After reading a couple of books in the Magic in Manhattan series (
http://www.magicinmanhattan.com/), YABC reviewer, Julie Prince, just had to chat with the author, Sarah Mlynowski.
The series stars hilarious teenage witch, Rachel Weinstein, who discovers that her little sister has magical powers. No fair! Rachel wants to be a witch too! Could it be that witchcraft runs in her family?
The newest book in the series, Parties & Potions, is in stores now, and luckily for Julie and YABC readers, Mlynowski is doing a blog tour to spread the word. The perfect opportunity to chat!
The question on Julie's mind was: how did this author take the common story element of a teenage witch and put her own spin on it? So, she asked Sarah Mlynowski to take over this very blog post to respond.
Here's Sarah:
When I took creative writing courses back in college, my teachers always told me how important it was to draw from real life. The more real my stories were, the more readers would relate to my characters and the more convincing the stories would be. It didn’t matter what we were writing—science fiction, romance, fantasy--whatever it was, our stories would be stronger if instead of relying on clichés or assumptions we grounded them with real characters, real details, real feelings.
So when I decided that it was time to start working on a YA novel, obviously I had to write about being a witch. Because, you know—zap, poof—I am one.
Okay, fine, I’m not a witch. But I really, really wanted to write about magic. I have always been obsessed with magic. When I was a kid my two favorite movies were The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars. I tapped my Keds together and tried to go home. I attempted to use The Force to open and close my blinds. I made voodoo dolls of my evil ex-boyfriends and poked them in inappropriate places. Unfortunately, I have no magical powers. Zip. Zero. I don’t even have a sixth sense. If I think it’s going to be a beautiful spring day, it’ll almost certainly be earmuff weather.
But what I do have is a younger sister. And no, much to her dismay, she’s not a witch either. But she:
· is a size two
· is a D-cup
· can sing. And I mean, really, Ariel from Little Mermaid sing
· can dance
· has a small, adorable chin
· can get up onstage and repeat memorized lines
I, on the other hand:
· am not a size two
· am not a D-cup
· break mirrors when I am attempting to sign anything, even Happy Birthday
· look like Elaine in Seinfeld when I dance, or like I’ve just stuck my finger into an electric socket
· have a chin the size of a small island
· cannot memorize anything. The one time I was ever in a play, I forgot my one and only line and stood frozen onstage wishing I was back at school, writing a chemistry exam. (And I was no good at Chemistry—who could remember that entire periodic table?)
Anyway, you can see that my little sis has a few advantages. And that’s where I got the idea for Bras & Broomsticks, the first book in my Magic in Manhattan series. I knew I wanted to write about a girl discovering that she has magical powers. Because every girl kind of wishes she discovers she has magical powers, right? I know I did. But what if you found out that yes, witchcraft does exist, but it’s not you who has the supernatural capabilities…it’s your younger sibling?
Now that was something I could relate to.
Julie:
Ha! That does make an awesome premise and it's obvious you had a lot of fun with it. Thanks so much for guest blogging here at YABC!
This sounds great! I wish I could go!