An Interview with Lilah Fitzgerald

Actress, dancer, and talented writer Lilah Fitzgerald is best known for her breakthrough leading role as ‘Ghoulia Yelps’ in the live-action MONSTER HIGH film franchise. Next up, she is set to co-star in the highly anticipated AMC / Bob Odenkirk series “Lucky Hank”, premiering March 19th.

A talented writer, her debut YA fantasy novel Stars & Swashbucklers, the first installment in The Last Montmorency Saga, will be released through DartFrog Books on April 4th. 

Born in the small Silver Star Mountain town of Okanagan in British Columbia, Canada, Fitzgerald grew up “mountain schooled” with nature as her classroom, spending most of her time outside. From the moment that she realized that the people on her TV screen were real, she knew that she wanted to be an actor. 

Raine Magazine recently interviewed this talented rising star.

RAINE: What was the initial spark of inspiration that led you to pursue a career in the creative industries?

LILAH FITZGERALD: I wish I could pinpoint a spark, a moment that set me on my path. But really, I was born with my spark, with a burning desire to entertain. I knew from the moment I realized it was real people on the tv that I was going to do that. I spent my entire childhood creating worlds inside my mind. I put on a show for every single person I could, any chance I got. If there was a stage, I stood in the center. My inspiration has ebbed and flowed, twisted and changed, died, and been remade probably a million times. Sometimes I want to perform for the entire world, and sometimes I’m paralyzed by stage fright. But my spark burns on, even when the world douses it with water. I want to make people laugh and cry and hope and simply feel. Life, at its core, is performance art. And I’ve always known I wanted to put on a good show.

RAINE: From a creative perspective, what appeals to you about the chance to do your own worldbuilding by getting into writing the first in a series of Young Adult fantasy novels?

FITZGERALD: I think one of the most thrilling things is that, for the first time in my career, I’m in charge. I’ve grown up acting and telling stories that were not my own. And while I’m incredibly honored to have been a part of each and every one of those stories, I’m also incredibly excited to be the one holding the pen. I can create as much magic as I want to, bend the rules of reality, create a world that is wholly my own. I didn’t really plan to publish my book when I first started writing—I didn’t even know if it would turn into a coherent book at all. Writing was my escape from reality, and what better place to go than the magical land of floating islands and privateers I had dreamed about? What I planned to be a science fiction novel quickly became heavily steeped in magic; the world evolved in my mind without me really doing much at all. I would find a hole in the logic of my worldbuilding, tug at a few threads, and find the answer already stored in my subconscious. And, of course, the answer was usually magic.

RAINE: A lot of material in the YA fantasy genre gets published every year. What do you hope stands out about the mythology/series you have created?

FITZGERALD: My world is very much its own, taking place on the decks of ships and floating islands and blending traditional Celtic faerie lore with sci-fi inventions. But what I hope most is that, despite the magic and monsters and royalty, my book feels real. The best books are the ones that make you forget you’re reading, that make you close the book to join in the conversation before remembering it was happening on the page. Writing Stars & Swashbucklers was an immersive experience, and I hope the world feels as tangible to readers as it does to me. The other factor that I think makes my book unique is that I am the target audience; I’m a teen writing for teens. The voice of the main character is truly the voice of a teenager.

RAINE: Do you have a creative road map/future in mind for your novels as well as potential other fiction or nonfiction writing?

FITZGERALD: I have so many stories inside my mind that they give me headaches. The Last Montmorency Saga will have seven books in the main series, but I have at least three spin-offs planned for different characters’ backstories. Stars & Swashbucklers is merely the first in many books that will be set in the Broken World. I plan to tell the history of how the world shattered in reverse, slowly working my way through the many revolutions and wars that shaped the world we see in Anya’s story. So far, I have the next three prequel series planned, but there will be many many more books to come—and that’s not counting the ones that exist outside of the Broken World. I also plan to write for film and tv between novels; I have a completed pilot sitting on my computer already, waiting for me to edit it when I finally find the time.

RAINE: One of your next acting projects is Lucky Hank, Bob Odenkirk and AMC's immediate follow-up to the sensational Better Call Saul. What’s it like to be involved with a project centered around an actor coming off so much acclaim for his signature role?

FITZGERALD: Absolutely terrifying. Also amazing and unbelievable and surreal, but . . . terrifying. There are so many incredible actors in the cast, and such masterful directors, that I felt more than a little petrified. I’ve been acting since I was seven, so I’m used to stepping onto sets with people much more established than myself, but every time still comes with nerves and excitement. Especially when it’s a show like “Lucky Hank”—I’ve been dreaming of being cast in something like this my entire career. And getting the opportunity to work with Bob Odenkirk was inspiring—his acting feels so human and real; not acting, but living.

RAINE: Tell us about your character and the role she plays within the series.

FITZGERALD: Well, I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t say much. But I play one of the students at the school with a special interest in starting an organization to “avert mediocrity.” However, she seems to have some underlying ulterior motives.

RAINE: Do you have any further exciting projects coming up?

FITZGERALD: Stars & Swashbucklers releases April 4th, with a live launch at Chevalier’s books—the oldest indie bookstore in Los Angeles! I’m also already editing the second book in the series. The first Monster High movie is nominated for a Kid’s Choice Award, and we’re all so excited to see each other on the orange carpet! And the second Monster High movie just wrapped up filming—It’s coming out this year, and I can’t wait for everyone to see what we get up to this time. The cast and crew came back to the second movie even more energized than we did for the first one, and I think the heart and passion we all feel for this story really shines through.