Iron Knight Tour Featuring Julie Kagawa

I am pleased to welcome Julie Kagawa to My Shelf Confessions as a stop on the Official Blog Tour; she’s been kind enough to answer a few questions! As I’m sure all of you know, her new book Iron Knight is out, it’s the latest in the Iron Fey series.

     Did you always know you’d be writing a spin off series and can we expect to hear more of Meghan, Ash and Puck’s story in the future?

Actually, I was approached by my publisher when The Iron Fey series was wrapping up and asked if I had any more Iron Fey stories floating around my head.  Which got me thinking of Ethan, Meghan’s little brother.  He was the one who started the whole adventure, in a way.  What would it be like growing up, able to see the fey?  And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Ethan had a story to tell, too.  As for Ash, Meghan, and Puck, I’m sure there will be a few cameos in the new series.

     Do you recall when your interest in writing originated?

Around high school, I believe.  I didn’t always want to be a writer; when I was younger I wanted to be a veterinarian.  Until I realized the amount of math and science that was required, which dampened my enthusiasm a bit.  But I always enjoyed writing, so I thought I would give that a try.  I had this ridiculous idea that I could write and publish a novel before I went to college, and then I’d be set.  Yeah, it didn’t exactly happen that way, lol.

     What is your ideal writing environment? Do you prefer music or solitude? Is there a time of day (or night) that you prefer?

I would love to be one of those writers who can go to a coffee shop or a bookstore and write with a steaming mug of tea beside me.  Sadly, I’m so easily distracted that I can’t concentrate if there’s anything interesting going on around me.  So I’m usually confined to my office, though I do like listening to music as I write.

      Where did you come up with the idea for the Iron Fey series?

Faeries, the old, ancient fey, not the glittery winged sprites, have always fascinated me. But I wanted to write a book that was different than other faery books. So I began thinking: what are the fey afraid of? The answer, in most ancient mythos, is iron. Faeries can’t stand the touch of iron and steel. So, what if there was a new type of fey that had evolved with progress over the years? What if they weren’t only immune to iron, their existence was slowly poisoning and corrupting the lands of the traditional fey? And I realized we already have “monsters” in machines: gremlins, bugs, viruses, ect. And from that thought, the Iron fey were born.

My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn’ darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan’s side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Julie Kagawa Around the Web: Official Website | Goodreads | Twitter