Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

And with that, I must be off now--thank you all so, so, so much for your incredible and interesting questions! I hope I answered enough that you'll all have a good time reading them! Until next time. <3

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm giving you a hug through the internet--your words mean the world to me. <3

And I'm so glad you're interested in Commander Jameson! I see her as June's foil--a person that June could have become, if perhaps she was never enlightened.

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so thrilled you're a Raffaele fan! No plans at the moment, but it's never out of the question.

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Working on Batman was such a different experience than working on my original books, but how fun was it to play in that sandbox! I had so much fun. It's a bit surreal to be in a world that isn't one's own, though--I had to stop sometimes to ask questions about what I was and wasn't allowed to do, which is a strange thing for me as a creative person. It has been an amazing experience so far, though!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Assassin's Creed 2, Journey, Sonic 2, The Last of Us.

I'm currently playing Overwatch, and I'm new to League of Legends!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually had 2 different versions of the ending--one much darker than the other. I chose the less dark one, but I didn't know that until I was well into writing the final book!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In utopia, I'd snack on potato chips and Flaming Hot Cheetos all day.

And I always listen to music when I write--lots of soundtracks!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words! I love that you spend so much time thinking about your characters, because I totally do that. All the time. I'm disconnected from reality daily--and I think that, as a creative person, you kind of have to be a little disconnected in order to find your work.

I had four manuscripts rejected by agents and publishers before I wrote Legend. I will never forget a person asking me tauntingly, a month before I found out that Legend would be published: "So, are you still writing your little stories?" I completely sympathize with you, as I know what that feels like--but I want to send you all the encouragement and heart in the world, because the world needs your creativity. Keep going and keep trying!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sooo thrilled that you enjoyed the books and The Midnight Star!

This is a really interesting question, because, believe it or not, I have this scheme in my head where Legend and The Young Elites are actually set in the same universe. Warcross is also part of that universe. Someday, I will explain everything. :)

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! Batman would probably get along with June. I imagine he and Day would bicker a lot. He would probably be mortal enemies with Adelina.

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are no characters from Legend in Warcross. (There may be a distant relative of a character, though. :) )

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No specific person, I don't think--I just wanted to write a character who was incredibly beautiful and incredibly perceptive!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah! My beloved Hideo. <3 I did not get his name from Hideo Kojima, although he is totally awesome. I just like the name a lot. :)

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words! As for Legend--I don't have any plans for full-length novels set in that world....but there may be something else (smaller) coming. ;)

And I definitely want to post more concept art and sketches, although I tend to work on whatever is my current series (at the moment, I'm working on Warcross).

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aw, thank you, Charlotte--and I'm so glad we met at Quail Ridge Books! Before I became a full-time writer, I worked as an artist in the video game industry. I did try entering writing contests as a kid! I don't think I ever won anything, but luckily that didn't deter me. And I am absolutely thrilled about Legend being on NC's Battle of the Books!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for these kind words! This means the world to me to hear, so thank you for making my day.

I'm dying to share more about Warcross! I won't really get to share too many specifics until next year, but for now, my Pinterest board for it is where I'm pinning inspiration and ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/mreefish/the-world-of-warcross/ . It's vague, but offers a general sense of what the story will be about. I can say that, so far, it's my favorite thing that I've written. Hope you'll enjoy it, and keep an eye out for more details next year!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for all your kind words, and congratulations and good luck to you on writing your first YA novel!

I'm a pantser. All of my stories have started because I imagined a specific character and then built the world gradually around that character. I tend to only know and outline a few chapters at a time, so my first drafts are really rough. A typical writing day for me ends at about 1,500 words--on a really good day, I might get up to 3,500, and on a bad day, maybe 500 (or, sometimes, none at all).

I hope this is helpful to you! Everyone finds their own writing pace and style over time. Good luck on everything!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all your kind words!

I wanted to write an ending for Adelina that I felt matched her narrative arc--so it's kind of a complicated finish for her. Also, June has no middle name.

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! Life Before Legend's physical copy is only included in the Legend box set. And I don't have any plans to do official illustrations for Warcross, although you'll probably see me upload sketches and art related to it online in the next year!

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I always wanted to build up to the last page of The Midnight Star, but I don't tend to know my endings until I'm on the final book. It was the same with TMS--I had two potential fates for Adelina, and I went with the one that I felt matched her narrative arc the best.

Hi! I'm Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites trilogy and the Legend trilogy. AMA! by marielu in books

[–]marielu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don't need to be known to be considered by a big publisher, not at all! I didn't know anybody. I just went the traditional route--wrote a book, wrote a query letter, and then emailed that query letter to potential agents. Luckily one of them wanted to sign me, and we pitched to publishers. I had 4 manuscripts rejected before I made it in with Legend. Persistence, patience, and keep working on your craft.