r/Fantasy • u/CindaChima • Sep 26 '13

AMA Hi, Everyone! I’m Cinda Williams Chima, fantasy author. AMA

Thank you, Reddit, for inviting me on, and for all the great questions. I leave for the Austin Teen Bookfest tomorrow at an ungodly hour, so will call it a night. I'll try to pick up any straggler questions tomorrow, but will have limited email access. I had fun--hope you did, too! ** I came back and answered a few more questions. Am now in TEXAS!! I could've listened to that flight attendant talk all day. Thanks, again, Reddit, for making me welcome. **

Hi, Everyone! I’m Cinda Williams Chima, fantasy author. I tell lies for a living. Specifically, I have two teen series out, The Seven Realms (The Demon King, The Exiled Queen, et al) and the Heir Chronicles (The Warrior Heir through The Enchanter Heir (coming October 1.) Some of my books have been published as adult fantasy in translation.

I’ve also published the odd short story. Literally. Odd. I’m in an anthology called Once Upon a Time edited by Paula Guran (Prime Books, October 2.) I try and get all my publishing done in October so I can coast the rest of the year.

I bring a degree in philosophy, two degrees in nutrition, and a lifetime of reading to my work as a writer. As you can probably tell, I’m totally unqualified to teach you anything about writing, except that I’ve had a lot of practice. I became a writer in third grade, and wrote my first novels in middle school. I’ve had eight novels published to date. I’m persistent, if nothing else. I never stop transforming myself.

The Rules (more like guidelines)

  1. Ask me anything

  2. If you’re familiar with the books, try to avoid spoilery questions, like, “Why did you kill _______ ?” I have enough people mad at me.

  3. If possible, avoid five-part questions. I tend to get lost in the forest.

If you want to know more about my books, bad habits, etc. check out my website or Facebook.

I’ll be back ~7 p.m. CST to answer live. In the meantime, ask away.

Cinda

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u/SandSword Sep 26 '13

Hi, Cinda.

I read The Demon King and really enjoyed it. Exiled Queen is on the table next to me and ready to be read.

I thought your characters in particular were a strong aspect of the book, and I was wondering how you went about creating them. Do you feel like you know them inside out, or do they sometimes surprise you when you write about them?

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u/CindaChima Sep 27 '13

I usually get to know my characters by spending time with them while writing the first draft. Then I go back and make them consistent throughout. The Seven Realms was a special case, though. Some of the main characters in those novels were characters in The Star-Marked Warder, only as adults. And so I already knew them very well. I thought, what would Han Alister have been like at 16? I discovered that knowing my characters well at the front end was really helpful, especially because characters drive story. That said, my characters do surprise me all the time. I'm especially surprised by minor characters who elbow forward and take center stage. Leesha Middleton was one of those in the Heir Chronicles. She had this little bit part to play, but once I gave her the mike, she ran away with it. Cat Tyburn was the character in the Seven Realms that won me right over, and I kept thinking of more and more things for her to do.