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.
Tempe Can See “Grimm” A Little Early [Screening]
It’s well known in TV world that crime dramas tend to do well.
Case in point – I’m currently addicted to AMC’s The Killing, and I stayed up way too late last night watching it.
(I’m about half-way through the first season.)
NBC’s upcoming show Grimm hopes to tap into that magic crime-drama formula, but with a fairy tale twist. It follows a homicide detective (naturally) who happens to be a “Grimm” who can see all of the fairy tale monsters, etc, living in our modern world.
TROLLL!!!
It sounds fun, and I hope they don’t run out of clever uses of the fairy tales too fast. (How often can you really borrow from Little Red Riding Hood?)
Well, if you’re at least a little intrigued and you’re free on Wed, Oct 26th at 7:30pm you can get a chance to see an early screening at the Tempe Marketplace. The show itself starts two days later.
Just follow this here link and follow the instructions.
Maybe I’ll see you there!
And The Best Line From Last Night’s LoTR Trivia Was [Recap]
The world of Men gathered together last night in a great counsel to determine who would take The Tickets to next week’s concert.
Lord of The Rings Trivia ensued to select The Ticket Bearer.
(Pop LoTR Trivia Question: What is wrong with the picture above?)
I had a blast, since Bookmans let me host it, and I admit I was pretty floored by some people’s knowledge of Middle-earth, its people, history, and quotes.
But I think we all agreed the best line from the night was when someone started their answer with:
Do you want that in English or Elven?
Classic.
