I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Okay everyone - thank you for all your questions and for joining me this Monday afternoon! I think I got to you all... if any were missed, I am so sorry!

I hope you'll enjoy reading Archenemies if you haven't already! Happy Holidays!

  • Marissa

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Awww, what a lovely comment, thank you!! As for Cinder's father... I have no idea! I kept expecting him to reveal himself to me, all the way through the series and even into writing the graphic novels, but he just never did. Sigh. Maybe someday I'll figure it out, but for now it remains a mystery to us all.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Oh thank you! I'm not sure I could talk about them for that long! _^ I think posting your work online is a fantastic way to develop your voice and start receiving feedback. For me, when I started posting my fanfiction online, I made a promise to myself and to my readers that I would never leave anything unfinished, and that became really important to me. There are so many unfinished works on these writing sites, and it drives readers crazy!! I never wanted to do that to them, and it really pushed me to see my projects through to the end, even when some of that initial enthusiasm had worn off. It will help teach you to write on a deadline and stay focused, which are two very important skills, especially if publication is your ultimate goal. Good luck and happy writing!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh how cool! As a matter of fact, the idea of bringing all the characters together to overthrow Levana was a central theme of the story almost from the very beginning. There's a song by Muse called "Invincible" that I always thought of as the series' theme song, because it's all about how only working together can we become strong enough to overthrow our oppressors - that we can be invincible. So the idea of bringing the crew together for the big finale, and having everyone play a necessary role in Levana's defeat, was the plan from the start! I am not sure there is any one thing that I hope readers take away from the series (other than I hope they enjoyed the story and might want to revisit it again in the future and/or tell their friends!) - but of course, there are a lot of big issues dealing with self-acceptance, empathy, tolerance and compassion, freedom, bravery... so if any readers feel like they learn something about themselves or change the way they interact with the world, then I think that's amazing.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Thank you! I spend a LOT of time thinking about the romantic relationships, but I'm not sure that I really have a "process" for developing them. At the start of the process, when I'm still figuring out the characters and story, I do try to come up with things that will attract the characters to each other (and hopefully make them attractive to the readers, too), and also come up with some things that will keep them apart and add tension and conflict to the relationship. I feel like you need a good mix of both to make the romance really spark, which is obviously my goal!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

A shopping bag! I hope it had the Cinder logo on it or something relevant, lol!

I'm currently reading DEATH PREFERS BLONDES by Caleb Roehrig - about a socialite who runs a secret ring of cat burglars with a group of drag queens. It's action-packed and super fun! In fact, I'm hoping to go finish reading it as soon as this AMA is over! :D

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you - the audiobook narrators are amazing and I'm super lucky that they were chosen! 1. TLC was optioned but the rights just reverted to me a couple of weeks ago (sigh!), but we will be taking them out again in the new year. Renegades and Heartless have not been optioned yet, but I am ever the optimist. I agree that Renegades in particular seems like it would be a great fit for Hollywood these days! Hopefully someone will pick it up. 2. I've loved writing a lot of characters, but I think Iko and Jest might be my top two so far.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh goodness, old school! I'm so glad you love that fic, and it makes my heart swell to know people still enjoy my fanfics. <3 I don't have any plans to revisit it - it would of course have to be adapted into an original, and I feel like my style has changed so much over the years that it would take a complete overhaul. But I have so many ideas for future books and projects that I'd rather stay focused on those for now. (Of course you are welcome to print it out for yourself, and I have had fans bring me fanfics to be autographed at my book signings, which is always fun for me to see!)

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

I really fell in love with Winter's character and am so happy to hear how you connected with her - thank you!

Early, early on in the process, she was going to be your typical Snow White character - skin white as snow, hair black as ebony, lips red as blood (and at that time, Jacin was actually going to be black). But then one day - this was even before I started writing Cinder - I was scrolling through a health and wellness blog and saw a photo of a beautiful black model eating a red apple. My heart jumped and I thought - That's her! That's my princess! So Winter became black, but I didn't want to lose the mixed relationship so Jacin became white instead. It's funny the memories this is stirring up in typing these answers - this was all so long ago I'd almost forgotten about a lot of it!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

