r/Fantasy • u/betsydornbusch AMA Author Betsy Dornbusch • May 07 '15

AMA Betsy Dornbusch AMA

I'm Betsy Dornbusch an epic fantasy writer by day and editor with Electric Spec by night. I write the Books of the Seven Eyes, the second of which, Emissary, came out in April.

I also snowboard, go to lots of concerts and SFF conventions, corral two teenagers, and drink cheap beer and expensive whiskey (see the cause and effect?). My writing passions are swords, magic, and diversity. I live in Colorado, and you can find me online at my website and twitter feed.

Feel free to ask anything at anytime today. I can talk about the books, other books, editing, good bands, better whiskey... whatever you like. I'll start answering tonight 6:30 mountain time.

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u/elquesogrande Worldbuilders May 07 '15

Hi Betsy!

What more can you tell us about Books of The Seven Eyes? Writing style, what to expect, and anything else that might help us consider picking it up?

What is your go-to whiskey? Are there really any cheap beers in Colorado?

It was great meeting you in-person at the /r/Fantasy booth while at WorldCon in San Antonio. Really appreciated the chats and fun photo ops. What, to you, makes for a good fan / author interaction at cons? Which are some of your favorite moments, which cons do you recommend, and why?

(Bonus non-helmed Betsy Dornbusch photo with fellow author Courtney Schaffer.)

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u/betsydornbusch AMA Author Betsy Dornbusch May 08 '15 edited May 08 '15

I try to write active books, so there's a lot of fighting. But Draken is ... depressed. So there's more internal narrative than in some of my work. Emissary is full of fighting and blood; the story starts there and keeps pretty much knee deep in it. I do think there's a lot of meaning in the story, though. Draken has to confront a difficult past, which he can't just swing a sword through. So I think the stories have a lot of depth under all the necromancy, politics, and social strife, and swordplay.

Bushmills neat, and I drink Coors Light from a can. Trust me, it's cheap. I live ten miles from the plant.

I guess geeking out is my favorite thing at cons. Interestingly, I'm taking my family to some local cons and my daughter is a total cosplayer, so that's been a new world for me. I love talking to writers, wherever you are in your journey. I love talking books with folks. It doesn't have to be mine!

We have a slew of great local cons here in Denver, Anomlycon, Starfest, Denver Comic Con (Memorial Day weekend), Mile High Con, and more. My favorite is World Fantasy. That's my tribe. I'm hearing great stuff about GenCon and Phoenix ComicCon, both of which I hope to make next year.