Interview with Y.S. Lee

http://yslee.com

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I always secretly wanted to be a writer but was afraid to admit it until recently. I guess I thought it was arrogant or pretentious.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

I’ve been incredibly lucky. The first novel I sat down to write was the book that eventually became A SPY IN THE HOUSE. I wrote it first as an adult novel, though. It was my agent who pointed out that it was a coming-of-age story, and suggested I revise it for YA readers. She was absolutely right, so I cut about 30,000 words. It was important to me, though, not to sacrifice the book’s darker aspects and I think I’ve managed to keep them. It’s a much tighter novel for having been pruned.

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My recent release is the first novel in THE AGENCY series, A SPY IN THE HOUSE. It’s got secrets, spies, and stench. What’s not to like? ;)

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

The inspiration came from the summer I spent living in London while I researched my PhD thesis. I loved walking the city, partly because the Victorian era feels so real when you’re there. It’s all around you! I wanted to try to recreate that feeling.

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

I have the ideal husband. He helps me talk through plot problems, reads my drafts, supports my writing in really thoughtful, practical ways, and makes me coffee every morning. And he’s very, very funny.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) and its close cousins.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Curse the time (if it’s early, which it always is), drink some water, put on my glasses. Glamorous, hey?

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Maybe the 40-lb sacks of wood pellets in the coat closet? They heat our house via the pellet stove.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

I’d be red, because it rocks and I aspire to rock, too.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Mina Murray in Alan Moore’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

I like Snoopy’s vivid fantasy life. And I love suppertime, too.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

Right now, I’d go to SE Asia in the 1940s to research this idea I have for a book.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I like lush, extravagant singer-songwriters like Rufus Wainwright and Florence and the Machine, and slightly more austere classical music (Brahms). I can’t listen to music while I write – I’d never get any work done!

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

I adore Dr. Who. My favourite movies are action flicks – the dumber the better – but I don’t really watch them again. The last movie I saw at the theatre was probably Quantum of Solace (yes, all those many eons ago).

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

You have to be a reader before you can be a writer.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

More AGENCY novels, for sure – book 2, THE BODY AT THE TOWER, comes out in August and book 3, THE TRAITOR AND THE TUNNEL is out in 2011. And I hope to be around for a good long time after that!

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thank you so much for inviting me here. It’s been fun.