Patricia Briggs is a fantasy author known for such works as The Hob's Bargain, Dragon Bones and Raven's Shadow. Most recently she released Moon Called, the first in a paranormal series featuring Mercedes (Mercy) Thompson--an auto mechanic and coyote shifter.
1) I totally love the character, Mercy. She was a truly refreshing heroine. I loved that she was smart enough to recognize her limits; she didn't emasculate the people around her or throw herself needless into danger, but at the same time she was brave and looked after the people she cared about. What inspired the character of Mercy? Is she based on any real life person(s)?
Writing characters, for me, is a lot like acting. You ask yourself, "If I were this kind of person, in this kind of situation, who had grown up this way, what would I want? How would I act?"
When I began writing Moon Called, I knew I needed a strong female lead. The temptation, when writing fantasy, is to endow your character with "awesome cosmic powers" but powerful doesn't equal a strong character -- and it doesn't make for a good book. There was a poster called "Defiance" that was all over when I was a teen. It had a mouse flipping off an eagle -- that's what a strong character is (though, admittedly, not very smart). Someone can fix things with a wave of their hand, there is no suspense. So, I needed someone who had some nifty, interesting abilities so that she could blend into the supernatural world -- but someone who wasn't powerful (magically and physically speaking) so that she could be strong. I also like writing about heroes, people who risk everything to do what is right -- which is a trait most of my protagonists share. I don't like writing about people who do stupid things (too many Disney movies as a child, I suppose). It is perfectly possible to do everything right -- and still get caught up in messes.
2) What made you make her a mechanic?
I knew she had to have a job. Because I intend to have crimes (if not necessarily mysteries) in most of the books, police would have been the most obvious choice -- and I try never to take the obvious route. I needed something that I knew a little about -- and we've had VW's for a very long time. My husband, who can do anything, has done a lot of our mechanicking over the years. Until my son got old enough, I was the designated tool rustler. We also have had a terrific VW mechanic or three who have shared stories with us through the years -- and they just happen to work in a shop very like the one Mercy runs.
3) Do you have to do a lot of research on legends and mythology as background for your characters? After all, you have some pretty interesting paranormal characters (skinwalkers, vampires, gremlins, etc).
Since I was a child, I've always read fairy tales, mythological stories, and "true" ghost stories. I suppose it's one of the reasons I write fantasy rather than mystery or romance. My sister got a really fat fairy tale book from our aunt when we were little and she used to read me stories out of it every night before I learned to read. I still read a lot of paranormal stuff, though I have so much fun doing it I don't really think of it as "Research" which I think of as stodgy and dull. If I'm writing vampire stuff I have a tendency to read more vampire stories. Now that I'm working on the third book, which has more fae, I have my old copy of Katharine Brigg's (no relation) Encyclopedia of Faeries on my nightstand, but I don't sit down to "do research". However, if I decide to use a particular legend, then I often go back and do a little more in-depth looking, to make sure that I've got it right -- and that any changes I make are on purpose rather than out of ignorance. *grin*
4) I love the diversity in your series. You have Mercy who's half white, half Native American; you have another character that's half African, half Asian as well as gay characters, a British character, etc. I must say, diversity is something that is somewhat lacking in the paranormal market. Was it a conscious decision to include diverse characters in your world or did it simply happen that way?
I knew when my editor asked me to write an urban fantasy, that the setting would be very important. I thought about Portland, Spokane or Seattle, which I'm fairly familiar with -- but then it dawned on me that the Tri Cities (where I'd been living, off and on for about ten years) would be a marvelous place for werewolves and things that go bump in the night.
The Tri Cities have an enormous amount of ethnic diversity. The agricultural industry (apples, wine, beer and potatoes) brings in migrant workers from various ethnic backgrounds, though mostly Hispanic. The Hanford Nuclear Site and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory brings in scientists from all parts of the world. Walking in the Kennewick mall you might hear Russian, Laotian, Chinese and Hindi. In order to bring out the flavor of the Tri Cities, I had to bring in different ethnic groups -- and I had a great time with it. *grin*
5) Can you tell us some things we can expect from your upcoming book Blood Bound as well as from the series in general?
I have the first chapter of Blood Bound up on my website, which will give you a little taste of what the book will be about. As you can probably tell from the title, this book takes Mercy a little deeper into the realm of the vampire that she wants to go -- though I haven't neglected the werewolves either. The third book will play a bit more with the fae in general and Zee in particular. Beyond that, I really don't know. A series has to grow and change in order to continue and we (you and I both) will have to see what form that growth takes.
