Kim Harrison Page @ Arkham Press
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Kim Harrison Page @ Arkham Press |
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Witchy Woman Kim Harrison Talks About Her Books Interview by John Navroth Hot on the
(spiked) heels of such small screen successes as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed, the publishing industry hasn’t wasted any time capitalizing on the
hot trend of female lead characters in situations and settings that can be best described to us horror fans as “supernatural
fantasy”. Sizzlingly popular and highly entertaining, authors such as Laurell K. Hamilton, Kelley Armstrong, and L.A.
Banks have provided slavering readers with a steady diet of vampire huntresses, post-millennium sorceresses and women who
run with werewolves. Kim Harrison
has also flown in to throw her pointy hat into the ring with her series of supernatural spellcraftings starring Rachel Morgan
… who just happens to be a witch. Introduced in Dead Witch Walking, continuing
her adventures in The Good, The Bad, and The Undead, and with yet another, Every Which Way But Dead, due out this summer from Harper Torch, Miss Harrison is sure to keep us charmed with
her unique magical blend of horror and just the right dash of humor to make it all work. In fact, Dead Witch Walking was recently awarded PEARL's (Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) “Best
Science Fiction novel of 2004” and Harrison as “Best New Author”. But, don’t let the “romance”
tag fool you – these books are not your Grandma’s bodice rippers! Matter of fact, Lovecraft’s Weird Mysteries loves ‘em and gives this series an enthusiastic two claws up! Kim graciously
took a few moments to spend some time answering a few questions from her lair via email. Here’s what she had to say: LWM:
Did you just suddenly arrive on the scene with your Rachel Morgan booksor have you been "lurking about" with other writing
for awhile? KH: Have
I been lurking? It's the rare writer who manages to get their first attempt at a full manuscript out on the market. Writing is often a self-taught profession, and that's the path I took. I've got a closet full of manuscripts
in various stages of development. I wrote and rewrote the first Rachel Morgan book more times than I can count, and I was
very fortunate to have landed it with the editor who guided the last few rewrites into what you see on the shelf today. The Morgan series stands right now at a wonderful six books, but I've got more for
Rachel to do than that, so we'll see how it all plays out. LWM:
What's a typical workday like for you? KH: A typical
workday for me starts about seven with a good hour to two on the internet computer, answering mail, updating my web site,
eavesdropping on a few lists, drinking a cup or two of caffeine to get my eyes to focus. Then it's four hours or so on my
work computer. Hunger will usually bring me around at noon, where I eat my lunch
on the internet again, winnowing my emails and answering the gottas. Then it's back to work until sundown where my mind stops
working logically and I have to put everything away. Somewhere in there I try to do my yoga/stretching a couple of times a
week, hit the post office, and sign and return books. It's the rare day, though,
that my work stops there, and I generally do a lot of plotting in my head while I'm taking care of the day-to-day living aspects
that keep intruding. I love being able to plan my day, and I will often work like a dog so I can take a day off to do some
long-term plotting at the local pool hall or over a cup of coffee. LWM:
How did you come by the supernatural milieu in your books? Background research? First hand experience? Do you carry any charms
or practice any magic yourself? KW: Oh, I
see where you're going with these questions, and I can't help but smile. I majored
in the sciences in college, focusing on the biological area, so some of the knowledge is an extension of that. But the witchcraft rituals and magic systems of earth magic and ley line magic? Well, I've been asked before if I practice Wicca to which I can answer a sincere no. I've made a conscious
decision to keep Wicca out of the Hollows, preferring to come up with rituals out of my head, trying to base them on a few
laws of nature such as nothing is created or destroyed--just changed, and for every action there is a reaction. I like to
think that for every act of magic there ought to be a price. Waving a magic wand
and having a miracle occur should only be allowed after a lot of practice and maybe a little pain. I did very little book research, (I've only got one "magic manual," and I only looked at once to make sure
what I was doing made some kind of sense. No charms in it, just theory.) I pulled
on common myth and knowledge that the man on the street would know and built on that, trying to keep it familiar but adding
my own feel to it. LWM:
Is Rachel Morgan Kim Harrison or would she like to be? KH: I really
respect Rachel Morgan as she struggles through her shades of gray. I hope that I would be able to react with half her guts
and determination if ever put to the test. That said, I will admit my wardrobe
is a fairly even mix of Rachel's casual jeans and halter tops and Ivy's black leather. And the boots. I looooove my boots. LWM:
Do you know the female/male split of your readership? KH: No, actually,
I don't. I have a yahoo group which I am active on, and it seems a fairly equal split as far as the vocal members. I can't
say about the lurkers. Most of the people who leave messages on my comment's
board are female, but that could be artificially inflated. LWM:
What do you think is the strongest draw for women in your books? KH: That's
easy. The strong-willed female character who can kick butt but is still vulnerable. LWM:
What can men find in your books? KH: That's
easy, too. The strong-willed female character who can kick butt but is still vulnerable. LWM:
I noticed a national bookstore carries your books in it's "Horror" section, and there seems to be a leaning towards characterizing
your works under the Romance lines. If you had a choice, where would you like to see your titles on a bookstore's shelves? KH: I love
finding my books in the horror section, though to be honest, I don't really think they can be classified as a hard-core horror
story. The cross-over appeal, though, is strong with the vampire elements, and there's an equally strong interest from those
who read romance as I try to work in a developing, possibly dangerous, relationship plotline in with the harder plotline of
a bounty hunter/detective. I didn't write DEAD WITCH WALKING with any genre in mind, focusing on trying to tell a story of
the heart and mind rather than adhering to pre-established guidelines for any particular genre. HarperTorch backed it phenomenally,
giving me a lot of headroom. You asked if I had a choice where would I like to see my titles in a bookstore, and if I had
my choice, I'd like to see them on the best seller shelf. (grin) But barring that, the general fiction shelf will do. LWM:
Can one wear too much black? KH: Absolutely.
I always wear white undies. Well, almost always. LWM:
Any words of wisdom? KH: Words
of wisdom? No, I'm afraid not. Except perhaps treat people with understanding when you can, and fake it when you can't until
you do understand. LWM:
Thank you, Kim Harrison. KH: You're
very welcome. I really appreciated the chance to talk with your readers, and I would like to extend a welcome to them to join
me at my Yahoo group or contact me personally from my website. ___________________________________________________________
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