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14 Ontario School Library Association sense -- I don't work out the details until I'm ready to actually write those books). What are you working on next? at the moment I'm revising the third book in the Earth & Sky trilogy, and also working on a brand new project that (shockingly!) contains no speculative elements, though it has a similar tone to my earlier books. Who or what are your greatest influences today? again, it's hard to list all the authors I admire! some of those I've most enjoyed and learned from: in adult fiction, connie willis, daphne du Maurier, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Peter s. Beagle; in Ya fiction, e. Lockhart, Megan whalen Turner, Jaclyn Moriarty, and scott westerfeld. I also get a great deal of inspiration from all the other sorts of stories I consume, from TV to movies to music. You have a wonderful website, fantastic book trailers, and you are on facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, just to name a few. How important is it to keep up to date with new technologies? I try to balance keeping up to date with the platforms that work best for me. for example, I haven't jumped into Instagram yet because I just am not that big a photo-taker (not having a camera phone contributes to this quite a bit, I'd imagine). I love being able to interact with my readers though, and so I try to be available all the places they might reach me. What advice would you give to young writers today? I think the most important pieces of advice I could give are: 1. read a lot, and widely, and think about what you've read. reading books I enjoy and books I don't and figuring out why they have those effects has taught me more about the craft of writing than anything else. reading widely also gives you an idea of what's already been done (and therefore what hasn't that you could explore) and exposes you to a variety of ideas and tropes that may inspire you even if they're in genres you're generally not excited about. 2. write a lot, and get feedback on your writing, and strive to improve. Like any other skill, you hone the craft through practice. It's not enough just to write tons of material though-- you also need to practice looking at what you're written, and hearing what others think about what you've written, and figuring out how to make those stories even stronger. 3. realize that there is no one right way. I know lots of writers and they all approach their writing differently. all that matters is that you find a process that lets you finish stories you're happy with. so try not to worry if you hear about a writer you admire who swears the key to success is doing something you can't imagine working for you (The flipside of this is, there is no sure path to success. That's why points 1 and 2 are so important). What are you reading for personal pleasure right now? Unfortunately with a baby in the house and books under contract, I haven't had much pleasure reading time lately! I've been trying to catch up on the many recent Ya novels I've heard good things about, like Brandon sanderson's Steelheart and abigail Haas's Dangerous Girls. Thank you Megan! We're looking forward to The Clouded Sky! z …continued from page 15