J. Anderson Coats stops by today to talk a bit about The Wicked and the Just, due out April 17 from Houghton Mifflin. You can find her on her website.

Pitch your book in 140 characters:

1293. English girl unwillingly moves to a walled town in north Wales. Welsh servants are fun to torment. Life is good. If you’re English.

Who will this book appeal to?

People who like secondary worlds (including the past), snarky girls, power struggles, justice, cruelty, comeuppance, and a body count.

Favorite moment or character in your book:

At the end, there’s a scene where Cecily realizes the consequences of her actions. It’s gripping, abrupt and devastating, and it changes her completely.

What’s your writing routine?

Alarm goes off at 5 am. Shower. Write till 6:30. Daydream about the middle ages while at the day job. Daydream while doing dishes and laundry. Write between the cracks.

What’s your best piece of writing advice?

Don’t be afraid to write crap. You can fix weak plot, infodump and transparent motivation in the next draft. You can’t fix what isn’t there.

What’s been the most surprising part of the publishing journey?

Copyedits. I thought they’d be a breeze since I’m a big grammar nerd and took four years of Latin, but I ended up getting taken to school.

What did you do when you learned your book would be published?

Enjoyed the moment. Honestly, I always knew I’d get here. I worked too hard not to. I just didn’t know when.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?

Learn to write this book. Don’t get hung up on rules and formulas. Every book is different. Write it the way it wants to be written.

What are your top three favorite books?

THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Umberto Eco. The LITTLE HOUSE series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson.

What’s next for you?

More snarky girls in the middle ages. A curse. Some battlefield medicine. A higher body count. Maybe a boy or two.