Author Carrie Vaughn Interview and Contest LIVE Here!
BBB: Tell us 3 things not in your bio we don’t know about you that might make us leery of befriending you. LOL
CV: Well, I’m a big fan of GI Joe, cartoon comics and movies. I scuba dive and am happy to swim with sharks. (shark week is just over!) I’m learning to cook and experiment on my friends.
BBB: What actors would you choose to play some of your characters if your book were made into a movie or a TV show?
CV: That’s a tough question, because I keep changing my mind. I started writing the Kitty stories about 14 years ago, and a lot of newer actors have entered my radar over that time. So I’d rather not say, and just hope that if a dramatic version ever gets made, the right actors come along. (Although I somehow have always pictured Daniel Craig as the magician Odysseus Grant.)
BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?
CV: Very carefully? It helps that I have a “no holds barred” attitude about what kind of supernatural elements to include. Since I’ve set my books in our “real world,” I have to try to be as “realistic” as possible where those elements are concerned, and then stay consistent with supernatural rules I’ve already included.
BBB: Please tell us more about Kitty Steals the Show and the storyline that drives it.
CV: Kitty Steals the Show is focused on the First International Conference on Paranatural studies, because I figured the next logical step in the growing recognition of the supernatural in Kitty’s world is to have a scientific conference about it. As a werewolf celebrity, Kitty’s been invited to give the keynote speech, and while she’s in London she gets the chance to meet lots of new vampires and werewolves, and see how the supernatural community operates in another country. Oh, and she gets in a bit of trouble…
BBB: How many more books will there be in this world?
CV: I’m still not entirely sure. I’m under contract for four more. The next, Kitty Rocks the House, will be out next year. I’ve still got a couple of ideas I want to cover, and I know what the last book looks like but I don’t know exactly when I’ll get there. I do think I’m closer to the end than to the beginning at this point.
BBB: Did you do any kind of research to determine the details of your characters lives / lifestyles?
CV: Some, but really only if it impacts the story. Kitty’s a radio DJ, but I found I didn’t need too many details of how the radio station works because it detracted from the main part of the story — the show itself. So the research involved more listening to actual talk radio call-in shows to absorb how that dynamic works. The important thing is how the details impact the story, not the details themselves.
BBB: Are you a plotser or a panster? or a Planster (a combo of both – lol)
CV: Both. I start with a rough outline, and I usually know how the story is going to end before I start writing. But the outline never has enough details — I discover those along the way, and the plot comes together after I’ve started writing and have a better idea of how to get to the ending I want.
BBB: What types of creatures can readers expect in your world?
CV: All kinds. Like I said, no holds barred. In previous books I’ve had djinn, lycanthropes of all kinds, vampires, ghosts, Navajo skinwalkers, magicians, witches, fae, Chinese gods and mythological creatures. If there’s folklore about it, I’ll probably borrow it at some point.
BBB: What’s coming up for you in 2012 and 2013?
CV: The next Kitty book, Kitty Rocks the House, is due out early summer of 2013. I’ve got a bunch of short stories due out, because I’m always writing short stories on the side. I’m currently working on the sequel to my superhero novel, After the Golden Age. I’ll be making appearances at Bubonicon in Albuquerque NM, MileHi Con in Denver, the World Science Fiction Convention in Chicago, and Steamcon in Seattle. So, busy as always! Oh, and I’m taking a dive trip to Cozumel later this year, and I hope to see a few sharks!
Books in the Kitty Norville series in the order they should be read:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
Kitty Goes to Washington
Kitty Takes a Holiday
Kitty and the Silver Bullet
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand
Kitty Raises Hell
Kitty’s House of Horrors
Kitty Goes to War
Kitty’s Big Trouble
Kitty Steals the Show
Kitty’s Greatest Hits
Kitty Rocks the House
Author Bio:
Carrie Vaughn is the author of the New York Times bestselling series about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk radio advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. She’s also written the young adult novels Voices of Dragons and Steel, and the stand alone novels Discord’s Apple and After the Golden Age, along with many short stories. She lives in Colorado, and is always working on something new.
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Learn more about Carrie Vaughn here:
Read Reviews of her work here.
www.carrievaughn.com
carriev.wordpress.com
https://www.facebook.com/carrie.vaughn
https://twitter.com/kittynorville1
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What was the last good book you read?
Actually had a good reading month so far. So many books: Heart of Steel – Meljean Brooks I stayed up till 3 am to finish. Before that was Julie Ann Walker’s Hell on Wheels, Kleypas’s DreamLake.
What was the last good movie you saw?
