Interview, Anne Bishop
A little background: I cant remember when i first read Anne Bishop and her Black Jewels Trilogy. But i remember distinctly watching Jaenelle grow and triumph. I’ve read the books and those that followed probably more than ay other. Ms. Bishop has a large fan following and a variety of fantastic series all well worth checking out.
So, Anne Bishop, welcome to Oberon’s Law!
1. Everyone’s first question is: You have the Black Jewels books that have a
huge cult following (one review i read recently called it “the most perfect
fantasy novel series i’ve ever read.”). How did you get to where you are
today?
Anne Bishop: I wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. I read a lot of books in the genres I liked, then I tried to figure out what I liked and didn’t like about a story and how the author did the things I liked. I read books about developing characters and plots, and articles about foreshadowing and all those other things that go into giving a story layers and texture. And then I wrote some more and learned some more. And while I was writing many other stories, the Realms and the Blood were coming together piece by piece. Characters evolved from the equivalent of stick figures to three-dimensional people who were beautiful and lethal and had distinct personalities. When the three men who formed the triangle and the child who would be their Queen became fully realized, all the pieces shifted into their final alignment, and the story that became the Black Jewels Trilogy began. I’ve been stories about the Blood, as well as stories about other people and places, ever since.
2. What projects are you working on right now?
AB: I’m working on the first of two books in a new series–an urban dark fantasy set in a place called the Courtyard. Although the world isn’t Earth, it’s a contemporary setting with shape shifters, vampires, and other supernatural beings, as well as different races of humans. I’m having a lot of fun meeting the new characters and building the world.
3. What’s the best part of being a writer?
AB: There are two best parts. The first is tagging along with a group of magical people who can’t exist in this world but feel like they could, watching them laugh and love and struggle to overcome the dangers they face. The other part is building the fantasy world and feeling the excitement when small pieces click into place and suddenly there’s a place that has its own sense of reality.
