Married with three kids and lives in rural Ontario, Canada. After graduating from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in psychology, Kelley switched gears and studied computer programming.  Currently, ahe's a full-time writer and parent. (Interview by Amanda Faye) Questions and Answers What are you currently working on? I'm just starting my sixth book. It will be number six in my Otherworld series, and will return to my first narrator, Elena, my werewolf, who took a break after book two. With which of your works are you most/least satisfied and why? I'm never satisfied with anything. One of the most frustrating things about being published is that, at some point, the novel has to leave my hands for good, and I can't fix/change anything. At first, I found this very difficult, but eventually had to accept that I'm never going to think any novel is perfect, and my goal instead is to get it in the best shape I can currently manage. Is there a book or story you wish you had written? There are hundreds of them! As readers, we often read a book and think 'what a great idea!'. Well, as a writer, I think that, and then I think 'and I wish I'd thought of it!' Is writing your full time occupation, if not what is? I'm a full-time writer now and have been since my first book hit the shelves. That's not because my first book took off so much that I could afford to stay home, but because, at the time, I had two kids under the age of two, and knew it was a choice between working outside the home or pursuing my writing career--I'd never have time for both. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? My first sale was my first novel, Bitten. I always thought that, if I ever got published, it would be like in the movies, where someone calls you up and says 'we want to buy your book', and you do a little happy dance, whoop it up afterward. That never happened for me--there was never that single defining moment where I went from aspiring novelist to published writer. Instead, it was a series of qualified triumphs. An agent says she'll represent me, and that's great...but it doesn't mean she'll be able to sell the novel. Then the partial manuscript sells, but will I be able to finish it? I finish writing it, but will it be good enough to fulfill the contract? It all worked out, but all along the way, I had to keep in mind that things could still go wrong, so there was never any great moment of triumph. Who is you favourite author? Right now, I wouldn't say I have one favourite author. There are a bunch whose books I will pick up the moment I see them on the shelves. As for all-time faves, they would have to be Jane Austen and Anne Rice. Jane Austen was the first 'English class' author that I ever read and, not only didn't mind reading, but sought out the rest of her books on my own. The first book I read by Anne Rice blew me away because it was an idea I'd never encountered before--making the 'monsters' the protagonists. That had a tremendous impact on me. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? Write the story you want to write, not the one that you think will sell. I spent years working on other forms of fiction because I was certain my werewolf novel was unmarketable. I kept at that werewolf novel, though, because it was the story I loved writing. I think that if you have a passion for a certain story, that passion will come through. When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author? Becoming an author was never a career goal for me...namely because I didn't see it as an attainable goal. Growing up, I didn't know anyone who wrote fiction for a hobby, let alone as a career. If I'd ever told my parents I wanted to become an author, their response would have been 'that's nice dear--and what do you want to do for a living?'. It was only when I was in my twenties that I began thinking I'd like to get something published, and that was only because making a bit of money at it would pay for my writing expenses! When did you first feel that you were an author? I'm not sure, even now, that I feel like an author. I recently did my first batch of business cards and I wrote 'Author' under my name and it just looked odd--pretentious or something, like I haven't yet earned the right to consider myself an author. Strange, I know, but I can't explain it any better than that. In recent years, books have taken on more than just hardback/pb. Now, there are downloadable, books on disc, and audio forms? How do you feel about this? As a reader, I can't stand reading on screen. And I'm a programmer by trade, so it has nothing to do with a dislike for computer technology. I like to read with a book in my hands. I do listen to audio books on long trips, and find them very useful for that. As a writer, I don't think much about e-books and audio books, except as a reader service--i.e. if that's what readers want, then that's fine by me. The important thing is that they are enjoying books in some format. Are you a music fan? If so, what? Does the music provide inspiration at all? Music definitely inspires me. My tastes run to popular music...very dull, I know, but I've never been a music connoisseur. Songs often inspire me when I'm creating a character. I'll hear a song on a CD or on the radio, and it has just the 'feel' I've been looking for. After that, I'll never hear the song again without thinking of that character. There are a couple of reader-created mixes on my site for my books, and I'm actually in the midst of making a page of 'my' songs, the ones that I've attached to various characters. Do you have a favourite place to write? I don't have a favourite place. By necessity, I do most of my writing in my office. It's in the farthest corner of the basement, and pretty much distraction-free, which is important for me. The idea of writing on the beach or in a cafe sounds very romantic, but I'd never get anything done! Instead, I write in my office, and do my editing in more interesting, scenic locations. Do you enjoy book signings/conventions, or author chats? I do, though the promotional aspect of writing took some getting used to. The biggest shock I had with my first book was realizing I was expected to go out in public and talk about my work. I'm a quiet person and I express myself