Now that is difficult to answer.. In Theaters – The Avengers – We rarely go to the theaters but I love Robert Downey Jr and the younger two LOVED Hulk so we all went.
DVD wise – Lock out. Oh man I loved Marian Snow’s snark. The man had me cackling with his smart mouth.
I saw Lockout as well, loved it! So ridiculously fun!
And what about the one bad guy? The leader with his Irish accent. Stick a bag on that man’s head and have him talk. Swoon. LOL
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
It is a pipe dream that’ll never come true bue my dream vacation would be to travel to Ireland or Scotland, to see the stand monoliths there and soak up the natural magic of the place. Or I would not mind visiting NOLA
But I know I will never get to visit such places. Why I rely on books to transport me there.
Name some of your favorite cartoon comics and movies?
Comics and movies… I recently finished Warren Ellis’s Planetary and loved it. I go a little old school with cartoons — I haven’t kept up with recent ones. I like smart action movies — Avengers was great, and I just saw The Bourne Legacy. I also like smart science fiction — Chronicle, which came out earlier this year, was really good. Children of Men, Gattaca, movies like that.
Basically, I like anything that makes me rub two brain cells together.
Any chance that you’ll throw in an elf or drow (I am a drow addict) or maybe even the Celtic pantheon?
I’ve had Fae in my books, which is probably as close as I’ll get to elves or drou. I’m not sure about Celtic mythology — I have other regions I want to draw on first. I seem to be using a lot of Mesopotamian mythology in a couple of the upcoming books, which is kind of grim and fun.
facebook entry now working
I have one of your books in the TBR pile. Hubby and I bought it at a library sale (trying to find it but it’s eluding me!) but it is one of the later novels… Do you have to read the books in order? Can I read this one and still understand the world?
I really try to make sure the books stand alone to a certain extent — I have a bad habit of picking up series in the middle, so I’m really sympathetic to that. I think you’d be rewarded by reading them in order, getting the story as it unfolds, but they can be read out of order as well and you won’t be too lost. I actually just talked to someone who read Kitty Steals the Show first and she said she was fine with it.
What was the last good book you read?
Sara Taney Humphreys book
What was the last good movie you saw?
Magic Mike
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
England
What was the last good book you read?
I’d have to say Kelly Meding’s As Lie the Dead. I re-reading the series so I can remeber everything for the new one. Very cool book.
What was the last good movie you saw?
I loved The Avengers! I can’t wait for it to come out on DVD!
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
So many places! But one of them is Scotland.
I really want to see the deleted scenes on the Avengers DVD… a scene with Steve and Peggy, maybe?
Yes! I heard there was more between the two, where they talked in the diner that she worked in, but it got deleted from the movie. That’s why they kept showing her in scenes throughout the rest of the movie.
The fact that you’re A G.I. Joe and caartoon comics fan would totally make me want to be friends with you! Frankly I think that makes you awesome!
But the shark one makes me wonder have you swam with sharks before? And if so, where and what was that like?!
My very first open water dive, I descended over a school of nurse sharks, totally coincidental. They just happened to be there. There were six or seven of them, maybe 5-6 feet long each. It was wonderful and amazing. Nurse sharks are bottom dwellers, quite calm and lazy, and don’t generally attack people. My dive group just hovered over them for five or ten minutes, watching them swim in circles at the bottom of the coral reef.
I’ve seen sharks on many dives, usually small reef sharks off in the distance, and they try to stay away from people. But I had a close encounter in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia — I was swimming over a stand of coral, and a giant gray reef shark swam directly under me. I could have reached out and touched him. I don’t think he knew I was even there — he just kept swimming off in the other direction before I could even react. But he was big, and close, and it was a really cool thing to see.
Okay I’m going to try to phrase this question abstractly. I don’t want to spoil anything for people who aren’t read up through all the books.
So I’ve always been curious, did you know that Kitty would end up with the entire time? Because earlier on, he seemed much more distant from Kitty than someone else. (Man I hope that makes sense)
I get asked this a lot, so I know exactly what you’re talking about.
I have to say, I didn’t spend a lot of time early on thinking about who Kitty would end up with. I was more interested in other parts of the story. When those other parts of the story happened, events kind of progressed the way they did, and I just went with it. I know that isn’t very satisfied, but I really was just following where the story led me.
No, no! That makes sense actually. Thanks!
Jessica S. USA
Where did you originally get the idea for Kitty?
I figured if there really were vampires and werewolves in the “real” world, Dr. Laura and Dr. Phil wouldn’t be able to handle their problems and they would need their own talk radio advice show. That’s really how it all started!
