Hannah McBride: Current Author, Former Irish Banana: Blog Tour: Kiera Cass

Apr 8, 2012

Blog Tour: Kiera Cass

It's not every day a book gets a comparison to The Hunger Games - arguably the epitome of dystopian novels. It's also not every day that a book gets a TV show before the book is even published. But The Selection is not your every day, ordinary book. It is a breathless, romantic, and spectacular read. The author of this wondrous book, Kiera Cass, is poised on the cusp of greatness with nowhere to go but up.

I recently got the chance to interview Kiera Cass about The Selection, some of her favorites, and some advice she has for aspiring writers.

Interview w/Kiera Cass

1. Describe The Selection in 25 words or less.
A princess competition in the future with fierce girls and cute boys. Also, robots. Okay, I lied about the robots, but I still had words.

2. Where did you get the idea for The Selection?In my head, it's a mash-up of Cinderella and Esther. I kept wondering if Esther, before she was sent off to the palace, maybe liked the boy next door and had to get over him. And I wondered what if Cinderella, who only really wanted a night off, was really happy with her prince and her new position. So I decided to write about a girl from a poor background who would gain the attention of a prince, but she wouldn't want him because she was already in love. Once I figured out where they lived, it all came together.

3. What are your "must haves" when writing? (Food? Drink? Music?)
Well, I don't really have a writing space at my house, so I usually work at coffee shops or wherever. So I always get food or something, and I have a playlist going to block out everyone around me. Also, I have a little Netbook which I LOVE! She holds all my stories.

4. Play the casting director: If you could pick an actor/actress for any of the roles in The Selection, who would you choose?
Honestly, I have NO IDEA! All I know is that America would be a unique kind of beautiful, the kind of beautiful that we sometimes have a hard time accepting if we are that way because it's not exactly like everyone else. And Aspen, though he's the local guy, is an exotic type of handsome. Maxon, though a prince, has more of a boy-next-door look to him.

5. What are you currently writing/working on?Right now: I just turned in a draft of Book 2, and that will be the big thing for a while. But in a week, I'm sitting down to write the bare bones of Book 3. It will change a lot as we edit Book 2, but I'm terrified of baby brain taking over (due in July!) and me not being able to get out anything coherent.

Fill in the blank....:
6. If I'm not writing, I'm... tickling Guyden (my son).
7. Favorite drink: Sprite!
8. Favorite snack: Cake.
9. Favorite movie: Ohhh... Bio-Dome or That Thing You Do.
10. Favorite book: Pssh! Yeah, like I could pick just one!

11. Any advice for aspiring writers
Do the best you can to learn about things before you get into the industry. Wisdom is good! And develop your thick skin early. Not everyone will love what you do, and that's okay. You've just got to be able to let the mean stuff roll off your back. It's tough, but still.

Thanks, Kiera!!!

Make sure you check out the rest of the blog tour: