Yearly Archives: 2012

Answer to today’s Guess the Quote: Kingsley to Mimi, The Van Alen Legacy, pg. 343!

hi! so I noticed that a few of the Blue Bloods novels have epigraphs from song lyrics. how big of an influence has music had on you and your writing process? and on a related note, did you compile the first playlists? :)

Yes I did, only the very first one though. I have a fab assistant who helps with them but I have to approve them all. 

Music is a huge influence on a book’s theme I would say. It’s a lot of fun choosing the right epigraph.

yallfest2011:


Michelle Hodkin plans to avoid mortal peril in Paris and teaches us about what seems to be heaven in a pie tin. 


Who and what would you bring with you for the zombie apocalypse?

The characters on The Walking Dead, because they have demonstrated their zombie-killing facility, and a cruise ship, because zombies can’t swim.

If you could spend a week in any book world, which would it be?

Most of my favorite book worlds seem to involve mortal peril, so I’m going with Anna and the French Kiss, because Paris.

What is the best word (in any language) and why?

Shtuyot, which means “nonsense” in Hebrew, because it’s fun to say. Go on, try it.

Who are you most excited to see at YALLFest?

Everyone because WHAT A LINEUP SERIOUSLY. But I am just dying to see Eliot Schrefer so I can gush about his incredible new novel ENDANGERED in person. I heard about it for the first time at last year’s Y’ALLFEST, so it seems fitting.

What is your favorite flavor of pie?

Campfire pie. S’mores in pie form. Yes.

Want to hear more from Michelle?

Website: http://www.michellehodkin.com/

Twitter: @MichelleHodkin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaraDyer

Come see Michelle at YALLFEST!!

Who/what inspired you to write? :o

Probably finding out Sweet Valley High was written by 22-year old girl ghostwriters. I was 11 at the time and thought “wow, in 11 years that could be me!” It was inspiring to think young girls could write books.

Best thing you’ve ever eaten? Best advice you’d give to your readers?

I’ve had so many wonderful meals in my life, but I think the most special would have been the weekly lunches with my Dad when he was alive. Pop was a connoisseur of mall Chinese food and always looked forward to lunch. (Fluffly white rice was a must.) When he was having chemo treatments, we ate every day at Din Tai Fung, this amazing place in Arcadia with the best soup dumplings ever (it was a Taiwanese chain). So many fond memories of those meals & hanging out with him.

Best advice to give my readers? Enjoy your time on the planet. Life truly is short, spend time with your loved ones and spend your days doing what you love. 

I suppose I can wait until January, then. ;) I was also wondering a few other things. Do you read fanfiction based on your work? What is your writing process? And any advice for a broke college sophomore who hopes to make a living as an author someday?

I don’t read fan fiction (feels odd). I outline and then depending on whether I like how it’s going, I keep going with the outline or I chuck pages and rewrite the outline and go on. 

I would say don’t expect to make a living off it. If it happens, great, but writing and finance are not compatible, when I decided to be a full-time writer I also told myself I would be happy being poor. I feel very lucky, but I also never expected to make a living off it. I always thought I’d have a day job.

Will any of the witches of east end characters come to play in Gates of Paradise?

Yes. Sort of. 🙂

how long have you been writing? best book you’ve read so far this year?

Professionally since 1996, when I published by first piece in the New York Press. I sold my first novel, Cat’s Meow, in 1999 and it was published in 2001.

So many great books this year! Some of my faces: Code Name Verity, Gone Girl, Where’d You Go Bernadette