Author of the Skyhunter Series, Marie Lu
What inspired you to become a writer?
I think I always dreamed of working in something creative, so when I first started writing, it was just that—a dream to do something I love. Then it became a desire to emulate some of my earliest favorite authors. It took me years to learn that the real reason I wanted to become a writer was that storytelling is how I figure out the world and my place in it, how I process both my aspirations and my mistakes. It’s a large part of my well-being.
Who/what inspired the characters and storyline in the Skyhunter series, and if you had to describe Steelstriker, the sequel to the first book, in three words, how would you describe it?
Skyhunter began as a way of dealing with all my frustrations with post-2016 America. Talin, my main character, and her found family embody that frustration as well as the hope for something better. But the great thing about writing fiction is that you get to control the full narrative—so even though Skyhunter is set in a dark world, it’s cathartic to be able to dictate that this character is going to get what’s coming to them and this character is going to come out the winner. As for Steelstriker: battles, romance, satisfaction!
What are some misconceptions people have about the publishing industry?
A big one is that people always think you have to know someone in the industry in order to get published. Literally every author I know, myself included, got published by writing and failing and writing some more, submitting to a literary agent and getting selected out of their slush piles, and getting rejections from publishers until one of our manuscripts finally made it. It’s not really a matter of who you know. You just have to write the book.
Out of the characters you've created, who is the most similar to you?
Emika Chen from my book Warcross is way cooler than I’ll ever be, but I definitely made her the wish fulfillment version of myself, with many of the same interests and personality quirks! She was a ton of fun to create. □