You know what makes Favorite’s month especially exciting for me? Carrie Vaughn was kind enough to answer a few questions for us, which practically made my whole summer. First time I ever asked an author if they’d be okay with me pestering them, and she said yes. This is just part of why she’s so fantastic. Anyways, onwards!

ReaWrite– The latest Kitty book, ‘Kitty’s Big Trouble’ just came out, what’s next for Kitty? Is there an end to the series in sight? (Please say no!)
Carrie– I’m working on the copyedits for Kitty 10, Kitty Steals the Show, right now, I’ve started writing Kitty 11, and I have at least a couple more books planned after that.  As for the end – the answer is the same as it’s been for the last 4-5 books:  I know what the end of the series looks like, but we’re not there yet.  As long as I keep getting ideas, I’ll keep writing more.  In Kitty Steals the Show, the gang goes to London for the First International Conference on Paranatural Studies… and stuff happens.  Oh yes it does.

ReaWrite– Kitty’s world has a well established story and culture now that keeps growing with this book. Is there anything you wish you could go back and change?
Carrie– I’m hoping that when all is said and done, people will look back and think I planned the whole thing from the beginning.  So I don’t think so much about wishing I could make changes as I do looking at what I’ve already done and how I can use that to tell more stories.  I’ve thrown a lot of stuff into the pot, and some of it’s proved very useful. I just try to make the world as rich as possible so I’ll have lots of fodder.

ReaWrite– How do you think you’ve changed or grown as an author since you started writing about Kitty?
Carrie– Someone else might be able to answer this better than I could, because in some ways I still have all the insecurities and hangups I ever did.  I’m still trying to be a better writer, and I feel like I’m constantly discovering flaws and problems I can work on.  Or problems that I thought I’d solved that creep back.  I never, ever thought I’d be writing a long, ongoing series like this.  But doing so has made me think of plot, story, and character on a much bigger scale than I ever did before.  That can’t help but make me a better writer.  And despite all my insecurities, I do think there’s a confidence in my writing that wasn’t there 6-7 years ago.  I’ve had a lot of validation that yes, people do like my writing.  I can write a short story without second guessing myself quite so much.  After all, I’ve demonstrated that I really do know how to do this, even if it doesn’t feel like it sometimes.

ReaWrite– You’ve recently moved into a new house with a room just for your office. What does your writing space look like now? Do you go for the bare bones, no distractions look or do you have things around you that inspire your writing?
Carrie-Right now?  It’s a mess because half my crap is still in boxes.  I pulled out what I needed and flung the rest into a corner, and I’m still figuring out how I want things sorted.  I’m the kind of person who has a messy space, but I always know exactly where everything is.  I tend to hang a lot of stuff of the walls, and I like keeping all my research books handy.  That’s the thing that’s killing me right now – my research books are still in boxes while I figure out the shelving situation.  I can’t find anything!  But I’ve put off cleaning everything up in favor of getting back to work, and that has made me feel much better.  I got a new desk, and it’s been great.

ReaWrite– Besides the Kitty books you’ve written a few different novels… Dragons, Superheros, Mythology, you’ve covered it all! Which book so far has been the most fun to write? Which was the most challenging?
Carrie-They’ve all been fun and challenging in different ways.  That’s what keeps this interesting, and why I like writing different kinds of books.  Also, the things that make a certain book challenging – particular research problems, or a complicated structure, or a very different viewpoint character – are also what makes writing that book fun.

ReaWrite– When you’re not writing, what are you reading? Are there any authors you think the rest of us NEED to READ? Also, do you have a favorite niche within the fantasy genre that you like to escape to?
Carrie-Right now I’m reading the sequel to Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey – it’s not out yet, which is one of the cool things about having author friends is I get to read things before just about anyone else.  But Leviathan Wakes just came out and it’s really excellent space opera.  If you like it old school but with a modern sensibility, this is the book.  A favorite niche – I really love short, beautiful, self-contained fantasy.  Robin McKinley and Patricia McKillip are two of my favorite authors.  Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn is a masterpiece. That kind of thing.  I’d love to be able to write like that, and my early unpublished novels are all in that niche.

ReaWrite– Thank you again Carrie for answering all these. It was really interesting and seriously, made my summer! Happy writing!