Author Interview: Jacqueline Carey

Jacqueline Carey, the author of the beloved Kushiel series, is an author who is as beloved by her fans as the heroines and heroes in her novels.  In the Kushiel series, a young girl abandoned by her mother and marked by one of the pantheon of angels is trained in the art of pain and secrets by a loving Master.  Thrust into a world of politics and deadly games, she finds love and adventure across a trilogy of exquistly written novels.  The world of Terre d'Ange continues through another 2 trilogies and descendants of the vibrant characters brought to life in Kushiel's Dart.  Through wars, death, love, and betrayal, the generations of characters Jacqueline brings to life in her novels have an uncanny way of worming their way into your heart.  Just ask her adoring fans who keep them alive even beyond the ending of the books!
I was very honored that Jacqueline agreed to let me ask her a few questions and post them on my blog.  Please visit her website and check out some of her novels.
Thanks for reading!
Andrea
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Andrea: I wanted to open by saying that I have never identified with a heroine in a book as much as I identified with Phaedre. Shared experiences with her were brought to life when I read your descriptions. In fact, the Kushiel series was the first time I’d ever read anything that I would call remotely “romantic.” Is there something of you in Phaedre? Which character from any of your books do you see as being most like you?


Jacqueline: There’s a bit of me in all my characters, really. As a divinely ordained masochistic courtesan who’s also a genuine heroine, Phèdre is unique in the annals of epic fantasy, and truly a gift of the Muses. Some readers have accused me of being as diabolical as her antagonist Melisande for the complex plots and emotional torments to which I subject my characters! It’s hard for me to be objective, but people who know me well have said the character who most reminds them of me is Sidonie, whose very controlled exterior belies a passionate interior and a somewhat wicked sense of humor.

Andrea:  In other interviews I’ve read, you’ve said that to write, one has to write, which involves a lot of sitting and writing. I was wondering how much your travels have made easier the job of sitting and writing. Do you think you would have been able to weave such a real world in the Kushiel series without your time in London and traveling around the world to exotic places?

Jacqueline: The traveling that I’ve done definitely informs my writing! And no, I don’t think I could have brought my alternate world to life without having a deep well of marvelous and visceral experiences to draw on. Sitting and writing is crucial to developing and honing the craft of writing, but I believe that the more one experiences in life, the more one has to bring to the process.

Andrea:  The very rare bit of fiction I’ve read that centers around the same themes that Phaedre experiences in her own personality and personal life, with submissive female characters dominated by aggressive men, the writing is quite lacking in detail and written more like a Penthouse letter. With the Kushiel series, Phaedre is more than her desires and the life that destiny has given her to live. What research, if any, did you do to be able to create such a real and human character in a world of bondage and slavery?


Jacqueline:  I did a lot of research into the contemporary BDSM community. One of the reasons that consensuality is a sacred tenet in D’Angeline society is that it reflects the level of respect and responsibility that exists in the actual BDSM community. Also, I wasn’t setting out to write erotic fiction; I was writing epic fantasy with a subversive heroine. Phèdre’s sexuality is the most provocative aspect of her character, it’s her strength of will and her refusal to be a victim, her ability to resist despair, that ultimately make her a memorable heroine.

Andrea:  The world that you brought to life in the Kushiel series and that is still going forward with Imriel’s trilogy and now with Naamah’s Blessing is so detailed and dependent on its own unique history, pantheon, and customs. Over the span of so many lengthy novels, what methods do you use to ensure that you don’t contradict something from one book to another or leave out some important element? Have you ever found after a few books that there was an element you wish you had added in from the start?

Jacqueline:  I can’t think of an instance of the latter. As to the former, I wish I could say I had a method, but the truth is that my head is a very crowded place! I do often have to refer back to earlier manuscripts in the process of writing to make sure I’ve maintained consistency.

Andrea:  What methods do you use when you get stuck on a section while writing, or to combat writer’s block?

Jacqueline:  First, never try to force it. That just doesn’t work for me. I’ve been writing long enough to know when I need to step away and get some distance from the problem. I find I do a lot of my best creative mental work when I’m in motion – walking or jogging, or even driving. Although I remember fellow fantasy author Sara Douglass saying she swore by hot baths to cope with writer’s block, too. Whatever works, works!

