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:

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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

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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.

Inglorious Geeky Interview [Podcasted!]

Last Friday night I went out with some family and friends to Mesa’s 2nd Friday, where two of the three Inglorious Geeky Bastards held me against my will, denied me food and water, and interrogated me for a few minutes.

We holed up in the back room of Gotham City Comics and breifly shot the breeze about Phoenix’s Geek Culture, blogging, books, Phoenix Comicon, and what kinds of geeks we are.

And apparently I say “really really” a lot.

You can catch the podcast on their site with my interview starting around 21-ish minutes.

While normally pretty NSFW, this episode ended up being particularly tame, so gather the kids around and tune in!

(Well, maybe not the kids.)

Let me know what you think of my sweet, sexy, seductive, soothing, squidish voice!

Anabel Martinez – Art, Costumes, Awesomeness [Interview]

It’s been way  too long since we’ve spotlighted an Arizona geek artist around here.

I was actually able to meet Anabel Martinez in the real world before I even realized she was an amazing artist. Then one day while stalking her on Facebook, I noticed a couple pieces of her art in her photos, and I was hooked.

Anabel has a wonderful fluid style, reinforced by her understanding of lighting, color, and detail.

Plus she paints video game characters, so it all ends up turning into some delicious geek eye candy.

Enjoy diving into her brain!

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Tell us about yourself & your art style.

I create digital sci-fi and fantasy art. I start from scratch in Photoshop (yep, just Photoshop!), doodling until something clicks. I was pretty broke in college, so instead of learning to paint with acrylics, I got inspired by the earliest digital artists who worked with Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro.

Several of my characters are somewhat androgynous or drawn in a way that implies they’re not entirely human or bound by any specific Earthly rules. I like to slip my own little “tells” into some of the pieces; usually a butterfly that I also put into the story behind the piece.

What artists inspire or influence you?

Two of my favorite digital artists are definitely Dan Luvisi and Linda Bergkvist. They started from humble backgrounds, worked their butts off to promote themselves online, and got discovered through their work in online communities. I also admire them because they don’t keep secrets; both have extensive tutorials available for budding digital artists in their Deviant Art Galleries.

Check them out!

Video games look like a big influence for you. What are some of your favorite characters?

Worst question ever!!! How do I narrow it down?!! Video games are great fuel for my creative energy. I’m always looking for recommendations, too.

Zelda/Sheik, Garrett (Thief), Manny Calavera (Grim Fandango), Coyote Smith (Killer7), GLADoS (Portal), Garrus Valkarian (Mass Effect) [random trivia: his voice actor was in the “magic fridge” beer commercial], Balthier (Final Fantasy XII).

You also build some pretty intense costumes. What are you working on now?

My latest costume and biggest challenge right now is Tali’Zorah vas Neema from the video game Mass Effect 2. It’s been pretty crazy. But breaking down the costume into pieces has made the project not-so-terrifying, and I have some amazing friends helping me with advice or some of the tougher sewing spots.

I also learned from a lot of local costumers that there are really random materials that make projects like this come together. I bought a gorgeous anodized purple tint for the visor (actually, an engine tint instead of a car tint on accident, but I can see through it if I coat it right) and a sound inverter so the mouth light blinks when I speak (as it does for the character in game). The
detail in the hood will be drawn by hand with silver paint to cut down costs.

Working with physical materials – plastic, cloth, foam – and being around other costumers has been instrumental in helping my art evolve and improve. I think each hobby feeds the other.

So, what would be your dream job?

Being a concept or character artist for a video game developer.

Freelancing in the meantime is pretty awesome.

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Thanks again to the talented Anabel for sharing some details about herself and her art with us. Beyond being a great artist, she is a  a very friendly and generous person and a big supporter of our local geek culture.

Her new website actually launched just last week, so please go check it out and support a great local talent. And also feel free to follow her on the Twitters.

Plus you can find her booth at Phoenix Comicon and she’ll even be doing some live speed painting at Lightning Octocon!