Author Introduction: Mindy Klasky
Oct. 31st, 2008 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jpskewedthroneWe haven't had one of these in a while! An Author Introduction! I'd like to introduce Mindy Klasky (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mindyklasky), author of numerous books, but whose most recent book Magic and the Modern Girl hit the shelves at the beginning of this past October. So without further ado, here's Mindy!
"Many thanks to Joshua for giving me a soapbox to talk about me, my writing, my reading, and the true meaning of fantasy literature!
I used to think that I had this writing thing all figured out. I'd sit down at my computer, type out my brilliant fantasy ideas, finish my novel, send it to a publisher, and then be rich and famous. Things haven't quite worked out that way...
I did sit down at my computer. And I did have some fantasy ideas. (Some glimmered in interesting patterns, even if they weren't actually *brilliant*.) I did finish nine novels, and I did send them to publishers, by way of my agent. But rich? Famous? Those are way over-rated.
I started out writing traditional fantasy novels, publishing five volumes of the Glasswrights Series, and a stand-alone novel, SEASON OF SACRIFICE. When readers asked what I was working on, I told them about my other traditional fantasy ideas. I even wrote an incredible (if I do say so myself) traditional fantasy - with dragons! (I was the only person who thought it was incredible. It remains in a nice, neat trunk beneath my bed.)
Somewhere along the way, I shattered my original career plan. My writing tastes changed. My reading tastes broadened. I actually started to think about ideas outside traditional fantasy worlds. And that was when I returned to an old concept that I'd floated by my agent years before: The story of a young woman in a contemporary urban setting, snarkily recounting her series of failed first dates.
I wasn't ready to abandon my fantasy roots, though. I wasn't ready to set aside the types of stories that I loved to read, that I longed to write.
And so, I wrote GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT, the story of Jane Madison, a twenty-something librarian in Washington, DC, who discovers that she's a witch.
At first, I had to justify my new literary directions to myself. I posted a picture of cotton candy by my computer, to remind me to be light and fluffy. I mourned the lack of world-building in my new books, regretted the loss of that special-ness, that other-ness that makes fantasy novels special.
But then I realized that there *is* a type of world-building in Jane's story. I needed to figure out how her magic worked. I needed to build the culture of other magical practitioners around her. I needed to give her spells and crystals, runes and potions. Her world became every bit as complex as my Glasswrights world -- I just had the extra challenge of hiding Jane's details inside the shell of contemporary Washington.
The third volume of Jane's story, MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL, came out this month. It's been gratifying to hear from readers who enjoyed my traditional fantasies, who were brave enough to try something new. I find myself sketching out more story ideas, additional possibilities in different slices of "reality." At the same time, I find myself mulling over new concepts for traditional fantasy.
It's easy for authors -- and readers -- to settle into "us vs. them" camps. "I know the type of writing I like, and *that* isn't it." But playing in different sandboxes has taught me that I just might like more than I thought I would. My reading list has expanded -- and that can only be a good thing!
If you're interested in reading more about me or my books, you can check them out at www.mindyklasky.com. The first chapter of each of my novels is online, if you want to trace my progression from traditional fantasy to urban fantasy/chicklit/paranormal romance/whatever it is I'm writing these days!"
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mindyklasky), author of numerous books, but whose most recent book Magic and the Modern Girl hit the shelves at the beginning of this past October. So without further ado, here's Mindy!"Many thanks to Joshua for giving me a soapbox to talk about me, my writing, my reading, and the true meaning of fantasy literature!
I used to think that I had this writing thing all figured out. I'd sit down at my computer, type out my brilliant fantasy ideas, finish my novel, send it to a publisher, and then be rich and famous. Things haven't quite worked out that way...
I did sit down at my computer. And I did have some fantasy ideas. (Some glimmered in interesting patterns, even if they weren't actually *brilliant*.) I did finish nine novels, and I did send them to publishers, by way of my agent. But rich? Famous? Those are way over-rated.
I started out writing traditional fantasy novels, publishing five volumes of the Glasswrights Series, and a stand-alone novel, SEASON OF SACRIFICE. When readers asked what I was working on, I told them about my other traditional fantasy ideas. I even wrote an incredible (if I do say so myself) traditional fantasy - with dragons! (I was the only person who thought it was incredible. It remains in a nice, neat trunk beneath my bed.)
Somewhere along the way, I shattered my original career plan. My writing tastes changed. My reading tastes broadened. I actually started to think about ideas outside traditional fantasy worlds. And that was when I returned to an old concept that I'd floated by my agent years before: The story of a young woman in a contemporary urban setting, snarkily recounting her series of failed first dates.
I wasn't ready to abandon my fantasy roots, though. I wasn't ready to set aside the types of stories that I loved to read, that I longed to write.
And so, I wrote GIRL'S GUIDE TO WITCHCRAFT, the story of Jane Madison, a twenty-something librarian in Washington, DC, who discovers that she's a witch.
At first, I had to justify my new literary directions to myself. I posted a picture of cotton candy by my computer, to remind me to be light and fluffy. I mourned the lack of world-building in my new books, regretted the loss of that special-ness, that other-ness that makes fantasy novels special.
But then I realized that there *is* a type of world-building in Jane's story. I needed to figure out how her magic worked. I needed to build the culture of other magical practitioners around her. I needed to give her spells and crystals, runes and potions. Her world became every bit as complex as my Glasswrights world -- I just had the extra challenge of hiding Jane's details inside the shell of contemporary Washington.
The third volume of Jane's story, MAGIC AND THE MODERN GIRL, came out this month. It's been gratifying to hear from readers who enjoyed my traditional fantasies, who were brave enough to try something new. I find myself sketching out more story ideas, additional possibilities in different slices of "reality." At the same time, I find myself mulling over new concepts for traditional fantasy.
It's easy for authors -- and readers -- to settle into "us vs. them" camps. "I know the type of writing I like, and *that* isn't it." But playing in different sandboxes has taught me that I just might like more than I thought I would. My reading list has expanded -- and that can only be a good thing!
If you're interested in reading more about me or my books, you can check them out at www.mindyklasky.com. The first chapter of each of my novels is online, if you want to trace my progression from traditional fantasy to urban fantasy/chicklit/paranormal romance/whatever it is I'm writing these days!"
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Date: 2008-10-31 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-11-01 01:25 am (UTC)