Is Maggie Stiefvater the next JK Rowling?

Interviews and more reviews 

cynsations - Author Interview: Maggie Stiefvater on Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

cynsations - Author Interview: Maggie Stiefvater on Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception
By Cynthia Leitich Smith, author of Tantalize

Extract
Maggie Stiefvater on Maggie Stiefvater: "I'm a 26-year old with a serious Peter Pan complex, an addiction to sweet tea and cookie dough, and an obsessive love of music. When I'm not hanging out with my tolerant husband and two toddlers, I'm either writing, reading, rocking out on some sort of musical instrument, creating art or generally frolicking. I'm all about the frolicking

The Flux Blog: LAMENT is seeing stars!

Congratulations to Maggie Stiefvater whose debut novel, LAMENT: THE FAERIE QUEEN'S DECEPTION, just got a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

Andrew Karre said...

If I may be permitted to comment on my old blog, I am so excited for this review. Maggie deserves this. This is a book she rewrote more times than either of us cares to remember (and I don't mean simply "revised extensively," I mean tare the thing down to the studs Money-Pit-style-renovation rewrites) and that took serious guts. This is, I am sure, just the first of many confirmations of her talent and tenacity.

The Flux Blog: Lament, Lament, Lament is on fire!

Highlights two starred reviews from:

This beautiful and out-of-theordinary debut novel, with its authentic depiction of Celtic Faerie lore and dangerous forbidden love in a contemporary American setting, will appeal to readers of Nancy Werlin's Impossible and Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.
Booklist

Part adventure, part fantasy, and wholly riveting love story, LAMENT will delight nearly all audiences with its skillful blend of magic and ordinary life.
Kliatt

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

Some extracts:

Stiefvater is a gifted author who weaves a dangerous world, and sensual characters with ease, and balances the entire package with a wonderfully wry sense of humor.

I enjoyed this book so much it is physically painful to me that the sequel, BALLAD, isn't due out till next Fall

Another great thing, not everything is happy ever after. Great writers are never afraid to push their characters into danger. (In my opinion) 'Cause you've gotta keep your readers on their toes. AND I WAS ON THEM. Like a ballet dancer..

In a market glutted with faerie books, Maggie Stiefvater's book stands out in several ways. To begin, Maggie writes lyrically, a poetic style evocative of Dylan Thomas as her words caress faerie scenes and romance. Yet, she varies this with a humorous prose that marks her characters in the real world..

Amazon.com: Editorial Reviews of Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Including starred reviews!

Reviews of Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie 

Ballad: The Gathering of Faerie (Paperback) by Maggie Stiefvater - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

15 ratings, 8 reviews. In this sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, faeries follow James and Dee to Thornking-Ash Conservatory, where James struggles with his feelings...

Laura's Review Bookshelf: Ballad, Maggie Stiefvater

I'm going to admit that I loved this book. The snarkiness of James is perfect and hides his inner self and the pain that he is feeling because of his feelings for Dierdre.

Maggie on "Ballad" 

a selection of posts from her blog "Words on Words"

Words on Words by Maggie Stiefvater - In Which I Am Kilted

Ballad is told from James' point of view. He was the bagpiping funny best friend in Lament, and he got upgraded to main character (making Ballad a standalone companion novel in the process). His story involves bagpiping, people getting burned alive, hungry souls, kings of the dead, and of course homicidal faeries. And snogging. There's always snogging. It's why I can't write picture books; they ask too many questions.

See Maggie wearing a kilt and playing bagpipes! It's context!!!

Maggie Stiefvater - her writing websites and blogs 

plus a few social network sites

Maggie Stiefvater - Author of YA Fiction - Young Adult Fantasy Author Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater, author of young adult fantasy novels

Maggie Stiefvater, author of young adult fantasy novels
* Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception and
* Ballad: The Gathering of Faerie, coming out in October of 2008
and two novels to be published by Scholastic

Words on Words by Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater's blog about words, writing young adult urban-fantasy and her books

Merry Sisters of Fate

A blog featuring weekly short fiction from Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff.............Fiction that Runs with Scissors!

Maggie Stiefvater | Facebook

This is Maggie Stiefvater's public search listing on Facebook. Maggie's friends can view photos, videos and more.

Maggie Stiefvater - LinkedIn

View Maggie Stiefvater's professional profile on LinkedIn.

About Maggie Stiefvater, her writing and her books 

BookTour: Author Page for Maggie Stiefvater

See when Maggie Stiefvater is coming to town, or request a visit from Maggie Stiefvater. Plus information on Maggie Stiefvater's life and work.

