First Book recently had the pleasure of interviewing a local D.C.-area author, Mindy Klasky. Ms. Klasky has written numerous short stories and six fantasy novels, including the award-winning, best-selling The Glasswrights’ Apprentice. Her latest novel, published by Red Dress Ink, is Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft, a lighthearted, fictional tale featuring a love-struck D.C. librarian who discovers she’s a witch. Ms. Klasky is generously donating a portion of proceeds from the sale of Girl’s Guide to First Book.

FB: You have a well-known fantasy series, starting with The Glasswrights’ Apprentice, already in publication, and Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft arguably straddles the fence between ‘chick-lit’ and fantasy. What draws you to that particular genre?

MK: I have always been attracted to fantasy in literature — as a child, I loved fairy tales, stories of the supernatural, and other imaginative fiction. When I first started to write novels, my ideas naturally gravitated toward stories I had read, modifying them to make them more interesting to me. That trend has continued through my writing career.

FB: When writing, do you start with an idea or theme in mind? Or with characters? Or, is it perhaps a specific message that you’re trying to convey?

MK: I start with characters. I create individuals who are interesting to me — either because of who they are or what they believe or the situations that have captured them. Then, I create challenges for them, struggles that spin out to become the plot. As a former English major, I can’t resist twisting and tugging that plot to express certain themes and messages. But it all begins with characters!

FB: Where have you found inspiration for your characters and storylines?

MK: Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft was inspired by one particularly bad day at the office. (I’m the Library Director for the DC office of a major law firm.) After spending a day trouble-shooting broken electronic products, I said to a co-worker, “I just wish I had a magic wand!” That started me thinking about what would happen if an average, everyday librarian did have a magic wand, and the character of Jane Madison was born!

FB: Do you have particular mentors that have shaped or influenced your writing and/or your love of books?

MK: My parents fostered my love of reading, which naturally gave rise to my love of writing. When I was a child, my parents told me that I could travel anywhere through the pages of a book. I embraced that notion from my first “Dick and Jane” readers, and I haven’t stopped yet. Mom and Dad were extremely supportive of my reading — even when I gravitated toward the fantasy genre, which is not one of their favorites. I was an extraordinarily fortunate child, to receive treasured books on a regular basis — through the old Scholastic book-ordering program (where elementary school students could order paperback books for very reasonable prices, with one free book for every five ordered), through birthday and holiday presents, and through regular trips to the local bookstore.

FB: What are some of your favorite books from childhood or adolescence that left an impression on you?

MK: As an elementary school child, I was drawn to stories about kids like me, transported to magical settings. My favorite authors included Zilpha Keatley Snyder (especially The Egypt Game), E.L. Konigsburg (especially Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth), and Ruth M. Arthur (whose Gothics are sadly out of print, but I loved all of her stories about lonely girls who found real magic in their lives.)

As a teenager, I was enchanted by The Hobbit (which I was required to read for a fifth grade English class) and by The Lord of the Rings (which I tackled on my own, with minimal understanding — for the first reading!) Katherine Kurtz’s Deryni series (set in an imaginary medieval world where the Catholic church flourishes in all its medieval glory, and wizards called Deryni are hated and feared) made me believe that I could actually write my own stories.

FB: In your opinion, what are some of the ways to attract children to the joys of reading? How does one get them to turn off the technology and tune in to a book?

MK: Children imitate the people that they love and respect. When children see the adults in their own lives reading, they build their own love for the activity. Teachers can spark that love by reading aloud to students. Librarians can fan the flames with after-school and summer reading programs. Parents and other caretakers can help children learn to love reading by seeking out books on topics that interest the specific kids in their lives — some children will thrive with fantasy (as I did) and others will find fulfillment with historical novels or biography or sports stories or even the classics. The more reading becomes an expected, integrated part of a child’s life, the more love of reading will be set forever.

FB: What’s next for you and Jane Madison?

MK: A sequel to Girl’s Guide, called Sorcery and the Single Girl, will be in stores in October 2007. Until then, readers can keep track of me and my writing at my website: www.mindyklasky.com, and at my blog: http://mindyklasky.livejournal.com.