Interview with Carrie Vaughn

Urban fantasy author Carrie Vaughn has written some awesome books with thick plot and a very fun, lovable character leading the way to turmoil and trouble. Her character Kitty is a werewolf who starts a talk radio show, helping her listeners work through their supernatural problems. And nothing ever goes easy for her.

I devoured the first 5 books in a week and 2 days and paid the price with bleary eyes and grumpiness from lack of sleep for two weeks now. I haven't been that crazy about a book series since--well--Harry Potter. Not that it is anything like Harry Potter. Carrie's got her own style and a very unique story.

Quick Bio: Carrie has written over 30 short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines, short story anthologies, and internet magazines. She has six books with two more being released early next year. In 2008, she was 20th on the New York Times best-selling list for her book Kitty and the Silver Bullet, and in 2009, she was 13th for Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand.

Note: There is no hand of a dead man in the book Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand. It's a poker term.

So quickly becoming a fan, I contacted Carrie and asked her for an interview. She was such a sweetheart in her reply. I hope you enjoy reading her answers as much as I did:

1. What do you plan to do when you finish the Kitty series? Sort of a where-are-you-taking-yourself question.

I'm going to continue the Kitty series as long as I keep getting ideas. I'm already working on other projects. My first young adult novel, Voices of Dragons, will be out in March 2010, and I have a couple of stand-alone fantasy novels in the works. I want to be an author who writes lots of different things.

2. How did you find the motivation to write and find a publisher before you were a known and established author?

I wanted to get published. That was the motivation. I wrote every day, submitted stories all the time, and worked hard at making my writing better, because I wanted to get published and make a living writing. I had to do the work to reach the goal.

3. Do you argue with your characters? Who wins that fight?

I wouldn't call it arguing with my characters, and it isn't a matter of winning a fight, really. It's about making the story make sense -- it has to be the right character for the story, and the plot has to work according to what that character would do. If I start getting off track or doing something that isn't true to the character, the story starts falling apart and I need to change something, either the character or the plot. My way of writing is kind of an ongoing process of constant revision and refining, making sure all the pieces come together in a satisfying way.

You can follow Carrie on her blog Filling the Well, and you can attempt to win a copy of her 1st book by entering my Werewolf Poetry Contest by August 1st, 2009.