Interview: Malinda Lo

Today, we have a very magical guest here at Lucid Conspiracy. As you may recall, awhile ago I posted a review for the very spellbinding Ash, which was released earlier this month on September 1st. If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Malinda's blog - great content and wonderful images of food; what more could you ask for? And now, presenting the fabulous... Malinda Lo!

In Ash's world, there's a multitude of amazing new fairy tales. Did you come up with these yourself? How?
Many of the fairy tales are based in Irish and British folklore, especially tales collected by Katharine Briggs, an English folklorist. It's amazing what's already out there!

Do you have a favourite among those?
The story of Kathleen, a girl who basically wastes away dreaming of fairy land, was one of my favorites. Yes, it's kind of depressing. :)

Ooh, I really liked that one as well, despite how sad it is. Now, there's no denying that Ash's world is a little different from our own. Do you visualize it as being more medieval in setting, or mostly modern, or somewhere in between?
I don't envision it as being medieval, exactly. There's certainly no modern technology, but it's also not nearly as messy as the Middle Ages really were. So, maybe if the Middle Ages were cleaned up and everybody had running water. :) It's a fantasy land!

Works for me! So the word around the grapevine is that you're working on a companion novel to ASH about the first huntress. Are there any details that you're at liberty to share with us about it?
Sure! It's an adventure. The main characters go on a quest, and they get to visit the land of the Sidhe (the fairies).


Sounds very amazing, definitely looking forward to it! If the apocalypse were to come tomorrow and you could only choose three books (in the entire world) to keep safe and bring into the "New World", which would you choose?
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen
IN THE EYE OF THE TYPHOON by Ruth Earnshaw Lo (this is my grandmother's book!)
ASH by me — because I couldn't leave it behind!

I guess I wouldn't be doing much to "save literature"! LOL.

Good choices, nevertheless. Words of wisdom - what do you do when the muse has gone on vacation?
If I'm encountering a block, I usually try to just power through it at first by ignoring the block and just writing anything. Sometimes that works. If it doesn't and I find myself getting increasingly frustrated, I will actually physically leave my desk and change the location of where I'm writing. I'll go sit on the couch or go to a cafe or something. If that doesn't work, then I'll stop writing entirely, taking a break from it by going for a walk or reading a book for enjoyment. Anything to totally switch my mind off from writing. When I feel rested and refreshed, I'll go back to the project, and usually it's fine by then.

Something particularly striking about ASH is the almost lyrical quality of the writing. Do you listen to music or have any other writing rituals?
I do listen to music when writing; a playlist of songs that I listened to while writing ASH is here.

Thanks for asking me to do the interview!

Thanks for stopping by, Malinda!

And here I'll leave you off with some links: Malinda's website, Twitter, Facebook, and at AfterEllen.

Ash Review

Ash - Malinda Lo
*September 1st, 2009 Little, Brown & Company

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Malinda Lo's Ash is a stunning debut! The story, the characters, the world comes alive like Lo has sprinkled it with fairy dust. It's pretty safe to judge Ash by its cover; the beautiful cover is fairly indicative of the interior. With Ash, Lo has taken the basic threads that comprise the timeless tale of Cinderella, rewoven them, and like the fairy godmother, waved her magic pen and transformed a pumpkin into a magnificent coach.

One of the things that stands out the most is definitely Lo's writing style. The diction choice, the phrasing, the tone... there's something especially melodic about her descriptions, almost achingly beautiful in places.

"The rhythm was echoed in the sound of her mother's fingers on the fabric of her dress, a subtle swoosh in the dark, up and down, up and down, the friction like a rope binding them together" (Lo 74).

Through the ethereal descriptions, the setting really comes alive, immersing the audience in Ash's world. Something about the voice - Lo has captured the fairy tale tone almost perfectly. There are moments where the language does seem a little reminiscent of the present, but that also draws the reader closer into the alternate realm. Over the years, various retellings of Cinderella have cropped up (e.g. Ella Enchanted, Just Ella, etc.), but there have been none like this. Ash is something else entirely; Lo has practically created a whole new fairy tale.

And throughout the course of Ash, there are various fairy tales that are part of Ash's world. These I found to be a very nice touch, and added realism, but also irony. They were very enjoyable mini-stories to explore. At 264 pages, Ash could have seen a little more character development with addition of a couple extra pages, but then again, some removal from the audience may be needed to maintain the fairy tale aura. In any case - Ash, Kaisa, Sidhean, the stepsisters... all very intriguing and well-written characters.

Not only that, but the relationships between the characters were conveyed very nicely as well. Ash is quoted as being "a lesbian retelling of Cinderella", but it's also so much more than that. It's a new sort of fairy tale (that could potentially spark a revival?), a story of loss, love, and life. The relationship that forms between Ash and Kaisa is very pure, very beautiful. The situation between Ash and Sidhean and the surrounding circumstances were a very nice - albeit sad and ironic - twist.

It seems the fairies must've aided with casting spells, because Ash is a spellbinding debut. Lo has created a truly remarkable story here - a real fairy tale.

Malinda's Website | Ash on Goodreads | Ash on Amazon

In My Mailbox [13]

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature brought to you courtesy of Alea and Kristi ...

Ash - Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
*September 1st, Little Brown

The Hollow Goodies
Awesome swag such as temporary tattoos, stickers, postcards etc.
*Thanks Jessica!

So, what was in your mailbox this week?!

*Hint: If you aren't already following, now might be a good time to start ;)

In My Mailbox [10]

In My Mailbox is inspired by Alea and the brainchild of Kristi ...

Prophecy of the Sisters - Michelle Zink

An ancient prophecy divides two sisters-One good...One evil...Who will prevail?Twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe have just become orphans. They have also become enemies. As they discover their roles in a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other, the girls find themselves entangled in a mystery that involves a tattoo-like mark, their parents' deaths, a boy, a book, and a lifetime of secrets. Lia and Alice don't know whom they can trust.They just know they can't trust each other.
*Little, Brown August 1st, 2009.

I'm really excited about this one, after hearing all the great things about it so far. Thanks a ton for the book, Malinda!

Oh. My. Gods. - Tera Lynn Childs

A modern girl's comedic odyssey in a school filled with the descendants of Greek gods.
When Phoebe's mom returns from Greece with a new husband and moves them to an island in the Aegean, Phoebe's plans for her senior year and track season are ancient history. Now she must attend the uberexclusive academy, where admission depends on pedigree, namely, ancestry from Zeus, Hera, and other Greek gods. That's right, they're real, not myth, and their teen descendants are like the classical heroes—supersmart and superbeautiful with a few superpowers. And now they're on her track team! Armed only with her Nikes and the will to win, Phoebe races to find her place among the gods.

The premise of this sounds great, and hey, who doesn't love Greek mythology? Thanks a bunch for the book, Kate and Tera!

You Don't Know Me - David Klass
Hanging on to Max - Margaret Bechard

Thanks a bunch for the books, Bri!

Fairy Tale bookmarks & a magnet; aren't they just darling? Thanks, Cyn! Her debut novel Fairy Tale will be available from Delacorte on June 23rd, 2009.

So, what did you guys haul in this week?