Andrea:  How much of your writing comes from your life experiences and how much comes from fantasy? I’ve never written what I would call fantasy, but I’m sure it’s different from writing something more contemporary, or even a straight historical novel. Afterall, you have to invent the locations, you can’t go visit them.

Jacqueline:  In terms of worldbuilding, because I’m writing alternate history, I draw extensively on my own experiences. I can’t visit the City of Elua in Terre d’Ange, but I can visit Avignon in the south of France. I can take in the quality of the light as dusk falls over Provence, with the scent of lavender in the air, and find it achingly beautiful. In terms of the characters and plot, well, that’s pretty much entirely a product of my imagination. Obviously, I’ve never been a courtesan, a spy, or a swordsman in real life. I’ve never been abducted and enslaved, never had to make a daring escape, never enduring the fate of an entire realm riding on my shoulders. But I get to do it all in my imagination. That’s what makes writing – and reading – so much fun!

Andrea:  What is your most valued research tool when you’re building on the world in the Kushiel books and its following series?

Jacqueline:  I’d have to say my local library network, which is wonderful. I do a lot of old-fashioned book research, and while I’ll buy some volumes, the library allows me to do extensive background reading without breaking my budget or my already over-crowded bookshelves.

Andrea:  You’ve written Santa Olivia which was a departure from the sort of fantasy world that is Terre d’Ange. Are there any other genres or subgenres you think you may dabble in some day?

Jacqueline:  Oh, for sure! I’m currently working on a new project that’s more of a contemporary urban fantasy, and I suspect some day I’ll tackle a piece of straightforward literary fiction.

Andrea:  Who is the most influential person in your life where your writing is concerned? A friend or family member or teacher who was a motivator or influence on your drive?

Jacqueline:  My biggest supporter was my Great-Aunt Harriett, who passed away a year or so after “Kushiel’s Dart” was released. She’d read earlier, unpublished work, but due to the erotic content, I had a lot of trepidation about letting her read this one. I remember coming home to a message on the answering machine telling me she thought it was absolutely wonderful, adding in an acerbic tone, “And I hope people realize it’s more than just a sex book!” When it won the Locus Award for Best First Novel in 2001, I dedicated the award to her.

Andrea:  You are on Facebook and you have a wonderful website. Do you feel that social media has made publicity for your work much easier? What influence do you feel that the ease of interaction with fans across the internet has had on your writing life?

Jacqueline:  Let me say up front that I’m fortunate in that I enjoy it, and I have a funny, thoughtful, wonderfully diverse group of fans with whom it’s a pleasure to interact. Social media absolutely affords writers a platform that didn’t exist before. That said, there is a downside in that it’s shifted the burden of publicity further onto the writers. We’re expected to utilize social media to promote ourselves and our work to our utmost capacity. It can be a real struggle for writers who aren’t comfortable with it, who are more private and introspective, or simply lack basic techno-savvy. And as much as I do enjoy it, it can be time-consuming, taking away from precious writing hours. It’s a balancing act.

Andrea:   If someone said they were going to make a movie based on Kushiel’s Dart, who would you like to see play the main characters?

Jacqueline:  I’m no good at playing the casting game! I’d rather see who my readers choose. If it were up to me, I’d probably want to go with a bunch of incredibly talented unknowns who don’t bring any media baggage.

Andrea:  With the increase in self-publishing thanks to the popularity of ebook readers, how do you feel about the new tools available to writers to get their work out there? Many writers who would never have been published are able to self-publish and publish via ebook. The downside of that is that there is a lot of less than stellar stuff to sift through if you’re looking for a good, new read. Do you see this as a viable option for beginning writers?

Jacqueline:  As of this writing, I’d say yes, if you’re good at marketing and self-promotion. There have been a few amazing success stories. However, the ebook market’s still in a state of flux. If traditional publishers decide to lower the prices on ebooks to be more competitive with self-published writers, I think that will limit their opportunities. Not that I’m sure it’s going to happen; I just don’t think the market’s really found its base level yet.

