could talk a lot about the mystery genre if you asked, because I've been reading plenty of those.:) But I don't know what's hot in YA Fantasy. I will say that writing about a "non-magical" protagonist was definitely different from writing about a protagonist with superpowers. I could relate to Bitterblue more than I ever did to Katsa or Fire. Her vulnerabilities felt more familiar to me. Honestly, by the time I was done, she felt like my daughter. That never happened with Katsa or Fire. It was an absolute pleasure to write about a "regular" person. Helen: So what do you, as the author, love most about Bitterblue's character? Kristin: I love her loneliness. I love her loyalty. I love how much she loves her friends. I love how hard she tries, and I love her refusal to give up. Helen: Yes, that is definitely the Bitterblue I met, but I was also impressed by her generosity, as well as her "fidelity":  the way she strives to keeps faith with her subjects, and the truth of the past, and those she loves, even those who cause her more than a little trouble -- not just "cool friends" like Katsa and Po. But speaking of Katsa and Po, a strong romance is central to both Graceling (Katsa and Po) and Fire (Fire and Brigan), but although there is romantic attraction, it does not feel either so central or so strong in Bitterblue. Why is that? Kristin: Bitterblue is a different