Nancy Holder lives in San Diego, California, with her young daughter Belle. She is a four-time Bram Stoker award winner for her work in supernatural fiction and the author of several Buffy and Angel bestsellers.
Debbie Viguie holds a degree in creative writing from University of California at Davis, and has written several books for teens, including the Wicked series with Nancy Holder. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband Scott. Visit her at www.debbieviguie.com.
A Q&A with Nancy Holder
Q. How would you describe your life in only 8 words?
A. Magickal, mysterious, exciting, stressful, happy, confusing, exhilarating
Q. What is your motto or maxim?
A. Just do it!
Q. How would you describe perfect happiness?
A. Being a mom.
Q. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you choose to be?
A. In a nice big canopy bed, before a roaring fire, drinking hot chocolate and reading a great book. And it would be raining.
Q. With whom in history do you most identify?
A. Joan of Arc.
Q. Which living person do you most admire?
A. My daughter, Belle.
Q. What do you regret most?
A. Trying to hard to please other people.
Q. If you could acquire any talent, what would it be?
A. I would be a great actress.
Q. What’s your greatest flaw?
A. I can be rude and impatient.
Q. What’s your best quality?
A. I am kind.
Q. Who is your favorite fictional hero?
A. Buffy!
Q. Who is your favorite fictional villain?
A. Dracula!
Q. If you could meet any historical character, who would it be and what would you say to him or her?
A. Queen Elizabeth I of England. I would say, "Um, um, um, wow, I admire you."
Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?
A. People who can't spell.
Q. What is your favorite occupation, when you’re not writing?
A. Walking my dog. (My silly Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Panda).
Q. What’s your fantasy profession?
A. I'm living the dream.
Q. If you could eat only one thing for the rest of your days, what would it be?
A. Artichokes.
On Books and Writing
Q. Who are your favorite authors?
A. Debbie Viguie! For the rest, I'll name dead authors so I won't forget someone I care about and hurt their feelings. Shirley Jackson, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen.
Q. Is there a book you love to reread?
A. The Haunting and The Shining
Q. Do you have one sentence of advice for new writers?
A. Read a lot and live even more.
Q. What comment do you hear most often from your readers?
A. When's the next one coming out?
Q. How did you come to write Wicked?
A. I had an idea for a saga about witches. I had recently been to France, in the exact region Debbie and I describe in the books. It just felt like destiny.
