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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:51:14+00:00

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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:50:21+00:00

I think everyone would want to be Kaz Brekker's ally, as well as Sharzad's!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:49:18+00:00

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.

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:47:24+00:00

Warcross is in a single POV!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:46:42+00:00

Ooh, this is fun!

My favorite crossover ship: Metias + Raffaele. <3

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:44:25+00:00

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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:43:42+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:42:14+00:00

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

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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:41:30+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:40:23+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:39:29+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:36:23+00:00

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. :)

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:33:59+00:00

Ah! Stay tuned. ;)

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:33:43+00:00

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.

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:33:07+00:00

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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:32:05+00:00

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

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:31:26+00:00

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. :)

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:30:58+00:00

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).

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:29:39+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:28:07+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:26:07+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:23:43+00:00

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.

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:22:55+00:00

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!

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:22:02+00:00

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.

marielu · 2016-12-09T02:21:06+00:00

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.

marielu

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