JacketFlap.com: Maggie Stiefvater's JacketFlap Profile

Maggie Stiefvater's JacketFlap Profile

Flux - Author Information: Maggie Stiefvater

Author Information, Maggie Stiefvater, Teen, Young Adult, Fiction, LlewellynFlux, Teen, Young Adult, Fiction. Llewellyn, A new imprint dedicated to fiction for teens.

Frequently Asked Questions of Author Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater, author of contemporary fantasies for young adults answers FAQs

Maggie Stiefvater - interviews 

Author Interview With Maggie Stiefvater

We here at yaReads love us a bit of Maggie Stiefvater. She's the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception , and she has two more books on the way. Maggie sat down with us this week and let us pick her brains a little. Here's what she had to say%u2026

Making Stuff Up for a Living - 5 Minutes With Maggie Stiefvater

Maggie Stiefvater is a wife, mother, teacher and artist- and now, with the coming publication of her debut, Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, she adds novelist to her resume.

In addition to all of that, she still finds time to post weekly free fiction at The Merry Sisters of Fate with Tessa Gratton and Brenna Yovanoff. I was lucky enough to catch her recently when she had a spare five minutes!

Random Interview: Maggie Stiefvater « the 5 randoms

This week, our lovely Amanda talked to author Maggie Stiefvater, author of Lament (Flux, October 2008). But writing isn't her only love. ...

Shrinking Violet Promotions: Shrinking Violet Profile: Maggie Stiefvater

Buzz. Every author wants it, and now one of Shrinking Violet's own, Maggie Stiefvater, has it in spades for her newest book, SHIVER. Since she's a raging introvert, I've invited her to speak to us all about how she managed to generate all this buzz, what it feels like, how she deals with it as an introvert. Not only does it give us all a vicarious peek into a Major Authorial Fantasy, but she was hugely generous with her time and gave us some wonderful tips.

Writing Raw - The 7 Question Interview

The 7 Question Interview with Maggie Stiefvater

Angieville: Shiver Blog Tour: Interview with Maggie Stiefvater + Giveaway!

Interview re what it was like for Maggie seeing the hardcover for the first time.

pat esden - SHIVER: Interview with author Maggie Stiefvater

interview - on branding yourself as a writer.

lindajsingleton: Blog Tour: A Conversation with Maggie Stiefvater

interview on which came first, writing, music, or art.

University Chic

Ever dreamed of becoming a famous writer? Maggie Stiefvater is living, breathing proof that college may lay the foundation for your dream job, but it's really talent and determination that can make or break your "novel" aspirations. Delicious

Myth, the Universe, and Everything - Guest Blog: Maggie Stiefvater

It's easy to get a feel for how incredibly talented Maggie Steifvater is by watching the book trailer she made for Shiver. Step one, write an amazing book. Step two, create cut-paper pieces. Step three, create stop motion art with the cut-paper. Step four, oh, and write the musical score while you're at it.

Strands of Thought - Blogview with Maggie Stiefvater and Shiver

Interview about how Maggie got to be the weird way she is!

Special Guest Friday: Maggie Stiefvater! | Magical Words

blog post on how Scholastic and SHIVER made a clean, non-swearing girl out of Maggie.

Mentions of Maggie 

Children's Galleys to Grab - 4/27/2009 - Publishers Weekly

Even in lean times, there's no shortage of galley giveaways at BEA. Here are some to look out for.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic Press). Grace meets Sam, who is a wolf during certain times of the year.

The Well-Read Child: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

what I love the most about Ms. Stiefvater's writing is her ability to depict chemistry between two characters--first with Dee and Luke in Lament and now with Sam and Grace. She's masterful at showing and not telling: glances, touches, dialogue, and thoughts all create a completely believable love between a girl and a werewolf.

Shiver is a perfectly executed book, and I continue to be impressed with Maggie Stiefvater's writing.

Writing websites 

recommended by Maggie

Children's Writers & Illustrators Message Board - Index

Children's Writers & Illustrators Message Board

A busy forum for children's and young adult writers -- a great resource to find out more about the business of getting published and the craft of writing.

Fangs, Fur, & Fey

A Livejournal community of published contemporary fantasy and urban fantasy authors.

AgentQuery :: Find the Agent Who Will Find You a Publisher

A great resource to find agents who represent your genre.

Author School Visits BY STATE!

A blog for teachers to connect with authors willing to make school visits.

