Author Interview: Kersten Hamilton and In The Forests of the Night Giveaway

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Just a writer.

Are you a panster (no outline) or are you plotter?

I am a total panster. I can’t follow maps in life, much less outlines for books. My favorite kind of road trip is the kind where you flip a coin at each new intersection to decide where to go. That’s my favorite kind of writing, too!

Did you have any say in the design of the cover?

No—writers generally don’t get any say at all in the cover. I am lucky that my publisher, Clarion, sends me the cover before the book appears—and I love the covers for Tyger Tyger and In the Forests of the Night!

What is your current WIP (Work in Progress)? Can you tell me a little about it?

I’m finishing the Goblin Wars, of course! And I have just sold a very fun steampunk chapter book The Mesmer Menace, set on the eve of the Great Mesmer War of 1901, featuring a boy inventor, President Teddy Roosevelt, evil hypnotists, robots, a lightning harvester, and a dashingly brave and loyal dachshund named Noodles; I am working on the second book in that series. I am also finishing a “Holes”–esque older MG dealing with suicide, Catholicism, immigration issues and one undead school administrator.
After that, I have a TOP SECRET YA project in the works…

Do you have a favorite place to sit and write? Where is your favorite place to read?

I read and write all over the place. I work on a laptop, and carry it with me wherever I go. In the last year, I have written in hospital waiting rooms, coffee shops, bookstores, parks in an elevator, and at the zoo. I am writing this post in the passenger seat of a car as my friend and I head back to New Mexico from Florida (where we delivered a wedding cake.)

I read the same way, and usually read several books at once. I have different books in each room—a nice mix of fiction, nonfiction, marketing and writer’s craft—and pick them up to read as I wander through. I have probably four books I am in various stages of reading by my bed, and I carry my Kindle in my computer bag so that I can read while I’m away from home.

As a reader do you read in the same genre as you write? What is your current paranormal obsession?

My obsession is really mythopoeia rather than paranormal. The writings of George MacDonald, my favorite author, inspired Tolkien to name and describe the genre in the 1930’s. Mythopoeia incorporates mythological themes and archetypes into newly created worlds. Authors such as Tolkien or C.S. Lewis create whole new mythologies; others, such as Neil Gaiman, use a mash-up of existing mythologies. My Goblin Wars series definitely falls into the mythopoeia spectrum.

Thank you for having me on your blog today, Rie!

Review

The battle against goblinkind continues . . . but which side will Teagan be on?

Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive, but the Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Tea’s goblin cousins show up at her school, sure she will come back to Mag Mell, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken. Soon she will belong to Fear Doirich and join them. In the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or kill Tea’s family and friends. Tea knows she doesn’t have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured and killed. A wild Stormrider, born to rule and reign, is growing stronger inside her. But as long as she can hold on, she’s still Teagan Wylltson, who plans to be a veterinarian and who heals the sick and hurting. The disease that’s destroying her—that’s destroying them all—has a name: Fear Doirich. And Teagan Wylltson is not going to let him win.

Since I love this series so much I'm giving away a copy. Just comment with your email address to enter.

Categories: Author Interviews