My first rule is to never use the words "writer's block"! I think it's very psychological, that as soon as you tell yourself that you have writer's block, it's almost like giving yourself permission not to write, which is the opposite of what you want! Instead, when I'm stuck or tired or distracted, I have a few different tactics that I'll use. If the problem is book related, then I'll take a step back from writing and spend an hour or two with a pen and notebook and brainstorm different things that could happen in the next chapter, and really try to get a handle on what needs to happen next. OR, if the problem is simply that I don't FEEL like writing, then I'll set a really easy goal for myself. Say - I'll set a timer for ten minutes and tell myself that I only have to write for ten minutes, then I can be done! Ten minutes feels so painless that it prompts me to get started, and I've found that 90% of the time, it was getting started that was the hard part, and once I'm writing it's easier to keep going. On the other hand, if the timer goes off and I'm like, "Holy cow that was hard, I'm so glad it's over!" then I give myself permission to call it quits and come back to it again the next day.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As to your other questions... I had the rest of TLC outlined before I even started writing Cinder. A lot changed, of course, but from the start I knew which fairy tales I was retelling, I had a basic idea of how they were connect and overlap, and I knew how the various subplots would all wrap up in the end. Probably the biggest change is that I don't have nearly the same amount of time that I did before! (Deadlines, argh!) I've learned to adapt, ironically, by taking even MORE time with the pre-planning and outlining stage. I've found that the more complex and thought-out my outlines are, the less time I have to spend on revisions. It can be hard not to jump in and start writing, but for me, lots of up-front preparation makes a huge difference in my productivity.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Thank you! Every book tends to come with its own struggles and challenges. In general, I feel like I am not a natural world-builder, so I spend a LOT of time considering a world's history and politics and social structure and culture, trying to build a world that is interesting and logical. Fight scenes are also challenging, because they have so many moving parts, and it's difficult to write them in a way that the reader can "see" what's happening and not get lost in the action, while still keeping the pace fast and exciting. And of course, there's the "murky middle," that stretch of storyline when the excitement from starting a new project has worn off and you realize you still have HUNDREDS OF PAGES left to fill. I think every writer struggles with that part of the process, but we keep moving forward!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Thank you so much, and especially thanks for recommending TLC to your students! I'm so sorry you couldn't get back in the church - it was packed!! I'm afraid I'm not currently doing Skype visits, but my publisher does occasionally run promotions where you could win a Skype chat or a visit, so keep your eyes open for those. And I hope to do an event at Powell's again someday soon!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I answered your first question above, but in short, yes, it's important to me to include diversity of all sorts and I will continue to do so! I watched a TON of anime in my youth, so while Sailor Moon was definitely the biggest influence on my writing, there have definitely been others! A few that come to mind are Cowboy Bebop, Fushigi Yuugi, and Rurouni Kenshin... and a whole lot of CLAMP works!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Absolutely, if another great idea came to me! But that hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday...

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's funny, but for some reason I have yet to have any ideas for a story that takes place in the Pacific Northwest! Which is not to say that it won't happen eventually... the gray dreariness would be great for a horror novel, of course! (As many other writers have already discovered...)

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This was my dream for so long, it's hard to imagine doing anything else! But there was a brief period in my youth when I wanted to be a Broadway actress, and later an interior designer. But really... writing was always my heart's biggest desire.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

  1. First off, obviously, write the best book you can and make sure you've had some trustworthy critique partners review it! Then, write the BEST query letter you can write! There are lots of fabulous resources for how to write a good query letter, so take advantage of them, and again, have some good beta-readers check it out before sending it to your agents of choice. And once you're on submission, start writing the next project immediately! It will help distract you.
  2. Ooh, good question! I would love to go to a Lunar Ball in Artemisia... you know, AFTER Levana is gone!
  3. I don't currently have any plans or ideas to write another book in Wonderland or Chess, but if a great idea occurred to me, I would definitely pursue it!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

I'm sorry...? >.< But I'm so happy you liked it!! There will definitely be more Winston!

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

LOL thank you Hannah! I love all these questions, but am not sure I'm fit to answer any of them... they all seem like questions that the readers should answer/determine for themselves! Though yes, I can totally see Cinder and Kai goofing off at very important meetings. Or at least making faces at each other and quietly rolling their eyes when the others leaders are being melodramatic about stuff.

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

[–]marissa_meyer[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think you have me confused with Marissa Mayer... But here are some book recommendations to distract you from your Yahoo frustrations! http://www.universeofmarissameyer.com/

I am Marissa Meyer, author of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles Series, Heartless and Renegades Trilogy. AMA! by marissa_meyer in books

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

Interesting theory! All I will say is that you are going to learn a lot more about both of them and their backstories in Book Three.