Quick Qs and As with Rachel Hawkins

Rachel Hawkins is the debut author of an amazing book called Hex Hall, which is now out!  So, without a futher ado, here's my interview with Rachel.

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1) First off, I’m going to give you a couple of categories and I would like you to list your favorite.

Food? Tacos
Drink? Earl Grey Tea
Book? Waaaay too many to list, but I'll go Old School and say The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope and the Anne of Green Gables books.
Author? Diana Gabaldon and George R.R.Martin
Movie? Again, with the lots, but I ADORE Marie Antoinette and all the Lord of the Rings movies.
Season? Autumn

2) Can you describe Hex Hall in three words?

Funny, Spooky, Hawt (and yes, that spelling is intentional!)

3) What was the inspiration behind Hex Hall?

Probably the biggest inspiration is a lifetime of watching old, spooky, haunted house movies with my mom. I was always drawn to those kind of stories, with the big, Gothic houses, and the seeekkkriiiits, and the wandering around at night with candles, and what have you. Secondly, I was teaching high school when I started writing Hex Hall, so being around teenagers all day was definitely a big inspiration! Of course, a lot of Hex Hall started with a simple question I found myself thinking late one night: What if you got sent to Hogwarts, and instead of being awesome and magical, it Totally Sucked Out Loud?

4) In Hex Hall, the main character is sent to a boarding school for supernatural creates including witches, warlocks, vampires and fairies among a few others which leaves me to wonder which you would want to be if you had to pick one.

Well, I like garlic way too much to ever be a vampire, faeries have all those stupid courts and rules (not to mention lame names like ThiggyWhistle or whatever), and shapeshifters have the whole Hair Issue, so I would defintely go with witch!

5) One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the main character- Sophie- because she was so much fun to read about. So, are you similar to her in any ways?

First of all, THANK YOU! So glad you enjoyed Sophie! I think she definitely has my deep, deep love for The Snark, as well as my appreciation for boys with dark hair and eyes (although I ended up married to a blue-eyed redhead!) She's also unsure of herself, which I very much was at 16, and I like to think I'm as loyal to my friends as she is! That said, she's WAY bolder than I am, and she definitely angsts more than me!

6) Do you have a favorite scene or line in Hex Hall? If so, would you mind sharing a glimpse of it with us?

I have two. The first is the prologue, where you see the disastrous love spell that lands Sophie at Hecate Hall, just because it was so much fun to write! The second is a scene that happens towards the end of the book. It involves a cellar and a hot warlock. That's all I have to say about that. ;-)

7) What’s your favorite thing about being an author so far? Least favorite?

My favorite part is hearing from people who've read the book and fallen in love with Sophie and Co! There is absolutely nothing better! Least favorite is that there are lots of times when EVERYTHING else in life has to go to the back burner, whether it's because you're working on a deadline, or you've reached a part of the book where you just HAVE to keep writing. There have been too many nights my family has sat in a messy house and eaten take-out!

8) You’re part of an awesome group called the 10’ers which leaves which leaves me to wonder what your experience has been like being a 10‘er.

I really can't say enough good about the Tenners and how much I've LOVED being a part of them for the past year, SO PREPARE FOR GUSHING! They are just the most fabulous, supportive, HILARIOUS group of people, and I've made some lifelong friendships through it. Publishing can be overwhelming- especially when it's your first book!- and to have so many people going through the same thing at the same time is a godsend. Plus, I get to read a lot of their books early, and if you know anything about how CRAZY TALENTED the Tenners are, then you know why that's such a big deal! *ends gushing*

9) What’s up next for you book-wise?

There are 2 more books in the Hex Hall series scheduled to come out in 2011 and 2012, respectively (oh, please, Mayans, don't let the world in before Hex Hall 3 comes out, m'kay?). I'm also working on a standalone YA about a Southern Belle turned Superhero/Bodyguard, as well as more books set in the Hex Hall universe.

10) Is there anything else you would like to add?

 

Just thank you so much, both for asking me to do this, and for all your nice comments about Hex Hall! So, so appreciated!!
 
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Thanks Rachel! Now what are you waiting for? Go check out her book (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indie Bound) and vist her on her blog, website or twitter.