Kelly Blanchard first became serious about writing at age twelve and worked hard to learn and fully comprehend the numerous elements of writing. She tutored and assisted teaching in college while she studied for her degree in English. After graduation she continued tutoring children and even taught several classes. Now she’s established an online community to assist fellow writers in understanding their craft.
1.If I were stuck in a room with your main character, what would we be doing?
Depends. Is the door locked? Because if not, Lorrek would likely be quietly sitting there, minding his own business. If the door is locked though, Lorrek would ask if you want to get out, and then he’d magick (teleport) both of you out.
2.You’re going to go back and visit yourself when you first started writing, at whatever age it was, and you can give yourself one piece of advice. What would it be?
Don’t get discouraged because I (my younger self) never had a writing mentor. That will actually work out to my benefit.
3.You have a chance to hang out with any literary character for one day. Who would it be and what would you do?
I’d have to choose one of my own…but even then it’s a hard choice. I think I would choose Anelm from my series because she is such a fascinating character! I’d just want to sit down with her and ask her a ton of questions.
4.If you are casting your protagonist in a movie, what actor would you choose and why?
Tom Hiddleston would be Lorrek because the original inspiration of Lorrek came from Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, so it only makes sense. Also, my female assassin character, Vixen, I would want played by Maggie Q because I saw Maggie Q play an assassin in the TV show Nikita, and I loved her in that.
5.Can we expect an audio book from you, and if you had the ability to choose anyone to narrate it, is there someone in particular you would hire?
I would love to have my books turned into audio books, but I’m not there just yet. If I could hire anyone, I’d probably want Tom Hiddleston to narrate, but that’s never going to happen. We shall see about an audio book one day though. My fans have been asking, and I want to deliver!
6.You are forced to pick a fist fight with one of the characters in your book. Who would you choose and why?
It’d probably be either Dustal or Aradin. Why? Because I might stand a chance to win. I absolutely would not fight Vixen. She’d kill me. Lorrek would elude any punches or strikes and effortlessly disarm me. It would be frustrating.
7.Do you have a celebration that you embark on when you finish a book, be it a release party, a trophy, or even a shot of whiskey?
I might bake something as a way to celebrate, but really I don’t do much in way of celebration.
8.You are going to commit a crime, bank heist, murder, you can choose a co-conspirator from your book. What crime would you commit and who would you choose as your co-conspirator(s)?
If it were a bank heist, I’d probably choose Lorrek. Why? He can literally phase through walls and teleport in and out of places, so it’d be easy!
9.What are the things you’re most proud of in this book or series?
I am very proud of just how the series has taken on a life of its own. Not only that, but each book tends to be better than the last rather than flatlining.
10.Do you have any regrets about the story you told? Would you make any changes to its telling or did you capture exactly what you were looking for?
Interesting question. For a long time, I’ve thought about removing the prologue in my first book ‘Someday I’ll Be Redeemed’. However, recently, someone sent me an audio recording of them reading that part aloud, and I’ve gotta say, it sent chills down my spine, and I was like, “Damn, that’s good!” So no, I wouldn’t change anything!
11.If we reach beyond the written word into visual media, and you could choose how your story is consumed, would you want a television show, a movie series, or anime to tell the story of the book and the world it takes place in?
If my books could be turned into a television show, that would be awesome! My readers all say that they imagine it as a movie in their minds, but movies are limiting with how much they can expand upon, so they’d want it to be a TV show instead.
12.What is it about your genre that speaks to you?
I’ve always like fantasy and science fiction. Sure, I have to do some research, but I have room to make up stuff in order to tell the stories that I want. It’s quite freeing. I used to write historical fiction, and I was always terrified that someone would one day say, “That’s not what really happened!” But writing fantasy/sci-fi, I don’t have to worry about that because the places and events are all fictional. Sure, it’s important to get some facts right, and that’s where research comes in.
13.If you could live anywhere other than where you are, where would it be?
Anywhere? Anywhere whatsoever? I’d choose Cuskelom or maybe Ceraleo—my fictional lands. They would be fascinating to live in!
Thank you so much for interviewing me! It was a lot of fun.
For more from Kelly Blanchard:
Jesse Teller 