Miss Snark, the literary agent

A now discontinued blog by an anonymous literary agent; tons and tons of information about the business.

Merry Sisters of Fate

A blog featuring weekly short fiction from Maggie Stiefvater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff.

How to write a novel and other writing tips by Maggie Stiefvater 

posts from Maggie's writing blog "Words on Words"

Maggie Stiefvater - The Giant Butt-Kicking How to Write a Novel Post

I have been answering a lot of questions lately -- interview questions, article questions, questions in fanmail, questions from writers -- and there's one sort of subset of questions that I get all the time, so I'm going to answer them here. It's these:

"How do I start writing my book? How do I write my novel? How do I finish my novel? Do you have a daily routine? How much work do you do before you start writing your novel? Should I get a degree in English? Do you edit while you write? How do you get around writer's block? How do you get past the "this feels silly" thoughts?"

All of these questions are really one question: "How do I write a book?"

And the answer, which I will explain in depth, is a simple two-parter:

1 - You decide to
2 - Butt in Chair

Maggie Stiefvater - 80,000 words of Fun, Fun, Fun

I promised I would blog about rough drafting, so here it is.

Here's the thing about rough drafting and revising. I like revising. I'm good at revising. i know what I'm doing when I'm revising. I know exactly what to expect when I'm revising.

On the other hand, writing a rough draft is unpredictable, inefficient, and uncertain. I delete as much as I save. I go down wrong paths, write embarrassing stretches of prose just to see my word count jump before I delete it, and kill characters that I later have to resurrect when I realize there is no one to hold my main character's hair while she pukes later (metaphorically speaking). I don't think I'm very good at it and it is intensely frustrating.

And, unfortunately, it's what I live for. Because in between all that uncertainty and general ectoplasmic horror, there are also stretches of writer's highs -- those thousands of words you write in an hour, your brain lost in the emotions and settings of your novel. Those scenes you write and you know right after you write them -- no, right when you write them -- that they're just spot on. You just don't get those while revising.

Maggie Stiefvater - On the Man Telling You "No": Where "the Man" Also = You.

i want to babble momentarily about self-doubt, self-confidence, and creative types. And how creative types react to negativity.

It seems to me that in the course of my travels as a colored pencil instructor and portrait artist and author that I've encountered two types of creative people. The ones that get crushed when they get told "no" or when someone close to them gets what they really wanted or when life events come up and get in the way of their creative life, and those that seem to actually feed off the negative events and turn them into positive things.

How to review a book and other reviewing tips by Maggie Stiefvater 

Words on Words by Maggie Stiefvater - Why Giving a Five Star Review is Like Getting Engaged

I have been thinking a lot about what makes me like a book and what counts as a good book. And I know the two things are not always the same, since reading is highly subjective (I was reading bad reviews of my favorite books this morning to comfort myself that tastes are subjective). But what I don't quite understand is how sometimes they aren't the same thing, even for me.

Maggie's Art websites 

Portraits with Character - Fine Art by Maggie Stiefvater

Portraits with Character is Maggies Stiefvater's art website. It has online galleries linked to her portfolio of fine art portraits of cats, dogs and equine art

Greywaren Art

This used to be Maggie's art blog

Chasen Galleries - MAGGIE STIEFVATER

MAGGIE STIEFVATER. Chasen Galleries proudly represents artist Maggie Stiefvater.

Maggie Stiefvater Studio - Animal Art

Maggie Stiefvater Studio - Animal Art is Maggie Stiefvater's CafePress store which is the place to find her animal art on all sorts of useful products

Maggie's thoughts on making art 

Greywaren Art: Maggie on Style, Part 1

Let's talk about style, shall we? I've been asked to talk about it a lot over the last few months, and I keep putting it off. I don't know why. Maybe because it's intangible. Maybe because when you talk about style, you start hearing whispers of other words that I don't quite believe in: "natural talent" and "inherent skill" and "inborn artistic vision." A lot of artists don't seem to pursue a distinct style -- they wait for it to emerge, like some sort of heavenly gift. But the truth is that style is only partially born, and mostly made. That old Einstein quote about 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration? Yeah. We're talking about that.

Greywaren Art: Maggie on Style, Part II

So here is part two on Style.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Maggie. She doodled constantly and had high aspirations of becoming a Famous Artist. She sketched horses. She drew planes. She painted cars. She did it all.

And all of it looked different. Indeed, putting them side by side looked like the exhibition of a artistically-dedicated pencil-freak with multiple personalities. When faced with the idea of a style she said "poo poo on thee" for I'm multi-talented and if I can do all these styles, I will do them all, because I'm so smart. So there.

