Kim Harrison is the creator of the New York Times bestselling series about the Hollows, a seemingly ordinary Cincinnati suburb with one distinguishable difference – It is populated primarily by vampires, witches, weres, pixies, and other supernatural beings.  In a follow up to my recent review of her latest novel, The Outlaw Demon Wails, Kim Harrison was kind enough to take time out of her hectic book tour schedule to provide some thoughtful answers for an interview.

Damian:  You are adept at creating a credible, deeply dimensioned universe with an alternate history, allowing the reader to easily imagine a world in which supernatural entities ‘came out of the closet’ after ‘the Turn,’ and yet even your most otherworldly characters seem very believable and ‘human,’ as it were.  Where do you find inspiration for your characters and their stories?

Harrison:  Thank you!  I love spending time with my characters, and I know them better than my real neighbors.  Much of the inspiration for them comes from the story itself.  I enjoy learning about the characters as Rachel does, little by little much as anyone gets to know someone new in their life, so that preempts much of the pre-story character building process.  I really don’t have a hard and fast answer for where the inspiration for the people who populate the Hollows comes from.  They spring up to fill a need, and I enjoy finding out who they really are.  I’ve made it a rule to not base my characters on people I know, but I will take bits and pieces of people I know.

Damian:  What do you read in your spare time?  Who are some of your favorite authors? 

Harrison:  Unfortunately, as the books become more popular, I find I have less and less time for reading in my spare time.  But I have been reading some of the up and coming and new talent, and I enjoy Rachel Vincent, Vicki Pettersson, and just now starting her writing career, Jocelynn Drake.  I can’t wait for her first book to come out, Nightwalker, scheduled for this summer.

Damian:  You write about supernatural characters as the basis for the Hollows alternate universe.  Do you have any personal beliefs regarding supernatural phenomena?

Harrison:  I do, but they are really quite bland, and I don’t want to bore anyone.

Damian:  Your books have been categorized under a variety of topics.  They are sometimes found in the horror section of bookstores and sometimes categorized as fantasy/science fiction.  How do you feel about being categorized into a particular genre, and what terms would you use to describe your work?

Harrison:  The term urban fantasy has recently become popular, which suits me just fine. Genre categories are great for helping readers find what they enjoy, but I like being thought of as a fiction writer, and that’s where I usually find my books.  But as you mentioned, I’ve seen them just about anywhere.

Damian:  The conflicts and plotlines in your novels have followed numerous threads from book one to book six in an intricate pattern, and some of the characters, Rachel in particular, have grown significantly throughout the series.  How much of the specifics were preconceived from the beginning, and how much evolved during the writing of each book?  Did anything “surprise you” as it unfolded in later books in the series, anything that took a dramatic turn from what you had originally envisioned?

Harrison:  I’m always surprised by where the books take me, but I’ve never lost sight of where I wanted to end up.  I spend a lot of time plotting out the action of each individual book, heading for a particular series-arc end, but I never script out the relationships or character growth.  They are too fluid.  So where I could say that I’m a religious plotter, having to have extensive outlines and something clear to work from, I’m also a seat-of-the-pants person when it comes to the interpersonal relationships.  It’s a good mix for me that keeps me focused yet lets me enjoy the writing process as surprises crop up and must be worked into the story line.  Most of the revels in The Outlaw Demon Wails were planned from the end of Dead Witch Walking, but every one of Rachel’s emotional entanglements were a complete surprise.  Kisten, Ceri, and David were all characters that I was not expecting, and working them into the ultimate end has been a pleasure.