Hey everyone! I’m excited to have Kathryn Lasky here for an interview as part of the More Than Magic (September 27, 2016 – Wendy Lamb Books) blog tour! First, here’s more about the book:

Join Rory and Ryder in their adventures in our world—and the world beyond the TV.

Ryder Holmsby is the same age as Rory, the popular TV cartoon character her animator parents created. Ryder and Rory are alike—bold and brave! But Ryder is a bit lonely: Mom passed away a couple of years ago, and Dad is dating a woman with snooty teenage daughters. Ryder doesn’t fit in with them at all.

And then: Shazam! Rory jumps out of the TV into Ryder’s bedroom to tell her that the TV studio behind her parents’ show is trying to turn Rory into a dopey princess—no more adventures. She needs Ryder’s help! The two girls team up with a crew of animated and real-life friends to save the day in both worlds.

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And now for the interview. Enjoy!

Question: Congrats on the release of More Than Magic! What are your plans for release week?
Answer: Personally, I tend to celebrate a new book when I send the last draft to my editor—in this case the wonderful Wendy Lamb. Books aren’t like movies. There aren’t premiers and red carpets. I don’t have to pick out an outfit, get my hair and makeup done. So the book comes out September 27 and I’ll be back in my study working on my next book, in sweatpants if I plan to go to the gym after a few hours of writing. No bright lights or the flash of photographers’ cameras. Nothing ‘magical’. All the magic, if any, happens in my study.

Question: Describe your book in ten words or less. Go!
Answer: Two worlds overlap. One real one virtual.

Question: What scene do you most regret having to cut?
Answer: It must not have been too important because I can hardly remember it now. But it was something about a Count Von Tharne who was a bad guy cartoon character but in fact we cut the whole character and that ultimately was a good idea.

Question: On the flip side, what was your favorite scene that got added during edits?
Answer: I love the scene when Ryder begins to draw for the first time after her mom has died and she begins to conceptualize the character of the Barn Owl based on Constance. To me that is a very moving scene and it was really exciting to write.

Question: If one character (from a TV show/movie/book/etc) could jump off the screen/out of the pages and into your bedroom, who would you want it to be and why?
Answer: Well I have to break this down. From a non-animated live action movie –Hugh Jackman. He was originally going to be the voice of one of the characters in my movie Legend of the Guardians. What a disappointment that he wasn’t. Nevertheless I would prefer him in his human and non-owl form. From a TV show Lisa Simpson from the Simpsons. Love her!!!

Question: Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
Answer: I wrote a series called Daughters of the Sea. Actually those four books were among the most favorite books I ever wrote. At least my favorites. They were about girls who discover when they get to be say fourteen years old that they are not quite human but mermaids! I discovered through google searches that there are actually people who believe in mermaids and there was a science television program where they faked the evidence to try and prove that such creatures exist. I don’t think the program is any longer on the air.

Question: What books would you recommend to a reader who loved yours, and wants to read something similar?
Answer: I have to say that one of my all time favorite books is Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. It’s not exactly magic like in my book but it is definitely fantasy. And then from when I was a child I adored the book Half Magic by Edward Eager. But neither one of these books is really similar to mine.

Question: What are three must-have items when you sit down to write?
Answer: A glass of water. A bunch of post its. And my muse—A Miss Piggy puppet that hangs off a lamp across from my desk.

And now for the giveaway! One US winner will receive a hardcover of More Than Magic! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!

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About the Author:
 
Kathryn Lasky is the American author of many critically acclaimed books, including several Dear America books, several Royal Diaries books, 1984 Newbery Honor winning Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her latest book, Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 15: The War of the Ember, was released on November 1, 2008. Guardians of Gahoole: A guide to the Great Tree was released on September 1st, almost a month before projected selling time. She was born June 24, 1944, and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is married to Christopher Knight, with whom she lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Visit her website or find her on Twitter and Facebook!