Interview with Kevin Hearne

We have talked to Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles.

For the benefit of those not familiar with your Iron Druid series, can you tell us a bit about it?

It follows the adventures of a 2100-year old Druid who’s been hiding out from Irish gods who want to kill him. The first book picks up when they find him again and he decides to fight instead of run. That one decision has consequences that build throughout the series.

What is with urban fantasy you find fascinating and why did you choose Arizona as the place to begin?

I like how all of the world’s mythology and folklore can be reexamined through modern lenses and perhaps updated for a drastically different culture. Also fascinating to me is the idea that some of the myths don’t adapt well at all—we’ve moved on to the point that they’re irrelevant. That gives me hope we can eventually move on past some of the old nonsense that currently grips people’s minds. But as far as Arizona goes, I like realistic settings in my urban fantasy and know Arizona well enough to do it justice since I live here. Phoenix is the nation’s fifth-largest metropolitan area so I figured it deserved some love, and besides, if you’re hiding out from the Fae, a desert on the other side of the world is a good place to lay low.

You’ve said that there will be nine books in the Iron Druid series, is that still the plan? And is there any limit to the short stories or novellas you might write in this world?

Yep, it’s a nine-book series. In theory the only limit to the short stories and novellas is my time.

Speaking of short stories and novellas, do you have any interest in going backwards to look in on Atticus, or anyone else in this world, in the past? If so, are there any time periods or locales that seem intriguing to you?

Yes, I’ve already done that, actually. “The Chapel Perilous” (which appears in the UNFETTERED anthology) is a short story set in 537, before Atticus came to be known as the Iron Druid. That one dealt with the Grail legends, which I’ve always enjoyed, and it was tremendous fun for me to write that. In many ways it’s an origin story for Atticus, since he gets the ideas for his cold iron amulet, his charms, and teaching animals language in that story. I do have plans for other short stories set in the past—feudal Japan, for example, and Central America during the height of the Mayan civilization—but finding the time to write them is the principal obstacle right now.

How much of the series did you have mapped out in advance? And how well have you been able to keep to your initial roadmap? Have there been any challenges in that regard?

I didn’t really map out the series until I was writing book three, since I wasn’t sure I’d get to write any more than one when I first started and had no idea it would be popular enough to sustain a story for longer than my first 3-book contract. Even the planning I did in book three wasn’t complete because I wrote the first three before any of them were published. It was wishful thinking more than anything else, but luckily I got to keep going and firm up the plans as I went. I also put in some characters and hints of things in the early books that I might be able to exploit later—for example, there’s a reason “you never want to be Nigel in Toronto,” which is mentioned a few times. That will finally be explained in book eight, though when I first wrote it I didn’t know if I was ever going to get there. Likewise, I mentioned that Flidais and Granuaile looked a bit alike in the first book and also that Flidais guested in the forest of Herne the Hunter, hoping I’d get to use all that later, and I finally did in book six. I’m also happy that a small-role character who’s appeared in every book finally gets some development in book seven.

You’ve changed the status quo throughout the series, but “Hunted” saw an especially dramatic upheaval in regards to the Morrigan. Was there anything special, unusual or challenging for you about writing her scenes there, especially considering what impact it meant to the series?

Yeah, HUNTED was a difficult book all the way around to write, and the Morrigan’s situation was one of the more difficult bits. I worried about that sequence more than anything else and hectored my editors about it somewhat. I made them re-read it a few extra times. “Are you SURE it’s okay?” Eventually they convinced me it was fine. But existential crises like hers are difficult to imagine; we can change who we are fairly easily should we wish to do so—or at least we believe we can. Many people convert to new religions or philosophies precisely because they fundamentally believe in their ability to change their lives. The Morrgian—and, by extension, other deities—didn’t have that ability, and once she realized the gap between what she wished to be and what she could be would be forever huge, it snuffed her hope and pushed her over the edge.

As we were finalizing our questions we received a mysterious package of meat products accompanied by a barely legible note inquiring after the most important new character introduced in “Hunted”. It seems that fans want to know if a certain four legged female character will be recurring, and, if so, what might you be able to tell us about her “hobbies, likes and dislikes”?

Yeah, Orlaith will be sticking around, and you’ll notice that her personality is markedly different from Oberon’s. She is suited to Granuaile the way Oberon is suited to Atticus.

The series began with three books starting with the letter “H” (Hounded, Hexed, and Hammered), the next two (Tricked & Trapped) began with the letter “T”. But then, suddenly, we were back to “H” with “Hunted”, the sixth book. Meanwhile, your blog says that the seventh will be titled “Shattered” (shown as arriving June 2014). What happened to the symmetry? Was the sixth book meant to be entitled “Thunted”, but for the interference of a rogue editor, a dastardly typesetter, or if not for those meddling kids? Is there a conspiracy here? Would you like to begin one?

Book six was originally titled TRACKED but we felt that it wasn’t truly indicative of what was happening in the book. I mean, you’re being tracked by the NSA right now and so am I. It’s creepy but it’s (hopefully) not life-threatening. HUNTED was a far more accurate word to describe the novel’s contents and we felt that accuracy and badassery trumped our fondness for alliteration. However, the last three books will all begin with S. Because alliteration is rad if you can make it work.

Among the various reactions to your work this year is that 2013 represented your best writing yet. Would you agree? If you do, do you have any insight as to why stories such as “Hunted” and “The Demon Barker of Wheat Street” were so strong?

I can’t tell what’s strong or not—it’s impossible for me to be objective about it. I depend on my editor to let me know what works and what doesn’t. The only thing that changed for me is that HUNTED and “Demon Barker” were the first stories written as a full-time writer. Books 1-5 and the novellas were all written while I was still teaching.

Can you tell us a bit about your road to publishing? What advice would you give writers just starting out?

Well, it was a slow road for me since I was writing on my own at night after grading papers and preparing lessons. I also never attended writing conferences or the like so that probably contributed to my extended flailing for nineteen years. But I learned the most from finishing my first book. It was absolutely terrible, but I couldn’t figure that out until I finished and got some distance from it. The experience taught me that I could complete a book and hopefully do a better job of it the next time. And that’s really what every book teaches me—you can do this, but do it better. My advice is simply to finish, learn what you can, and move on to the next story determined to tell a better one.

What kind of books do you read, any favourite authors?

I read fantasy and science fiction, mostly, but also some mysteries and thrillers here and there. I have a writer crush on Chuck Wendig right now, and in science fiction I dig Jason M. Hough. I’ve been enjoying the Kate Shugak mysteries by Dana Stabenow too.

What do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?

I still read comics because there are some fabulous stories being told these days. My two favorites right now are CHEW by Layman and Guillory and REVIVAL by Seeley and Norton. I also paint miniatures and occasionally play the games associated with them, like WarMachine and Hordes. In truth I’m more into the painting than the playing. So yeah: My hobbies are that of the 40-year old virgin.

Once The Iron Druid Chronicles are concluded, do you have any thoughts on what projects you might like to work on in the future? If so, might we have a hint? Or a lengthy description?

Well, I just finished book seven, and I’m tackling another couple of projects before I get to book eight. I’m writing a Star Wars novel right now have the first book of an epic fantasy trilogy on deck, and after those two are finished I’ll return to IDC. Finishing IDC and the epic trilogy will keep me occupied for a few years and I haven’t thought beyond that.

Anything you want to add to your fans?

Thank you so very much for reading and telling your friends about Atticus & Oberon! The word-of-mouth thing is the best and it’s the reason I get to write more books, so I’m very grateful.

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