Author Interview: Julie Kagawa

HEY GUYS! I'm here today with an AWESOME interview with one of my favourite authors ever - Julie Kagawa! I actually received the answers to my questions a while ago(like a month ago!)- but either I was half-asleep and accidentally missed it, or I was checking my emails on my iPad and the attached file didn't show up OR...I don't know what happened- but basically, I only realised the answers had been sent back to me a few weeks after I should've received them :S So, my apologies to the lovely people at Morey Media who sent back the answers but never received a reply (I'M REALLY SORRY!!!) :/ ANYWAY, I hope you all enjoy the interview!

The Immortal Rules 

Julie Kagawa

April 24th 2012

Harlequin Teen

Many readers have commented on the vast difference between The Iron Fey series and

The Immortal Rules. Whether it be the characters, setting, or atmosphere, everything is so

different. How hard was the transition?

I think the most challenging thing about transitioning from fey to vampires was the world

that they lived in. In The Iron Fey, the Nevernever had this surreal, dreamlike quality to

it, and everything was magical. In The Immortal Rules, the world is bleak, stark, dismal,

corrupted, and extremely dangerous. Much like the vampires themselves. While it wasn't

terribly difficult creating a new setting, the challenge came from the fact that this was our

world, the "real world," and I couldn't simply "magic" something into making sense. A lot of

research went into making the setting as realistic as possible, because if the readers didn't

believe that this post-apocalyptic, vampire controlled world could exist, they'd lose all faith

in the story itself.

Now, I'm personally a huge fan of ALL your characters ( Ash, Allie and Kanin are definitely at

the top of the list!)! How did you go about writing the characters from The Immortal Rules?

Are they perhaps based on people you know? And who was the most difficult character to

write?

I do have fun creating my characters, though none of them are really based on actual people

(unless you count me, as all authors have a little bit of themselves in every character).

My characters are far more likely to be inspired by anime, manga, and video games. In

The Immortal Rules, the most difficult character to write was, shockingly, Zeke. Allie was

stubborn, snarky, and a wise-ass, which comes easily to me, and Kanin was dark, brooding,

stoic and mysterious, which is my favorite type of hero. Zeke, on the other hand, was (gasp)

good, kind, easy-going, and loyal. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, but he was also

a leader who could command respect and fight if he needed to. The challenge was finding

the balance between kindness and strength, because I did not want to make him weak or

a pushover. He has a strong moral compass, and his faith in mankind is unshakable, but he

will also stand between someone and a charging rabid without blinking an eye.

I've always been fascinated by the world you've created- I always imagine myself living in the

Nevernever, and as for The Immortal Rules, you've created such a dark and ruthless world.

How did you come up with these unique worlds?

For me, setting is probably the most important thing to consider when beginning a new

story. I think of setting as a character in itself, with the same quirks, flaws, and personality

of any protagonist. Or really, antagonist, because the world is usually trying to do the

characters harm in the story. In the Nevernever where the fey live, I wanted the world to be

beautiful and dreamlike, but also a little scary and surreal, much like the faeries themselves.

The Nevernever wore a pretty mask to hide its monstrous true nature, to lure mortals in. In

The Immortal Rules, there is no mask; this world is savage, bleak, desolate, and extremely

dangerous. Its everyone for themselves out here, survival of the fittest. They are very

different, and this is why setting is extremely important to me. Both worlds are used to set

the atmosphere and the tone of the whole book.

The Immortal Rules has been optioned for a film. Firstly, CONGRATZ! When I read the book,

it literally played like a movie in my head, so I personally cant wait for more news! Now, do

you have an ideal cast?

Thank you! Lol, I get this question more and more, and I'm so, so bad at it. Maybe Devon

Aoki, Jamie Chung, or Brenda Song for Allie? For Zeke, I might go with Zac Effron or Chase

Crawford. And Ian Somerhalder would make an awesome Kanin.

And finally; can you reveal ANYTHING at all about the next book? Anything at all?

Only that Allie runs into old friends and enemies, continues to fight her nature, and will

something that will change the entire world forever.

Find Julie on:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

*SQUEALS* AMAZING answers, right?!  Between Zac Efron & Chase Crawford, I'd DEFINITELY choose Chase (Don't kill me!!)..but I can't imagine him playing Zeke; mainly because Chase will forever be 'Nate' in my mind :)Oh and IAN SOMERHALDER WILL BE AWESOME AS KANIN! Awwww...even though Zeke was the most difficult character to write about, I thought he was portrayed perfectly! :) 

I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to Morey Media & Harlequin Teen for organising this interview! Without you, I probably never would've been able to interview one of my favourite authors ever! <3 (hahaa I sound like a fan-girl now :D) And of course THANK YOU SO MUCH to the lovely Julie Kagawa herself for answering these questions!<3