Greywaren Art: Maggie on Style, Part III

On finding your groove and what to do when you stop producing the art that people like

Greywaren Art: Thoughts on Book-Buying

All about art books

Greywaren Art: Planning & Painting

First of all, I want to say that part of why I'm so fast is by virtue of creating a painting or drawing every single day for two years. It means that a lot of the prep work becomes automatic. What I used to agonize over, like choosing a good crop, now takes five minutes.

Greywaren Art: Sit Pretty

For those of you who are planning on doing art shows or horse shows or any venue where you show your art, listen up. Booth set-up is important. It can be the difference between a major sale and no sales at all. I know, I know, y'all think I'm being melodramatic. But in the few short years I've been doing shows, I've not only learned a lot by tinkering with my set up, I've also learned a lot from watching what other folks do right or wrong. Indoor shows are the most difficult, in my opinion, because people will give you a lot more leeway as far as ugliness and functionality in the great outdoors. Inside, you've got no excuses to keep you from looking pretty.

A Cat Named Moose 

Portraits with Character - A Cat Named Moose

This is Moose's gallery on Maggie's art website. You can also find him displaying his goods(!) in her cafepress store.

Making a Mark: Blogging Art in 2006 - The Making A Mark Awards

Best Animal in an Illustrated Blog Award

No contest - Moose wins by a mile. Maggie Stiefvater characterises her cat Moose as a "criminally insane cat, furry muse, catcher of moths, grabber of ankles" but I think he's a total star. He's been breaking ACEO records and has also been featured in an article in Art Calendar about daily painting blogs. I fully expect he'll be having to complete his own tax return very soon.

Moose gets the prize for being most often featured in uncommon but totally typical images of a cat. I can only manage drawings of the catnapping variety as they always move in for a stroke as soon as I get the camera out. Moose however is a total luvvie and absolutely loves the lens. You can see more of him on Maggie's blog Greywaren Art and her website "Portraits with Character".

This award will in future be called "The Moose" in honour of its first prize-winner.

How does she do it? 

Do you want to know what it takes to achieve this much?

Making a Mark: Maggie Stiefvater goes Scholastic!

You have no idea how long I have been waiting to write this post or how proud I am to write it. This post is nothing to do with art and yet it is everything to do with art and how to be both creative and successful.

Making a Mark: 10 Free Life Lessons on being a Professional Artist

My great friend Maggie Stiefvater has written yet another butt-kicking piece for all those people making excuses for why they're not more successful as professional artists.

Maggie is very successful - but then she does work very hard at it. Her most recent blog post contains 10 free life lessons for professional artists culled from her own experiences.

Making a Mark: Maggie Stiefvater: how does she do it?

How do you become a best-selling artist? How can you find more time for your art?

Bottom line - what are the "secrets of success" to juggling all the various demands and responsibilities that threaten to engulf you so that you can really 'make it' as an artist?

OK - the time has come and the answer is here. I've written before about the meteoric rise of Maggie Stiefvater (see links at end) and I've been on at her for ages to share how she has managed to achieve her success. This time Maggie is going in for the 'big reveal' in her latest blog post "How to juggle and other parlor tricks". It provides an excellent account of the "secrets" of her success - and how she manages to create and develop her artwork, develop her art business and at the same time cope with all her other responsibilities and still make time for all her other interests - such as writing 65,000 word novels.

Greywaren Art: Marketing Maggie Style - Part I

an overview of the diverse ways in which you can market yourself and your art - plus some pointers about bad publicity

Greywaren Art: MARKETING, MAGGIE STYLE, PART II

this is about Hype, Consistency, & Flexibility

Greywaren Art: Marketing, Maggie Style, Part III

About the time required to balance out art and marketing efforts and about the necessity of getting exposure offline as well as online.

Greywaren Art: Virtual Sketching and Butt Kicking

Okay, and now onto the butt-kicking. I do these periodically for those who need/ slash want them.........

So here it goes. You all know what I do -- I have two toddlers, three editors working with me on four novels, a part-time art career, musical instruments I practice, meals to cook (I'm allergic to preservatives so everything has to be from scratch), blogs to write, etc. etc. I think I have a full, life, but I don't feel like I have an impossible life. It's a happy life doing what I love.

And here are the secrets to my success in this month's butt-kicking. Remember, butt-kickings are like hydrogen pyroxide -- if it stings it means it's working.