april already
It's hard to believe it's April already, and I never posted in March. I don't know what I've got against March, except that I always think it's going to be warm and it's always freezing.
Only a month to go before I return to the States for another book tour. Last year, I came home buzzing like a bee, and the buzz lasted all summer. It wasn't just the people, the plumbing and the fantastical cakes, it was that special US 'can do' thing, which, forgive the pun, we 'can't do' over here. And the US is the country of the West Wing. How on earth did I manage so long without CJ? We're only on series 6, which means we've still got a whole series to go. I've no idea what we'll do when it's finished. Start all over again, I dare say, or we'll all, including the dogs, have violent withdrawal symptoms.
I've been thinking about blogs a lot recently. They're funny things, aren't they, raising lots of questions. Should you be completely honest? Should you make stuff up? The biggest temptation for me is to be sunny all the time and use the blog as a kind of holiday. I find it hard to use it as a diary as I believe that some things should be secret. There should be snippets of ourselves and our lives that we take with us to the grave, things we've never told anybody, or perhaps just one other person. But private thoughts are not fashionable. There is a sense that anything private has no meaning; that meaning is only given if something is observed, or written up, or declared on Oprah. I tell all therefore I am.
On the other hand, I would, could I find the courage, find it useful to write about how hard I find the whole creative process some days, and how a sense of desolation can really wallop you, particularly at the stage when nothing in a book will settle down. But that can sound like complaining, and as an author with a fantastic book deal, I have absolutely no business to complain. Balance, balance, balance! I've never had much. I was always the child who wobbled on the wall and eventually fell off, usually into a cowpat.
Onward and upwards,
Katie
posted by K.M.Grant @ 3:35 AM
6 Comments:
Hey! What is the series of books you are touring in May for? I can't wait for whatever your next series may be! I just finished the DeGranville Trilogy and I LOVED it SO much!!!
Jillian
Katie,
So glad to see your post. I talked to the Bloomsbury representative at TLA and she was not sure where you were touring. Don't suppose you are headed back to Texas are you? Will "Hangman" be out?
Camille
Hi there, Jillian,
I'm so glad you liked the de Granville trilogy. I'd be so interested to know which characters you liked best, and whether this changed over the three books?
The next trilogy is called Perfect Fire, with the individual books called Blue Flame, White Heat and Paradise Red. Colours seem to be a bit of a theme with me! These are set in the 1240s, in France mainly, during the time of the Cathar heretics. There's lots of adventure, romance and, like the de Granville trilogy, they are quite dark. After all, it was a dark time. There are horses, naturally, but no horse like Hosanna. Instead, Yolanda, who is the heroine, has a rather wicked dog called Brees.
Not sure the exact date they'll be out in the USA, but some time in 2008 I think. Before that, this fall, there's another book: How the Hangman Lost His Heart. Set in 1746, this is a romantic romp with a rather macabre twist ...
very best wishes,
Katie
Hello! I have just finished Green Jasper, and have not yet had the privledge of reading the third book in the trilogy.
I must say that you not only inspired me as a writer, but as a person as well. Your books always seem to bring out the emotions in me, which seems sad to say. I almost cried at the enormous loss in Green Jasper.
As a 14-year-old girl, I have never before been interested in books at all, especially ones having anything to do with history. If I ever did manage to pick up a book, it would usually be about horses or teen girl drama, two favorite subjects of mine. Your books simply amaze me. How DO you do it?
-Jessie from California
Hello, Jessie,
It is so nice that you are so in to the de Granvilles. I think the key to stories is the characters. The author has to care about them as much as they care about their own families - and also be true to what those characters are. When I write, the characters have to take over after a while. If that doesn't happen, I know I haven't quite hit the spot.
I'm getting ready for my visit to the States - only a week to go! I hope you enjoy Blaze of Silver, and then How The Hangman Lost His Heart, which is coming out in the fall.
very best,
Katie
Katie,
I was so excited that you responded!!! I am such a huge fan, and I am even re-reading Blaze of Silver again so I can do one of my school projects on it, and you!!! My favorite characters, changed alot. At first I didn't like Gavin at all but that changed in the second book, so sad!!! I had always thought that something would end up leading Will and Ellie together though, which it did. I always admired Ellie to,some of her characteristics reminded me of myself! I love the way how you tied everyone together through Hosanna, like at the end of the 1st book with Kamil, you brought him right into the second and I thought that, that was so creative!!! You are such an amazing writer and I am hoping eventually this series will be made into a movie... you never know!HAHA!!! Can't wait until your next books!!!
Jillian
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