Boundless Blog Tour: Interview with Cynthia Hand

As part of the Boundless blog tour (hosted by Mundie Moms), I have author Cynthia Hand stopping by today to answer a few questions about writing inspirations, the Unearthly trilogy, and her future writing plans.  Please join me in welcoming one of my favorite YA paranormal authors!

When you first started to write the Unearthly series, did you have the entire story mapped out in your head? Or did you let the characters take the story where it felt right to go?

I am not really a plotter. When I write a novel (or a series) I typically have a good ground situation, a sense of who the characters are, and a very vague sense of where they might end up. I like to follow my characters home, so to speak, and I feel like, if I create them well enough, they will almost write the story for me. That's part of the magic of writing for me, to see where my people take me.

Which authors and/or books do you pull inspiration from?

I read a lot, and any time I read a simply fantastic book I always feel a stab of jealousy (why couldn't I write THAT) and then a wave of inspiration to write something good, maybe not so good as THAT (Maggie Steifvater's The Scorpio Races made me feel this way, or Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall) but as good a story, with as good a language as I can possibly churn out. It's a good kind of jealousy.

Was this story meant to be a trilogy, or do you think you'll write more inside the world of Clara, Tucker and Christian?

I originally thought of the series as a a quartet? (4?), but sometime last year it shaped itself into 3 books and a novella. I do have other Unearthly-related stories inside my crowded brain (I have a whole, fully-formed, LARGE storyline for Maggie, for example, but whether I will ever get those down on paper, I honestly don't know.) I think it will be good to work on a new world and a different type of book for a while.

Even though your books focus on paranormal elements, your writing has a heavy sense of contemporary themes. For me personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series because of that. Do you have any interest in writing a standalone contemporary novel?

You're psychic. My next project is a stand-alone contemporary. With a tiny supernatural twist. And that is pretty much all I can tell you at this point.

The setting for this story is another aspect that really grabbed my attention. Do you have a personal connection to the mountains in Wyoming?

Yes, I grew up in Idaho, but very close to the Wyoming border. I've spent a lot of dreamy afternoons in that part of the world.

About the book:

By: Cynthia Hand 
Published by: Harper Teen 
To Be Released on: January 22nd, 2013 
Series: Unearthly #3 
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound 
Browse Inside

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfil her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all. - quoted from Goodreads

About the author:

Cynthia Hand grew up in southeast Idaho (very near the Wyoming border). Currently she lives in southern California with her husband and two small children. She teaches courses in creative writing at Pepperdine University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Unearthly series with HarperTeen: UNEARTHLY, published in 2011, HALLOWED published January 17, 2012, and BOUNDLESS, due out in January 2013.

You can find Cynthia on: her Blog | Twitter | Facebook | 
HarperTeen | GoodReads




Be sure to check out the next stop on the blog tour at Fangirlish tomorrow.