Interview With Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron King

So recently, I got to do a fabulous interview with the wonderful Julie Kagawa, who is the author of The Iron Fey trilogy. The first book, The Iron King came out in February 2010. And the sequel, The Iron Daughter will come out in August 2010. So everyone, mark your calendars :) If you would like to see my take on The Iron King, then please go here!!!

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

1. What inspired you to write the Iron Fey Trilogy? And how long did it take to write?

Julie:I've always loved faery tales, the old, creepy faery tales, where the fey were primal and wicked and dangerous, not flower flitting sprites. But when I first began writing a faery story, I got to thinking: what are the fey afraid of? In myth, the answer is iron, so what if there was a type of faery that was immune to iron, that had evolved with progress and technology? How would that affect the more traditional fey? And then I remembered we already have “monsters” lurking in machines: gremlins and bugs and worms and such, and from that thought, the Iron Fey were born.

I wrote The Iron King in a little under two months, thanks to a lovely program called NaNo Wrimo, which is to complete 50,000 words in 30 days. It was hectic and frantic and I did nothing but eat, sleep, and write, but I hit my deadline and got it done. And then I passed out for a week.

2. The Iron King is your debut novel, was it a hard process to get published? And do you have any advice for people who are inspiring to get there book published?

Julie:Simple answer? Yes. For most writers, it is a difficult process to get a novel published. Finishing a book is only the first step, and just because you finish a novel doesn't mean you're ever going to see that book in print. Usually, it's a lot of hard work, drive, and determination before you even get a glimmer of interest. But writers, remember this: all authors started exactly where you are right now. We were all unpublished at one point, hoping and dreaming for that day a publishing house would tell us: “yes, we want to publish your book.” So, keep writing. The only difference between a published author and a non-published author is that the published one didn't give up.

3. Meghan is a really relate able character, that most readers can connect to. Is there any similarities between you two?

Julie:Not so much, lol. The only similarities between me and her was our status in high school. I was a loner, wore ratty clothes, and wasn't part of the “in-crowd.” But Meghan is a lot more patient than I was at her age. Her solution to being teased was to ignore it or run away. My response was to meet that person after school and punch them in the nose. I was a rather angry teenager.

4, I saw in your bio, on your blogger blog, that you like anime. What is your favorite anime? And does Meghan have any favorites?

Julie:I love anime and manga. Like books, there are sooooooo many great ones that I don't have one absolute favorite. A few favorites include Fushigi Yugi, Naruto, Bleach, Gundam Wing, Kare Kano, Saiyuki, Inuyasha, Samurai X, Trigun, Wallflower, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Weiss Kruss, Grave of the Fireflies…Okay, I should stop. I could go on and on (and on), but we'd be here all day.

Meghan is also an anime fan, and her favorites are Naruto and Escaflowne.

**Maura: I'm a absolute fan of Fushigi Yugi, Wallflower and Inuyasha :)

5. I was wondering, can you tell us anything about The Iron Daughter?

Julie:Oooh, spoilers, eh? Well, I will say that Meghan gets an unexpected ally in The Iron Daughter, and it's not anyone you'd expect. Also, there's that scene where Puck and Meghan--whoops! I almost let something slip. :P

6. Anything else you'd like to add?

Julie:Just a huge thank you to my readers! You guys are awesome.

**Maura: Thank You So Much Julie Kagawa for letting me interview you :) Are you guys excited for the release of The Iron Daughter? Have you read the Iron King? Thoughts? I loved to hear your feedback. Again Thanks So Much XD
Yours Truly,