Interview with Marie Lu + Giveaway: Dystopian Prize Pack with Signed Legend ARC

Hi everyone! I just reviewed Legend and I can tell you this: it's amazing. Today, I have my favorite dystopian author with me..Marie Lu! She’s going to answer a few questions that I asked (after I raved about how awesome her book was via email!)

How did you build the world of Legend?

The world of Legend came out of my interest in a lot of dystopian concepts that already exist or have existed in real life. For example... In Sparta, infants that were judged to be too weak were left to die on a hill outside the city; likewise, in the early 1900s, people in the U.S. (and elsewhere) deemed "unfit" or lacking "good genes" could be legally sterilized in order to improve the society's genetic pool. These events fascinated and horrified me because, to me, they are examples of real-world dystopias. The road to dystopia is paved with good intentions, and at the time, both Sparta and the U.S. genuinely believed they were implementing good laws. So I combined this idea with extreme climate change and the need for population control. The result was Legend's world, which I hope our actual future won't resemble!

What or who inspired you to give life to Day and June?

Day has existed in my imagination ever since high school, although I can't remember exactly how I came up with him. I think I always wanted to write about a notorious, somewhat arrogant boy with enough spunk to take on The Society. I also love watching parkour videos on YouTube. It's such an awesome skill for a teen criminal to have. So Day became a most-wanted-criminal with expert parkour skills.

June came to me a little later, when I was watching Les Miserables on TV one afternoon. She actually started out as a boy, until my boyfriend suggested, "Why don't you make him a girl?" Ha, I should always trust him! Since I needed a character who could be Day’s rival, I thought that a super-intelligent teen prodigy with a Sherlockian mind might be able to take him on. She was really fun to write.

What's the hardest part to write: beginning, middle or end? Was it from Day's or June's perspective?

Oh, the END! I always have the most trouble getting endings just right. Legend's ending was rewritten twice before my agent and I were happy. Day is easier for me to write because he's been in my head for so long, but the challenge of getting June's intelligence right is definitely fun.

I love the distinct voice of Day. Being a female author, how were you able to build this voice? What did you do to maintain that 'guy' quality?

I'm so relieved that Day came across naturally! I've always been a bit of a tomboy (I loooove fighter jets, especially the F-15 and the Sukhoi-47), so I've enjoyed writing Day's point of view from the beginning. For certain scenes, I also ask my boyfriend what he would do or think. And sometimes I go on AskMen.com....which is actually a really interesting site. :)

The action was insane. I loved every moment of it! What kind of preparation (if any) did you do for these scenes? What movies/tv shows did you watch?

Thank you! I watched a lot of parkour videos for Day's action scenes, as well as the parkour movie District B13. Sherlock Holmes was great inspiration for June. And Les Miserables was the movie that inspired Legend in the first place. :)

What can readers pick up from your novel?

I didn't want Legend to have any blatant moral themes, so I hope readers, first and foremost, are entertained by Legend. Having said that, though, I do hope that Legend encourages readers to seek out the truth in their own lives and societies. Don't be afraid to dig deeper, and don't let others mislead you. As Day would say, walk in the light!

Thank you, M, for dropping by!

Here’s a photo of my favorite scene in Legend (thanks to M, I have permission to post this here at Fragments of Life)

‘The Kiss’ as I like to call it. That's a sweet scene. :)

Marie writes young adult novels, and has a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, she was born in 1984. During the day, she’s an Art Director at a video game company where she enjoys discussing Facebook game apps with her co-workers, hearing amusing insider stories about World of Warcraft bugs, and delighting in cute 3D renditions of buildings--all via Skype. She also runs/owns a small business called The Fuzz Academy, a children's brand of chubby, fuzzy animals that attend college on a tropical island. With 90,000+ registered users on its online game, Fuzz Academy was chosen as one of the 20 brands at the International Licensing Expo with the most potential for a television series. We are currently in discussions with several companies for licensing and media deals.

She likes food, fighter jets, afternoon tea, happy people, electronics, the interwebz, cupcakes, pianos, bright colors, rain, Christmas lights, sketches, animation, dogs, farmers' markets, video games, and of course, books. She sucks at working out. She also gets lost very easily, but she’s a halfway decent driver for an Asian girl. At least, she likes to think so. :)

She was born near Shanghai, but settled down in Texas until she went off to college at the University of Southern California. California weather sweet-talked her into sticking around, so she’s currently in Pasadena with her boyfriend, two Pembroke Welsh Corgis, and a chihuahua mix.

*photo credit to Paul Gregory

Giveaway: Dystopian Prize Pack (including a signed ARC of Legend)

If you comment on this interview, you get two extra entries to the dystopian prize pack giveaway! It includes the signed ARC of Legend!

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This one is open internationally. :)