I am very pleased to welcome Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl here to DarkFaerieTales.com to talk about their stunning debut Young Adult novel, Beautiful Creatures, which is scheduled to be released on December 1, 2009. However, I was able to pickup a copy last week from B&N so check your local bookstores.
You can read my review of the book here.
I’m giving one lucky commenter a chance to win a finished of Beautiful Creatures. Details are listed at the end of the post.
You can also visit Kami and Margaret around the web here: Joint Website | Book Website | Facebook | Kami’s Blog | Margaret’s Blog
Welcome Kami and Margaret!
DFT: If you could describe your main characters with only 3 words, what would they be?
Kami: Loyal, Strong, and Determined.
Margie: Haunted, Passionate, and Powerful.
DFT: What influences and inspirations (both literary and non-literary) did you draw from while writing Beautiful Creatures?
Kami: Great Southern writers, like Harper Lee and Flannery O’Connor and YA writers, as well as the South itself—the food, the history, and the cemeteries.
Margie: The South seems like a place where magic and mystery really coexist, so everything we write springs from that profound sense of place. It helped that our families come from tiny towns and casserole counties, and we also spent time in and around Charleston where the book is set.
DFT: Who is your favorite character in this book, and why?
Kami: Aside from Ethan and Lena, it would have to be Amma. She reminds me of my great-grandmother. And she’s the kind of lady you don’t want to tangle with, whether it comes to baking pies or making voodoo charms.
Margie: Macon or Marian. They’re both such fearless outsiders in Gatlin’s fishbowl of a town; I aspire to that kind of confidence and I think Lena and Ethan do, too. And of course, we all love books so we have that in common…
DFT: What other projects are you working on that you would like to tell us about?
Kami: We just finished revising the sequel to Beautiful Creatures.
Margie: Beyond that, we are working on getting ready for our Beautiful Creatures Southern Tour, and getting our husbands and children to remember our names.
DFT: If you could choose only one, which would you choose: for Beautiful Creatures to be award-winning, or for Beautiful Creatures to be bestselling? Why?
Kami: I’m not sure how to quantify either of those, so I would say I want BC to be loved by readers – not just purchased, but loved. I want it to matter to them.
Margie: I just wanted it to be a book. I cried when I first saw the arc, and I cried again when I first saw it on the shelf. I’m such a crybaby!
DFT: What is your favorite fairy tale? Why?
Kami: Hansel and Gretel – the original version, where the witch eats them. I’m not a fan of cookie cutter endings. And you shouldn’t go into strangers’ houses.
Margie: Snow White and Rose Red. I loved reading my massive, illustrated Grimm’s as a child, and all that came rushing back to me when I read Malinda Lo’s Ash this year, so excellent! My new favorite would be Robin McKinley’s Beauty.
DFT: What books/genres do you read when you have the chance? Any must read authors or series?
Kami: I read almost exclusively YA, cookbooks, and history. As far as newer books and authors, I love SHADOWED SUMMER by Saundra Mitchell, THE DEMON’S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan, RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund, and starting SHADOW HILLS by Anastasia Hopcus.
Margie: I worship Diana Wynne Jones & Robin McKinley. This year, I devoured FIRE by Kristin Cashore, and the distinctly un-supernatural but extraordinarily gifted EVERYTHING IS FINE by AnnDee Ellis. The last book I read was EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer, which turned me vegetarian by page 43.
DFT: What is your definition of a “bad writing day”? How do you deal with bad writing days?
Kami: Revising. Revising. Revising. I like to draft.
Margie: A bad writing day is a day you don’t write at all because you’ve written yourself into the corner. So you hide in your bed or read other people’s books or watch reruns of Ghost Whisperer until you stress-think your way out of the problem.
DFT: What creature are you afraid of most?
Kami: Hands down, the Devil. Can’t watch The Exorcist under any circumstances.
Margie: The Joker from the old Batman T.V. series. I used to see him in every dark window or mirror.
DFT: If you could be any paranormal creature. Which one would you be and why?
Kami: I’ll go with a Slayer. I love Buffy.
Margie: I’m going to say a Killer Unicorn. I’m a huge RAMPANT fan. And I’m going to ask Kami not to slay me.
DFT: Kami & Margaret – I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and I’m looking forward to the sequel.
GIVEAWAY GUIDELINES:
One lucky commenter will have a chance to win a finished copy of Beautiful Creatures.
To enter, leave a comment below answering the following question:
If you were sabotaged at every turn by the creepy townsfolk, what would you do to get back at them?
1. +1 entry for answering the question (required).
2. +2 entries for becoming a follower of this blog and Dark Faerie Tales on Twitter.
3. +3 entries for tweeting about this contest, blogging about it, linking via your sidebar etc…(please tell me where!).
4. Giveaway is open to everyone.
5. Please include your email address in your comment.
6. Giveaway ends Tuesday, December 8th at 11:59 PM EST.
7. The winner will be picked with the help of Random.org.
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What would I do then…move? 
If I had the power, I’d cast a spell on them to make their cupboard doors never close. Not super viscious, I know, but it would sure be annoying! Plus, they might stub a toe, bump a shin, or get a knock on the head from it. Bonus!
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