Thank you! Blood Bound, the sequel to Briggs's Moon Called, will be available February 2007. You can pre-order from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
1) I totally love the character, Mercy. She was a truly refreshing heroine. I loved that she was smart enough to recognize her limits; she didn't emasculate the people around her or throw herself needless into danger, but at the same time she was brave and looked after the people she cared about. What inspired the character of Mercy? Is she based on any real life person(s)?Writing characters, for me, is a lot like acting. You ask yourself, "If I were this kind of person, in this kind of situation, who had grown up this way, what would I want? How would I act?"
When I began writing Moon Called, I knew I needed a strong female lead. The temptation, when writing fantasy, is to endow your character with "awesome cosmic powers" but powerful doesn't equal a strong character -- and it doesn't make for a good book. There was a poster called "Defiance" that was all over when I was a teen. It had a mouse flipping off an eagle -- that's what a strong character is (though, admittedly, not very smart). Someone can fix things with a wave of their hand, there is no suspense. So, I needed someone who had some nifty, interesting abilities so that she could blend into the supernatural world -- but someone who wasn't powerful (magically and physically speaking) so that she could be strong. I also like writing about heroes, people who risk everything to do what is right -- which is a trait most of my protagonists share. I don't like writing about people who do stupid things (too many Disney movies as a child, I suppose). It is perfectly possible to do everything right -- and still get caught up in messes.
2) What made you make her a mechanic?
I knew she had to have a job. Because I intend to have crimes (if not necessarily mysteries) in most of the books, police would have been the most obvious choice -- and I try never to take the obvious route. I needed something that I knew a little about -- and we've had VW's for a very long time. My husband, who can do anything, has done a lot of our mechanicking over the years. Until my son got old enough, I was the designated tool rustler. We also have had a terrific VW mechanic or three who have shared stories with us through the years -- and they just happen to work in a shop very like the one Mercy runs.
3) Do you have to do a lot of research on legends and mythology as background for your characters? After all, you have some pretty interesting paranormal characters (skinwalkers, vampires, gremlins, etc).
Since I was a child, I've always read fairy tales, mythological stories, and "true" ghost stories. I suppose it's one of the reasons I write fantasy rather than mystery or romance. My sister got a really fat fairy tale book from our aunt when we were little and she used to read me stories out of it every night before I learned to read. I still read a lot of paranormal stuff, though I have so much fun doing it I don't really think of it as "Research" which I think of as stodgy and dull. If I'm writing vampire stuff I have a tendency to read more vampire stories. Now that I'm working on the third book, which has more fae, I have my old copy of Katharine Brigg's (no relation) Encyclopedia of Faeries on my nightstand, but I don't sit down to "do research". However, if I decide to use a particular legend, then I often go back and do a little more in-depth looking, to make sure that I've got it right -- and that any changes I make are on purpose rather than out of ignorance. *grin*
4) I love the diversity in your series. You have Mercy who's half white, half Native American; you have another character that's half African, half Asian as well as gay characters, a British character, etc. I must say, diversity is something that is somewhat lacking in the paranormal market. Was it a conscious decision to include diverse characters in your world or did it simply happen that way?
I knew when my editor asked me to write an urban fantasy, that the setting would be very important. I thought about Portland, Spokane or Seattle, which I'm fairly familiar with -- but then it dawned on me that the Tri Cities (where I'd been living, off and on for about ten years) would be a marvelous place for werewolves and things that go bump in the night.
The Tri Cities have an enormous amount of ethnic diversity. The agricultural industry (apples, wine, beer and potatoes) brings in migrant workers from various ethnic backgrounds, though mostly Hispanic. The Hanford Nuclear Site and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory brings in scientists from all parts of the world. Walking in the Kennewick mall you might hear Russian, Laotian, Chinese and Hindi. In order to bring out the flavor of the Tri Cities, I had to bring in different ethnic groups -- and I had a great time with it. *grin*
5) Can you tell us some things we can expect from your upcoming book Blood Bound as well as from the series in general?I have the first chapter of Blood Bound up on my website, which will give you a little taste of what the book will be about. As you can probably tell from the title, this book takes Mercy a little deeper into the realm of the vampire that she wants to go -- though I haven't neglected the werewolves either. The third book will play a bit more with the fae in general and Zee in particular. Beyond that, I really don't know. A series has to grow and change in order to continue and we (you and I both) will have to see what form that growth takes.
Thank you! Blood Bound, the sequel to Briggs's Moon Called, will be available February 2007. You can pre-order from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.
Labels: Author Interviews
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