Interview - Aprilynne Pike, author of Wings!

I was able to meet Aprilynne Pike at a writer's conference back in the spring. She has since become my conference buddy. She's sweet, hilarious and so much fun. I thought it would be great if you could all get to know a little about her. Following is her bio, then the interview. :) Enjoy!

Aprilynne Pike has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Arizona, and dreams of warmer climates.

What kind of soda do you drink?

Diet Root beer is my current love.

What is your favorite kind of flower?

I'm fairly classic; I love red roses. I also really love daffodils.

Do you believe in magic?

I believe in the possibility of more being out in the world than we
dare to believe.:)

Superman or Batman? Why?

Superman. And I have to admit, my loyalties have changed since
Christian Bale's awful gravelly voice when he plays Batman . . . and
perhaps also after Clark Kent was so cute in Smallville.;) What can I
say, I'm fickle.

What is your favorite line you’ve ever written? What book/article is it from?

I have a line from a short story that I will probably never publish
that I really love:

"The fire popped sending clouds of sparks into the sky that slowly
burned out, fading into bits of ash; a speck that is less than
nothing."

Since it will be mostly writers reading this—a few writer-ly questions.



What was the hardest part about finding an agent?

Getting past the partial stage. It's so hard to have three chapters
that just sing. Enough to stand out from the rest of the crowd. I
found it fairly easy to get my partials requested, but I only ever had
a hand-full of full requests.

What was the hardest part about getting published?

Honestly? I think it is the same thing, even though--at least with
agented submissions--you don't see the two stages. I got a few
rejections on WINGS from editors who mentioned in their rejection
email that they had only read the first fifty pages. The thing is,
agents or editors, no one is going to get past your first fifty pages
unless they are just incredible. And reaching that level is very
difficult.

Do you prefer editing or writing? Why?

Writing. Editing is work.:D Actually, I really love seeing the end
result after editing, but I work really, really hard on my edits and
always feel like I've run a literary marathon when I am finished.

What part of writing do you struggle the most with (plot, details,
character development, setting, etc.)? How have you learned to
overcome it?

Pacing. It's my Achilles Heel. It's something I work really, really
hard on, and even then, it is generally the biggest problem that gets
pointed out in my edit letter. I haven't overcome it. I just keep
working at it and I have a great editor who helps point out exactly
where the problems are since I am not good at seeing them.

As a mother and a writer, what has been your biggest challenge?

Meeting deadlines and still paying enough attention to my kids. After
I finish doing something like a long round of edits, I always take a
week completely off to just spend with my kids because, well, they
watch a lot of TV while I'm revisioning.:)

Since being published name one thing that has changed in day-to-day
life, and one that hasn’t.

In my day-to-day life almost nothing has changed. I had been writing
for about four years before I got published, so I was used to trying
to find bits of time here and there to write, so that hasn't changed.
I think the thing that has changed is that I spend a lot of time on
the internet doing business stuff. Returning emails, social
networking, doing things for my publisher, etc. There is a whole
different aspect to being an author that has nothing to do with
writing. And I spend a fair bit of time every day taking care of stuff
that falls into that category.

Favorite TV show?

At the moment, LOST, but that's only because DOCTOR WHO is taking a hiatus.

Favorite book you’ve read recently?

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner.

Favorite board game?

Agricola (It's a German board game.)

Biggest piece of advice you'd like to share with other aspiring authors?

Read. You will learn more about writing by reading than any other
activity. Read, read, read.



Thanks Aprilynne! :) We really appreciate your time.