Kathryn Lasky is the prolific NYT-bestselling author of Guardians of Ga’hoole, Tangled in Time, Georgia O’Keefe mysteries and many other books in various genres. She graciously took the time to answer my questions about inspiration, world-building and more. Enjoy!

1. What usually comes first-the idea of a character or the premise? 

It’s sort  of six in one half dozen of the other, but by and large, I think it’s usually the premise of the book. 

Such as in FACELESS, I want to write a book about World War 2, and then maybe I can have a girl who is a spy, but then I mix in a little fantasy: this girl belongs to  small clan of spies called the Tabula Rasa that has worked ceaselessly to fight oppression. They can pass unseen through enemy lines and “become” other people without being recognized. They are, essentially, faceless. 

2. Does your writing process/narrative tone change from when you do nonfiction, mystery, fantasy to historical fiction? 

Yes the tone does change. In non fiction, it is a much more neutral point of view, a more distant third person. Meanwhile in fiction it is a much more up close, and personal POV as I am trying to inhabit a character. 

3. How do you choose which historic event to center a story on with over a thousand years to choose from? 

Well I have my favorite eras so to speak—like World War 2 and the 16th century. I also like 19th and 18th century American history.

4. Since you’ve done several books about WW2? is there a specific part of it that makes you return to the era?

As I said above I have a fondness for WW2. I was born right after WW2. I lost many cousins in Europe to the Holocaust. I had two relatives who fought in WW 2. It’s something I think about a lot now during this Trump era. I just don’t think a lot about it, but I worry—Man’s inhumanity to man; or I should say today’s inhumanity to man in this country. 

5. You also wrote several books for the Scholastic brand (Dear America, Royal Diaries), how was working for the brand different from working on your own novels?  

I loved it! I never thought of it as a brand with Scholastic. I always felt I was writing my own book with my own characters. There were no real rules about how I was to write it. But Scholastic is a  unique publisher

6. Guardians of Ga’hoole became a great hit, was there any pressure when it came to your following animal fantasy series? 

No, no pressures at all. I just felt it would be good it I could cultivate each book in the series, so it could connect with other books in the different animal worlds  if possible. 

7. Speaking of fantasy, they all have such intricate societies, rules, hierarchies. How do you begin world building?  

Oh goodness, that is a challenging question—world building , how do you do it? I think you start off about the essential natural history of whatever species you are dealing with—their biology, their behavior, etc.

I am very lucky to live where I do—three blocks from Harvard University and their museum of Natural History. I found collections there and experts I could talk to. So it all begins with research and the real stuff, and then I depart into fantasy. 

8. One of your latest series is a mystery starring Georgia O’ Keefe; since she was a real person, are there any extra challenges when it comes to crafting the mystery while keeping it true to her? 

I did not find it that hard. Again, as in the animal stuff, I began with the real things. I read many of her letters to other people. I developed a feeling for how she wrote and how she talked about painting, and her early family life. What kind of music she enjoyed; music was a large part of her life. Her relationship with her husband Alfred Stieglitz. Her politics.

9. Who is your favorite character out of all of them is cliché. So I’ll ask are there any particular traits you admire from each or any of your protagonists? 

Oh there are so many. I think they are all very brave in ways I could never hope to be. I can’t believe the challenges, the agonies that I put these characters through that I would never been able to deal with. I have an inner coward that shames me. But I can always dream bigger and braver. I guess that is why I write.

10. Any upcoming projects or news you’d like to share? 

Well, I have more Georgia O’Keeffe books coming up; nothing in children’s books right now. But something might come to me.

You can find out more about Lasky and her projects on her website: https://www.kathrynlasky.com/