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Anyone who’s read EMPRESS – or any of the early reviews of the novel – will know that it’s a book with a very unsympathetic central character (and that there aren’t a lot of hugs to go around at the end.)

Over at Grasping for the Wind, John Ottinger talks to Karen about how the book upends the expectations of epic fantasy:

GFTW: Although Hekat is a sympathetic character at the beginning of the novel, we have come to dislike her very much by the end. How were you able to write a character that rather than having an upward spiral toward a “happily ever after” instead moved on a downward spiral filled with selfishness and hate?”

Read Karen’s responses here.

You can read the first chapter of EMPRESS here.

Over at The Book Swede’s blog, Chris talks to Orbit author Marie Brennan about her forthcoming novel of Elizabethan faerie intrigue, Midnight Never Come, which we’re delighted to say is out now in the UK and will be published next month in the US.

Marie talks about her Shakespearean inspiration, the detailed historical research that went into every aspect of the novel’s background and back-story, her favourite folk tales and much more.

Read the full interview over at thebookswede.blogspot.com and catch up with Marie’s blog at her LiveJournal page.

Over at John Scalzi’s legendary Whatever blog, Orbit author Kate Elliott explains the genesis of the ‘eagle reeves’ - the Big Idea in her latest series, Crossroads - and how a certain Swedish pop combo may have had far more to do with it than anyone previously realised…

The first two volumes of Crossroads - Spirit Gate and Shadow Gate - are available now from Orbit UK.

Orbit UK & US author Jennifer Rardin posted an interview with Orbit US author Robert Buettner, over at her blog just yesterday.

They talk about Robert’s ‘Jason Wander’ series, what he sees as the main differences between science fiction and urban fantasy, his life in interesting times as “soldier, Spook, palaeontologist and lawyer” and his approach to world-building. Plus, Robert offers his advice to aspiring writers.

That’s not the only interview Robert has given recently; he’s also chatted to SciFi.com’s John Joseph Adams for a piece that was posted on the site today.

Find out more about Robert Buettner’s ‘Jason Wander’ series at www.robertbuettner.com, and Jennifer Rardin’s ‘Jaz Parks’ books at www.jenniferrardin.com.

Fantasy Book Critic has just posted a great interview with Kate Elliott, author of Shadow Gate, over at his site:

For someone who hasn’t read any of your titles, how would you describe your writing style and where would you recommend they start?

I write lurid adventure fiction.I write historical novels set in imaginary worlds.I write HBO-style fantasy and SF, heavy on the characterization and detail with a big canvas and complex narrative. Take your pick, or ask me to come up with a different description.
While there are many “traditional” elements to the novels I write, I also work to bring stories and characters into the epic fantasy (and epic space opera, when I’ve written it) that are normally not considered to be part of “the tradition”. Whose lives are “worth” examining? Whose stories get neglected or overlooked because they aren’t deemed “important enough”? Who decides what matters? As a writer, I get to decide for my own books, and I always try to challenge my own expectations and assumptions about who needs, and gets, a voice.

Read the rest >

Over at Adventures in Scifi Publishing, Shaun and Sam chat with Robert Buettner about his Jason Wander series, which continues this month with book three, Orphan’s Journey. Look for Orphan’s Journey, along with the reissues of books one and two, out now from Orbit. And visit Robert online at robertbuettner.wordpress.com/.

Karen Miller, the bestselling author of The Innocent Mage, talks about Empress, her writing and kitty litter over at The Book Swede:

Could you tell us a little about Empress? (I like to be original in my opening questions)…

Well, Empress is the first book in the Godspeaker trilogy (my first trilogy, yikes!). Actually, I tend to think of my stories in acts, like plays, so it’s Act 1 in a 3 act play.

It’s the story of a young girl from an exceedingly harsh background, who discovers the power that lies within her and rises to greatness against enormous odds. It’s the story of a young man, who’s also been touched by power and greatness. It’s about his relationship with her, and her relationship with the god they worship … which isn’t at all a kind or benevolent deity.

Read the rest of the interview here.

Jennifer Rardin stops in at Scifi wire to talk about the latest in her Jaz Parks series, Biting the Bullet. Next up in the series is Bitten to Death, out in August, and One More Bite, out in January 2009.

2 mins and 18 secs is all it takes Philip Palmer to make me want to read Debatable Space (US/UK) again. See Philip talking about his stunning debut novel here:

Via Charlie Huston’s excellent website comes news that Charlie has been interviewed in Second Life - or, more correctly, his avatar has been interviewed on the Second Life Cable Network, SLCN.TV. As the man himself says:

“Carlos Suave is a Latin R&B Producer, the owner of a West Hollywood lounge, and a Promoter Extraordinaire, and, if you catch him on the right night, he will admit he knows a guy who can get you a little maryjane, comprende? Also, he writes bloody thrillers and horror novels. Trust us: This ese es loco!”

This will all make sense if you go here and here. Your third destination should probably be your local book shop to pick up a copy of Half the Blood of Brooklyn, published by Orbit in the UK just last month.

The official Iain (M.) Banks website has been re-launched at www.iain-banks.net. Check it out for all the news and reviews, along with some very interesting contests coming up…

Meanwhile, in an interview at io9.com Banks reveals the hidden Thunderbirds influence that runs through the Culture novels:

“Thunderbirds gave me a love of big explosions I’ve yet to shake off. It’s kind of ingrained by now. Almost the first thing I think of when I’ve come up with an idea for a Really Big Artifact is how you could blow the living bijeesus out of it…”

And in the i09 review of Matter, Annalee Newitz sums up her thoughts on the book in the headline: “Iain M. Banks’ New Novel Kicks Ass on a Galactic Scale.”

