Interview With the Author



Maggie Stiefvater



Q: What inspired you to write the book shiver?

A: I dream alot about my characters. For shiver, I dreamt about Grace in the winter wood behind her house and the first two lines in the book are almost identical to what she told me in the dream. There wasn't a clear plot other than the wolves in the wood and a boy who didn't want to be a wolf anymore.

I also found inspiration when I listened to the song "The Ocean" by the The Bravery.

Q: Do you think of  yourself as a romance novel writer?

A: Actually, when i first submitted the copy of the book to my  editor there wasn't even a kiss between the two main characters, and he said well, there's chemistry there so they should kiss. Now that the big main book out there for me is about romance, it's befuddling to me. I still don't think of myself as a romance writer, I just write about the characters and if they lead to romance, so be it!

Q: Does music play a big part in writing this book?

A: Yes, Sam enjoys music. He plays the guitar and composes lyrics. Also, I have to have music playing non-stop while I write or I can't focus. I make focused playlists for each book. They tend to be hours long but here's a selection for the book shiver:

The Shiver playlist

1. “The Ocean”—The Bravery (the general thematic song)
2. “Sundrenched World”—Joshua Radin
3. “Run”—Snow Patrol
4. “Cemeteries of London”—Coldplay (hunt scene)
5. “Make This Go On Forever”—Snow Patrol
6. “Matroshka”—Dredg
7. “Underwater”—Vertical Horizon
8. “Star Mile”—Joshua Radin (making quiche)
9. “Set the Fire to the Third Bar”—Snow Patrol
10. “Jeremiah”—Starsailor
11. “Bug Eyes”—Dredg
12. “Everything’ll Be Alright”—Joshua Radin (bookstore scene)
13. “Hide and Seek”—Imogen Heap (car scene near end)
14. “A Clock is Ticking”—Snow Patrol (Jack scene near end)
15. “Peter Returns”—James Newton Howard (last scene)
16. “Wake Up, Open the Door, & Escape to the Sea”—Blaqk Audio (ultimate nookie scene)

Q: Why did you use the theme of loss and conflict in your novels?

A: I read the book The Time Traveller's Wife and cried, like a baby, and I thought "I want to do that to people!" . Also, becoming a wolf is like losing your identity because when u are a wolf you loose part of who are.

Q: What is the most important theme in shiver?

A: Consent is an important theme in Shiver: whether an event or person is viewed positively or negatively in the book is often framed by whether or not they act on other people’s wishes or in spite of them. Sam was changed into a werewolf against his will, as was Olivia. The teens that Beck bit were changed with their consent. Sam didn’t press himself into Grace’s life until invited; Grace injected Sam with a deadly disease with his permission.

Q: Will Shiver become a movie?

A: Yes! Here is a link to see the trailer :

See a live interview with Maggie ~~ http://www.youtube.com/embed/IRhu076hM64