Bursting onto the paranormal fiction scene in 2001, Canadian author Kelley Armstrong introduced readers to a werewolf pack with a difference in her debut novel, Bitten. But it turned out these weres were not the only game in town, but merely a microcosm of what was out there: 2004’s Stolen expanded her supernatural universe to include witches, sorcerers, demons, necromancers, vampires and the like, and those same readers were swept along with them in a maelstrom of mystery, suspense and – of course – romance.

Now, ten years on and nearing its thirteen-book conclusion, Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series is a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon, beloved of Urban Fantasy enthusiasts everywhere. Her stylish prose, captivating first person narrators and unusual take on the mythology have seen her rise to a position of prominence in this ever-more popular genre; here we talk to her about her favorite (sorry: “favourite” -- remember, she’s Canadian) things, the possibility of bringing the Otherworld to the screen, and her new novel, Spell Bound...

---

GS: To begin, could you please give us a quick précis of the Women of the Otherworld… uh… world?

KA: Women of the Otherworld features a changing set of supernatural women, each with her own story, usually adventure or suspense. Though the narrators change, it's set in a shared world, so the characters from one book appear in others.

GS: In 2001, when Bitten was first published, could you have imagined that you’d be releasing your twelfth novel in the series ten years later?

KA: No. Bitten was written as a standalone. Shortly before it came out, I was persuaded that it could be turned into a series, but I envisioned about six books at most!

GS: You have also written a plethora of short stories that are tied to the Otherworld series, many of them freely available on your website; were these written for your own amusement simply because you had to get them out, or more with the purpose of enlightening your readers as to events behind the scenes?

KA: When I first created my website in 2003, I wanted to use it to give something back to readers. A thank you of sorts. Providing free stories was the obvious solution, and it worked out much better than I expected. The readers were always asked for input into the type of stories they wanted, and they usually requested backstories.

GS: The short story has long been considered a dying art, but it has a proud tradition in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and now Urban Fantasy anthologies are going a long way towards keeping it alive. What appeals to you about the medium?

KA: It gives me a chance to tell the stories that aren't novel length. Many just aren’t, and knowing I have the option of turning an idea into a short story or novella means I never have the urge to take a 10 page concept and pad it to 400 pages.

GS: Have you ever considered, or even been approached about, creating an anthology series of short stories set in the Otherworld but written by other authors (such as are done for Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar and David Weber’s Honorverse, among others)? How proprietary do you feel about your characters and your world?

KA: In the past, I would have said I was very proprietary. As the series draws to a close, though, I don’t feel nearly as much need to control every aspect of it. It would take a few years for me to get the proper distance, but at some point, I’m sure something like this would be a lot of fun.

GS: In a related question, how do you feel about fan fiction, as it applies to the Otherworld. (A quick search at fanfiction.net shows 132 stories set there.) How do you feel about fanfic in general?

KA: I don’t have any issues with fan fiction. I even used to have forums on my website for “series-inspired fiction.” They’re gone now, but only because the upkeep was too much when the stories can be put on great sites like fanfiction.net

GS: When you were first getting started writing Urban Fantasy, what was your driving force? What was it about this genre that drew you to it?

KA: I've always been a voracious reader and I have favourite novels in every genre there is, which is why I love writing cross-genre fiction like urban fantasy. I get to pick the aspects I love most about genre books (action, mystery, romance, fantasy, horror) and put them all in one.

GS: Do you have a favorite series in the genre?

KA: My favourites tend to be the obvious choices, I’m afraid. Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampires series and Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series are two top picks.

GS: Are there any current Urban Fantasy series you read, and particularly recommend?

KA: Is it embarrassing to admit I haven’t read new adult UF in a few years? I’ve stuck with my favourite established series and instead branched out by reading YA UF instead. A few YA fave authors would be Kim Derting, Melissa Marr and Rachel Vincent.

GS: If you could choose to be made into the Supernatural of your choice, would you do it? And if so, which kind of Supe would you choose to become?

KA: I would love to be a werewolf. What better thrill than to experience life in a different form? The secondary characteristics would be cool, too, even if those "extras" also make it hard for werewolves to blend.

GS: What would be the best thing about being supernatural?

KA: The powers.

GS: The worst?

KA: The drawbacks. Because, in the fictional variety of supes, there must always be--or should always be--drawbacks. With those cool powers comes something that makes daily life a little more treacherous.

GS: Do you believe in the supernatural in the real world at all? Ghosts, psychics, that kind of thing?

KA: I've never seen or heard anything that would prove it does (to my satisfaction) but I'm always hopeful!

GS: In 2008 you began your Darkest Powers series (which, by the way: love!), aimed at the increasingly lucrative Young Adult paranormal market. Had you always planned to go YA, or was this more a Twilight-fuelled, “Hey, I could do that!” kind of thing?

KA: I had an idea inspired by my second adult novel, Stolen, but it was about supernaturals just coming into their powers, which happens at puberty in the Otherworld, so it wouldn't work for an adult series. That idea was in the back of my mind as I began receiving an increasing number of emails from readers I considered too young to be reading my other books! So I decided to give my YA-Otherworld-spinoff idea a try.