Andrea:  Now that we’re devouring Naamah’s Blessing and a new trilogy, are there any other projects you’re working on?

Jacqueline:  There’s the aforementioned contemporary urban fantasy – which is really a small-town fantasy – but it’s not in a place where I’m ready to divulge details yet. And I just finished proofreading “Saints Astray,” which is the sequel to “Santa Olivia,” coming out in November of this year.

Andrea:  What do you consider the best piece of advice to aspiring authors?

Jacqueline:  I’m going to cheat and crib from my own FAQ on www.jacquelinecarey.com, because I put a lot of thought into this one, and I don’t think I can top it: It's hard to give advice on writing, because the best way to learn is through doing. No two writers work the same way, and everyone has to find their own path. So… write. Write a lot. Build a world and explore it. Create characters and break their hearts. Take risks, and don't be afraid to make mistakes. Experiment. All the methodology -- whether to outline in advance or wing it, write in a linear fashion or skip around, follow a rigid schedule or go with the flow of inspiration, edit as you write or worry about it later -- emerges with experience. As you write, you'll discover what works for you.

Andrea:  Is there anything else you would like to say or information you would like to give?

Jacqueline:  Thanks for reading!

My Top 10 Books of All Time

There is no doubt that some of the below novels and plays will seem out of order.  Who can deny that Hamlet is far superior than some of the works that appear after it? These are works of fiction that have warmed my heart for many years, crafted cities and villages and islands that I have returned to time and again in mind imagination long after I've put the book away.  I hope you might find something that sounds interesting and inspires you to check it out. If you do, or if you've read one of them already and feel strongly about it, please comment and let me know.

I want to begin with a few honorable mentions that I won't describe, just throw out there in case you're interested:

Honorable Mention 1:  The Kushiel Legacy by Jacqueline Carey-In a world where the Fallen Angels remained on earth and spawned half-human children, the Angeline, and live at the mercy of the whims and dispositions of their angelic ancestors.  A young girl who must feel pain to feel fulfilled finds herself drawn into continuous courtly intrigues.

Honorable Mention 2:  Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub-A fairy tale of a boy and his friend who travel through worlds to save a dying Queen.

Honorable Mention 3:  Swan Song by Robert McCammon-In a post-apocolyptic wasteland, a young girl who is the key to restoring humanity fights a growing evil.

On with the show.....
10.

 Mystery by Peter Straub

   Probably my favorite modern author, Peter Straub has the undeniable ability to bring tears to my eyes, make my heart race, and shock me into shrieking aloud.  This is the beautifully worded story of a young man on an island community who falls head over heels into a deadly mystery that takes him deeper into the identities of himself and all those around him.  A fine work of art, scary and thrilling and warm and familiar.  Peter Straub is more intelligent, more poetic, and more eloquent than any other writer of the horror genre alive today.



9.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

   I consider Hamlet the single greatest story ever written.  The imagery, the individual words, the well constructed ideals all paint a portrait of a life that could be lived in any country, in any time period one could dream up.  Of course, Shakespeare is the wordsmith, and this tale is the best showcase of his craft that exists.








8.

Weaveworld by Clive Barker

   No doubt Clive Barker can scare the pants of anyone, but I prefer his more fairy tale-ish wares.  Weaveworld, which I read as a teenager for the first time, is a magnificent story of a not-so-far-away land in peril.  The language is poetic and the suspense seems very real.  Not really a fantasy so much as an adventure, Weaveworld blends some of the best words into some of the most beautiful sentences I've read in all my literary life.

   "Nothing ever begins. There is no first moment; no single word or place from which this or any story springs.

The threads can always be traced back to some earlier tale, and the tales that preceded that; though as the narrator's voice recedes the connections will seem to grow more tenuous, for each age will want the tale told as if it were of its own making." 

7.

 Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

   I wish more people would give the classics a chance.  The language and imagery in the written play of Oedipus is breathtaking and very modern for having been written in 429 B.C. The story is not the titilating love between a mother and son as the name has come to mean over the centuries. It is the anguished story of a good man and king who sees the suffering of his people and seeks wisdom and help from the gods in ending their pain. In his search for answers, he discovers the truth about his identity that ultimately distroys everyone he holds dear.  The poetry and depth and strenth of emotion is expressed in a short play in such a way as most authors cannot express in 1,000 pages of a novel.

6.

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

   I first fell in love with the movie when I was around six or seven years old when it came on PBS at least once a year.  That was in the days before VCRs.  I read the book when I was in my early teens and performed the opening monologue for a speech class contest once, which I won, incidentally. The most intriguing thing about this story for me was the lack of naming of the main, narrative character.  This single, almost off-hand decision on the author's part was so fascinating, forcing the reader to follow the journey and the bizarre triangle of Mr. deWinter and the 2 Mrs. deWinters, that the past and present seem to gently collide into one another in a heady collage of images, emotions, and sensations.

 5.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

   My father began reading this to me every autumn when I was five years old.  We began around the middle of August and he would read a few pages a night, pacing it just so, so we would finish on Halloween week, when Jem and Scout finally meet Boo Radley.  I read it to my daughter when she was 9 and we both lay on the bed sobbing together when it was over, then I allowed her to watch the movie.  Both transport me back in time to when I was a young Southern girl full of imagination and ideas to change the world.  When I pick it up occassionally and begin to read, I still hear my father's voice, soothing in the warm fall nights, counting the days until Halloween when I would hear my father read those magnificent words, "Thank you, Arthur, for my children."

 4.

 The Wicked, Wicked Ladies in the Haunted House by Mary Chase

   Originally titled The Wicked Pigeon Ladies in the Garden, this book still haunts me today.  I read it very often as a preteen and teenager and found a copy recently for my daughter, whose different tastes did not include a love for this book.  It is the story of a young girl who is quite unruly, always getting into trouble, who runs into the grounds of a long-abandoned Victorian house near her neighborhood to escape punishment.  There she finds the seven daughters from the old paintings on the stairwell are not only alive, but that she has been transported back in time to Victorian elegance in the midst of a mystery involving charms, lost children, and crime and punishment.  

3.

The Blackwater Saga by Michael McDowell

 

   My father started reading these books to me when I was around 2nd or 3rd grade.  We read them a few times as a family. I remember we would sit in the living room when the summer storms would knock the power out, the back sliding glass doors onto the veranda open, ran falling in great gray curtains and splattering from the eaves.  It was poetically appropriate.  Blackwater is a series of six books telling the epic tale of the Caskey family beginning in 1919.  The Caskeys were a deep south monied family who, upon encountering a young, mysterious school teacher stranded in a flood, were tossed into turmoil involving ghosts, monsters, murder, scheming, and more mayhem and plots than you can shake a broom at.  Written with McDowell's eloquent grasp on Southern language and sensibilities, Blackwater is a series of books that defines my personal literary culture.

2. 

The Ghost in the Swing by Janet Patton Smith

   I believe I was in fourth grade and it was summer the first time my mother and I found this book in the library.  We took turns reading it aloud to each other and were finished by August, in time for my dad and I to begin To Kill a Mockingbird.  We fell in love with the book and I spent years looking for a copy when I thought my retired library copy was lost.  Very hard to find and the only ones in existance are old library copies that begin around $100. Fortunately I found mine a few years ago.  It is the story of a young teenaged girl who is sent to live with an aunt for a summer and is haunted by the ghost of a relative she never knew who sends her on a quest to look for her body and tell her story.  We read this book every summer for about six or seven years and now and again I pick it up once more and relive those carefree summer days when I was a young girl, haunted by a gothic daydream.

1.

Harry Potter Books by J.K. Rowling

   Of course, anyone who knows me could tell you that I am a Slytherin and that Harry Potter is not only my favorite set of movies but also my favorite set of books.  Magic, friendship, secrets, broken alliances, evil wizards.  What more could you ask for! The first book, while on the childish side, is just the beginning.  As the children age, so does the age level and appeal of the books.  Can't say anything more without gushing.