I recently reviewed BLOODBORN, so I'm very, very excited to have Karen Kincy here to talk about it from the authorly side of things. It's again a stop on The {Teen} Books Scene BLOODBORN blog tour, so be sure to check it out for more interviews, reviews, and other fun stuff. :)
1. As a brief introduction, can you give us some insight as to how the title Bloodborn ties in with the plot? And how did the title come about?
I had the title Bloodborn in mind before I wrote the book, since I’d already coined the word in Other. As you might remember from the first book, there are two kinds of Others: those who inherited their paranormal abilities, and those who were bitten—the naturalborn, like Gwen the pooka in Other, and the bloodborn, like werewolves and vampires. Brock, the protagonist of Bloodborn, grows up hating all Others equally thanks to his prejudiced friends and family. Then, of course, Brock gets bitten by a werewolf.
What would you do if you became exactly what you hated? That’s what I wanted to explore in Bloodborn: the idea of your identity shattering, your beliefs flipping inside-out, and your life changing completely. Brock doesn’t even know what it means to be bloodborn, and has to figure out before the change kills him—or someone else does.
2. Other was an unique paranormal read, with its awesome pookas (and scattered werewolves). Since you're focusing on werewolves this time around, how did you keep such a popular idea still fresh and creative?
Before I wrote Other, I remember thinking how silly it was to read stories where werewolves live in people’s backyards, but the humans were too oblivious to know. Instead, I wanted to explore a world where paranormal people are real, and everyone knows it. The werewolf pack in Other doesn’t get away with hiding under the radar; they face discrimination wherever they go, and many have resorted to crime in order to survive. Outlaws are fun to write about, anyway, especially if you pit them against an overzealous sheriff who’s more than a little prejudiced.
My werewolves in Bloodborn are different than your run-of-the-mill werewolves because they shape the world they live in, and vice versa. I don’t want to give too much away, but you also get to see how werewolves interact with different Others, especially Others who live in backwoods towns because they are considered too strange for mainstream culture. (Demons, giants, etc.) Plus, there are werepuppies. Have you read about werepuppies before? Let them stare at you with their hypnotizingly cute eyes and drool on your shoes.
3. In your bio, you mention that your Novel Number One would be Ravelda, which "featured lots of Viking-inspired culture, warring clans of werewolves, several gory werewolf fight scenes, and a rather convoluted plot involving a cave of magic crystals." Hm, werewolves... do you still carry some of your childhood ideas in what you write today?
Oh, definitely. A lot of Ravelda was me learning how to write a novel, but there were definitely scenes, themes, and characters that got cannibalized for use in later novels. I got rid of the pseudo-Viking culture and the cave of magic crystals, but I’ve always had a soft spot for badass werewolves and territorial battles. And I’ve always been obsessed with shapeshifters. I mean, Other is about a half-pooka girl hiding her shapeshifting urges, Bloodborn is about a guy becoming a werewolf, and Foxfire is about a fox-spirit guy who can switch between his fox and human forms.
4. If you were a paranormal creature from your novels, what would you choose to be?
A pooka, like Gwen. Just because she’s able to shapeshift into any animal she wants, and has the whole don’t-mess-with-me golden glowing eyes thing going on. Who wouldn’t want to be able to change into an owl and soar over the forest?
 |
| stich-like... but cute! :3 // link |
5. And if you could choose any mythical or paranormal creature to keep as a pet, what would it be?
I usually say werepuppy, but it occurs to me that werepuppies occasionally turn back into naked human babies without diapers, and I have a feeling diapers would be rendered useless for a werepuppy anyway. Also, werepuppies grow up into werewolves. So! I would probably instead adopt a baby dragon. They’re extinct in the world of Other and Bloodborn, sadly, but that doesn’t mean I can’t imagine a different world for them…
6. Just for fun, have you ever wondered what it would look like if you Photoshopped your face in on the Bloodborn and Other covers? ;)
You know what, I’ve been asked whether I was the cover model for Other—which I’m not—and also told that authors often get covers that resemble them in some way. I know you’re tempting me with the idea of Photoshopping myself onto my covers… but I shall resist! Despite my curiosity and vanity.
Blogger Note: Derp, forgot I had this scheduled until Google Calendar prompted me today. So reviews coming tomorrow (depending on if I do IMMM... I MIGHT for once!) or on Monday.
