I thought it would be fun to share with you part of an interview my husband, art blogger Brian Sherwin, and I did with my favorite author Anne Bishop a while ago. Bishop is the author of the award-winning Black Jewels trilogy. Check out Anne's website at www.annebishop.com.
Interview
Brian: Anne, your books are known for meshing themes of
sensuality and violence - The Black Jewels series is a perfect example. What do you think attracts readers to these extremes
within the context of your novels? Anne Bishop: I can’t speak for other people, but sensuality and violence were not an unusual mix in the historical romances I was reading twenty years ago. So for someone who liked fantasy, horror, romance and “women‘s fiction,” putting elements of those genres together to create a violent, sensual, gritty world wasn’t that big of a jump. I think the attraction is being able to take a ride with powerful, dangerous characters in a place that exists only in imagination--the supreme exotic locale. It is writing about the play of human emotions--the joys and triumphs as well as the heartaches and failures--in an otherworldly setting that intrigues me. Perhaps that is the same reason readers are drawn to the stories.
Tonya: What do you think attracts readers to the fantasy genre in general? Why do people need fantasy within their lives?
AB: Fantasy contains boundless possibilities. It contains the delight--and the fear--of things that are Other. In a background where anything can happen, the things we fear can be given tangible form and be defeated (sometimes). We also have a chance to explore the human heart without the constraints, and pain, of the real world. Wonder exists within the boundaries of the genre, and that makes it fun.
She hit the nail on the head with this answer. I love the fantasy genre because it can go in so many directions and touch so many different people. Check out my husband's blog at www.theartedge.faso.com/blog. For the entire interview, click here.
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