Page 60 - Star Wars Insider (Special Edition 2019)

INTERVIEW

VONNEGUT,
AUSTEN, AND
DRAGONS…

What are you
currently reading?
His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik. It’s
a story set during the
Napoleonic wars, but
with dragons. Sign
me up!

Which author, living
or dead, would you
most like to read a
Star Wars novel by?
How great would
a Jane Austen Star
Wars novel be? I’d
love to read her take
on The Courtship of
Princess Leia!

What word would
you use to describe
the novel you are
currently working on?
“Angst.”
What non-Star Wars
book should every
Star Wars fan read?
My favorite book is Schaefer’s editing work for
Slaughterhouse Five Del Rey has included the
by Kurt Vonnegut. 40th anniversary anthology,
Looking at war and A Certain Point of View (left)
its consequences and the movie adaptation,
Solo: A Star Wars Story
through the lens Expanded Edition (above).
of science fi ction?
Yeah, I think that’s
something Star Wars
fans could get into. I
can’t think of another
book where the
author tells you in You’ve written Star Wars for very young What advice would you give to any young
the very fi rst chapter children. What was the most diffi cult part authors who might hope to write a Star
everything that is in adapting The Last Jedi into a Little Golden Wars novel one day?
going to happen Book? Write. Write a lot. Develop your style with
in the rest of the
book—and yet the Writing The Last Jedi Little Golden Book was original stories. Prove you can hit a deadline
storytelling surprises both exciting and terrifying. I knew that this and tell inventive narratives.
and challenges you would be some kids’ first experience with the

anyway. Everything story until they were old enough to watch the How far do you think things have come
is beautiful, but boy

does it hurt. film. Talk about pressure! regarding representation in Star Wars
Obviously you can’t fit every plot nuance into novels, and how much work is there left

What Star Wars book 24 pages of a children’s book, so I try to focus as to do?
should every non- much as possible on the characters themselves. The first time I saw The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars fan read?

I love Claudia Gray’s What is it about Rey, Finn, and Poe that make and watched that lightsaber fly into Rey’s
Lost Stars. It takes the people of all ages want to root for them? hands, I wept. I felt like I belonged. Like
huge confl ict of the I mattered. I still get emotional whenever
Galactic Civil War and Which minor character would you most like I see little girls (and boys!) dressed as Rey.
gives it such personal
stakes through the to see showcased in a novel and why? Everyone deserves to have a moment like
relationship of Thane I think Lobot needs more time to shine! I love that. And we’re not there yet. I’m so thrilled
and Ciena. Even what the Marvel team has been doing with him that this generation will grow up with heroes
though it’s classifi ed
as a Young Adult in the comics. The combination of loyalty and like Finn, Poe, Sabine, and Rose. And I hope
novel, it’s a beautiful tragedy make him such a compelling character. those characters are only the beginning.
story for readers of Plus, who doesn’t want to read a cyberpunk The Star Wars galaxy should be big enough
any age. Star Wars novel? for everyone.

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