best in writing, so public speaking is something I've had to work on. I do enjoy getting out and talking to readers, though, so I'm more than willing to accept the less comfortable aspects of public appearances in order to reap the rewards! Why do you like SF/F/H? What is your favorite thing to read? As a writer, I like the genre because it offers unlimited possibilities. If I can think it, I can write it, and I never have to worry about someone saying 'that would never happen with real werewolves', the way I would if wrote about police, lawyers etc. As a reader, I like a broader range of material...including those books about police, lawyers etc. My favourite reading material would be thrillers--supernatural or otherwise. Some writers seem to follow a formula, but each of your books is very individual, although a pattern might be an easier way to go. Was that deliberate or did it just happen? It's not deliberate. I come up with a plot and write the type of story that seems to fit it best. That has its advantages and disadvantages. Some readers like the diversity but for some, it's confusing. They start with Bitten and think they're getting a romantic suspense series. Then they get to Stolen, and the romance takes the back seat to action. And then Dime Store Magic, and the werewolves are replaced by witches with the storyline is more domestic/personal drama. Book 4 Industrial Magic is a 'serial killer chase' mystery. And book 5, Haunted, follows more of a traditional adventure/quest storyline. Some readers who like a heavy dose of romance aren't happy with the direction I took after Bitten, but I never set out to write a 'romance' with that book, no more than I tried to write an 'action' novel with Stolen. On the other hand, I attracted more men to the series with Stolen, and will likely pick up some mystery readers with Industrial Magic. For me, it's easier to write this way, rather than adhere to a pattern, so I can only hope it all works out in the end! Were fans disappointed when you shifted, no pun intended, from werewolves to witches? Yes, and that really surprised me. When I was writing Dime Store Magic, Bitten was just coming out--because of publishing schedules, I'm always two books ahead. So, at that time, the only 'readers' I met were people buying my books for the first time at signings. No one had expressed any attachment to Elena and the werewolves, so I had no qualms about branching out. Then Bitten picked up readers, and Stolen came out, and when I started my website, announcing that the next two books would be about witches, the number one question I started getting was: what the heck are you doing abandoning the werewolves? Of course, by then Dime Store Magic was done, and I was writing the second witch book, so I couldn't turn back. I'm actually glad of that--that I didn't hear complaints until it was too late worry about my decision and change my mind. Bitten was written as a stand-alone novel and when I was asked to turn it into a series, I agreed that I would do so only if I could introduce other supernaturals and spin off to their stories. I knew if I stayed with werewolves, I'd run out of plotlines fast. I'm glad I made the change. I still get the occasional 'what happened to the werewolves?' email, but I get more from readers who say they were skeptical about the switch...until they read Dime Store Magic. Will we be learning more about the Cortez Cabal? Yep, lots more...coming in the next book. After introducing Lucas and the Cabals in Dime Store Magic, I knew that his world would need to be the focus for Industrial Magic. Is Savannah safely on the light path, or will she be tempted to darkness? I've set her up for some serious moral conflict. She's been raised by a mother who practiced black magic and strongly believed in the 'every man for himself' approach to life. Now Savannah is being raised by a couple who devote their lives to helping other supernaturals. Completely opposite ends of the moral spectrum, and the trouble is that Savannah was very close to her mother, so all three will have a great influence of her life. I expect her to struggle with these two senses of morality for a while and, if I'm lucky to take the series that far, I plan to do a book with Savannah as narrator when she goes away to college, and has to figure out where she stands. What influences the names of people and places in your work? I used to put a lot of stock in the meaning of names. With Bitten, all three main characters have meaningful names. After that, though, I began to rely more on the sound of the names themselves, which best fit the character or location I had in mind. I have a name generating program and I just keep pumping them out until I hit the right one. Short story, single novel or novel series - which do you think is the best medium for Fantasy? I don't really think there is a 'best', per se. As a writer, I'd find a fantasy short story the hardest. It's a great form for horror and mystery, but with fantasy, I start throwing too much in, and end up with a novella. With single novel versus series, it depends on whether the writer can say everything she has to say about that topic in one book. If so, then it's time to quit after one. But if she finds herself world-building, then a series is probably in order. Do you use myths and ancient religions for inspiration? I'm heavily influenced by myth and legend. I've never used an actual myth as a template for a story, but I tend to pepper my books with images and references taken from myth. Most of it is so heavily disguised, though, that no one would ever notice. Would you ever want to write in a shared world, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Charmed? I'd find that difficult. It'd be fun to give it a shot, but I suspect it wouldn't work out well for me. I'd find it difficult to work within the confines of characters and situations created by others. When it comes to writing, I'm something of a control freak. What book are you reading at the moment? An ARC of Wither's Legacy by John Passerella. Someone had suggested Wither to me for a selection in my online bookclub, and I read it, enjoyed it and picked it for September, and John offered me an advance copy of the third book in the series. Really enjoying it