Babel Clash

When Babel Clash came to me a few weeks ago reminding me that I had been the first guest blogger on Babel Clash and asking me to be the last, it was a bittersweet reminder of the changes the industry has seen in just a few years.  Electronic rights which were often overlooked in contracts, became a potentially profitable venture, evolving into a way for many big-name and small-name writers with a bent for self-promotion to skip the publishing house which had traditionally been the measuring stick for quality.  Independent book sellers faltered at the onslaught of sparkly brick-and-mortar stores with coffee, music, and gathering places.  Electronic retailers eventually chipped away at the big-box book sellers, until now they are struggling to recapture a public enchanted with electronic books and devices that can store more information than you can fill a room with.  Now many are questioning if the demise of the paper book is on the horizon asking if the scent of old books will be forgotten or the smile we wore when we lovingly pulled a book from a shelf of possibilities to share with a growing child, gone?

I doubt it.  Despite the benefits of electronic books, we are a tactile species, and books are a way to give an idea a form and shape.  Having them (an idea masquerading as a book) look different and possess a unique space on our shelves is entrenched in our psyche.  But having said that, the sparkle of gadgetry is a chance for the industry to capture a new reading demographic as well as granting an already overburdened reader release from too many books and not enough shelf space.  That’s not even considering the boon of electronic books that can enlarge print or turn text to speech.  In my thoughts, there is no “right” book, no wrong gadget, there are just choices.

Things, though, are going to change.  And yet, I’m hopeful even as I write Babel Clash’s last guest blog, because one thing remains constant.  Those who love to write, will continue to write, and those who love to read, will continue to read.  The rest is just details.

Thanks for coming back for day two of our Kim Harrison weekend! Today, we have a fun little Q&A with Kim that touches on everything from Clint Eastwood to advice for aspiring writers! Enjoy!

photo of Kim Harrison by Kate Thornton

Thanks for reading the interview with Kim and for checking in on Kim Harrison weekend!  Hopefully, you’re as pumped for Pale Demon as I am.  If so…you should pre-order it now on borders.com or head to your local store next week when it releases on 2/22.  Thanks to Kim for playing along with weekend, thanks to you all for reading, and thanks to Jaye and Nicole for taking the weekend off so I could bring you all Kim Harrison weekend!

With the release of Kim Harrison’s latest novel, Pale Demon, fast approaching on 2/22, Babel Clash is privileged to have the following exclusive essay from Kim.

photo of Kim Harrison by Kate Thornton

A witch, a pixy, and a vampire get in a Buick and head west, fighting bad food, bad demons, and bad assassins on the way to San Francisco.  Is it any wonder that I have a definite fondness for Pale Demon, the ninth book in the continuing Hollows series?

Many authors will tell you that the book they are currently writing—or just finished—is their favorite, and to a large extent, this is true for me.  Dead Witch Walking (book one) had the excitement of being the introduction to the world.  Fistful of Charms (book four) was our first time out of Cincinnati, and seeing Jenks humansize was worth the year it took to write it.  The Outlaw Demon Wails (book six) was the original end of the series and had some very satisfying elements as far as me, the writer is concerned.  But Pale Demon has all the earmarks of remaining on my “favorite” shelf for a very long time for a bunch of reasons, the first of which being that I had to travel in order to research it.

Research isn’t my favorite thing, which is a large reason as to why I make up all the magic from my childhood reading of fairytales and fantasy rather than seeing what’s actually out there right now.  However, I do prefer to see a place before I work it into the pages if at all possible.  Much of that stems from my idea that when done right, setting is as much a part of the story as the characters themselves.  Rachel and the gang have been in Cincinnati for almost all of the books, and when the setting changes, characters are forced to think and react differently.  It allows for the characters to rapidly grow in unforeseen ways as they see their place in the world shift.  It also makes for a surprising rough draft, which I love even as I plot almost everything to within an inch of boredom.

Pale Demon is a coast to coast race that took me through St. Louis, the Petrified forest, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.  I’d never been out west before with the chance to get out of the car and touch the earth and see the sun rise, and what I experienced while researching real locations made it into the pages in unexpected ways as Rachel left carnage wherever she went.

