Cafe Chit Chat: Malinda Lo

Malinda Lo is the amazing debut author of the wonderfully dark retelling of Cinderella~Ash. [Click HERE for review]. Malinda was born in China and then she moved to the US (woohoo another Chinese author :) ) She was also the former managing editor of AfterEllen.com.

Now on to the interview....

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Wdebo: Can you describe a typical day?

Malinda Lo: I get up around 6:30-7 because my dog wakes up that early! Then I eat breakfast while checking my email and reading the news. Around 8:00, I take my dog out for a walk. When I get back, I like to spend the whole morning writing. If I am working on fiction, I try to stay offline. In the afternoon, I may continue writing, or I might spend time doing business stuff like answering email, doing blog interviews :), etc. In the evening I hang out with my partner, eat dinner, and if I'm lucky, I watch TV. I love Top Chef!

W: My dog wakes up that early too, I'm glad my dad is the one who takes care of her, lol. How did you come with the idea for Ash?

M: My favorite books as a child were Robin McKinley's fairy tale retellings, but she never retold Cinderella. So I decided to write the book I wanted to read.

W: Could you give a short summary of Ash for those readers who might not be familiar with it?

M: Ash is a retelling of Cinderella, a fairy tale about a girl who is forced to work as a servant for her wicked stepmother after her father dies. In traditional versions, Cinderella falls in love with Prince Charming, but in my novel, Ash, the Cinderella character, falls in love with another girl.

W: Are any of your characters based on someone you know?

M: I answer[ed] this in my Ash FAQ right here: http://www.malindalo.com/ash/faq/#faq8

W: What is your favorite thing to do (apart from writing)?

M: Eat!

W: What is your favorite color?

M: Red.

W: If you were stranded on an island and could only bring five things what would they be?

M: 1. A satellite phone to call for help
2. Water purification tablets
3. A tent
4. Good hiking shoes
5. A book about edible plants
(I'm practical.)

W: Are you working on another project now? And if so, can you tell us about it?

M: I am currently writing a companion novel to Ash. It is set in the same world as Ash but several hundred years earlier, so there are no crossover characters. It's a young adult fantasy, and it should come out in fall 2010.

W: Who are some authors you look up to?

M: Robin McKinley and Madeleine L'Engle are my favorite children's/YA novelists.

W: What is your FAVORITE book in the whole world, one that you think everyone should read.

M: A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle

W: What is your favorite chinese dish in the whole world?

M: Hong shao rou, or red-cooked pork. Specifically, the kind made by my mother!

W: Do you have anything else you would like to say?

M: Thanks for the interview!

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Thanks so much for letting me interview you!!

Check out Malinda's site HERE! And don't forget to check out Ash!!

Wdebo :)