345: Language as World Building in YA Fantasy - Interview with Ellie Cypher

02/17/21 • 53 min

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ellie Cypher.

Ellie Cypher grew up in Northern California, received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from UC Santa Cruz and got her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California Davis. She has lived and worked all over the world from New Zealand to Tasmania to the United Kingdom.

When she is not writing, you can find her spending her time caring for all manner of creatures great and small, dreaming about traveling, drinking too much coffee or generally wandering about the beautiful Smoky Mountains with her husband and eleven-year-old black lab.

Today we’ll be discussing her debut novel, a YA fantasy titled The Girl from Shadow Springs.

In this episode Ellie and I discuss:

How the first line is usually what pops into her head first and inspires her to write the book.
Why the arctic wilderness was the perfect backdrop for her novel as it has “a sense of being alone in a void...massive expanse and insular isolation”.
What part language, vernacular, and modulation of voice play in stretching the boundaries of the speech characters use and building the world around them.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For info and show notes: diymfa.com/345

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ellie Cypher.

Today we’ll be discussing her debut novel, a YA fantasy titled The Girl from Shadow Springs.

In this episode Ellie and I discuss:

How the first line is usually what pops into her head first and inspires her to write the book.
Why the arctic wilderness was the perfect backdrop for her novel as it has “a sense of being alone in a void...massive expanse and insular isolation”.
What part language, vernacular, and modulation of voice play in stretching the boundaries of the speech characters use and building the world around them.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For info and show notes: diymfa.com/345

Previous Episode

344: A Deep Dive into Point of View - Interview with Sharon Harrigan

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Harrigan.

Sharon is the author of the new novel Half, which has received accolades from places like Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Foreword Reviews, and the New York Journal of Books. She earned her a B.A. from Barnard College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University. She is also the author of the memoir Playing with Dynamite and she teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her family.

In this episode Sharon and I discuss:

What it means to come of age and how her novel Half addresses that.
Why it is important to assess what type of point of view to use for a project.
How to use voice as a bridge between the writer and the reader.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/344

Next Episode

346: Curating a Middle Grade Anthology of Intertribal Stories - Interview with Cynthia Leitich Smith

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Cynthia Leitich Smith.

Cynthia is a New York Times bestselling author known for her award-winning children’s and YA books. She writes both realistic contemporary stories and fantastical narratives, and most recently, she won the American Indian Youth Literature YA Award for Hearts Unbroken published by Candlewick.

Today we’ll be discussing one of her most recent projects: Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for kids, a middle grade anthology published by Heartdrum, a Native-focused imprint at HarperChildren’s where Cynthia is the author-curator. In addition to her work in publishing, she is also on the faculty of the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is a citizen of Mvskoke Nation and makes her home in Austin, Texas.

In this episode Cynthia and I discuss:

How the lack of Native representation in Middle Grade books inspired Cynthia’s writing and the impetus for Heartdrum.
What elements are important to include when writing specifically for Middle Graders and how MG is distinct from YA.
Why it’s important to create an inclusive feeling of a “we” not “me” book within diverse literature.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/346