter… I’m not sure. Maybe someone who looks like Lucy Hale though I might change my mind about this. I’m glad I’m not a casting director; I wouldn’t know who to cast for Baxter.
Do you listen to music while you write?
No, I’m one of those writers who think silence is golden. I get distracted way too easily by lyrics, though classical music doesn’t bother me when I’m writing.
What are your thoughts on FanFiction? And how would you feel if someone used your characters in a story? How about people roleplaying your characters on forums/twitter?
I enjoy reading Fan Fiction, well most Fan Fiction any way. As long as they follow canon and are not making the characters do weird slash stuff.-yes, I’m a bit old fashioned when it comes to that-
I would love if someone wrote FanFiction that was inspired by Interred. It would be wicked cool.
As an avid roleplayer, I would love to see someone come up with a board inspired by the books. I think roleplaying offers fans of certain books a way of becoming more involved in that universe and also get creative. That’s awesome!
Do you always plan out your books before you start writing? Do you always know the ending? Do you ever change the ending or have a hard time choosing between two different endings?
I don’t do outlines, until I’ve written half of the book, I usually stop to assess the situation and decide how the book should end. I also write out bios for my character’s at this point, because I know them better, and can list their favorite things etc.
For now, I know what Fissure and Alternate are going to be about. Fissure’s ending has changed four times (as I’m on my fourth edit). Interred’s ending changed right before publication.
I have an idea of how the series will end, though nothing’s set in stone.
How do you let go of your characters once the story is finished?
As this is the first series that I’m publishing, I’ll have to get back to you after December 22, when Alternate is published. My guess will be, that five years from now, I’ll still feel like the overbearing mother of these characters.
About the Author
Marilyn Almodóvar is the author of a series of YA paranormal novels. Born in Ft. Huachuca, Arizona, Lyn is a lover of words whose reading tastes range from Victorian novels to the books of Stephen King. Her favorite past-times have always been reading and writing, two activities that let her escape to other worlds.
It was this love that propelled her to choose Theater and French as majors in University, with a minor in English Victorian Literature. Lyn lived for almost a decade in England followed by three years in France before returning home to the States. A self-confessed citizen of the world, she is fluent in English, French and Spanish, with basic knowledge of the Italian language.
Lyn could happily exist breathing the clean air of Narnia, trapped in a cupboard under the stairs with Harry, fighting alongside Captain Jack Sparrow, doing an internship in Torchwood, or traveling around time and space with the Doctor…as long as she can have Mr. Spock, Captain Kirk and Captain Mal as companions.
Lyn currently lives in Central Florida with her French husband, English-born eldest son, and French-born youngest son. Her debut YA Novel, Interred, will be published by Iambe books on 01/22/2013.
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Marilyn Around the Web: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter
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With love,
Margaret
What would you do if you had a superpower you couldn’t use?