GS: Have you read Twilight? Seen the movies? What are your thoughts?

KA: I’ve read the book, but haven’t seen the movies. Twilight is a mix of dark fantasy and unabashed romance that worked very well for the teen market… and worked for many adults too. Writing YA has taught me that we never leave our teenage selves behind completely, and there’s always some nostalgia for that. Even if we would never wish to actually return to that time, it can be a nice place to visit.

GS: Speaking of adaptations: your fellow Canadian author, Tanya Huff, saw her seminal Urban Fantasy series, The Blood Books, turned into the short-lived Lifetime TV show Blood Ties. Have you been approached about adapting Bitten, or any of your other books, into alternate media? A TV series, movie, graphic novel, maybe? Would you like to see that happen, and if it did, how much creative control would you insist upon?

KA: The rights to the werewolf series were bought by a Canadian production company, who would like to make it into a TV series. The ideal amount of creative control for me falls somewhere in the middle--where I’d know what was being done and have the chance to voice my opinion, without taking on so much responsibility that it would draw time from my novel writing.

GS: Who should play Elena? Clay? Paige? Lucas? Or -- my favorite -- Savannah?

KA: I suck at this question. Really, I do. I can never imagine what actors fit my characters. Back when Bitten came out, Warner Brothers held the rights to it and Angelina Jolie was signed to star in a movie version. While some readers complained that she didn’t match their visual image of the character, from what I was told, she was genuinely interested in playing the part and for me, that’s what counts. I would want someone who understood the character and wanted the role rather than being chosen simply because he/she looked the part.

GS: In Spell Bound, the latest of your Otherworld books, we have Savannah again at the fore, after her starring turn in last year’s Waking the Witch. We first met her as a precocious twelve year-old in Stolen – had you always intended to give her a voice and adventures of her own?

KA: I’ve long planned to end the series with a Savannah trilogy. It seems fitting that a pre-teen girl introduced in the second book (when I first knew I was writing a series) would grow up as readers watched, and become the final Woman of the Otherworld.

GS: The most notable thing about Spell Bound, though, is the way that it begins to weave together all of the disparate characters and storylines that you have developed across your vast and complex world. Do you have a spreadsheet of some sort to keep it all straight, or do you just know everyone and everything in the Otherworld so well that it all comes naturally?

KA: I have a series bible that helps me keep track. I also have a team of regular readers who get the book early—my beta readers—and they help find errors. With such a huge world and cast of characters, it’s hard to remember all the details, but I do hate making mistakes.

GS: Savannah’s long been crushing on her best-friend Adam, and her longing for him continues unabated in Spell Bound (although it’s hardly the most prominent plot point)… are there any of the men in the Otherworld on whom you have a bit of a crush?

KA: [Laughing] No. I created them, so it would feel weird to be crushing on one. They are much better off with the women I pair them with!

GS: Do you consider your books Romance? Certainly, Bitten seemed to fit very much into the genre, but ever since then the Otherworld has appeared to be steering away from it, even going so far as to totally eliminate The Sex Stuff. Was this a deliberate shift on your part? It certainly seems to be counter to what happens in most other paranormal series.

KA: I like romance as a subplot. Even in the few without sex scenes, there’s still romance. To me, though, to be “a romance,” that must be the main plot. In other words, if you took out the romance, there wouldn’t be a story left. I consider my books supernatural thrillers with a side order of romance, but there’s no bookstore shelf for that.

GS: And where does the Otherworld go from here? Spell Bound has set things up for big changes… just how big are we talking?

KA: This trilogy is my grand finale. The Otherworld is ending with 13 (yes, it’s called 13). I am saying, though, that I don’t consider it “slamming the door” on my universe. It’s more like pulling the curtain for now. I’m moving on to a new adult series, but still have plans for more short stories etc in this one and, if I get a killer novel idea in the future, I have left things open enough for a curtain call or two. I’m not tired of the world and readers don’t seem to be tired of it, but it seems a wise idea to wrap things up where I’ve long planned to… before either side does say “no more!”

The Final 5 with Kelley Armstrong:

Trek or Wars? Ack, don’t make me pick! I still remember my toy phasers, but I’ve seen Star Wars more than any other movie. So… it’s a draw. Cowardly, I know.

Marvel or DC? I will have to go with Marvel, partly because I’m currently co-writing a middle-grade fantasy trilogy where “my” character is a descendent of Thor. I just bought a Marvel “Thor vs. Frost Giants” skin for my laptop. Add X-Men to the mix and it has to be Marvel.

Vampires or werewolves? Werewolves, hands down.

Dragons or unicorns? Dragons fly, breathe fire and hoard treasure. Unicorns just seem to exist to look pretty. Dragons, it is.

Time travel: pro or con? Con. It’s one aspect of fantasy that I’ve never been able to write because the implications make my head hurt. Maybe someday I’ll have a more “relaxed” view on it, but until then, it’s con.

HOME