Interview & Giveaway: The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson

Title: The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back
Author: Sariah Wilson
Print Length: 224 pages
Publisher: Fire & Ice Books
Release Date: August 15, 2012 
ASIN: B008YIE740
ISBN: 1479321737
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Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.

Interview with Sariah Wilson

Hi Sariah! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview:)
 
Thanks so much for asking me to do the interview! :)

 
How did the idea for The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back come about?
 

Mattie wouldn’t shut up about it. One night while in bed, I had this snarky voice in my head talking about her oh-so-perfect stepsister, and that was that. I got out of bed and started writing as fast as I could – and was up the whole night writing everything down. I loved the idea of telling the Cinderella story from the perspective of the ugly stepsister.

 
Are your characters based on anyone you know?
 

The mom, Pearl, is based on a real person I met. (And it cracks me up when people say no one would act like her in real life.) But other than that, nope. I take personality traits and sometimes even dialogue from people around me (my 21-year-old sister inadvertently helped me with some of Mattie’s funnier lines), but with this book, these characters pretty much just showed up as they were and I took it from there.

 
What is your writing process? (Do you write outlines? Do you know how a story is going to end when you start it? Is it harder to write with someone or alone?)
 

I do a loose outline. I usually brainstorm A LOT before I start writing. I get an idea, think of the characters, and then I start thinking what the internal/external conflicts will be. I (hopefully) get struck by inspiration and come up with some great dialogue or scenes, and I start placing them into an outline. But I do deviate from that outline and add things in or take them out. I always know where the story’s going to go and how it will end (Happily Ever After, the only acceptable ending, in my opinion). I haven’t actually written with someone yet. Both my dad and my sister have ideas for books, and I hope someday to work with them on those. I’ll let you know how that goes. ;)

 
What is your favorite genre to read?
 

I’m into almost everything. I particularly love to read fun, bouncy, chick-lit type YA books that put a smile on my face. I don’t typically go for the angsty stuff, because I have enough drama in my real life. I love historical romance, contemporary romance, dystopian, fantasy, anything Maeve Binchy has written, classics, paranormal, etc., etc.

 
What are you reading right now?
 

Last night I just started “Anna and the French Kiss.” Loving it so far, but my Kindle died and I have to go recharge it. Before that - my book was nominated as a YA finalist for the Whitney Awards, and I’ve been reading my fellow nominees. Gotta scope out the competition! ;)

 
Can you give us any hints about what happens in book 2?
 

I think there’s going to be a book 1.5 and a book 2. Book 1.5 will be Mattie and Jake at the prom. Book 2 will be Ella’s story, and it will involve her being on a reality show. She will have a couple of love interests and one of them is an extremely hot but rude British rock star/judge.

 
What can we be excited about that is coming from you in the future?
 

Well, I have to get these Mattie and Ella books written. I also have a YA time travel that is the book of my heart and I’ve been writing down notes, dialogue and scenes for years. I hope I can make it as good on paper as it is in my head!

 
That sounds awesome! Thanks so much again for your time today.
 

About The Author

 

Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is her fourth happily ever after novel. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).

 
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Giveaway

 

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