THE MARKED GIRL by Lindsey Klingele

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book that I had to get it immediately. It even has a great heading at the beginning: "The Night That Started Out Normal." Have a look for yourself:

When Cedric, crowned prince of Caelum, and his fellow royal friends (including his betrothed, Kat) find themselves stranded in modern-day L.A. via a magical portal and an evil traitor named Malquin, all they want to do is get home to Caelum—soon. Then they meet Liv, a filmmaker foster girl who just wants to get out of the system and on with her life. As she and Cedric bond, they’ll discover that she’s more connected to his world than they ever could’ve imagined…and that finding home is no easy task…

On your website bio, you listed The Babysitters Club series as one of the stories that shaped you and keeps you going. As a fellow fan of that series (I wouldn't be a writer without it) what about it do you think spoke most to its readers and fans?

I love that series so much! I think it spoke to a lot of girls like me who grew up in the 90s. There were so many distinct, interesting characters in The Babysitters Club, and I think a lot of readers had favorites that spoke specifically to them – I was a total Mary Anne who aspired to be a Claudia. I also loved how engaged the girls were with each other and with their business. I tried to get my group of friends to form our own babysitter’s club, but we had nowhere near the commitment needed (and no one wanted to step up and be the Kristy). Plus, it turned out I kind of hated babysitting. Whoops. But I also loved that series for just its sheer volume of stories – long-form storytelling is my very favorite, which is why I secretly hope all my favorite TV shows will have twenty seasons.

I'm a total Mary Anne, and I wish the same thing. What I love most about THE MARKED GIRL is its fish-out-of-water elements. How did the story come to you, and what did you love most about writing it?

Thanks! I initially got the idea when my family came out to visit me in LA for the first time. I got to see the city again through their eyes, and started wondering how Los Angeles would look not just to Midwesterners, but to someone really, really far away. Like Westeros far away. Those fish-out-of-water elements were also some of my favorite to write. All of the lighter, comedic elements and banter were the most fun for me.

That level of fun definitely comes through in the story too. You had a few launch events this year, right after the book's release. What did you enjoy most, and what did you learn?

I learned that I can survive them! I was pretty nervous, but the support of people I know and readers who stopped by made it a lot easier. I also learned that having one glass of wine before speaking in public can calm the nerves enough to stop your voice from shaking :)

Good advice! What are some of your current projects?

I’m currently just finishing up the sequel to THE MARKED GIRL. It’s called THE BROKEN WORLD, and it will be out next summer. Liv and Cedric’s story will wrap up with that sequel, and after that I'll be working on a different stand-alone for HarperTeen.

BIO -- Originally from Michigan, Lindsey Klingele moved to Los Angeles and has since worked in the writers' rooms of television shows such as ABC Family's The Lying Game and Twisted. The Marked Girl is her first novel.

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