5 Questions with...Holly Black!

by Abby

Fantasy, romance, and girlboss MCs have always been the kinds of books I’ve loved reading. Once I picked up The Wicked King by Holly Black, I knew I was hooked. Although I hadn’t realized it was the second book in the Folk of the Air series, after I finished it, I went back to the first, The Cruel Prince. Holly Black has a way of making the fae world feel like a place you want to walk into. And because of that, when I got the chance to interview her, I didn’t pass it up. 

Question 1: Was there a character that you personally related to or one that was inspired by someone in your life? 

Response: I related to all of the characters in different ways. I am not very like Jude, but I understand her and there are aspects of her that I embody (like paranoid overthinking). None of the characters are inspired by specific people, although I will occasionally lift observations of specific moments or phrases from friends. Writers are magpies! We steal everything, but by the time we’re done with it, it usually no longer resembles where it came from. 

Question 2: What advice would you give to a writer that keeps giving up? 

Response: The best thing you can do is try to write a little every day. It’s not romantic and often it doesn’t feel at all good, but putting yourself in front of a laptop consistently is how books get written. Lots of folks give themselves little treats for hitting certain goals, like stickers or candy. Keeping track of a daily word count helps you see how it all adds up. 250 words a day for a year gets you 90K, a decently long book! Oh, and once you pick a story, your brain will throw lots of other lures at you. Don’t abandon a project until you get to the end of it. Otherwise, you will wind up an excellent and practiced writer of beginnings, with no practice at all with landing the plane. 

Question 3: Has music ever inspired you to write? 

Response: Yes! I have playlists on Spotify for most of my books, if you want to go sleuthing. 

Question 4: If you could go back and talk to your younger self, what would you say/tell her? 

Response: “Get to the end. Stop going back to the beginning and revising for the thousandth time. Also, buy a decent pair of boots, some statement earrings, and if you wear black dresses the rest of the time, no one will notice." 

Question 5: When you first started writing, who did you look up to or how did you know you wanted to write? 

Response: Because I was such a reader as a kid, I always wanted to write. When I was in middle school I found a copy of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice and I read it to tatters. It inspired me to write a terrible novel about vampires and dragons, sort of a mash up of Interview with Lord of the Rings. While it was indeed terrible, it got me in the practice of writing. In terms of people I most wanted my writing to sound like — probably the British fantasy writer, Tanith Lee. 

It was truly an honor to ask one of my favorite authors these questions. Considering that it might have been a slim chance for her to get back to me, I'm grateful for the opportunity most don’t get. Holly Black has a hectic schedule, so I give thanks for taking the time to answer! 

Check out a Holly Black book at Winter Park Library!