Author Interview - Eilis O'Neal - The False Princess

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

EILIS O’NEAL

THE FALSE PRINCESS

I am happy to welcome Eilis O’Neal to Reading Vacation today. She talks about The
False Princess, short stories, and Renaissance Festivals.

Congratulations on your first YA fantasy novel! You must be very excited. Has the experience been as you expected or all-together different?

Thanks! And yes, I certainly am excited. Getting ready for the book to come out has been strange, wonderful, fun, and a little stressful, all at the same time. Mostly wonderful and fun, though. As to whether it was what I expected, I have to honestly say that I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that so much of it would be utterly new, so I tried to just learn as I went. And go, because I’m still learning!

The False Princess has a strong female teen as the main character. I absolutely love that and I usually learn some important lessons. What lessons will I learn from Sinda?

I think the best lesson from Sinda is to learn to be happy with who you are, not who other people think you ought to be. Sinda suffers from some self-esteem issues at the beginning of the book. She’s been cast out of the life she thought was hers, and she doesn’t know who she is. More than that, she’s not sure if she likes this unknown, supposedly unimportant self. By the end of the book, though, she’s managed to change that. She can see her self-worth and likes herself.

Your fantasy short stories have been published on line and in print. Would you consider using any of these stories as the inspiration for a novel?

I definitely would. There are a couple in particular that are knocking around in my head, because they seem to have a bigger world than just what’s in the short story. There’s a story called “The Wizard’s Calico Daughter” – which involves a girl who might or might not be part cat who lives in a very strange house with her wizard father – that really comes to mind. Whether it will blossom into a whole book remains to be seen though.

What is the best part about writing young adult? What is the hardest?

I love that with YA you don’t have to be cynical. It seems like lately there’s a trend toward cynicism in adult “literary fiction.” But with YA, you can talk about things like love, friendship, and loyalty without being accused of being sentimental. One of the harder things is that you really have to start a story with a bang – you often don’t get a lot of time to lollygag around in YA.

I hear that you have always been a reader. Ah ha, there’s something we have in common! Where is your favorite place to read and why?

I love reading on my back porch in the spring or fall (it’s generally too hot in the summer in Oklahoma). I like being able to put my feet up and have my dogs around me and just smell the air and feel the breeze.

Rumor has it that you like to visit Renaissance Festivals. Do you ever dress up for them?

Yes, I do love Ren Faires, and dressing up is half the reason to go to one! I mean, when else can you wear a corset and a big Three Musketeers hat and carry a sword without people giving you weird looks? My husband and I both dress up and, along with the shows and music and shops, we love pretending to be living in a different time for awhile.

Do you have any other books or projects you are working on that you would like to mention?

I am working on some new projects, but I think I’m going to keep them under wraps for the moment. Stay tuned, though!

Thanks for sharing and stopping by Eilis. Who knows, maybe Three Musketeers hats will come back in style. Interview courtesy of The Teen {Book} Scene.