Jessica S. from the USA
How did you go about writing your query letter? I am struggling with mine as I am trying to do a short back of the book description, yet I feel like agents cannot get a feel for my character and what makes her stand out from other UF books.
Any advice?
I posted the actual query letter I used to land my agent on the writing blog where I participate. You can find it here: http://www.genreality.net/a-query-letter-that-worked
You really do need to distill what you think makes your character great and different into one or two points. Make a list of what makes your book stand out, pick the top two or three things off that list, and use that for your blurb. On mine, I really did think about what the back cover blurb would be like. Don’t think about pleasing the agent — think about pleasing your future readers.
Jessica S. from the USA
What’s your favorite thing about the (your) series?
That I can write about pretty much anything I want! The radio-show background means that through Kitty I have access to just about every supernatural topic I can think of. And Kitty’s a huge amount of fun to write.
Jessica S. from the USA
The last good book I read? Oh wow! Too many of the reads I’ve read were awesome! One read I still gush about having read earlier this year was Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson! I looooved seeing Tiger Lily’s p.o.v. from the Peter Pan story!
Jessica S. from the USA
The last good movie I saw was probably the Avengers! I still have to see Dark Knight Rises though!
Jessica S. from the USA
OOoh that would be back to Rome and Italy in general! It was so amazing when I went there over 6 years ago! I loved it!
US bound I’d love to go to Disney World, Disney Land…some haunted hot spots spread over the US like the Winchester Mansion. I’m not picky really!
And now after all of that, I know you get a lot of questions ( probably a lot that repeat). But I’m curious…What’s one of the weirder questions you’ve been asked?
I occasionally get asked where I get my information about werewolves and such because it’s so accurate. That always makes me pause.
Once Burned is the last good book I’ve read – I just finished it today
The last good movie I saw was – THOR! I love Chris
I have this in my office: http://carriev.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/housewarming-present/
Hi Carrie,
I have been a fan of the Kitty Norville series for a long time and am so looking forward to Kitty Steal’s The Show. These books just keep getting better and better.
I have a lot of good books lately. the last REALLY good book in all honesty was GONE GIRL by GILLIAN FLYNN. I have read her first 2 books and liked them a lot, but GONE GIRL really is an incredible novel. It is my must read suggestion for this year
last goo movie I saw? that is an easy one: The Dark Knight Rises. Do I really need to explain that one? haha
dream vacation? Europe, preferably England. I have been to Italy, but I have always wanted to see London and Paris
Hi Carrie,
Love Carrie and I enjoy all of her adventures. I have enjoyed watching Kitty grow into her wolf-hood. Do you think that Carrie and Ben would get a surrogate so that they could have kids? I have not yet read your latest book and I look forward to reading it. Will Kitty and Ben and the pack run into Roman again? He had to much power to truly be vanquished even with the help of the goddess. Thanks for all of the info on the upcoming books in the series.
Thanks for reading!
I have plans for Kitty and Ben, and I hate to say any more in case I give too much away. It won’t involve a surrogate.
And yes, Roman is still very much around.
dream vacation- either Bermuda or Hawaii. I love that blue ski, blue water, and pink or black sand thing.
What was the last good book you read?
Just finished”Firelight” by Kristen Callihan, loved it. It was a different type of PR that I really enjoyed. Already have her next book “Moonglow” that also looks very promising!
What was the last good movie you saw?
Truthfully, it was probably The Hunger Games. I’ve seen Ice Age, “Intercontinental Divide” Brave, and any other cartoon/kid movie that came out this summer with the grandkids but few adult movies. This will change as they are off to school this week.
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
At one time I would have said Hawaii but now I think I’d like to see Canada
Who do you see playing Kitty on the big screen?
Just have to say this is one of my fav series. I’m going to the Myrtle beach in three weeks with a bunch of girls and as I love to read my series books back to back have the last four in this series to read and devour. My idea of Nirvana.
My pick for Kitty on the big screen or TV series (even better)Vanessa Marano from “Switched at Birth”. I’ve seen her on Dexter, Young and the Restless and Switched at Birth and she has Kitty’s kick ass attitude down to an art. She can be fragile but oh so not to be messed with.
I know Kitty’s pictured as a blonde on the covers but in my mind I’ve always seen her having dark and curly hair.
Kristen Bell is usually a fan pick for Kitty. Because I don’t limit myself in time and space, I often say Renee Zellwenger from the mid-1990′s. Kitty’s blond in the books, so I really hope she’d be blond in any dramatic presentation.
Thanks for reading!
If you could be any Disney charactor, who would it be?
