Interview with Author Kelley Armstrong & A Giveaway

I'm ecstatic to have one of my fave authors here today, Kelley Armstrong. I love Kelley's urban fantasy and her mysteries. Last year she started a new young adult epic fantasy series, Age of Legends. The second book, "Empire of Night" is due to release this April. In the meantime, she has a new short story from that world, "The Kitsune's Nine Tails", as part of an anthology, "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" releasing next week on the 9th.

All of the proceeds from the sale of "Fantasy For Good: A Charitable Anthology" go directly to The Colon Cancer Alliance, a charity dedicated to the prevention of this deadly disease, as well as funding research and supporting patients who suffer from it. As someone who has cancer running in her family and only a few of them survivors, I like to support projects benefittng cancer research and patient support whenever i can.

Kelley graciously agreed to do an interview and she's giving away a copy of the first book in the Age of Legends series, "Sea of Shadows" (I love the US cover of this book, gorgeous!)

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Find Kelley Online:

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Photo credit: Kathryn Hollinrake.

 

   1) In the past, you’ve supported world literacy and diabetes research. Why the switch to a cancer organization?

I still support both diabetes (via Brenda Novak’s auctions) and World Literacy of Canada (who continue to receive all my profits from Men and Tales of the Otherworld.) This anthology was one that already had a chosen charity when I signed on.

2) There’s been a huge uptick in anthologies and bundles benefiting charities and individuals fighting one illness or another. What are your thoughts on them, do you think they actually succeed in raising funds or awareness or is the recent glut diluting their impact?

I’m sure that any decrease in rarity also decreases impact, but any chance to bring an issue further in to public awareness is a worthwhile cause, as is any increased funding.

3) Did you write “The Kitsune’s Nine Tails” specifically for the anthology or was it one you were already working on?

I wrote it specifically for the anthology. There were no parameters

4) I tend to associate totems with certain Native American tribes; are totems a typical custom in Asian cultures or were they something you borrowed for your fantasy world?

A totem creature is a common element in world folklore—whether it’s lions in the savannah or wolves in the arctic. It has always been a way for people to take on what they consider the positive elements of an animal, usually a predator. It’s psychological—if we choose a certain animal as our ‘totem,’ we will more actively try to exhibit those like characteristics…and then we can say that we ‘magically’ fit the totem—that we have been imbued with its characteristics.

5) Who is your favorite character so far in the Age of Legends series?

Tough call. Probably Moria because she’s not afraid to rush headlong into danger, even when she gets her ass kicked J

6) What is the significance of the number nine in this story?

It’s from the mythology of the kitsune—the nine-tailed fox. The Kitsune family has the fox as their totem. Being a trickster beast, those in its clan are naturally given to telling tales...or lying, to put it more bluntly. It was fun, then, to play with the concept of the “nine tales” that Alvar Kitsune will tell to try to escape his fate.

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From Sword and Sorcery to Paranormal Romance, from Weird Fiction to Fairy Tales, Fantasy For Good presents a wide range of exciting short fiction to accommodate every taste. In this collection of thirty stories, legendary authors (including NYT Bestsellers and World Fantasy Award winners) and great new up-and-comers in the genre spin tales of magic and mayhem.

Featuring brand new fiction from Piers Anthony, Michael Moorcock, Carrie Vaughn, Kelley Armstrong, Alan Dean Foster, Katharine Kerr, David Farland, Jane Lindskold, Nnedi Okorafor, Todd McCaffrey and many more, alongside classic tales from George R.R. Martin, Jay Lake, Kevin J Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, and Neil Gaiman.

Fantasy For Good also includes a classic tale by master novelist, Roger Zelazny, author of the Nine Princes of Amber, who passed away in 1995 after a battle with colorectal cancer. His son, Trent, provides a moving introduction.

All proceeds from the sale of this anthology go directly to The Colon Cancer Alliance, a charity dedicated to the prevention of this deadly disease, as well as funding research and supporting patients who suffer from it.

Publisher: Nightscape Press
Formats Available: ebook, paperback
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Buying Links:  Amazon* | Nightscape Press

Kelley is offering one print copy of book one, "Sea of Shadows" and it's open INTERNATIONALLY! Yes, you read that right, she'll ship it anywhere. The giveaway ends on December 9th at 11:59PM EST. Please read my Giveaway Policy.  Enter using the widget below. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

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