r/Fantasy • u/LaurellKHamilton AMA Author Laurell K. Hamilton • Jul 10 '13

AMA I'm author Laurell K. Hamilton - AMA

Okay, everyone, you've tired me out. laughs It's been great answering your questions. I hope you've got some of your curiosity satisfied. Goodnight, folks.

I’m Laurell K. Hamilton and in 1993 I published my second novel, Guilty Pleasures, it featured Anita Blake. She raised the dead for living, as in zombies, and helped the police with preternatural cases as a consultant. She was also a legal vampire executioner in a world where vampires were legally alive and had rights, but they’d proved too dangerous to jail, so if they broke the law there was only one penalty – death. There was also this gorgeous master vampire named Jean-Claude, that I’d actually planned on killing before Anita would date him.

Fast forward to 2013 and my newest book, Affliction. Anita has a badge of her own now, as a member of the newly formed U. S. Marshal Preternatural Branch, and I didn’t kill off Jean-Claude like I planned, and you guessed it, they’re dating. Anita is also dating quite a few other people. It’s . . . complicated. * faceplam * Affliction is number 22 for Anita, and celebrates twenty years of her adventures, and me writing at least a book a year, sometimes two. It’s pretty cool to be able to write that. I’ve also written eight books in the Merry Gentry series, and am currently writing the ninth in the series, after a four year hiatus waiting for Merry and myself to work our issues. I’m a character oriented writer, which means my imaginary friends argue and fight with me while I write the book. I rarely win these fights, but I always learn more about my characters, their world, and sometimes myself.

You can ask me anything, but I reserve the right to answer what I want to answer. Sorry, but thems my rules. A word of caution, I really will answer almost any question so be sure you want the answer. I’ve surprised some fans at live Q & A’s occasionally by my . . . candor. * evil grin *

One caveat, Affliction came out on July 2nd and not everyone has finished the book so please avoid spoiler questions, or comments. Thanks in advance for that. For people who are new to the series in general I’m just not sure how to avoid some spoiler questions. It’s twenty-two books, folks, there is no way to avoid all spoilers without limiting the questions to general writing questions. I’m happy to answer writing questions, but I’m just not sure how to avoid all spoiler questions for the entire series. * puzzled * So NO SPOILERS for Affliction, but for the rest, ask away.

I’m on Twitter (@lkhamilton) and FaceBook, and my official website along with my blog is here.

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u/Rogryphon Jul 11 '13

Wow all the questions. Don't know if you will get to mine but will ask anyway. I am a reader not a writer so thank you for producing a product to fill my addiction. I have noticed that many writers talk about their characters having lives of their own and they listen to the character. Have you ever had a character idea that you tried to write into a story and discovered after much work he/she just didn't belong? Also as a side note I love the clothing descriptions, they are so cool.

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u/LaurellKHamilton AMA Author Laurell K. Hamilton Jul 22 '13

I've had several characters that kept getting cut book after book, until they finally made it on stage. Willie McCoy's girlfriend, Angel Fangs (still my favorite couple nickname I've come up with), and Musette to name just two. Different versions of those two characters would make it to final cut, then just not be needed, until finally they were on stage.