2013 Meg- A Readers Final Post!! (An Interview with MEG CABOT!!!)

Hey Everyone!!

So Diana and I are so excited and saddened that this day has finally come...saddened that our second annual Meg- A Readers is over, and excited because we both have something super awesome to share with all of you!

A few weeks ago, we asked for YOU the Meg Cabot fans, to ask Meg a question, and we promised we would pick our favorites and send them along to Meg!  Well Diana and I have kept our promise, and with a HUGE thanks to Meg and Meg's Assistant Ann, we made it happen!!

So without further ado, I'd like to welcome Meg!!!

1. I've noticed that you almost have done all book genres, from supernatural to royal to everyday like.  What other genres are you planning to write on, something that you have never done before?

Hi, thanks so much for having me here! I’m excited to “cyber-see” you all again! 

I've never written a book told completely from a guy's point of view (unless you count the short story “The Protectionist” that I wrote for the anthology to raise funds for Darfur, “What You Wish For,” which was written from the point-of-view of a twelve year old boy.  

I’ve definitely written scenes from the points of male characters in my adult fiction, as recently as Insatiable and Overbite, and as far back as my books written as Patricia Cabot.

I wouldn’t rule out writing a new from a male character’s point-of-view. You never know!

2. What's different about writing young adult fiction and adult fiction? Is there one that you enjoy more than the other?

I don’t really enjoy one more than the other, but for me the biggest challenge in writing for teens versus adults is that I’m not allowed use curse words in my teen/kids fiction (well, not very much), especially the F word, but in real life, I curse all the time! I realize this is not very classy, but it’s been scientifically proven to be a stress reliever! 

When I go to book signings and events, I have to sit in the car before hand and say the F word in the backseat for about ten minutes to get it out of my system to make sure I don’t say it in front of the kids. Then I’m ready to go inside and act like a good role model … but sometimes (for instance in Long Island last night when I dropped my camera) I let an F bomb fly anyway. Dang it! So not classy.

7. I love all your female protagonists but I also fell in love with all your male ones, especially Michael Moscovitz. Do you believe that there are real guys out there who resemble your male characters?

Absolutely! There's someone out there for everyone. Just be yourself, and someday a guy will come along who loves you just the way you are. But remember – YOU may have to reach out to HIM! Sometimes guys are shy.

3. Do you get to pick out all of your book covers?  I know some authors say they don't have any input on it.

Usually the publisher chooses several ideas for a cover, and we vote (my editor, myself, my agent, and the art dept).  Almost always we completely agree. But sometimes (like with a guy) you might have to take the initiative (in a gentle, non-threatening way) if no one can come to an agreement.  

I wasn’t loving any of the ideas for the cover for The Bride Wore Size 12, so I found the photo of the cake topper online, photoshopped the gun to the bride’s leg, and sent the image to my publisher. They loved the idea, and that became the cover.  If you have a great idea, everyone will always be open to it, but it really does need to be great, and you need to be able to argue for WHY it’s great.

4.  If you were to be stranded on a desert island with one of your characters, who would it be and why?

Obviously John Hayden from Awaken because he’s a ship builder and ship captain, so he could build us a boat and sail us back to shore! 

5.  I just wanted to ask Meg whether she plans the plot of the whole series right at the beginning or is it the other way around?

I have some idea of where things are headed in each series before I write it. I definitely plot out each book in advance (in my head). I’m not a huge outliner, and don't believe you have to know all the details in order to write a great book, but I do believe you have to know where you're going and have some idea of how you're going to get there in order not to run into writer’s block. 

But even if you do, it’s still fixable. Just make a plan and figure it out!

6. Which age genre is easiest to write? YA, NA, Adult, Middle Grade, etc?

I don’t have any favorites.  I feel lucky that I get to write for all ages! Of course, when I write for adults, I get to include more swear words (and murder and steamy scenes). 

But I love writing for younger readers who are at a time in their lives when they're just discovering who they are and what they want to be, especially when their biggest problem might be a bully, or someone they do NOT want to kiss.

8.  Princess Mia once made a reference to Jess and Samantha from two of your other books, do you ever make any other less-noticeable tie-ins in other books?

Astute fans, while reading The Bride Wore Size 12 might notice something!

9.  Any upcoming projects that we should know about?

As I type this, I’ve just started my fall book tour. I hope you will all stop by to visit me if you can. You can find the complete schedule of all my stops at http://www.megcabot.com/meg-cabot-tour-information/ 

When I get back, there’s a good chance I'll be working on some new installments to some old favorites, which haven’t had new stories in a few years. I don’t want to give away anything away, however!  You’ll just have to stay tuned to megcabot.com (and my twitter and Facebook page) for updates.

Thanks for reading, and as always, be happy, be healthy, and be yourself!

Love,

Meg 

So I don't know about you, I'm serious curious as to see what that "new installment to some old favorites" could mean???????!!!! I remember Meg mentioning about possibly revisiting Sue in Mediators, I know she made a stop in Carmel, last year when she was here in California, right before she went to Passion and Prose where I met her.  But since that is plural...COULD IT BE??? That...oh goodness, I might just hyperventilate if it is...I'm almost afraid to say it out loud, just in case if it jinxes it...okay here goes...could we readers possibly being seeing more of Mia and Michael???????????????????????? OMG PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway thank you again Meg, you honestly rock!!  And thank you Ann! You were truly awesome once again this year!! And then of course a huge thank you to my super awesome co-host Diana, who was so extremely patient with me this year, while I was juggling way too much over the summer!  :)

Hope to have you all here next year when the third Meg-A Readers takes place!!

The Romance Bookie :)