I really liked Rapunzel in Tangled, but I wouldn’t mind being the Emma Thompson character from Treasure Planet — the cat alien captain whose name I can’t remember…
You woke up this morning and realized you had been reincarnated as a pair of shoes.
Describe yourself.
Um…I have no idea. Not particularly a fan of shoes I’m afraid…
me either, I tend to be barefoot 100% of the time at home and wear minimal when away
The last good book I read was Gunmetal Magic by ilona Andrews.
Last good movie I saw was avengers.
Id love to go to Australia on vacate.
I have arrived so late and I am too tired to read all of the questions tonight but I do have a question. I haven’t started the series yet and I usually like to read a series from the beginning. Do you strongly recommend reading from the beginning or can I just jump right in? This series sounds great. Thanks for the giveaway!
The story does progress over the course of the series, so it’s nice to read them in order, but I really try to make sure each book can stand on its own so people can jump in anywhere. I have a habit of picking up series in the middle so I’m sympathetic to this problem.
Do you have a set number of Kitty books? Do you have her whole story mapped out?
I have the story pretty much mapped out — I know what the last book looks like. But I have a lot of ideas in the meantime so I’m not exactly sure how many books total there are going to be just yet.
The last good book that I read was Kiss the Dead by Laurell K. Hamilton
The last good movie I saw was The Avengers
My dream vacation would be a trip to China
I started reading your kitty series when I worked at Borders and I love it. A lot of authors are expanding to the YA market, have you considered that as well?
I have two YA books out from HarperTeen: Voices of Dragons and Steel. They’re not paranormal and not related to the Kitty series, but they are fantasy. I have more YA I want to write — it’s a fun category to write for.
The last book I read that I absolutely loved was Embrace by Stacey Rourke. It was fantastic!!
The last good movie I saw was Real Steel. It was really cute.
My dream vacation, believe it or not, would be camping in a real camper without my kids for once so I could read constantly. LOL
only have 4 of your book to the set but working on getting some more.can’t wait to read some of the newer one’s .
the last good book I read was the mating by Nicky Charles
my dream vacation would be to go to Scotland and look at old castles
YOU are a paranormal character, what is your super power?
Whatever power would most keep me out of trouble! Invisibility?
In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with?
I’ve actually thought about who I’d like to co-author a book with, if at all, and it would definitely have to be someone who’s a friend. I wouldn’t want to co-author with one of my author idols because I would be too intimidated! I’m also not sure I’m really cut out for co-authoring — I’m a bit of a control freak.
If a fairy godmother told you your life could be like a favorite book for 24 hours, which book would you pick and why?
The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley, so I could ride a Hill horse.
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
Another place I’d really like to go is Australia
My last good read was a book called The Witches of Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase. It was a really fun book.
The last good movie that I saw was the Hunger Games, they did a fairly good job of staying true to the book. And where would I go for a dream vacation — that would be Ireland. It’s where my ancestors are from and I’ve love to see it personally.
The last good book I read was Stray by Rachel Vincent. The first book in the werecat series.
The last good movie I saw was Dark Shadows featuring Johnny Deep.
For my dream vacation I would visit Tuscany in Spain.
Love, love, love Kitty! Kitty and Ben is love. I need to reread everything again <3 You created such believable characters and lives! LOVE IT! Thank you!
So, my question for you is:
Did you learn anything new about yourself after writing about Kitty?
Thank you!
Aori H.
USA
Thank you for the love!
I have a great time writing Kitty, but I learned more after people started asking me if Kitty was based on myself, or how much of me was in Kitty. It’s hard for me to say. People who don’t know me well say we’re alike, but close friends and family say, no, not so much. I’m not all that outspoken, I don’t rush into things like she does, and that’s all probably a good thing.
Just finished the Shades of Gray trilogy, while not a great read definitely worth the time if only so I could discuss it with all kinds of people many of which surprised me with their open acknowledgement that they had read it.
Another plus for the e-readers as many I spoke to would not have read it otherwise
Magic Mike
Sometimes it is just time for a review and recently I started re-reading all the Kitty books. I have to fight myself not to gobble them… I really have enjoyed them even more this time around! It is great to have them all fresh. Thanks for the giveaway.
What was the last good book you read?
I am rereading Terry Pratchett’s Masquerade and it is better than I remembered!
What was the last good movie you saw?
We just had family video night and watched The Sound of Music!!
Where would you like to go for your dream vacation?
I have not been to Eilat in many years and would like to go there with my SO.
What do you do “to color outside of the lines”?
If we looked under your bed, what would we find?
What