While at BookPage Gavin Grant writes:

Matter is Banks in top form. His characters—whether human, alien or drone—are spiky, opinionated, diverse, occasionally short-sighted and tragically believable

Matter is available from Orbit in the US and the UK.

Iain Emsley has posted a very interesting interview with Mike Carey over at Yatterings.  It was largely conducted at last year’s Fantasycon, and covers Mike’s work on the Crossing Midnight and Lucifer comics and, of course, his masterful series of Felix Castor novels: The Devil You Know, Vicious Circle and Dead Men’s Boots. At the risk of annoying Castorphiles the length and breadth of the country, I can also reveal that Mike has delivered  the fourth Castor novel, Thicker Than Water, and that it is a magnificent addition to the canon. You’ll have to be patient until January next year for that, I’m afraid, but don’t look at it as waiting - look at it as the perfect opportunity to re-read the first three books.

Iain M. Banks’ new Culture novel, Matter, is getting lots of well-deserved praise from reviewers! Lisa Tuttle reviews Matter in The Times and calls it ‘Unexpectedly savage, emotionally powerful and impossible to forget’.

The latest issue of SFX gives it a 5-star review:

Throughout the book, people are observed covertly or even have concealed weapons trained on them – sound like any place you know? But as always with Banks, this is not preachy, and the author’s trademark wit is everywhere. His wry character observations are a joy to read, and the book has a rich seam of humour. . .this long-awaited return for both a writing legend and his finest creation is a delight.

And Starburst’s February issue says:

Banks can bring across the essence of a character with one sentence where others might hammer things home over the course of a chapter. . .Matter is as engrossing as you’d expect a Banks book to be.

Iain M. Banks has also been recently interviewed in The Times and The Guardian Unlimited. You can get details of his England tour here and read an extract of Matter here.

There’s a terrific interview with the ever-thoughtful R. Scott Bakker over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist.  The questions cover a wide range of topics, culminating in an insightful discussion on generic Fantasy tropes, with particular emphasis on worldbuilding.  As always, Scott is eloquent and intelligent, and gives further proof (not that it’s needed) that he is one of the brightest new fantasy writers to have emerged in recent years.

As mentioned in the interview, Scott returns to the world of the Three Seas in January next year with the first book of The Aspect-Emperor trilogy, currently titled The Judging Eye.  Those looking for ways to kill time until the new book is released could do worse that go back and re-read The Prince of Nothing trilogy: The Darkness That Comes Before, The Warrior-Prophet and The Thousandfold Thought.

Over at Scifi Wire, Kevin J. Anderson talks about the Saga of Seven Suns (along with some of our favorite things):

“The Saga of Seven Suns pulls together everything I love about the genre: alien races, galactic empires, mysterious ruins, incredible creatures, exotic landscapes, giant black robots …”

Read the whole profile here.

The penultimate book, Metal Swarm, is out now — and watch for The Ashes of Worlds this spring.

Karen Miller talked with The Dragon Page Radio about The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage, as well as her upcoming Godspeaker trilogy, which will launch this Spring with Empress. You can listen to the podcast here.

And Orbit Publishing Director Tim Holman had a long ranging interview with Rick Kleffel at the Agony Column podcast. They talk about the launch of Orbit US and the future of genre fiction publishing. If you’re interested in the strategy behind Orbit’s publishing program, or the future of the genre, don’t miss it! Link.

Following Karen Miller’s wonderful piece about eating elephants, we have two more Orbit authors discussing their favourite quotes over at The Book Swede.

Jennifer Rardin, the fantastic debut author of Once Bitten, Twice Shy and Another One Bites the Dust, has a piece this week about humour in writing and in life:

Some of my stuff is pretty intense and rather dark. But every once in a while you’ll come to a laugh-out-loud moment. If I didn’t give you one, I’d expect you to toss the book out the window. And even if you were the soldier-through type, who’d stand by me without relief every heart-squeezing step of the way, I couldn’t do it to you.

Read more>>

The week before, Daniel Abraham, author of the critically-acclaimed The Long Price, had this to say about the perils of trying to be an intelligent reader and writer:

Deciding what to create is higher stakes than what to consume. If you’re one of the folks like me who has to fight the impulse to puff up their status by what they read, imagine how hard it would be to rein that in when it comes time to write.

Read more>>

J.V. Jones, author of A Sword from Red Ice, gave a great interview over at Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist last week where she answered questions about her writing, her thoughts on the genre and what’s in store for the next Sword of Shadows book:

At this point even I don’t know who will succeed and who will fail. As I writer I’m interested in the conflicts we carry in our hearts. We’re afraid, yet we act in face of that fear. We love passionately, yet we’re rarely selfless. Books IV and V will show Raif coming to terms with hard realities. How do you live a life when you’re cut off from your family, home and community? What is your responsibility when you can kill an enemy so effortlessly, from a distance, that you don’t have to look him in the eye?

You can read the whole interview here and be sure to visit J.V.’s website.

Karen Miller, the bestselling author of the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker duology, has just written a fantastic Quote of the Week piece over at The Book Swede.

“How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time.”

I don’t know the source of the above quote, but it’s become one of my mantras as I really settle down into this writing gig. Writing novels is a major commitment of time, of energy and most of all, of faith. Sure, if you’re looking purely at word count, one average novel of 30 chapters is the same as someone writing 30 short stories. And there are lots of people out there who’ve written 30 and more short stories, so … there’s no difference, right?

Wrong.

Read more >>

Karen Miller, the UK’s bestselling debut fantasy writer of 2007, has posted the most recent of her ‘Fantastic Women’ series of interviews. The latest subject is another Orbit author, the internationally bestselling Trudi Canavan who, in a wide-ranging interview, discusses the craft of writing, her influences and the state of the genre. You can read the interview on Karen’s journal.