One of my favorite elements of any convention, particularly these bigger ones, is to go to smaller panels that are more geared towards having a conversation with a particular creator or the unsung heroes of productions. At WonderCon this year, I got to hear V. E. Schwab talk, which was amazing because I am OBSSESSED with her Shades of Magic series, and she’s also Slytherin.

Overcoming Fear
Given that V. E. Schwab has written 9 books, it may strike people to learn that she’s actually very fearful, but that she has such an adversarial relationship with that fear that she actually becomes inspired to over come things. A pro tip she offered to attendees was to write the ending of the story first and work on it till you’re satisfied, then go back and start the rest. This way you can have something to look forward to as you’re working.

Defying Demographics
As someone whose work often tells stories of liminal spaces, V. E. Schwab has been able to write all types of genre and age appropriate things. Of what she’s written, she said she preferred, lately, to be in the adult section, because it allowed for more world building than typical YA novels do.

The Relationship Humans Have with Magic
The Shades of Magic series is so brilliant in that the magic used is both wonderful and fearsome. Schwab described her world as Harry Potter meets Avatar The Last Airbender, meaning that magic is wielded and groomed by the relationships with the humans who practice it. So in Red London, where magic is celebrated, it operates differently than in White London, where magic is in more of a dominant/submissive relationship, born out of the fear of what happened in Black London.

Check out the full chat here for more awesome goodies: