Author Interview w/ Wendy Higgins (Sweet Evil)

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Wendy Higgins, author of Sweet Evil, coming out in May of next year! (SOON!) How exciting it is getting ready for all the new books coming out in 2012!

Now, let's get started!

1.) Writing seems to be in your blood. At what age did you write your first book?

I was five.  J  I wrote a tiny book called “The Day the Whole Class got the Chicken Pox,” and it even had a twist at the end-haha. I drew little stick-figure illustrations and stapled the pages together. I think my mom still has it somewhere.

 

2.) Are you the only writer in the family?

There’s a lot of creativity in my extended family, whether it’s crafting, sewing/quilting, drawing/painting, cake-decorating, you name it! My cousin, Rikki Simons, is the voice of GIR from Invader ZIM and also writes sci-fi graphic novels. 

 

3.) How long did it take you to write Sweet Evil?

It took seven weeks to write the first draft (roughly 82k). I was in the zone!  The revision process was much lengthier. I had to completely disassemble the story and rewrite, adding and deleting as I went. That part took a little over a year and a half.

 

4.) Sweet Evil wasn't originally going to be the title. What other titles did you have?

It began as Angel Prophecy, but the prophecy was taken out during revisions. Next it was Sin Legacy, but the publishers suggested Sweet Evil, and I loved how it summed up the dichotomy within the story.

 

5.) You have a very interesting story about how you got published. Could you share a little of that journey?

After the first draft, I needed a critique partner, but I had no writer friends. I found inkpop.com, a site run by HarperCollins for “teens and those who write for teens.” I got to work with my target audience, helping them, and receiving help.  I will forever love inkpoppers! They voted my story to the top five, where it received an editorial review and a subsequent offer for publication with HarperTeen. Insane, huh?

 

6.) What is something about you that most people don't know? And something that everyone seems to know about you?

Not many people know I was a flight-attendant for a major airline when I was twenty-one (not as glamorous as it looks, lol). Most people do seem to know that I like to give cyber hugs. *squeeze!*

 

7.) What authors did you enjoy reading while growing up? And now?

I loved Beverly Cleary and R.L. Stine. Now I love Richelle Mead, Veronica Roth, Karen Marie Moning, J.K. Rowling, and so many more!

 

8.) We will find more about Anna and Kaidan in the sequel Sweet Hope, but are you currently working on anything else?  

I have one other project, a separate stand alone called See Me, which is nearly complete. I’m looking forward to getting back to it eventually, but I can’t mix story worlds like some writers can. Right now I’m deep in the Sweet world.

 I can't wait! To find out more about Wendy, you can follow her on Twitter, and friend her on Facebook, and check out her blog. She is also a member of YAtopia. And don't forget to be a part of the Sweet Evil Facebook Fanpage!