When I started considering resuming doing interviews, I checked to see who was releasing something new in the near future and Jacqueline Carey topped the list.came out earlier this week, so she was happy to oblige! For more info about this title: Canada Here's the blurb:It was nice to have a chance to catch up with the author and I have a feeling that fans will find a lot to love about Carey's answers to my interview questions. Just the thought that there might be a Joscelin POV at some point in the future definitely made my day! =)Enjoy!------------------------It’s been in the back of my mind ever since I rereadsome years ago and realized that beneath the frothy surface, there’s quite a dark subtext. The magician Prospero is an incredibly controlling figure who keeps his daughter Miranda in deliberate ignorance, and Ariel and Caliban in a state of virtual servitude. There’s a lot to unpack!The entire action of Shakespeare’s play takes place in a single day, yet these characters have been exiled together on a nameless island for twelve years. I wanted to explore what happened during that time. We encounter Miranda as a lonely, precocious child, and Caliban as a feral boy abandoned by his mother’s death. Friendship grows between them as she teaches him language, only to be altered by the onset of adolescence.Very happy! The reviews have been quite good across the board, and it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it a “brilliant deconstruction.” Those are words to warm any author’s heart!I’m scheduled to be a Guest of Honor at a couple of upcoming conventions: HELIOsphere ( http://www.heliosphereny.org/ ) in Tarrytown, New York from March 10-12, and MarCon ( http://marcon.org/ ) in Columbus, Ohio from May 12-14.Perhaps an inclination to consider the untold stories hidden beneath any given story.I’m working on a stand-alone that’s a return to epic fantasy, seasoned with just a dash of pulp horror, tentatively titled. It’s a quest novel that takes place in a vast archipelago filled with strange and wondrous gods.All of the above! It’s a pretty organic process—bits and pieces of all those elements come together gradually until I have a working concept for a book or series.Not yet! As always, I reserve the right to change my mind if my Muse decides otherwise.It’s awesome, though I would say I’m more delighted than surprised, because I think it’s deserving—but of course, for better or for ill, books, like people, don’t always get the fate that they deserve. So I’ll stick with delighted.You know, there’s always been a steady trickle, and I can’t say that I notice a marked increase when the ebook is discounted. There’s probably a lag between the sale period and the foray into online fandom.Okay, so here’s the funny thing about the timing of that question! I’ve been asked before, and the answer’s always been no. The driving sense of inspiration just wasn’t there. But I was recently asked to donate some kind of unique goodies for a giveaway for The Pixel Project ( http://www.thepixelproject.net/ ), which raises awareness of violence against women, and I came up with the idea of pairing signed copies ofwith an original Shakespearean-style sonnet. I polled my readers on Facebook, and a sonnet from Joscelin to Phèdre was one of the most popular requests. Writing it in the first person was the first time I’d really put myself directly inside his head, looking through his eyes, and it gave me ideas. So… maybe.There’s always interest, but so far, it’s never come together in a cohesive package. Someday, maybe. Dare to dream!I’m lousy at playing the Imaginary Casting Game, I’d just want a cast of wildly talented unknown actors and actresses. I once tried to explain that I’d want the next Tatiana Maslany, who’s been such a revelation in, to play Phèdre, and had a chorus of fans weigh in on whether or not Tatiana Maslany was right for the part. No, I meant theone!No, I tend to be a Fortress of Solitude-type writer. Of course, I try to pay attention to any criticism that rings as valid to me, but I can’t think of any instances where it’s caused me to make significant changes to my work going forward—perhaps just to think more deeply about whatever issues it touched on.Strangely enough, not really. All require a certain amount of research and observation to ground them in a sense of reality. All the magic inis based on actual Renaissance practices, and the setting was inspired in part by visiting the Alhambra.Tough question! Coming out of the gate withfeaturing such a wholly unique protagonist, I set the bar kind of high for myself. I do—she said in all modesty—think I’m a pretty well-rounded writer with a solid grasp of my craft, but maybe the next project I tackle ought to be one that really, truly challenges me and pushes me to grow as a writer.I get that—I struggled with it in the visual arts, in which I dabbled extensively in my youth. I could never execute actual physical artwork that fulfilled my vision. Writing was a medium I found I could bend to my will, and I’m quite satisfied with all the books I’ve written; though given the chance, I would probably go back and edit out some of the semicolons. See, I didn’t even realize there was a semicolon in that last sentence!Although I don’t outline on paper, I’m an architect. I think about novels in structural form. I’m not even sure if it’s a question of preference, it’s just an innate part of my process.Oh, you know it hurts so good! But seriously, when you’re writing in the first person POV, barring any literary sleight-of-hand, it’s kind of a given that your protagonist will survive. To make the stakes feel real, there have to be sacrifices; there has to be genuine pain and loss. Otherwise, why should the reader care?There have been a few, and I think it speaks to the previous question, because they tend to center around grief and the unexpected ways it manifests. A good example is Imriel’s final confrontation with Berlik in. This long-awaited encounter, which one expects to be a moment of righteous retribution, becomes something more profound and achingly poignant. Even though I wrote it, it took me by surprise.All of the above at any given time! Butwill always have a special place in my heart. It was my breakthrough novel, both in creative and professional terms.Probably the biggest change is how mainstream it’s become. That struck me recently when I saw a clip of Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth singing an operatic acapella version of the Game of Thrones theme song on a talk show, and I thought to myself, “It’s official, we’re all geeks now!” After nearly twenty years of interacting with fans, as a writer, I think I’m more mindful of the potential impact of what I write. It’s always a bit shocking to hear from readers who encountered the Kushiel’s Legacy series at a young age.I would advise her to stay atop all aspects of her professional career, including publicity and marketing. To trust her instincts, and not rely on others to do the best possible job of promoting her work. There have been a few times I failed to speak out and regretted it. Also, I would tell her to appreciate her youthful metabolism, because it won’t last forever!I’d say it’s a honey mead that tastes sweet on the tongue, but with an underlying note of bitterness that leaves the reader with an ache at the back of their throat, and I would definitely recommend sipping it slowly.Just to say thanks for reading!