Postcard For Reader

Interview: Rachel Hawkins

Who loves Rachel Hawkins? I do! She wrote the fantastic Hex Hall the first in a trilogy - and the second book in the series, Demonglass, just came out!

Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch.

That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered the family secret, and that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world—the other being her father. What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers.

But once Sophie arrives she makes a shocking discovery. Her new friends? They’re demons too. Meaning someone is raising them in secret with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

I had the chance to interview her this past week and she's absolutely fantastic - and we got to talk about some interesting things, from her upcoming novel Rebel Belle to reindeer attacks.

Just click Read More to check out the interview!

N: Welcome to WORD, Rachel! If you were at Hex Hall, what would your magic powers be? The rare vampire? Witch?
RH: Witch, for SURE. All the others have too many restrictions. No sunlight, the Hair Issue, weird Faerie court rules, etc. Nope, give me witchy powers any day!

N: What was your favorite part about writing Demonglass?
RH: I really, really loved revisiting the kids of Hex Hall. Nearly a year had passed between when I wrote Hex Hall and when I started Demonglass, so it was like a class reunion or something, getting back inside their heads. I also loved writing about how much the events of the first book had changed them. While Sophie's still her snarky self in Demonglass, there's no doubt that the stuff that happened in HEX HALL has left her a little less naive and a lot more wary.

N: Your new young adult novel, Rebel Belle, comes out in 2012. Care to give us a tidbit about it?
RH: Rebel Belle is the story of Harper Jane Price, Queen Bee and all-around overachiever. She's accidentally inducted into a sacred order of supernaturally powered bodyguards, and ends up having to protect a boy called David Stark, who just happens to be her mortal enemy. Kissing, fights with footwear, and a debutante ball from hell ensue. ;-)

N: That sounds fantastic! As if you writing it weren't enough to make me want to pick it up. What's the hardest scene you've ever had to write?
RH: Oh, man. There's a scene in Book 3 that had me crying in public as I wrote it. It was a scene I knew I would have to write, but I had expected it to be as gut wrenching as it was. Far and away the toughest thing I've ever written.

N: What YA books would you recommend we read - after yours, of course!
RH: Myra McEntire's Hourglass, anything Lindsey Leavitt writes, Holly Black's White Cat, anything by Kristin Cashore, and Caitlin Kittredge's The Iron Thorn.

N: What is the weirdest conversation you've had with your geologist husband? With your son?
RH: Well, my husband was nearly attacked by a reindeer while mapping in Northern Norway, so that definitely made for a weird conversation!

("What do you mean, a REINDEER? Like...SANTA'S REINDEER?") As for my son, nearly every conversation we have is weird since he's 5 and 5 year olds = THE WEIRDERST. One that sticks out though was the time he asked me to tell him about Chuckie Cheese's and I thought he said Jesus. The conversation that ensued confused us both.

N: If you could buy a cupcake from anywhere in the world, where would you buy it from?
RH: I actually have the best cupcake shop EVER right up the street from my house, Gigi's Cupcakes. So I'd get it from there because I wouldn't have to walk far, and I am lazy. ;-)

N: If you had a RAYGUN. WHY would you have a raygun?
RH: There is only one reason I'd have a raygun, and it would be that my son made one for me. He's plotting his intergalactic take-over AS WE SPEAK.