Adalyn Grace always knew exactly what she wanted: write her first book by age 13, finish college by age 18, and now, at age 25, her long-awaited first novel, the Y.A. fantasy All the Stars and Teeth (Macmillan, February 4) All the Stars and Teeth (Macmillan, Feb. 4). The San Diego and Arizona-based young author told Marie Claire, "I'm very excited about this book."

"All the Stars and Teeth is a story about a young woman who is in the middle of a war.

In "All Stars and Teeth," she tells the story of Amora, the strong-willed princess of the magical island kingdom of Visidia. Amora's show of strength fails and she is forced to flee. Amora sets out on a mission to prove her worth and reunite her rapidly dividing people. With its sometimes dark themes (murder, civil war, etc.), Grace joins the ranks of emerging Y.A. authors who write politically charged stories for a younger generation. Here, Grace describes how she approached a difficult conversation, the writing process, and how landing a book deal as a 25-year-old woman changed her life.

Marie Claire: What was your initial inspiration for the book?

Adalyn Grace: It started with the main character, Amora. I wanted to create a character who was a little bit morally gray, and who was very open about what she wanted. Because in media like movies and books, male characters can do a lot more than female characters. Male characters can do anything and be really loved for it, whereas female-identified characters have more pressure and are judged more. I wanted to create a character that had everything I wanted to be, with panache: fierce, loves to date, loves to fight, loves adventure, loves dress and makeup. That's where it all came from.

MC: How did you create a character with so many flaws, but that we still want to root for?

AG: I wanted her to be imperfect. There are definitely parts of the book where people get really frustrated with her. But she's human, and I wanted to express that in the story. I wanted to see her grow.

MC: Your book has some dark things in it, including murder. How do you tackle those conversations?

AG: I didn't think to include a lot of political talk and commentary. Because I feel that everything that is happening in our world right now, in our country, is political. I feel like we are in a mess. I don't think any writer I know can turn that switch off completely. So much of the world and so much of what you are experiencing is seeping into what we write.

As for approaching those topics, it depends on the extent of the conversation and how deeply you want to delve into it. If this were an adult book, it might be a little more graphic, or it might involve more specific politics; with Y.A., I think you have to be conscious of the fact that you're presenting something to a younger audience. You can't just write on a piece of paper, "All these characters are going to die," and think that's enough. Because you are speaking to a very young audience. It is very important to treat those topics with care. But I didn't want to pander to the audience. They are young, but very mature. They can think for themselves about these topics.

MD: As a young writer, what does it mean to you to put out your debut novel now that a more political Y.A. is entering the scene?

AG: It's a very responsible job. I don't want to impose my opinion. I want readers to think for themselves. I think that was my goal in all of this. I didn't want to create something that was either extremely wrong or extremely right. In this book, both sides have very different opinions about the possible wars to come. And both sides have very good points. Especially the "bad guys." I wanted to create a situation where people could think for themselves and make their own decisions about everything that was happening.

MC: Did you always want to be a writer?

AG: I started writing when I was 10 or 11. I was really shy, but I was writing for a website called NeoPets, which was super popular in the 90s and early 2000s. I lived in the same town as Stephanie Meyer, so when "Twilight" came out, I went to her first book signing and realized that writing could be an actual job. The first book I wrote was awful, very, very awful, but I finished it by the time I was 13.

MC: What was it like getting that first book deal?

AG: It wasn't the first book I queried or wrote. So I wrote this book in anger. The fact that I didn't get an agent really got me going. Also, I had been in a car accident and broke some ribs and part of my spine, which gave me a lot of time to write. I wrote a draft of this book really fast, in about three weeks. I spent another three weeks editing it before submitting it to the query. Then I sent out the query and the work started coming in really quickly. Within the first 24 hours I had several offers. It was a very lucky and unusual process.

I remember the moment I got the call, I was just sobbing and incoherent. I was like, 'I have to call my mother. I think, especially as a woman, you are evaluated a little more harshly than your male colleagues. There are more expectations in terms of communicating with people and being kind. There are also social pressures. But most of the time I try to ignore it. Because it's very exciting and I'm very grateful for this opportunity to finally do what I've worked for for years and years.

MD: You seem very confident. Do you ever have self-doubt?

AG: I think there are always little hesitations. I'm very fortunate in that I'm a little bit sassy, which helps me defend myself a little bit. I apologize for being sassy as a woman. I don't want people to think that. But I think it protects me. This is what I want and I don't care what anyone says. I've worked so hard for it. I'm not going to back down because I finally got it.

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