Ask the Author: Nicole Maggi
Answered Questions (12)
Nicole Maggi
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Nicole Maggi
Hi Karol! I did have input on my cover and I was fortunate that my publisher listened to my input. The first version of the cover I was presented with was really wrong for the book and it was about a 5-month process from there to get it to where everyone was happy. I think the key was communicating clearly and firmly why that original cover wasn't right for the book, and having my agent involved from the get-go to back me up. In my mind, the girl in the red coat is Mellie, because she's carrying the journal with the pages falling out, and it's kind of symbolic of how it's only with Lise that she can show some of the secrets her journal contains. Plus, her coat is what I like to think of as "Handmaid's Red." :-)
Nicole Maggi
Hi Carolee! I grew up a little more downstate than Binghamton...I grew up in the Hudson Valley, not far from Poughkeepsie. So many people only think of NYC when they think of New York, right? They don't realize how big the state is and how beautiful upstate is. I love the Hudson Valley so much...I got married there, and still miss it a lot now that I live in LA, especially during apple-picking season! Hope the winter is treating you well...THAT I don't miss, LOL!
Nicole Maggi
Hi Willow! That is so cool that you & your BFF have names relating to WINTER FALLS! I spend a lot of time searching for the perfect name for my characters. (It's actually one of my favorite ways to procrastinate, LOL!) Because of Alessia's Italian heritage, I knew I wanted her name to be Italian. So I started by researching Italian names. I also pay close attention to the meanings of names. When I saw that Alessia means "defender" I just knew it was the perfect name because of her duty as a Benandante to protect the magic in Twin Willows. I came up with the town name because I wanted the name to reflect the two landmarks that mark the borders, and I wanted those landmarks to be something in nature. I love willow trees...which incidentally symbolize inner visions and dreams. ;-) Thank you so much for your excellent question and for your interest in WINTER FALLS!
Nicole Maggi
Hi Kaushikee! I'm thrilled to hear that you love WINTER FALLS! I love it too. :-) Yes, IN THE MOUTH OF THE WOLF is the sequel, and it releases in June 2015. It picks up pretty much where WINTER FALLS leaves off and it introduces a new POV character - Bree! She was one of those fantastic characters that just leaped off the page for me and I had a blast writing in her voice. I also have a standalone YA thrilled - unrelated to the trilogy - called THE FORGETTING that comes out in February 2015. Thank you so much for stopping by and your interest in my books!
Nicole Maggi
Hi Catherine! One day I fell down the rabbit hole that is Wikipedia and landed on the page for European witch hunts. There was a footnote on the page for something called the Benandanti. I clicked on it and immediately became obsessed. I was fascinated with the mythology of the Benandanti, especially how one had to be born into it.
At the time, I was writing historical fiction, and the first iteration of WINTER FALLS was set in the 16th century. But several months into writing it, I got stuck. After flailing about for a solution for a while, I had the eureka moment that it was not meant to be historical. Once I updated it to the here and now, the first draft flew onto the page. I adapted the mythology of the Benandanti pretty freely to suit my story, but a lot of the basic elements - being born into it, transforming into animals, defending their villages - remained the same.
I was also inspired by the stories a friend of mine told me about a crazy family she knew when she was young. So the Wolfe family is loosely (very very very loosely) based on them. And actually, if you can believe it, the true stories about that family are a lot stranger than my fictional version!
At the time, I was writing historical fiction, and the first iteration of WINTER FALLS was set in the 16th century. But several months into writing it, I got stuck. After flailing about for a solution for a while, I had the eureka moment that it was not meant to be historical. Once I updated it to the here and now, the first draft flew onto the page. I adapted the mythology of the Benandanti pretty freely to suit my story, but a lot of the basic elements - being born into it, transforming into animals, defending their villages - remained the same.
I was also inspired by the stories a friend of mine told me about a crazy family she knew when she was young. So the Wolfe family is loosely (very very very loosely) based on them. And actually, if you can believe it, the true stories about that family are a lot stranger than my fictional version!
Nicole Maggi
First, it's important to identify whether I actually have writer's block or if I'm just being lazy. Sometimes it's a matter of just keeping my butt in the chair and my fingers glued to the keyboard to push through a wall. But occasionally, I really have written myself into a corner or have a real plot problem and in those situations it's usually best to step away from the keyboard. I'll do something like go on a long drive, bake something, paint something, cut up magazines and make collages...anything to occupy the front part of my brain so my subconscious is free to work on the problem. I'll also call up my critique partners to talk it out. Sometimes when you verbalize it, it's easier to see a solution. I also use my husband. He's a great brainstormer!
Nicole Maggi
Getting to escape into another world for a few hours a day. Falling in love with characters and getting to tell their stories. Being a part of the wonderful community of kid-lit writers.
Nicole Maggi
Read, read, read and then read some more. Also, write whatever you want and don't censor yourself. Be careful about showing your work to anyone else too early. When you do that, you can open yourself up to criticism, and even if it's well-meaning it can be detrimental. Treat your writing like a beautiful glass ball and until you're sure it can't break, keep it to yourself.
Nicole Maggi
I'm working on a proposal for the second book in my SourceBooks Fire contract, which will probably come out in 2016. I don't want to say too much about it except that it's a contemporary thriller. As soon as I turn that in I'll be diving back into the Twin Willows Trilogy to finish the third and final book, THE BLUE WOODS.
Nicole Maggi
There's a great quote (and forgive me, because I'm not sure who said it) that you can't wait to be inspired to write; you have to write to be inspired. That's especially true when you're on deadline and don't have the luxury to daydream (a very important part of writing). But just before I write, I set the mood - candles, coffee (or tea if I'm already too jittery), and music.
Nicole Maggi
The rabbit hole that is Wikipedia. I was on the page for European Witch Hunts and saw a little footnote for something called the Benandanti. I clicked on it and as I started to read I got that feeling in my gut that said, "THIS IS IT."
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