'Asked & Answered with the Women of Marvel': Nic Stone

Get to know the Asked & Answered with the Women of Marvel series here. Be sure to head over to Marvel.com/askedanswered every other week for more!

We ❤ Nic Stone (she/her/hers). She’s an award-winning author whose middle-grade and young adult books are as engrossing as they are powerful (Dear Martin, Clean Getaway), while her series of middle grade Shuri novels shines a spotlight on one of our absolute favorite women of Marvel — pick up the third book in the series, Shuri: Symbiosis, on-sale now everywhere books are sold! (Don't miss the first two novels as well — Shuri: A Black Panther Novel and Shuri: The Vanished).

Additionally, the Nic Stone-hosted six-episode unscripted podcast series The History of Marvel Comics: Black Panther launches this coming Monday, February 14, available exclusively on the SXM App and Marvel Podcasts Unlimited on Apple Podcasts. (Episodes will be widely available one week later on Pandora, Stitcher, and all major podcast platforms in the U.S.) Learn more here!

She has some thoughts about snow. We’re *definitely* adopting her mantra. She’s a Woman of Marvel. And we had some questions for her.

We asked. She answered.

What is the first thing you do when you wake up?

Check Instagram. I am wholly unashamed and no one else should be ashamed either. Hmph. 

What are you totally into right now?

This is going to sound bizarre, but electrolyte powders and tablets. I’ve gotten to a point where I can’t drink water without them, which might be problematic… but we’re still in a pandemic so whatever. 

When humans live on Mars, what one food must we bring with us?

I personally will need tacos. And we’ll need something to wash those down with, so good tequila is also a must. 

Snow or sand?

Sand. Genuinely don’t understand people who like snow. It’s wet and cold. Like… very, very cold. And it gets gross and dirty. And it has to be shoveled so people don’t harm themselves. And it can trap you. Like where is the appeal??

Of all Shuri’s abilities and skills, which would you most enjoy having yourself?

I want to be able to problem-solve as quickly and efficiently as she does. 

Outline, outline, outline, or plot as you go?

Oh outline all the way, every single time. I can’t function without one. 

When I was a kid I was obsessed with…?

Encyclopedia Brown books. They follow this kid detective who, like Shuri, is just a wunderkind when it comes to problem-solving and thinking outside the box, and I really loved the way adults seemed to respect his gift. As a kid that’s what I wanted most: the respect of adults. It’s why I write for kids now, in fact. 

Got any superstitions?

I’m weird when it comes to telling people about things that haven’t happened yet. And won’t do it if there’s no wood to knock on. 

Super-power of choice?

Teleportation. Like intergalactically and across universes.

Must have item when writing?

…electrolyte spiked ice water. 

Salty or sweet?

I had a donut with a slice of cheddar cheese melted over it for my lunch dessert. I call it a “quesadonut” and it is indicative of my inability to consume one (sweet or salty) without the other.

Which super hero costume gets ALL the candy at your house on Halloween?

Anyone that is clever and homemade. Like one year, a kid showed up in a plain box he’d painted the word “JUICE” on, and I lost it. 

Who makes you laugh?

My kindergartner. Kid’s a riot. 

Best advice you’ve gotten?

Was less direct advice and more like… cautionary statement: “Publishing is designed to weed out those without fortitude.” Jodi Picoult told me that, and I will never forget it. 

What’s on your desert island mix tape?

Like 98% Atlanta hip-hop artists: Migos, Future, 2Chainz, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Lil Nas X, Outkast, Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, Ludacris, etc.

And then I would have to have some neo-soul/R&B artists like Euroz and Teyana Taylor. And there would be a few random Tame Impala and Glass Animals songs tossed in there. 

Who would you road trip with (dead or alive, someone you know or wish you knew, fictional or real)?

Okay hear me out on this one… So Mark Twain, right? (aka Samuel Langhorne Clemens) No one on earth could ever convince me that Mark Twain 1. Didn’t know how to have a rousing good time and 2. Wasn’t down for whatever.

Dude tried his hand at mining, journalism, and riverboat piloting (!!!), actually made money off of his writing (which in the late 1800s was a huge deal), and then basically lost it all in bad business ventures. He was also low-key besties with Nikola Tesla, and was an inventor in his own right—he like created a (failed) replacement for suspenders and also patented a self-pasting scrapbook. Anyway, enough of my fangirling: I think Mark Twain and I would have a killer road trip. We’d start in North Carolina and drive straight across the Southern States and into Mexico. Making dope stuff the whole way. 

If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

“Girl, you good.” 

We ❤ K’Marah! What’s the best thing about your best friend?

First: I am so glad to hear that! The one thing that bothered me about film-Shuri was her lack of a friend, so K’Marah popped into my head one day, fully formed.

To answer the question: it would depend on which best friend we’re talking about. Lol. So I guess the best thing about ALL of my best friends is that they are all fine with not being my only best friend. 🙂

Mantra or quote that keeps you going?

“Okay, but what if it works out?” 

Best thing about being a Woman/Creator of Marvel?

Being a Marvel creator is like getting corporate permission—and payment!—to basically never “grow up.” The wilder and more childlike your imagination, the further you go here in this epic multiverse! 

Pick up Nic Stone's latest novel, Shuri: Symbiosis, everywhere books are sold, and tune-in to the Nic Stone-hosted podcast The History of Marvel Comics: Black Panther on Monday, February 14!

MacKenzie Cadenhead (she/her) is a children’s book author and an old school (Read: former) Marvel editor — not old-old but let’s just say she knew Gwen Stacy when she was dead. She co-authors the "Marvel Super-Hero Adventures" chapter book series for young readers and is a proud Woman of Marvel. You can see what she’s up to over at Instagram @mackenziecadenhead.