Q. I loved the characters in Airborne, especially Mason. Was any character based on a person you know in real life?
A: I think there are traits from the characters that I pulled from people around me. Avery sounds too much like me sometimes. But I didn’t wholly or intentionally base any characters off of anyone I know in reality.
What bird would you use to describe Avery and why?
I think I’m going to say peacock but this deserves an explanation. There are wild peacocks that occasionally end up around my house. They’re pretty and occasionally nice but never upset a peacock. They will be out for blood. They also have abnormally loud voices. That reminds me of Avery (especially when she’s in the same room as Mason).
We have many Young-Adult books dealing with vampires, werewolves and angels, but few are about harpies. What inspired you to write about these mythological creatures?
I knew I wanted a creature with wings. At the time, I had planned to use a protagonist who was afraid of heights. I didn’t want to use angels because of all the lore that accompanied them. Then I wanted something with a clean slate. I knew about harpies from old mythology classes so when contemplating, I cracked open a history book and began to look at the way they were portrayed around the world. I found a version (attributed to the French but this may not have been the origin) that depicted them as human-looking, vicious creatures with wings. I decided I had enough to rewrite the mythology and went for it.
Have you always known that you would write for the Young-Adult audience?
Not entirely, but my logic on this is a bit strange. When I first began writing, I was a young adult so many of the things I wrote about interested me. I figured (by default) that made me a YA writer. I had more things to relate to with my own generation and I feel like that made my books more genuine. But sometimes I do think I could write to transcend to the adult audience as well. Especially now that I am being forced to grow up (gasp!).
How would you describe a day of writing for you?
I’d like to say I’m focused, efficient, and schedule writing times for myself. That’s what all the writing magazines say makes you succeed, right? But I’m not going to lie. I’m very easily distracted, I have music blaring while I write, and if I run out of coffee I can’t get through that last word. At the same time, I always do manage to make myself sit down and get through a few chapters. Granted, it’s likely at four AM in the morning but what counts, counts.
If a magical genie appears and says you can transform into any mythological creature, what would you choose to be?
I’m going to be a little unoriginal here and go with vampire. Though I don’t write about them, I actually love vampires and am attracted to the speed, strength, and overall awesomeness.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers out there?
Believe in your work and learn to climb up hill for you art. Any new writer tends to become discouraged by the tough critics out there. Use the feedback that you can, grow thick skin, and don’t give up. You will keep improving as a writer so those bad reviews won’t stick. You will, however, find a niche and success that sticks.
Thank you so much for your time, Ms Sharper!
Do head over to Constance Sharper's blog to find out more about her, her writing, and where you can purchase Airborne. You can also see what I thought about Airborne here!
Its sequel, Grounded, is expected to be published in August 2011, so if you loved Airborne, do remember to check it out then (:
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It would make my day to hear from you :D
And I promise to reply either on the post you've commented on, or your own blog, because your opinions count!
I'll also always try to return the favor(: