Kelley Armstrong, September 21-25

[Tiggeruth]

I have read all of your books and really like the Nadia books.  Is there any chance you'll be writing a third book anytime soon?

Thanks!!!!

[mpendrell]

I already asked a lot of questions but I had two more. Was it hard for you to switch gears and write in a YA voice instead of an adult one?  What is anything was the biggest challenge in writing for YA?

[Shelle30]

Hi Kelley - so nice to "talk" with you.  First, I'd like to say that I've enjoyed your YA series and have read "The Awakening" and "The Summoning" - just started two weeks ago!  I'm a mom of 3 and have found myself really enjoying YA series' and I'm so glad to have found your story of supernatural teens.  I can't wait until "The Reckoning" to find out more about Simon, Derek and of course Chloe.  Here are my questions... I apologize if they have been asked before.

1)  Who is your favorite character in The Darkest Powers series?  Who is your least?

2)  If you could have a supernatural power, what would it be?

3)  How did you come up with the basic idea of the story?

4)  What are your top three writers' block busters?

5)  Who are your three favorite writers?

I think that's it...  Thanks so much in advance for reading my blurb and answering my questions.

Michelle

Aspiring YA writer and Mom to 3 crazy kids

[Biku]

Gosh, speaking of the shy people at your book signings, I'd probably be one of them, heh.

Which brings me to ask;

So much of the Pack's life focus on New York state and the Syracuse area, that I get a real kick out of reading about places I've been, as I only live about forty minutes outside of Syracuse, and have been to Buffalo and Albany several times as well.

So what I'm getting around to asking is, would you be planning any stops in New York state any time soon on a tour? My friend and I would be THRILLED if you made a stop in Syracuse, Binghamton, or anywhere in driving distance!

I also most gush how much I love the werewolves in your books. You write exactly my favorite kind. Elena and Clay have got to be my favorite characters, but I also love Jeremy, Nick, Antonio, and Karl. Their personalities are all so different, and so distinct!

I can't wait to run to the bookstore next week to pick up a copy of Frostbitten, and my friend and I are so impatiently waiting for the release of the next Darkest Powers book! I can't wait to read more about Derek, Chloe, and the crew.

Also, as they get older, would you be considering writing any books, or even short stories, featuring Kate and Logan? I'm sure as they grow, they must have many adventures to tell.

Thanks for sharing your stories with all of us, and I look forward to many (hopefully!) more books in your Otherworld series.

[Kelley-Armstro…]

Hmm, the "quote" feature keeps giving me an unexpected error this morning. This one is in response to ArtemisEstelle, who asked: How long do you think The Otherworld will last? Ten books in with an eleventh book planned, I don't see an end in sight. While I am not complaining about that in the least, I still wonder. I know that in your FAQ, it says you are contracted for thirteen. But would you be able to wrap this world up in thirteen? And if you do go beyond, how far do you plan to go? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right now, I'm just going from contract to contract, with no clear ending in sight. The way I have the series set up--with multiple narrators--it can continue as long as 3 conditions are met. 1) the publishers want more 2) the readers want more 3) I'm still enjoying it and coming up with fresh ideas. If that changes, I can tie it off.

[Kelley-Armstro…]

Quote still not working... This one is from Claudia_91 1) I just wanted to know if at any point do you think that the Drakest Powers series characters and the Otherworld series characters will meet up,pass by, mention each other????? 2) Also is Savannah's story going to be YA or in the Otherworld series??? 3) Will the characters in Darkest Powers eventually become part of the Otherworld series?Or will we always see them in YA books? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) There's a slight overlap between The Awakening and Frostbitten. In The Awakening, we have two werewolves who claim to have run into a problem with a new Australian immigrant. That Aussie werewolf is the same one Elena chases to Alaska in Frostbitten. That's really the only kind of overlap you're likely to see. If I brought the adult characters into the YA plots, they'd answer all the teens' questions and solve all their problems...and there'd be no need for any YA books! 2) Savannah is 21 now, so it's an adult Otherworld novel. 3) Right now, I only plan to have them in the YA, but that could change (apparently, I've had my smiley privileges revoked, too...)

[Kelley-Armstro…]

This one is from Shystar0502: 1) Are Hope and Karl going to get an HEA? 2) Is Jaime and Jeremy happy childless? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) You'll get an update on their relationship status in Frostbitten, so I'd better not say too much here 2) They are. Having a baby would mean Jaime coming to live permanently at Stonehaven, which I think would drive her and everyone else nuts. LOL. They're both moving toward semi-retirement to spend more time together, but that wouldn't include kids. They have the twins as "grand-children" and that works for both of them.

[Bethanne]

Hi Kelley, so sorry that the quote button is giving you a problem this a.m.; I'll let our IT people know. Bethanne

[wahoowa98]

Hi Kelley, Thank you for all of your wonderful books--especially the Otherworld Series which I cannot get enough of! I want you to know that although I love all of the couples, the duo that facinates me the most is Hope and Karl. They are the perfect "anti-hero" couple which I find intriguing and sweet all at the same time. I am dying to know what will happen with Rhys and Hope--what is this group of supernatural mercenaries all about? Will Hope and Karl join together? I know Hope just got two novels, but any chance we will get a story about Rhys and his world and how Hope fits into it? Will she become a kickbutt warrior for this group? I can't wait to find out!

[Velle_est_Posse]

Good Morning Kelley! It's Veritas. I'll try not to ask you too many questions. I know you said that Stolen inspired the Darkest Powers Series, but what inspired Stolen? How did you come up with the puberty ceremony? What research did you do? What inspired the Cabels and the mercenaries? Are there more governing bodies in the supernatural world? I don't need names. Also, a few of your characters are involved in the crime world will we ever get to see it? No dates or time span required, just wondering if you are closed to the idea. Are there ideas and/or plots that you are closed to you as a writer? Final question, You started a contest on the Chloe Saunders Live Journal, the one with a suggestion for the next e-serial how many entires are we limited to?

[Kelley-Armstro…]

Switched browsers and the formatting toolbar and quote function have returned.  Whew. 

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ohowbad wrote:

Which series is easier for you to write?  The paranormal stuff or the Nadia stuff?  Which is more fun for you to write?  

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I always find the one I've been doing longest to be easiest, whether it's a series or a character, so the Otherworld is the easisst for me.  I wouldn't say that either is less fun.  When I start a Nadia book, it's a nice change of pace and I have a lot of fun with it.  By the time I finish, I'm looking forward to returning to a world where I get to make more stuff up!

[Kelley-Armstro…]

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ArtemisEstelle wrote:

1) What made you decide to write four different trilogy's?

2) You said that one day when they are older, we would revisit Chloe and the others. Where would we revisit them? How long can you imagine we would have to wait to see them again?

3) Where did the overall title come from? I noticed that in No Humans Involved, which was starred by a Necromancer, there was a chapter titled The Darkest Power. Was that intentional when starting off the first trilogy with another Necromancer?

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1) Right now, it'll be two different trilogies.  I'm doing something similar to what I do in the adult books.  Instead of branching off to a secondary character for book 4, though, I'm jumping over to another part of the same universe, to another group of teens in another Edison Group experiment.  By the end of that trilogy, I expect to have brought the two groups together, giving me a large cast of characters, like I have in the Otherworld.

2) I meant that they'd get another book.  Again, it's like the Otherworld, where we see characters on one adventure, then meet up with them again months or years later for another one.  In this case, it would probably be a year or so--any more than they'd no longer be teens!

3) The Summoning was a title suggested by my agent.  When the publishers were looking for titles, I'd come up with a bunch and asked readers to suggest some.  Because Chloe is a necromancer, a reader suggested "The Darkest Powers" and the publisher used that, not for the book, but for the trilogy title.

[becke_davis]

Sorry to be late to the discussion! BITTEN was the first book of yours that I read -- it's in my keeper pile, and your books are all must-reads for me now!

Bitten (Women of the Otherworld Series #1)

[hturney]

Kelley you are by far my favorite writer! I have never been so excited about a book until yours. I hope the Otherworld Series doesnt stop for a very long time.

Which one of your characters is the most like yourself?

Will there be a more in depth story about the death of Malcolm?

[PrincessMegs]

Hi Kelley!

I'm a huge fan, and have been ever since Bitten came out all those years ago.

As for my questions...

1) Since a lot of your characters seem to be pairing off, will Nick ever find a steady girlfriend or get married? Or will he ever have a kid? (I know he thinks of it in Broken.) Or is he doomed to be a bachelor forever?

2) Are there other werewolf packs around the world (like in Europe, Australia, etc.), or is it just the one in North America? (I'm assuming that there are mutts who live outside of North America.)

3) Will there be any more insight into Jeremy's childhood in future books or short stories?

4) On average, how long would you say it takes you to write one of the Otherworld books?

5) Do you have any favourite supernatural authors and/or books?

A lot of questions, I know, but thanks in advance!

[ohowbad]

How do you develop your characters?  Are they based on people you know?  Do you have a favorite character? Least favorite?  Do you find that some are a challange to write their stories or do you come up with a story that would fit the character? 

P.S.  I loved how giddy Jamie was around Jeremy...so real life!

[Kelley-Armstro…]

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mpendrell wrote:

Let's see my questions were hidden in with all my theorizing. They are

1. Is Jack interested in Nadia romantically?

2. *If* they (Jack and Nadia) were to get together who would have to make the first move?

3.  What would it take (aside from a natural disaster) for one of them to make the first move?

4. Would the fact Nadia is now dating Quinn create another hurdle if Jack decided to make a play for her?

5. Will we ever find out what Dee told Evelyn?

6. Will we ever learn more about Jack's past?

7. Any plans to further the story line either on line or in book form?

---

Hmm, well, I don't think you'll like my answers...because you won't get many of them LOL.  I'm spoiler-phobic so I never give away anything speculative, since it should be answered in future books.  That takes care of the first question, which makes it hard to answer a lot of the others.  Let's see what I can do.

2) Hypothetically...  I have no idea.  Honestly.  I think they're both equally unlikely to make the first move which could be a problem   If something like that happened, because neither is more likely than the other, it would depend on the plot and the circumstances

3) I think "natural disaster" might actually be their best hope

4-5-6) yes (not exactly helpful answers, I know, but it's the best I can do without giving away spoilers

7) yes.  I do plan to write 2 more--to complete Nadia's character arc--but right now it's just a matter of finding the time.

[SpadinaSt]

Kelley,

Thank you for your previous answer.  I have new questions!

What books inspired you when you were a kid? Any hero or heroine that stands out in your mind all these years later? Or story that made you cry or inspire you as a child? Did you read fantasies and mythologies as a kid or when you were older (i.e., in your later teens)? Or, were you more into the classics first and fantasy/sci-fi later? Or, were you a comic book kid? Or, did you try to read whatever your mom or older sister read? It's always so interesting knowing what is memorable to writers decades later and the answers are always so different! 

[Kelley-Armstro…]

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Dana_Wright wrote:

 1) Is there anything you would tell someone who is trying to finish their first book?

 2) How is your writing day structured?

 3) Do you write one scene at a time in order or as the scene strikes you. 

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1) The best advice I can give is just to get it finished.  Whatever happens, push through to the end and don't stop and leave it unfinished.  You can always go back and fix it, but you can't fix what isn't there!  Finish it, put it away for a while, come back and edit it, then start showing it to others looking for feedback

2) It really depends on what's on my plate at the time.  Basically, I work from the time the kids go to school until they get home, plus more in the evening.  What fills my day depends on my schedule.  Today I was alternating between copyedits for Tales of the Otherworld and writing the first draft of my 4th YA.

3) I almost always write in order.  The only time I don't is when I hit a difficult or intense scene and I'm not "ready" for it yet, so rather than stall, I skip past and come back later.  I do know very successful authors who don't write scenes in order.  It all depends on the person!

[mpendrell]

Thank you for answering my questions the best you could. Sorry for asking spoilery type questions. I'm glad to know that I was right about Nadia and Jack both being unlikely to take the first step. I think the whole reason Quinn and Nadia have a relationship is all because of him. He was willing to take the first step, willing to trust her and willing to open up to her first. I think with Quinn Nadia has the best chance of a normal, healthy relationship. I love them together. That isn't to say I don't love Jack too.  I'm a fickle reader. I seem to like whatever guy she is with the best.

And if you need more time to write to so you can get to Nadia books quicker  I'm more than willing to volunteer my time as a maid and I cook pretty well. I'm sure my husband and kids wouldn't miss me too much...

Thanks again