Stone Soup contributor and winner of the Stone Soup Book Contest 2019 Abhi Sukhdial, 13, talks with former contributor and Stone Soup '20—21 intern Anya Geist, 14, about her novel Born on the First of Two, which was selected as the Editor's Choice for the Stone Soup Book Contest 2020 and published on December 1, 2021. The two talk about Anya's valuable experience as a Stone Soup intern (including her year-long stint as the main interviewer for the Stone Soup Author Interview Series), her intention in making her setting—The Land of the Clouds—as normal as possible, and her unique implement of time travel by way of going underwater.
If you' prefer a more streamlined video, please visit Anya's book page.
0:34 — Could you tell us more about yourself?
1:00 — What was your favorite part about being a Stone Soup intern?
1:23 — What are some of the things you've been working on/have worked on as an intern?
2:08 — How would you compare working for Stone Soup to contributing to Stone Soup?
2:54 — Is fantasy your favorite genre? And if so, why?
3:19 — Is Born on the First of Two your first Fantasy novel?
3:43 — What are some of your favorite fantasy novels?
4:28 — What inspired you to write this kind of fantasy/adventure story?
5:14 — How did you approach the process of world-building?
6:00 — How did you come up with the personality for your main character, Maya?
6:30 — How did you come up with the name "Maya" ?
6:49 — Over the course of the narrative, how does Maya change?
7:34 — How did you come up with personality traits of your secondary characters?
8:22 — How would you describe the relationship between your protagonist and secondary characters?
8:52 — Were any of your characters' personalities based on people you know?
9:28 — How focused would you say you were on world-building vs. character development?
10:28 — Why did you choose to include the element of time travel in your novel?
11:17 — How did you create the mechanics of time travel within your novel?
12:21 — What is the central message you'd like your readers to take away from the novel?
13:05 — How would you describe your writing process?
14:42 — Is there anything else you'd like to say?
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