(Blogoversary Celebration) Author Interview: Alethea Kontis

Hi everyone. Today, Alethea Kontis, author of Enchanted, has stopped by the blog for an interview. Welcome to Treasured Tales, Alethea; and thank you for the interview.

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Hi Alethea, Thank you for visiting Treasured Tales for Young Adults, to help celebrate its one year blogoversary.

Would you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m really just a little kid. When I was seven and saw Peter Pan on stage, the “I Won’t Grow Up” lyrics really spoke to me. The outside of me keeps getting older, and I have all those responsibilities that grown ups have, but don’t be fooled. My favorite things are bubbles and rainbows and my teddy bear named Charlie. I like drawing on myself and waving to strangers. And telling stories, of course.

Do you have a favourite place where you like to write?

My favorite place to write is outside in the grass under a giant shade tree on a sunny spring day. Since that’s not typically available, you can find me writing on the couch. Or the balcony. Or in the bathroom. Or while I’m asleep. Or in a train. Or in the rain. Or in a box. Or with a fox. Or…oh, wait…

What was your favourite novel as a child, and has it inspired or influenced the way you write?

I was a pretty smart kid. I could read even before I could remember things–as many books influenced me as there are stars in the sky. I made a list of my 21 Most Influential Books: (http://aletheakontis.com/2009/06/my-21-most-influential-books) The highlights of my early childhood are probably the Goops books by Gelett Burgess. Children, imagination, and troublemaking, in fabulous nonsense verse. It just doesn’t get any better than that. I would love to win the Gelett Burgess Children’s Book Award someday.

If you could invite three authors to a dinner party, who would you choose and why?

Andre Norton, Gelett Burgess, Roald Dahl, Lloyd Alexander, Agatha Christie, and Ogden Nash. Because how awesome would THAT be? Ooh–and Voltaire, so I could taunt him with my optimism. I’d invite Edgar Allan Poe as well, but he’d only drink all the wine and get all weird. (Hmm…on second thought, add him to the list.) Sorry, I’m not so good at math anymore. How many is “three” again?

How would you describe Sunday Woodcutter – the main character in your novel Enchanted – in five words or less?

Optimistic Powerful Scared Beloved Storyteller

When you think of Prince Rumbold – the Prince in Enchanted – what is the first word that comes to mind?

Truth

What qualities do you think Sunday and Prince Rumbold bring out in each other?

I think that Rumbold’s unabashed love for and belief in Sunday gives her confidence about herself and her abilities. Sunday not only makes Rumbold want to be a better man, but she also gives him something to live for.

Alethea, I have a few fairy-tale related questions for you:

If you could step into any fairy-tale for an entire day, which one would you choose and why?

My favorite fairy tale of all time is “The Goose Girl.” I would love to spend an afternoon tending the geese with Conrad and whispering for the wind to blow his hat away.

If you could be granted a magical ability, what would you choose, and how would you use it?

POWER OVER GRAVITY. I have an order in for it, but I’m still waiting. With power over gravity I could do so many things–like stay young, keep my hair curly when I wanted it to be, and FLY.

Do you have a favourite Disney movie?

“Beauty and the Beast” is my favorite. Not just because I identify with Belle so much (who doesn’t?), but because the second time I saw the film it was with my best friend Casey. I told her that if she wasn’t in love with the movie by the time the title came on the screen, I would buy her anything in the mall she wanted. Needless to say, I didn’t have to spend a penny on her. David Ogden Stiers’s prologue still gives me goose bumps to this day. Also, Robin McKinley’s Beauty is on that list of Favorite Books of All Time.

How would you finish this sentence: Kissing a frog…

Kissing a frog…is not how the Grimm story ended. The princess in “The Frog Prince” was a brat and, fed up with her needy guest, threw him against a wall in an effort to rid herself of him. I do not recommend this path as a way of finding true love, but it’s possibly less deceptive than kissing.

Thank you for the interview Alethea.

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If you could be granted a magical abilty, what would you choose?

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More information about Alethea Kontis and her novel, Enchanted:

blog ~ goodreads ~ twitter