Genre Chick Interview: Leah Cypess

Today the Month of Writers Blog Festival brings you an interview by lovely YA Fantasy author Leah Cypess.

And if you haven’t seen the cover to her new novel Nightspell, you must go check it out. It’s one of the most gorgeous covers I’ve ever seen. I covet…

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Coffee or Tea?
Tea. I resisted coffee for years because I couldn’t see that it did
any good — my mother drinks coffee, my father doesn’t, and the only
difference between their alertness levels is that my mother needs
coffee to get to the same place. Then, one desperate day at work, I
drank a cup of coffee and discovered that my stomach can’t handle it.

Travel the World or Travel Outer Space?
The world. It seems much more fascinating. Also, more filled with that oxygen thing.

Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Primarily fantasy, though science fiction comes in second.

Music or Silence (while you write)?
Silence while I write; music while I revise.

What weird food do you like?
Cheddar cheese together with peanut butter. My own invention.

What is one of your most irrational fears?
Flying. Not that it’s completely irrational, but the enormity of my fear definitely doesn’t come from a rational place.

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding? Why or why not?
Nope (or I should say now — it happened, I didn’t watch it). I don’t even have time to watch the tv I’m interested in!

How many novels/short stories/screenplays/poems/etc have you published?
Two novels, seven short stories.

How much do you write every day?
It varies by the day, from zero to 30K words (which only happened once or twice).

How much do you WISH you could write every day?
I like the variation, but as long as I’m wishing, I wish I could double my daily word count as a general rule. (Which would still leave some days at zero. Those days are important.)

What are you working on now?
A new book about sorcerers, assassins, and (not surprisingly) murder. Also a short story that takes place 15 years after the story of Rumpelstiltskin ends.

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Leah Cypess used to be an attorney in New York City, and is now a writer in Boston. She much prefers her current situation. She published her first short story while in high school, and then spent 15 years getting her first novel published. She currently spends most of her time chasing her daughters around the playground while simultaneously scribbling in a notebook.