7 Questions With Local Fantasy Author Kevin Hearne [Spotlight]

I’m trying to be better at raising awareness of not only the great things to do in geek culture around here, but the creators and contributors to that culture as well.

Last night I was able to get a hold of the gracious Kevin Hearne and shoot him 7 questions about himself and his Iron Druid novels.

(I should really start doing 8 questions with people – you know, with the whole octopus thing.)

Kevin writes modern fantasy that takes place right here in Arizona. In fact, he made a pretty cool Google Map detailing some of the locations in his stories. (I haven’t read them yet, so I don’t know if the map is spoilery or not.)

I ordered a copy of Hounded (the first book) on Amazon this morning, so hopefully I’ll have the first one read pretty soon.

For now, enjoy 7 Questions with Kevin Hearne:

—

So, tell us a little about the books you write.

My books are urban fantasies heavily laced with mythology. The main character is a 2,100-year-old Druid hiding out in Tempe from some Irish gods who want to kill him. Once the gods find him, he decides to fight instead of run as he’s always done before, and that’s where the series picks up.

What kind of personal connection do you have with the Irish Folklore you explore in your books?

A good portion of my background is Irish; there are Sullivans on my father’s side of the family.

Bragging time: Your books seem to get a lot of positive reviews. What aspect of The Iron Druid seems to connect the most with readers?

The answers to that depend on the reader. Local people enjoy recognizing Mill Avenue, Papago Park, and other east valley locations in the books.

Some people really enjoy the mythology and the magic system; others dig the single vampire in the series.

Most everyone seems to like Oberon the Irish wolfhound though.

What do you think is the most important part of telling a compelling story?

Characters are the most important. A good character can carry a recycled plot, but it’s hard to recognize or appreciate a brilliant plot when the characters are either boring or unlikeable.

What have you had to really work on when it comes to writing?

Description, more than anything else. I’ve written four books now, and every single time I turn in a book, my editors ask me to pay a little more attention to describing this character or that setting.

Where do you feel like you fit in best in Geek Culture?

Geeks have a culture?

I remember when being a geek was not cool at all, and I’ve kind of gotten used to not fitting in. But I’m a pretty easy going fella, so I’ll be happy to fit in wherever people let me.

Tony Chu

Salacious Crumb

—

A very hounded, hexed, and hammered thanks to Kevin for being spotlighted!

I’m looking forward to reading Houded this weekend.

You can follow Kevin on Twitter and he’ll be signing books at The Poisoned Pen on Dec 11th.

Bite Into CopperCon This Weekend [Conventions]

Some geek conventions tend to focus on SF & Fantasy books, and tabletop gaming.

Case in point: Arizona’s CopperCon, of which the 31st manifestaion is presenting itself this weekend.

Although things like Anime are still a part of the experience, guests, panels, and events tend to focus on writing. This year’s theme seems to dwell on things that go bump in the night, like werewolves and sparkle-resistant vampires.

I’ve never been to a CopperCon, but I am a big fan of nerdy books – although less so of the vampire/werewolf variety.

Bite into these details if you’re interested:

• This weekend Sept 2nd – Sept 5th.
• At the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Avondale.
• Prices skew a bit high – $55 for the whole weekend, with daily rates as well.
• (Also, they only accept cash, FYI.)
• They’re bringing in some bigger authors, as well as spotlighting locals.

As I wrote about last year’s then-upcoming CopperCon:

I really like the idea of a convention that focuses less on promoting movies, TV shows, and video games, and instead dives deeper into books, writing, gaming, and the core of SF and Fantasy – ideas.

Mustaches Were Displayed & Lessons Were Learned [Event Recap]

Sometimes running into friends and meeting new ones can distract you from other things. Taking pictures, par examplè.

Last Saturday afternoon I dropped by a facial-hair-centric event thrown by Steamcrow and The Gamers’ Inn, and I must confess I spent the entire time gabbing instead of taking decent pictures for the blog.

Amidst the belly dancing, gaming, and steampunk costuming, I was able to yak it up with Daniel Davis and his great family. If you haven’t read Monster Commute yet, do so now. Spending an afternoon with the Steamcrow crew comes highly recommended as well, if the opportunity presents itself.

(PS – They were almost out of I Lovecraft You shirts, so nab them while you can.)

I met the girls behind KiKi’s Cupcakes, who do tons of custom cupcakes for geeky events – and I got to witness a video Skype call with the guy behind Boilerplate, which I guess JJ Abrams bought the movie rights to.

The Vul-Con guys were also there, hosing a bazillion table-top games, and I could feel their excitement as we talked about their upcoming Vul-Con 2012 next February. They really seem to get what gaming is all about.

As I left, I was reminded yet again why I support local geekery.

And, looking at this post, I am reminded that I need to stop yapping and take some pictures too.

If anyone else has pics up, feel free to share a link!