YALLFest is less than a month away and the countdown interviews keep on coming! First up this week is Michelle Hodkin, author of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer which I absolutely loved. I am so excited for the release of the final book in the trilogy, The Retribution of Mara Dyer releasing next summer! In the meantime…

Describe your book in 5 words.
Romeo and Juliet meets Hitchcock.

What is the hardest line to write- the first or the last?
I spend a lot of time thinking about my first lines. A lot of time. Too much time. Luckily the last lines usually come to me as I write.

What is your favorite genre to write in? To Read?
What I love about YA is that I don’t have to choose a genre. I can blend elements and mess with conventions from all of them—horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, whatever. I’m not sure I could choose a favorite, if I were ever told that I had to. And my reading is all over the place, but right now I’m reading a lot of old school sci-fi and fantasy, with some literary fiction thrown in.

What one young adult novel do you wish you had when you were a teen? Why?
The Magicians by Lev Grossman. It’s not YA, but it is about a teenager who reminds me of my teen self. And maybe also my adult self. Anyway. I basically push the book into the hands of everyone I meet. It’s just that good.

What are you working on now?
A secret project that is secret. But I’m wildly excited about it, and I think my readers will be too.

For more information, visit MichelleHodkin.com.