Winter Extravaganza: Hilari Bell

Hilari Bell is the author of Trickster's Girl.

SUMMARY: In the year 2098 America isn't so different from the USA of today. But, in a post-9/11 security-obssessed world, "secured" doesn't just refer to borders between countries, it also refer to borders between states. Teenagers still think they know everything, but there is no cure for cancer, as Kelsa knows first-hand from watching her father die. The night Kelsa buries her father, a boy appears. He claims magic is responsible for the health of Earth, but human damage disrupts its flow. The planet is dying. Kelsa has the power to reverse the damage, but first she must accept that magic exists and see beyond her own pain in order to heal the planet. (Publishes on January 3, 2011.)

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Three words to describe Kelsa?
Control-freak, rebellious, and healing--and though she is in the process of healing herself, it's more that she's a born healer of others. Jase, in the next Raven book, is a very different kid!

How did you come up with the title Trickster's Girl?
Actually, the title Trickster's Girl is a second choice. For a very long time this was creatively titled Book 1. After a whole lot of discussion with my writers group (I'm usually terrible with titles) I settled on Trickster's Choice...until my editor pointed out that Tamora Pierce has a book out with that exact title. After bouncing a bunch of stuff around, we finally settled on Trickster's Girl--which I like a lot.

What's your solution to prevent writer's block, and/or what do you do when you have it?
I don't usually suffer from writer's block. (Laziness is another thing entirely.) But I'm one of those outlining writers, not a seat-of-the-pants writer. And while I've met many successful writers who are pantsers, I have to admit I think they suffer from writer's block a lot more than we outliners do. Let's face it, when you know what's going to happen in the scene, and you've been itching for months to get to the scene where X happens, it's kind of hard to get blocked.

Do you have any family holiday traditions?
Board games. We have the big dinner Christmas Eve, open presents the next morning, and in the afternoon get together with friends and play board games. Given my choice, it's also my favorite way to celebrate my birthday.

If you were to go camping on a snowy mountain, what would you bring with you?
Books, my pop-up trailer, and three space heaters--which is what I take camping in Colorado in the fall and early spring, anyway. Well, in fall and spring usually two space heaters will do. I love camping, but I like to be comfortable when I do it, and we've been really happy in that trailer with 8 inches of snow--or 12 inch icicles--outside.

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol?
My favorite Christmas carol is probably Good King Wenceslas. When I first started work at the library I came across a picture book of the song, and learned all the verses. It's a great one. And though I don't know all the words, there's a modern carol, Children Go Where I Send Thee, that I really like. And Let It Be Christmas. And the Peter Paul & Mary version of A Solkin'. I like Christmas carols.

What do you imagine winter will be like 100 years from now?
Winter a hundred years from now will probably be a lot more stormy. All those global warming gases aren't going to go anywhere quickly. And when in Trickster's Girl I talk about the Florida Islands, I'm not kidding.

Thank you so much for answering my questions, Hilari!

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