I had the honor of interviewing Kevin Hearne, the New York Times best-selling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles, exactly 1 year ago and yet I did not have the courage to post this until now. Since then, his new book came out, he’s had many more exciting news and events to report but I simply couldn’t post this. I couldn’t figure out why until very recently when I started doing some soul searching and digging into the study of vulnerability. Suddenly it all made sense, it clicked like a seatbelt, creating a lightbulb eureka-like sensation in my brain.
Here’s what I figured out: I couldn’t post this interview, along with my review of Neil Gaiman’s Ocean at the End of the Lane, which I got a chance to talk to him about, along with several other articles that I really wanted to write because… because they meant too much. Some books, some stories, some experiences are so damn perfect, that we might be afraid to share them with others for the fear that we won’t do them justice, for the fear that somehow once exposed they will not be the same, for the fear that we will feel naked and ashamed because through sharing the moments that are most dear to us we also open the door leading to the inside of our soul, feeling like a fraud for being genuine with ourselves, risking someone finding out who we really are, and THAT is the biggest fear of them all. And that is exactly what The Iron Druid Chronicles books mean to me.
If you have not read this urban fantasy series, you should. While your impression may differ from mine, I do believe that you would thoroughly enjoy it. After all, Kevin Hearne has created the perfect recipe for entertainment – a 2,000 year old druid, Atticus, with a poodle-crazed and sausage obsessed talking (or at least to some extent, talking) dog, Oberon, along with some Norse gods, with a spice of Greek Mythology, gently sautéed with a great sense of humor, on a side of a perfect geek storm, along with some flavoring of some bloodthirsty vampires, who moonlight (or is it day-moon?) as lawyers in their spare time. What’s not to like?
The story begins when the main protagonist, Atticus, who owns a Pagan bookstore in Arizona, gets attacked by several Fae, who are using enchantments and glamor. Atticus has apparently angered one of the gods a couple of thousand years prior to the start of the story and the deity wants his revenge. The stakes quickly escalate as Atticus is set up for a murder he did not commit and has both the human law and the fury of the gods, as well as some local witches against him. With the aid of his beloved dog, Oberon, along with some werewolves and a vampire, as well as the Morrigan, the Goddess of death, Atticus may be outnumbered, but he is not alone.
And so it was that I got the incredible opportunity to have lunch with and interview Kevin Hearne at Rula Bula, the Irish Pub in Phoenix, Arizona, where many of the most important events of the first few books in the series take place. Kevin was kind enough to show me around the pub, pointing out where he was sitting when he wrote various scenes, what inspired specific characters or settings, as well as explain the choreography of a particularly hilarious brawl scene between some religious fanatics, Atticus, and Jesus Christ…yep, that happened. And in case you’ve read the books and in case you’ve wondered, yes, the fish and chips there really are legendary.
When asked how the Iron Druid Chronicles initially came about, Kevin explained that he initially was writing the story for a subdivision of DC webcomics but once he realized that he would be giving up the rights to his characters if his story arc was submitted, he changed his
mind in villainous vengeance, “I’ll show them – I’ll write a novel instead!”
Like Stephen King, Hearne wasn’t initially serious about his first book and it was his lovely wife (and my bracelet buddy :)) that encouraged him to submit the story, and thank Goodness she did! Kevin was actually waiting to hear back about an epic fantasy novel he submitted for publication and wrote the first book of the series, Hounded, to pass the time. “[It is] based on my love for doggies and mythology.”
When asked his creative process, Hearne stated that he usually writes chapter summaries, approximately 5-7 pages, as an outline, “so that I know every chapter has a certain conflict and something to solve.” He then develops a story from there. Hearne is language driven and rather than developing story sheets for his characters (though they have richly developed histories and vastly diverse personalities), Hearne focuses on how each character acts and speaks, “Language is a huge determiner of the character.”
Powered up by caffeine and a great sense of humor, and cheered on by an army of loyal fans, Hearne writes approximately 1,000 words/day on average. Whereas the first book, Hounded, was written without an outline, “The pro of doing things as you go is sometimes you surprise yourself, but it can take a long time,” the rest of his books were written with a distinct outline due to the rapid deadlines, “an outline basically helps you stay on schedule.”
Kevin’s new book, Heir to the Jedi: Star Wars!!! is coming out on February 17, 2015 and is available now for preorder. While he couldn’t reveal very much of the details about his new project due to a non-disclosure agreement, Kevin did share his struggle with writing in the 3rd person, which was unlike his previous works, which were primarily in the 1st person. “It’s a completely different way of writing,” he says, stating that he fears that writing in 3rd person can create a barrier between him and the reader, “I like reading first person stories because I like the voice that’s developed that way.”
I’m sure that the Heir to the Jedi will be absolutely brilliant and am looking forward to more Iron Druid books 🙂
