LIVING

First there was Buffy. Now there's Cassie. And a whole new world of evil to fight...

We caught up with author Karen Chance, who in her new book, summons a magical underworld in which anything can, and does, happen. Embrace the Night is set in a world of vampires, ghosts, clairvoyants and time travellers, and features a gorgeous and gutsy heroine. This is urban fantasy writing at its most exciting.

What is the Cassie Palmer series about?
Cassandra Palmer is a powerful seer who was brought up by a vampire who wanted to monopolize her gift. She eventually escaped him and began to make a normal life for herself, but her past caught up with her - although not in the way she had feared. The pythia, the term for the supernatural community's chief seer, was dying and she tapped Cassie to replace her. The pythia had great power, but Cassie didn't want the job. Not only did she have none of the training a pythia was supposed to get, but the office would make her even more of a target than before. Instead of having merely a vengeful vampire after her, she'd have to worry about the whole supernatural community. Unfortunately, the old pythia didn't take no for an answer, and passed Cassie her mantle, then promptly died before Cassie could figure out how to give it back. That left her with a lot of power she didn't know how to use and a lot of new enemies. A number of supernatural factions want either to control her and her new abilities, which include time travel, or to kill her so that she can't interfere in their plans. To make matters worse, a war has broken out and everyone is choosing sides. Cassie has to stay alive long enough to figure out how to use the power of her office, and to determine what to do with it when she does.

Embrace the Night is the third book in your series. How many more are you planning to write?
That's a difficult question. I originally envisioned three trilogies, each with its own theme (the first has now been completed, dealing with Cassie becoming pythia.) So nine books in all. However, experience has taught that I rarely am able to fit as much of the overarching plotline into each book as I'd planned. So I'd prefer not to make a guess as to the total number at the moment.

In a 'celebrity deathmatch' between Cassie and Buffy, who would win?
Oh, Cassie, definitely. If she didn't win the first time, she could always slip back through time and try again! Besides, she has a scarier group of friends. I mean, what's Zander going to do if you get on his bad side? Talk you to death? Cassie's partner, British mage John Pritkin, is a little more. . . proactive. And let's not even get started on Mircea, a five-hundred-year-old vampire and Cassie's on again, off again love interest. Vlad the Impaler was his brother, so it's safe to say he can be rather inventive.

Who would you like to play Cassie in a movie adaptation?
It's hard to say, because Cassie isn't another gorgeous, perfect heroine who never screws anything up. She's more the cute type, with some wardrobe issues and occasional hair issues and a lot of 'I-don't-know-what-I'm-doing' issues. I don't think she'd be easy to cast. You'd need an actress who could do drama and comedy equally well, and who didn't mind looking foolish occasionally.

What inspired you to start writing urban fantasy novels?
Reading in the genre and liking a lot of it, but not finding exactly my type of book. I wanted a big, lavish world, great characters and an epic storyline. I wanted the breadth of a sword and sorcery series with the grittiness of a modern setting and a dash of whimsy. I wanted Tolkien writing urban fantasy, but he was dead, damn it. So I decided to write it myself. And no, I am not comparing myself with the master — no one will ever out do Tolkien, which is as it should be. But I wanted the humour and the adventure and the camaraderie of his books, and I hope I have (or will eventually) manage something of the kind.

Pick one: series or standalone?
They both have their good points. If a story can be encapsulated in one book, it should be written that way. There's nothing worse than a series that has no direction—one in which an author's first book did well, so the publisher said: 'can you write a series?'. That type tends to meander along, frustrate readers and often never ends up anywhere interesting. On the other hand, a really well-thought-out series can be a lot of fun, and allow an author to tell a much bigger and more imaginative tale than can be stuffed between the covers of one book. So, again, it depends on the story being told, and how much space it really needs.

How and where do you write?
I am a night owl, so mostly late evening works best for me. I write at home, which is one of the perks of being an author. I can work in my sweats, with no make-up and my hair a mess, and nobody cares.

How do you relax when you're not writing?
I'm a geek girl. I love anything to do with computers, especially if it's something I don't already know how to do. I also read a lot, travel less than I'd like and make vain attempts to learn how to cook.

Has any book ever made you sleep with the light on?
I am very hard to scare. A group of friends and I went to a Halloween event with a few dozen haunted houses last year. Most were pretty tame, but a few had my friends screaming. They became a bit perturbed because I wasn't. I'm not particularly brave, it's just that, when it's pretty much a given that someone is going to jump out at you, it loses the surprise factor. And if I'm not surprised, I'm not scared. I feel the same way about a lot of horror books. They may gross me out, yes; but surprise me? Not so much. Horror movies are the same, although I will admit to squeaking a few times in I Am Legend. Good film.

What's your top tip for new writers?
Read. There's nothing worse than someone writing in a genre simply because it's hot at the moment, when they know nothing about it. If you don't read it for fun, if you haven't read the greats in it, then please, please, don't write it. Yes, your readers will know. No, you can't fake it. Write what you love and it will show, and you'll enjoy it more to boot.

What's your most satisfying writing moment?
Probably when I hit the 'zone' and can't get the words out fast enough. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, write much more quickly and what I write rarely needs editing.

What's the best/worst thing about being a writer?
The best is being able to do a job you love, to live where you like and to make your own hours. The worst is having no benefits, no job security and a higher tax rate (because writers are considered self-employed).

What are the three best words to describe your own writing?
Fast-paced, fun, unexpected.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
About a thousand different things. My poor, long-suffering parents had to listen to my (almost daily) changes in job aspirations. Everything from astronaut (I grew up about an hour from the Kennedy Space Center) to airline pilot to, yes, writer was on the list, as well as about anything else you can think of. I was just thinking aloud, trying on different hats to see which fit best, but it drove my parents mad. That, of course, was a bonus.

If I ruled the world...
Oh, God. It would be a disaster! I can't even remember where I left my keys. On no account should I be put in charge of anything more complicated than a microwave.

Name your five dream dinner party guests.
Oscar Wilde: Isn't he on everybody's list? I mean, come on. If I got really lucky, he'd get bored and start insulting everyone. JRR Tolkien: Because I have a few dozen questions about the Simarillon I'd like cleared up (see geek girl above). Anne Boleyn: For all the gossip about Henry and the rest, from the source. Agatha Christie: Because I never get all fan-girlish, but I probably would over her. Hillary Clinton: I know, I know. But I wanted to meet her even before the presidential bid. I dig hippy-chick reformers.

What makes you angry?
A lot of things, I suppose, but especially people who couldn't care less about anybody else's problems. I was living in New Orleans when Katrina hit, and I was both amazed at the selflessness of many people around the country (and around the world) who pitched in to help - and simultaneously horrified at a government that didn't.

Click HERE to win a SIGNED copy of Embrace the Night.

Embrace the Night, by Karen Chance, is out to buy now. Click HERE for more information.