I've been meaning to start a master post with all the handy links to interviews and guest posts and other stuff related to THE WOKEN GODS, and now that the book is actually out and people are reading it (I hope!), here it is for those who want more. I try my best to make all these different and worth your time.
There's a few more fun things coming up, and I'll add those (and blog pointers) as they do. And some very happy-making new reviews have come in yesterday/today, so I'll point to those then too. In the meantime, have a happy weekend and a whole bunch of links:
Guest Posts:
- On Reinventing Legends at E. Kristin Anderson's. Snippet: "As a writer, I’m first and foremost a reader and a magpie–I think most of us are. And we all have certain shiny objects or topics that attract us more than others. If you’re a writer, published or not, I bet you have at least a couple different rows of books (if not more) that would count as “Research” on any given topic. And, of course, there are also kinds of stories that attract us, as readers and writers."
- On Creating Intertextuality and Maintaining Authenticity at Oh Chrys. Snippet: "All of this was tricky. Because I also didn’t want to imply, while using all these varied gods, that America was the only place on earth that mattered. I wanted the landscape of the story to make sense as a focal point, but I wanted to make sure it was clear that there were plenty of gods who did not swarm to D.C. and settle there, that most gods stayed where they were."
- The Big Idea at Scalzi's: "This is the part where you’re expecting me to tell you this time, this time, it finally came together. And it had started to come together, but it still wasn’t working. I knew everything about the world, but I was still hovering outside my main character, above her, watching Kyra, but not feeling her. When I went back to edit that draft, the problem was clear to me."
- Book Notes at largehearted boy (you can listen to the playlist on spotify). Snippet: "Playlists were incredibly important to each and every draft of this novel. They helped me settle on the tone I wanted, helped me imagine a landscape that had shifted from the current version of D.C., and helped me figure out the characters. Here are some highlights from the playlist titled Trickster Fu."
Interviews:
- Pub(lishing) Crawl interview. Snippet: "I’m going to go with dead, because I know too many living writers I can happily close down a bar with to narrow it down to just three. So… Dorothy Parker, Oscar Wilde, and Nora Ephron. Because, hey, that would be one witty night of one-upsman(and lady)ship."
- Sophomore Spotlight interview for Read My Breath Away. Snippet: "Wow, I just don’t know. Most of my favorite story worlds have some serious downsides. Maybe some kind of bohemian utopia, if such a book exists? Or possibly the Graceling world (but only if I got to have a grace!)."
- Red Reader Reviews interview. Snippet: "Kyra is a mass of contradictions. She’s desperate to have real connections with other people, but she has a difficult time trusting them or letting them see who she really is."
- Authors Are Rockstars podcast: In which we talk Blackwood, The Woken Gods, but perhaps most importantly about loving cracktastic Christopher Pike novels as teens and wanting a reread club.
- Winged Reviews interview. Snippet: "I guess I would want a relic that allowed me to travel places very quickly, which I’d imagine would be something of Hermes’. And since this is Winged Reviews, it seems only appropriate to pick Hermes’ winged sandals. Failing that, something that results in deep, uninterrupted sleep. Those are both boring and adult things to want, though, aren’t they? I’d better say I also want one that produces high-end champagne from water."
- Dash Cooray interview. Snippet: "Work on something as long as it takes to make it the best you can on your own, then send it into the world and start something new. The start something new is the important part, because we all face rejection. Careers happen because writers keep writing in the face of setbacks and rejection."
- 10 Questions About THE WOKEN GODS at Chuck Wendig's Terrible Minds. Snippet: "I’ve always loved mythology–especially its odder, dustier, less explored corners–and tricksters and urban fantasy. I like secret organizations that have to come out into the light, and I like stories where politics play a role, be they larger societal ones or smaller familial ones. So, this story comes from my own desire–as a reader and a writer–to have all those things at once, plus some monsters."
- Gabfest: A Convo With Kim Curran (here!), in which we talk debut year, second books, and the importance of writer friends.
Tour of THE WOKEN GODS' Washington, D.C.:
- Stop one at Take Me Away: Dupont Circle becomes Oracle Circle.
- Stop two at the Bookshelf Sophisticate: Dumbarton Oaks becomes the Houses of the Gods.
- Stop three: To come! Featuring Einstein monument, Library of Congress, and the Mall.
Other Fun Things:
- THE WOKEN GODS pinterest board (which also has all the pretty quotes on it)
- Flickr set from research trip to D.C.
- Flickr set from launch signing.
- Goofy pre-order video, in which I talk about the world and show off my typewriter.
- And, of course, you can always find all my posts here by tag.