The short version is that I wrote several books before I had one good enough to get an agent, then I wrote one more before I had something worth publishing. On average, I blog once a week, and the vast majority of those posts deal directly with my process. I sold my first manuscript 150 blog entries later, and my first book appeared in stores about 120 entries after that. Wow, that’s a very short question with an incredibly long answer! In fact, in May of 2006 I started a blog at. Photo courtesy Aprilynne Pike Tell us about the process of getting Wings, your first novel, published. There’s so much great stuff out there I could never hope to read it all. I read a lot of YA (some days I feel like I read little else!). Twice! But when I started writing YA, it felt right. The first manuscript I completed was a romance. Although I’m a fan of Mary Higgins Clark and Tess Gerritsen and others, for many years now my favorite book has been The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I sort of fell into YA literature, which is funny because in retrospect it was the obvious choice. Why do you specifically write YA literature? The fact that I’m writing for an audience, now, is also very motivating.

The excitement of a new idea and a fresh first draft is one thing that keeps me writing…or at least keeps me motivated through many rounds of revisions.

I didn’t stick with it at first! But it was something I came back to a few times and eventually I got it right. I mostly wrote short stories, but while my husband was working on his undergrad, I did some contract work for Covenant and was inspired to try my hand at a novel.

In college, I started out pre-med but got some good advice from a professor and changed to creative writing. I guess it’s only fitting that I’ve made a career out of it!

When I was young, my family called me the “Queen of La-La Land” because I spent more time there than in the real world. I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember! I’m not sure what drew me to it… I’ve always liked imaginary worlds. Website Photo courtesy Georgia Cranston, Gypsy Rae Photography How did you get started writing? What drew you to it initially, and what is it that keeps you writing?

Wings pike novel