Interview with Rin Chupeco for Wicked As You Wish

Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1)

by Rin Chupeco

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 3rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy 

Synopsis: 

An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in...Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn't even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn't mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she's a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.

Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon's most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

Can you briefly describe WICKED AS YOU WISH and its characters?

WICKED AS YOU WISH is a story where fairytales are a part of world history, where a Filipina teen named Tala, who can negate magic, finds herself aiding the exile prince of Avalon in his fight against the Snow Queen as he tries to get back his kingdom, Avalon, frozen and inaccessible for close to twelve years. And it all starts when the most powerful weapon his family possesses - a firebird - lands on his doorstep.

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?

There’s bits of me in the main cast, so that’s always been a hard question. I would definitely go with Tala, because I put a lot of my own personal experiences into her story and tend to be protective of her. And also definitely the firebird, who’s just a funny but annoying little ass.

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

I love fairytales, and when I was a kid I legit thought that fairytales WERE a part of history, so I just continued to build up on my old assumptions from there.

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?

“Count on Me” by Bruno Mars seem pretty perfect to me. Especially this part, because it absolutely encapsulates both the family and the found family aspects of WICKED AS YOU WISH that I believe is one of the book’s most focal points: 

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,

I'll sail the world to find you

If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,

I'll be the light to guide you

Find out what we're made of

When we are called to help our friends in need

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

Tala: Ylona Garcia

Alex: George Shelley

Kensington: Makenyu Maeda

Loki: Min Junqian

West: Noah Schnapp

Zoe: Millie Bobby Brown

Cole: Diego Tinoco

Nya: Marsai Martin

Kay (Tala’s father): Rory McCann

Snow Queen: Eva Green

the firebird: if it could talk it would have chaotic Danny Devito energy

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

As my favorite place to go and write the book was at a lot of Korean grills, I would heartily recommend that! I also think that a buffet is sort of the best kind of dining to describe the book - it features different kinds of cuisines all over the world, but they’re cuisines that I am intimately familiar with, and it’s the best place to eat when you’re with your friends!

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish WICKED AS YOU WISH?

The Foxheart middle grade series by Claire Legrand is sweet and sad and magical, and you can’t go wrong with a reread of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer!

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Not getting bogged down by the middle. Drafts always looks different than the setup you have of them in your head, so it’s hard pushing through, especially because I have a tendency to nitpick and go over a scene and getting stuck there for days instead of revising for later!

What’s next for you?

I just finished writing the sequel, and then there’s a final book after that! I also have WIPs for a very strange Filipino middle grade story, and conversely also for a very strange adult fantasy, and am still deciding which one to prioritize afterward!

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. She is also fond of speaking in the third person, and may as well finish this short bio in this manner. While she does not always get to check her Goodreads page, she does answer questions posed to her here as promptly as she is able to.

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