Q:
Is your last name really 'Black'?
A: It's the name on my driver's license.
Q: Why the interest in faeries?
A: I think that I have an interest in faeries because more than
any other supernatural creature, they seem to have escaped the confines
of morality. They embody contradiction; their very nature is conflicted.
They are both chaotic and bound by rules, sensual and chaste, cruel
and kind. I wanted to have the opportunity to show the faeries that
I pictured when I read folklore--the faeries that could inspire such
fear in farmers that they would not even say the word "faerie."
Faerie ballads are terrifying.
Q: How long did it take you to write Tithe?
A: Give or take a couple of years, I'd say about five years.
I rewrote the same novel several different ways with several different
plotlines and characters. So you could say I wrote three different novels,
but this is my favorite one.
Q: What was the inspiration for Tithe?
A: I had an idea of a scene of a girl who was in iron chains
that were burning her wrists and I thought of the phrase "her wrists
were burning softly." I figured she was a faerie because iron would
burn fey folk. So I had to build a book around this key scene. I had
to essentially figure out who the girl was and why she was imprisoned.
Luckily, I had written this strange story for a creative writing class
about a changeling named Catherine who discovers her powers by putting
her best friend, Janet, to sleep after they share a kiss in a graveyard.
From these two elements, Tithe was born.
Q: Is Kaye based on you? Someone you know? How about Roiben or Corny?
A: None of my characters are based on myself or on friends of
mine, although in retrospect, I've noticed that aspects of certain characters
have a lot in common with certain people I know. There is no one person
that one character is like, though. I find that most characters have
aspects of people I've known, aspects of myself, and then parts that
belong to the character alone.
Q: In Tithe, Kaye shoplifts. When you were her age, did you do anything
illegal like that?
A: No, I was a goody-goody as a kid and afraid of my own shadow.
However, my sister was an absolutely amazing thief.
Q: Will you write another book about Kaye and Roiben?
A: I have nothing planned for Kaye and Roiben and Corny for now, but
I may return to these characters someday. I am really fond of them so when I
do write another story with them in it, I want it to be the right one.
Q: What was the inspiration for the Spiderwick books?
A: The ideas for the Spiderwick books came from the stories the Grace
children told to Tony and me. I also read a lot of faerie folklore from around
the world as well as faerie tales. Our love for these things, and Tony's
desire to illustrate a faerie field guide, inspired us to work on the books
together.
Q: Can you put me in touch with the Grace children?
A: I've promised to keep the identities of the real Grace children
secret. But usually I can pass along messages.
Q: I think I have a faerie living in my house. Can you help me identify
it?
A: I can try. If you send me a drawing or a description, I might be
able to help.
Q: Do you believe in faeries?
A: I've never actually seen a faerie, but I know plenty of trustworthy
people who say they have. So I have no reason to disbelieve in the existence
of faeries. I hope someday I get to see one.
Q: Who writes the Spiderwick books, and who illustrates them?
A: Often a writer and an artist work in isolation; sometimes they
never meet. Tony and I work in a pretty different way--first we sit down and talk
about what we want to happen. Then I go off and write and he goes off and draws,
then we trade notes back and forth to make the art and writing better.
Q: Will there be more Spiderwick books?
A: The Spiderwick Chronicles ended with book five, The Wrath
of Mulgarath. But we're working on a new series of three books now, called
Beyond the
Spiderwick Chronicles, about other children who encounter the Invisible World.
(There are some familiar faces from the original series as well.)
Q: What did you think of the Spiderwick movie?
A: I loved it. It really has the feel of the books and I thought that
Hogsqueal, in particular, was hilarious.
Q: Do you have any secrets?
A: I have a ring of faeries tattooed on my thigh. Also, I have one
secret in common with Arthur Spiderwick: a hidden library.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Tony and I are working on the new series of Spiderwick chapter books,
Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles. I'm also working on a graphic novel series
with Eisner nominated artist Ted Naifeh. Then there's my new novel, The White
Cat.
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