Another reason Pale Demon stands to be my favorite in the series is that here Rachel finally knows who she is, accepts it, and embraces it.  She almost dies as a result, but she survives by trusting one-time enemies.  Being able to successfully take a major villain and convincingly allow your main character to trust him or her is exciting stuff!  I’m just glad I had the luxury of time with which to do it in.  I truly enjoy watching the characters evolve, not only because it keeps things interesting for the reader, but it makes me, the writer, have to grow as well as I have to devise new ways for old trouble to crop up with a wiser, stronger main character.

But the primary reason Pale Demon is my favorite book in the series has got to be the chance for me to settle the question of if Rachel and Trent really could find their happy endings with each other.  Readers had been asking me for years if Trent might be Rachel’s ultimate happy ending.  I never saw the potential, but that so many readers did, it deserved investigation.  I figured putting Rachel and Trent in a Buick for almost three thousand miles ought to settle the question.  I’m not saying how that turned out except that it wasn’t what I’d expected.  Seeing Trent in the shower was a definite plus, though.  –laugh– 

There’ve are some clear movements in the attitudes of both characters by the end of Pale Demon.  The book has a finish that I wasn’t expecting, the version you see on the shelf being far different from the ending that I submitted the story with, which both aggravates and delights me at the same time, since I’m still left wondering how this series is going to end.

But on second thought, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Thanks for reading Kim’s post!  Come back tomorrow for part two of our Kim Harrison weekend where Kim answers a few of our questions.  While you wait, feel free to pick up Kim’s upcoming novel - Pale Demon - on borders.com

Kim, thank you for contributing to Babel Clash.  It’s been fun, and you’re welcome to visit anytime.  Congratulations on the success of Once Dead, Twice Shy.

Our next guest is Brandon Sanderson, author of  epic fantasy novels Warbreaker, Elantris and Mistborn.  Brandon is also undertaking the incredible challenge of completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.

Tune in tomorrow to find out the topic of our next geeky debate.

Thanks, Morgan!  I’d love to!  ;-)  Once Dead, Twice Shy centers around a high school girl who finds herself dead on her Junior prom.  Using her wits, she manages to side-step the reapers who have come to escort her, and she has to learn how to live with being un-living.  But because I think young adults like the same things that adults do, it goes deeper than that.  In truth, it is a story about the dilemma of having to do something you morally disagree with in order to survive, and finding the courage to fight to change a system that no one but you and perhaps a light reaper might disagree with.

It’s targeting 12-19 year olds, but I’ve not cut out any of the complexity for them, so it should still be entertaining to adults.  In fact, I’m concerned that I’m going to get a lot of flack for not pulling any punches and posing a question to young readers that might actually make them think.  But hey, this is what I do.  ;-)  –Kim

Oh!  And some good news.  I just found out a few days ago that it will be breaking into the New York Times Bestseller Children list at a very respectable #5.  Whoo-hoo!

Hey Kim, it’s nearing the end of your visit with Babel Clash.  Sad.

Want to take your last post or two and tell us why Once Dead, Twice Shy is the # 1 Must-Read, most wildly exciting and life-changing book of the summer?

Has everyone had a chance to check out Kim’s new book?

This is how I sneakily steer the conversation away from one of my own childhood fears, one that is embarrassing.  I was chased by a giant rooster.  I kid you not.  A gigantic, scary and mean rooster.  It still haunts me.

Once Dead, Twice Shy

Okay, this is going to be a little selfish, but since I don’t write horror, but am often shelved in horror, I think I might need to brush up on what scares people.  Me, I don’t like elevators.  It’s not a phobia, because I will use them, (maybe I’m too lazy to take the stairs.) But when I’m stressed, I will dream about malfunctioning elevators.  (Sad, but true)  Ghosts, too, are another big shudder factory in me.  So give it up.  Consider it you helping me be more “scary” in my writing.  What makes you shiver.  Blood? Missing body parts?  An old girl/boy friend knocking on your door with a bassinette?  Physical or mental torture? Real stuff, or things you can’t see.  –Kim

Julia, I loved your comment about the Strain.  That’s a great book.  Cheers to Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan on that one.

I saw Up last night.  What a fun film.  Tugged at the heart strings, showed off a wild imagination and flashed some clever wit.  Pixar is still in top form.  Highly recommended.

Lovecraft’s brand of cosmic horror chills me.  Yes, his creepy monsters are good for goosebumps, but his philosophy is what’s really spooky.  The sense of inevitable doom in his stories is oppressive.  That said, you have to love the cyclopian ziggurats and eldritch beasties.