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Kelley Armstrong
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I am a huge fan of your books, and recently saw you on your Omens tour in Windsor, where you mentioned that sticking with one character as a narrator in your books is not something that you’re not overly fond of. If you do take the series to more than three books, do you plan on staying with Olivia as narrator, or is a new character/narrator going to be introduced?
Thank you for coming to chat with us tonight. It is an honor to have you with us. :)In writing a series and considering more than one POV from the characters, would you still write in first person? I have tried writing my first person POV from 3rd person and it doesn't feel as emotionally close. Would you recommend doing this for the second character POV as well to truly get inside the relationship?
Kind Regards~ Killion
Julie wrote: "You probably get asked this all the time but how and where do you get your ideas for your world and the supernaturals in it?First off, hello to all! Sorry I'm a little slow getting started. I'm mid tour--got the long weekend off--and arrived home late last night.
All of the supernaturals in my books are "real" types...as in "really exist in folklore" not "really exist in life" :) I grew up with folklore and mythology, and always incorporated that into my work. So for both the world building and the supernaturals, I rely on folklore, comparing and contrasting accounts and traditions until I develop the variation that will work for my story.
Laura wrote: "If you do take the series to more than three books, do you plan on staying with Olivia as narrator, or is a new character/narrator going to be introduced?."I'll be sticking with one character a little longer than usual this time. Olivia has a bigger and more compressed character arc than my previous narrators. By that I mean there's a lot she needs to discover and a lot of development to come, and often in my books, that takes place over time, so I'll change narrators while a character is still "in progress." That won't work for Olivia. Others have plans for her, and if she figured things out too slowly, they'd take advantage :)
Killion wrote: "In writing a series and considering more than one POV from the characters, would you still write in first person?."I've done dual first-person (Personal Demon) but only because I'd developed both those characters in first-person voices and couldn't switch to third. Anytime that I've needed to do third-person for someone I've done in 1st, I've actually had to write them in 1st and edit into 3rd. That was too big a task for a whole book!
(I noticed in the group rules that only books suitable for adults are to be discussed here. I'm not sure if that applies to mentioning non-adult books as an explanation, but I'm going to hope it's okay in this context) My next YA trilogy is also told from 2 POVs, but it's 3rd person, namely because I feel that unless there's a valid reason to do dual-first, the possibility for confusion outweighs the advantages. Some readers do find dual 1st confusing--one character is talking, then another, then back to the first, both using "I."
There's a slight bit of distance doing 3rd person, as you point out, but it's possible to do what we call close 3rd person, where you're still getting into their head. That's what I do, which is why I could switch from 1st to 3rd with edits rather than rewrite (it's literally just changing "I" to "she" and so on)
My advice would be that if you're struggling to do dual 3rd, go ahead and write dual 1st. Just be ready to try switching to 3rd if the feedback suggests readers are struggling with your POV choice.
Hello there! I am a massive fan of your books and have been reading them throughout my teenage years. What do you find the most difficult/challenging in terms of writing? And how do you overcome these challenges?Thanks!
Ellen
You are my favorite author ever! i've read all your books so far (except Omens (getting it soon:D) So for the question...Do you think you will write a series about the twins, Logan and Katherine? :D
Ellen wrote: "What do you find the most difficult/challenging in terms of writing? And how do you overcome these challenges?"Honestly, I don't find any part of the actual writing process challenging. I've been writing (and plotting and editing...etc) since childhood, so that comes naturally. Overall, the most difficult thing is maintaining a career as a novelist. I've done fine with that, but I'm very aware that it doesn't take much to lose this dream job. If what I'm writing becomes unpopular and I'm not able to get my footing elsewhere, I'd be struggling and having to consider a new career, which would be heart-breaking. I've seen it happen to many authors. But as challenges go, I see it as a good one--I can't rest on my success and presume I'll always have readers. I need to work for it with every book.
Jennifer wrote: "Do you think you will write a series about the twins, Logan and Katherine? :D"I can see possibilities there, possibly in YA. In a few years, they'd be hitting the right age. But it's premature to say "I definitely want to do that" because I have no idea if there would still be a readership for it in a few years! My current readers might lose interest in the Otherworld once I'm no longer doing a book a year, and paranormal in YA is on a sharp downturn. But I would like to.
Hey Kelley! First of all, I'm a HUGE fan and can't wait to see what other projects you have in store! Nothing is better than curling up with one of your books!My question is this: You've written books for several different age groups (adult, NA, YA, middle-school, etc.). Do you ever find it difficult determining what's appropriate for each genre (especially as you weave between them all throughout the year) and how far you can "push the envelope"?
Mizbizsav wrote: "You've written books for several different age groups (adult, NA, YA, middle-school, etc.). Do you ever find it difficult determining what's appropriate for each genre (especially as you weave between them all throughout the year) and how far you can "push the envelope"?"The only one I struggled with was middle-grade, and that's because, apparently, my definition of profanity doesn't match that of others. My co-author for those, Melissa Marr, blames the fact that I'm Canadian :) Our standards can be much laxer!
Case in point: early in the book, my character (Matt) is talking about rakfisk, a Norwegian fermented fish that, by all accounts, smells like urine. A 13-year-old boy isn't going to say that, though--I have 12 & 13 year old boys. They'd say it smelled like piss. Which is, apparently, a profanity to some. I was stuck, then, because Matt wouldn't say urine. He wouldn't say "pee" either. So I had to strike the line completely, rather than have him speak out of character.
That's the biggest obstacle I've faced, and a relatively small one. It was not, however, worth pushing the envelope over :)
I loved Omens, I was lucky enough to win it and I was very good, I resisted the temptation to follow the Easter eggs with great difficulty. Every time I was tempted I would put down the book and make a cuppa joe, I was rather jittery by the time I finished it as I read it in one sitting and then re-read it because it's just that good.