Tuesday, May 28, 2013

The Tale of Mally Biddle: Author Interview

mally biddle
The Tale of Mally Biddle 
M.L. LeGette 
 When Mally Biddle agreed to spy upon the King of Lenzar and his overbearing knights she knew she was heading into danger. She didn't know she'd find a family unlike any other. Posing as a servant in Bosc Castle, Mally serves tea and tends fires for the most dangerous men in the kingdom. Her goal is to learn the truth of what happened sixteen years ago, when the infant princess met her death ... a death that is surrounded by more questions than answers. Along her search for the truth, Mally meets the energized Lita Stump, the strict and matriarchal Meriyal Boyd, and the opinionated Archibald Diggleby. Then of course there are the knights: Leon Gibbs who is slicker than a greased hog, Adrian Bayard, hot tempered and violent, and the worst of the lot: Sir Illius Molick, Captain of the Knights. And then there is Maud, a mysterious woman who just might know everything...



Melissa LeGette 
Melissa LeGette lives in Georgia where she helps run a family farm, so her nails are a fright. The Tale of Mally Biddle is her second novel.

1.Hey! Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
I'm twenty-five and I live in a very small southern town. I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was fifteen/sixteen and promptly told all my teachers. I think they were a little concerned. My big brother started a sustainable vegetable farm a few years ago and I'm one of the workers there, so farm life, farm animals, and eating what you grow is a constant theme in my fiction, even if it isn't the main theme. I'm an introvert, I love chocolate, I hate to clean, and though traveling is nice and brings oodles of inspiration, I'm a serious homebody.

2.What inspired you to write your first novel?
I wasn't doing much of anything. I was sitting outside in my backyard, thinking of nothing in particular, when I suddenly wanted to write a story. Simple as that. The main character of the novel popped into my head and it flowed from there. My first book in particular was heavily inspired by the movie adaptation of Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn. My early childhood WAS that movie.

3.Are you a night owl or an early bird?
My dad is the early bird. I'm the night owl. When I was a teenager, I never stayed up. Now that I'm an adult, I seem to be making up for those years.

4.Describe The Tale of Mally Biddle in three words
Friendship. Bravery. Family.

5.What part of this book did you enjoy writing the most?
The characters, especially the servants. My first novel was in first person and had a small number of important characters. With Biddle being in third person it was a joy to be able to focus on different characters more intensely. Oddly enough the characters that I found most enjoyable to write were the ones that only show up for a few chapters, like Madam Bones, Cayla Black, Maud, Gibbs and Archie, to name a few.

6.Skittles or M&Ms?
M&Ms. I was never a skittles girl.

7.Would you say you are a good or bad cook?
Since I can toot my own horn ... I am a fabulous cook! My family has a wonderful habit of cooking dinner together every night. We each take a part of it (main meat, veggie, salad, starch) and prepare it from start to finish. The only veggie I can't quite master is cabbage.

8.Print or E-book?
When it comes to reading, I still prefer physical books, but I can't argue with the ease of the ebook. There's no traveling (the closest bookstore is 40 minutes away) and no shipping. Plus, if it's a really big book, it's easier to carry around on my ipad. When it comes to my novels, I always make sure they're in both formats.

9.If you had a million dollars what would you do with it?
I would build a house. I would pay for an updated catch pen for our sheep (I told you I was a farmer). I would probably buy a lot of chocolate. But honestly, I'm not sure what I would do. A million dollars is a lot of dollars!

10.What is one question you wished interviewers would ask and what is your answer to that question?
Who do you write for, yourself or your audience?

Nothing against the readers -- readers are fabulous, but I have always written for me. The books I write are the books I'd like to read. It's one of the reasons why I don't fit into a neat little genre. The Tale of Mally Biddle is a fantasy, but not a hard-core one. There is no magic involved. No mystical creatures. It's not historically accurate. It's not medieval. It is simply, itself: a cobble-streeted country from a distant place in my imagination. I write to entertain myself, because that (I think) is the main point of reading.

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