Ask the Author: Jacqueline Carey
Answered Questions (10)
Jacqueline Carey
Believe me, there are plenty of classics I haven't read, too! *cough*Tolstoy*cough* But no, Miranda and Caliban ought to be totally accessible even if you're not familiar with The Tempest. And if you enjoy it, you can always read The Tempest, then re-read it and compare the experiences!
Jacqueline Carey
Not exactly, because a new beginning is exciting, but I did deliberately leave enough time between the second and third trilogies so that characters we love have passed gracefully into legend, rather than being displaced by new ones.
Jacqueline Carey
Thank you, I appreciate it! I've always been fascinated by the elements of religion, mythology, culture, psychology, history, etc. Once I have a general "road map" for a book in mind, I do most of my research up front, which in turn helps firm up the plot structure.
I'm always looking for those little details or insights that will help me bring a culture to life. One of my biggest challenges was wrapping my head around the Aztec practice of human sacrifice in "Naamah's Blessing," after determining that it was significant enough that no, I really couldn't gloss over it. I finally found my mental access point reading a translation of Aztec poetry about the transitory nature of life and the poignancy of death.
I'm always looking for those little details or insights that will help me bring a culture to life. One of my biggest challenges was wrapping my head around the Aztec practice of human sacrifice in "Naamah's Blessing," after determining that it was significant enough that no, I really couldn't gloss over it. I finally found my mental access point reading a translation of Aztec poetry about the transitory nature of life and the poignancy of death.
Jacqueline Carey
I'm sure there's some very serious literary answer that's simply evading me at the moment, because all I can think of is that Morticia and Gomez Addams always seemed like they had a great relationship!
Jacqueline Carey
My go-to books tend to be ones I fell in love with as a young(ish) reader, which include Mary Renault's novels set in ancient Greece, Richard Adams' "Watership Down," and Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster of Hed trilogy.
Jacqueline Carey
Not directly, but I did study a lot of poetry as an undergraduate, so I'm sure the influence is in there somewhere! Mostly the usual suspects like the Romantics, but I do like John Donne, T.S. Eliot, William Butler Yeats. And yes, every once in a very great while, I'll write a poem.
Jacqueline Carey
At this point, I have no plans to revisit Terre d'Ange--though as always, I reserve the right to change my mind if my Muse decides otherwise! I am working on an unrelated standalone that's a return to epic fantasy, and I think fans of the Kushiel's Legacy books will like it.
Jacqueline Carey
Well, I like to think that both Imriel's and Moirin's sagas are epic in scope and inspiration, and I'm currently working on an unrelated standalone that's a return to epic fantasy! But Phedre is a truly unique character in the annals of fantasy, and I feel as though the underlying question here is, will you ever write another character that moves me in the same way, and that's an ephemeral question to which I cannot know the answer.
Jacqueline Carey
Thanks, Jeff! No new series, but MIRANDA AND CALIBAN, my take on Shakespeare's Tempest, comes out on Feb 14, then I'm working on a standalone that I'm describing as epic fantasy with a dash of pulp horror.
Jacqueline Carey
It’s hard to give advice on writing, because the best way to learn is through doing. No two writers work the same way, and everyone has to find their own path. So… write. Write a lot. Build a world and explore it. Create characters and break their hearts. Take risks, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Experiment. All the methodology — whether to outline in advance or wing it, write in a linear fashion or skip around, follow a rigid schedule or go with the flow of inspiration, edit as you write or worry about it later — emerges with experience. As you write, you’ll discover what works for you.
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