More questions answered!

"What is Midnight in Austenland?"

Austenland was my first book for adults. MiA takes place nearly a year after the first at Pembrook Park. The story follows Charlotte, a different woman going on the Austen-themed vacation. It's not technically a sequel, I guess, and it takes more inspiration from Northanger Abbey than Pride & Prejudice. There's no pub date set yet. With twins in the oven, so much is up in the air. I'd be surprised if we could get it out in 2011, but maybe, or maybe early 2012.

"You said in one of your previous posts that you like to think of Mt. Eskel and Bayern on the same planet but different continents and different time periods. Do you think of the Eight Realms the same???"

Indeed I do! Book of a Thousand Days takes place on the other side of the world from Bayern and about three hundred years earlier. Danland is across the ocean and about two hundred and fifty years later.

"What's a day in the life of Shannon Hale?"

Lately, a lot of lying on the couch and watching the house go to pieces around me. Four days a week I have a sitter who comes for 3 hours in the afternoon, and I go into my bedroom and write. Otherwise, I'm probably a typical pregnant mom of two kids. My oldest started first grade, my 3-year-old is dying to start preschool. I have no idea what will happen when the twin terrors arrive. Of course I'd like to keep writing but I'll see how and when that's a possibility again.

"How many hours go into a book? Do you often change the story a lot after you've written several drafts?"

I have no idea how to count the hours. Hundreds of hours. Maybe thousands. I do many drafts, at least 12, and I do change the story a lot, often quite drastically from the first draft.

"Here's my burning question: Why are you so gosh darn awesome?"

Vitamins.

"do you get stressed out frequently with being a mom,a wife and an author?"

Yes. All the time. I don't know how to do it all so I don't. I'd rather fail as a writer than as a wife and mother. I'm most definitely failing as a housekeeper and gardener. My ship has sailed as a scrapbooker/seamstress/baker.

"And also how do you manage to get such beautiful words on paper?"

Thank you. Lots of rewrites.

"What else do you want with your medium-rare steak?"

Asparagus and watermelon.

"How do YOU rewrite? I think I have a good system worked out, but I'd like to hear how the professional's do it"

Almost every writer I know has his own method of rewriting. I don't think there's a professional way to do it. Part of learning how to write is learning your own method of rewriting. It's actually hard for me to explain succinctly what I do when I rewrite, and each draft is a little different, as is each book. I'll have to devote a blog post to this sometime.

"How many kids do you have?"

Max, age 6, Maggie, age 3, and two more who hopefully won't make an appearance for at least a month and a half.

"I was just wondering if you had had past experiences that prompted you to include people-speaking in your book"

Yes, absolutely. I've observed many superpowers in friends and acquaintances. I have a friend, for instance, who has an innate sense of direction. We drove to California and around LA without a map and she always knew where she was, even having never been there before. I had a friend in high school who totally had people-speaking. She just had that charisma (especially with guys) and confidence that made people want to do whatever she asked. She was breathtaking. I loved watching her work her magic. Her story after high school didn't go so well and I've often thought that people-speaking would be a very difficult talent to maintain.

"will you be writing another graphic novel? A sequel to Calamity Jack, maybe?"

We are not currently, though I would love to! I have an outline for a Jack sequel. It's harder to jump into a graphic novel than other novel because the art requires so much time for the illustrator. I hope Nate Hale gets the recognition he deserves.

Thanks for all the rapunzel's revenge and calamity jack love! These books have my heart. It makes me so happy that they find an audience. I continue to believe in the power of the graphic novel for many kinds of readers. I'll have to keep blogging about gn recommendations.

"are the other countries in the Goose Girl series based on actual places?"

Yes, very, very loosely, Rome for Ingridan (Tira) and Ireland for Kel.

I'm slowing way, way down. I'm not on full-bed rest (yet) but have to stay down for most of the time. I can't sit through a dinner in a restaurant or a movie in a theater and have to write reclining on my side. Not easy! These babies better be cute.