so far! Have you ever collaborated or would you want to? I'd probably run into the same problem was I would working in a shared world. I'm one of those people who, as a student, never quite got the concept of working as part of a group--I'd do my share, and then do everyone else's if I could find a way. Control freak, like I said. How does your approach to the editing role differ from that of writing? Editing has been something of a challenge for me. As someone who wrote for years without publication, I got into the habit of editing my work repeatedly. After getting published I realized that over-editing can be counterproductive. Edit too much, and you lose your voice. Also, the more I edit a scene, the less likely I'll be to cut it if I later suspect it doesn't fit the story--I've put too much effort into fixing it to destroy it. Now I approach editing like I do writing. When I write, I get the first draft completely done before I edit. Then I edit the full piece straight through. That's the end of the first draft, and at that point it goes off to someone who can read it and give me an outside opinion. Another edit, and it's off to the publisher. There will be a couple more run-throughs after I get the advice of my editors, but I always edit the full novel beginning to end once, then hand it off. Do you outline your story in advance or does it just come together? Has the ending ever snuck up on you? I have learned to love the outline. I used to have trouble with unfinished manuscripts. I'd get started, then lose interest and switch to something else. Well, I can't do that when I'm writing for a living or I'd go broke. I learned that the reason I quit was either that my idea wasn't good enough for a full novel or I wrote myself into a corner, and had no idea where to go next. Outlining fixes that. If the story isn't good enough, I'll know it in a couple of weeks, not months. And I always know where to go. What I won't do, though, is marry my outline. If anything--an ending or a plot twist or just an interesting sequence--sneaks up on me and I decide it's better than what I had in my outline, I change the outline. Does ending a story make you sad or happy? Is it hard to let go? When I hit the home stretch of a novel, I'm anxious to get to the end. I often write the last hundred pages very quickly, so I'm exhausted by that point. But when I actually hit the end, there's a pang of disappointment to see it done. It's harder to send off the copyedited version, though, because by that point I know it really is done. Until that point, I can still revisit the story through editing and I'll still be adding scenes and passages, so the story isn't really done until after those copyedits, when it goes off to be typeset. How much farther do you see the Women of the Otherworld series going? As a reader, I hope for a good while, but do you think a series, any series can reach a logical ending point for both the fans and the writer? I think a series can definitely hit a logical ending point. In some cases, it comes when the story has played itself out to the point that the writer imagined. It can also hit that end point when the writer finds herself recycling her own ideas or writing because she's contracted to produce x more books, not because she's still enjoying the story. For me, it'll probably be the second. I don't have a endpoint in mind for the series (a certain number of books or a final event I'm working toward). Instead, I'll end it when I no longer enjoy writing the series. Well, unless the publishers stop buying them first! Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why? Do you get ideas from readers? There's no specific person or thing that has influenced my writing. That's not because I'm not influenced, but because I'm influenced by so much that I can never pinpoint one person or thing. Readers do give me ideas, and I save the good ones in a folder, but that 'Ideas' folder is so overflowing with my own ideas that by the time I got around to using someone else's, I'd probably contact them to double-check for permission, and they'd have forgotten they gave me the idea in the first place! What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work? I don't read reviews, and that's probably because the first one I ever read said something that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Bitten came out in the UK first, so there were no local reviews here to read. Being eager for feedback, I searched the Internet, and the first thing I found was an online review in which the reviewer liked the book, but hated my narrator and said he/she kept hoping she'd 'hurry up and die'. Just the thing every first-time novelist wants to hear about her protagonist. That scared me off reviews for good. Have you won any awards for your writing? Bitten and Stolen have been nominated, but haven't won anything. Always a bridesmaid... Is there something you are particularly proud of? Getting published! That was the biggest and most difficult step. I have a lot of contact with aspiring novelists--I do a fair bit of speaking at writers groups and workshops--and each time I do, I'm reminded of how tough it is to make it in this business, and how lucky I've been. Many authors have extremely fancy websites with special features- how about you? I have a large, and ever-growing, website, and I'm constantly picking up new ideas and incorporating them. My philosophy is that I want my site to supplement my books, rather than sell them. So I give the obligatory info page for each book, but that's a very small part of the site. The rest is free e-serials, short stories, an online writing group, an online book club, readers' book/movie/website recommendations, links to other author sites, downloadable bookmarks, a large & active discussion board...the list goes on! My latest project is replacing some of my boring monthly trivia question contests with something more interactive, namely jigsaw and crossword puzzles. I do all the work myself...one advantage to having been a programmer in my pre-writer life. Plug away - what do you have coming out? My fourth novel, Industrial Magic, comes out this fall. It's the second book for Paige, my witch protagonist. Many Thanks, Kelley! Relevant Links Kelley Armstrong's Website