Author Interview With Candace Osmond

Iron & Wine Summary:
Iron & Wine is an Urban Fantasy novel set in world full of hidden magical places and secret societies cloaked by modern day. In the first instalment of the Iron World Series, young artist Avery Quinn reluctantly leaves behind her quiet and comfortable home in the country and moves to the city with her best friend Julie Ryan. With the expectation that college will be the most exciting part of her life, Avery hopes that her little world remains quiet and simple. But after a troublesome blue sprite looking for help appears in her bedroom one night, her boss turns out to be a three hundred year old vampire, and her best friend accidentally reveals herself as an orphaned pixie, school quickly becomes the least of her worries. Every aspect of Avery’s life explodes with mythical beings and legendary creatures who all play a very important role in her existence. Some are friends, some are guardians, while others quickly become life threatening and deadly enemies. Avery must learn to juggle living in both her world and theirs. But, in this magical tale of strange love, strong bonds and scary beings; what once was nothing more than mere fairy tales told to her by her Aunt Tess are now a scary reality and Avery has somehow landed deep in the middle with little or no way out except death or worse…the loss of her humanity.

Blood & Bone (Iron World #2) Summary:
The stakes are high in the second installment of The Iron World Series as Avery Quinn decides which path her life will take. Become a vampire and be with Jack forever, or pledge herself to the Fey and help save Faerie from the horrible Queen Mabry? The more she thinks about it the more she wants to remain human. But as she sinks further into the magical world she has come to love, Avery realizes that remaining human is next to impossible, especially when a dark king sets his sights on her. To make matters worse, a secret society of shaper shifters have sworn themselves as Avery’s enemy all because of a certain classmate with a caustic temperament. With a mythical war brewing and Evaine close on her heels, Avery must decide who to give her humanity to before it’s too late.

http://www.ironworldseries.com/

Author Interview Questions

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for your book?

A: Well, that’s a funny story, actually. Like most writers, I read A LOT so my brain is always full of great ideas and characters. A few years back, I worked an office job (I won’t say where!) and it was extremely boring. I was given about 1-2 hours worth of work and was left with the rest of the day to let my mind wander. I had been tossing around the idea of a fantasy book for a while and decided to start jotting down notes. When those notes turned into a stack of notebooks, I figured it was time to start my story. Coming from a background of Irish folklore, it was only natural that my stories focus around fairies and a magical world.

Q: What other novels in the urban fantasy genre would you compare the Iron World Series to?

A: That’s always a hard question because of the risk of offending fans, or even the author, of the books if they disagree with the comparison. But, The Iron World Series is often compared to Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely, Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments, and Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey.

Q: The setting for the series sounds intriguing. Was world-building difficult?

A: A little. In the beginning I had the characters plotted out and the general direction of the series, but I was left with the difficult question of whether or not to have a real world setting or create my own world. So I did what I always do when faced with a difficult decision; I kept it neutral and used a real world setting like New York but decided not to name it. I left it open to the interpretation of the readers. I’m sneaky like that.

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Gosh, if you could only see my To Be Read pile. I give a heavy sigh every time I look at it, but I do manage to read a bit here and there. I’m currently reading The Hobbit, which I’m in love with so far. I always say that good books are like batteries for authors, we need them to charge our creativity and keep our minds open.

Q: What’s your writing process? How long did it take to complete your novel?

A: My writing process is a little strange. I don’t start at the beginning and go from there. I come up with an idea for a story and then visualize “movie scenes” in my head and jot them down. I’m a huge movie buff, so I tend to write the way I see it played out in my head, like a movie. (I also read the same way, too) Once I have compiled some great scenes I start putting them in order and then filling in the blanks. It might be odd, but it works for me!

Q: What was the most difficult part of writing the series?

A: I think the most difficult part of writing The Iron World Series was ending it. Once I started writing Book Two I started imagining all of these different scenarios of how things could work out. Plus, as I added characters along the way it expanded the scope of the story and created even more ways for me to end it. As it stands, I’m still juggling a couple of different finales with the third and final book. I just don’t want my readers to be disappointed!

Q: What are your future writing plans?

A: My future writing plans are ever growing. But I’m currently co-authoring another Urban Fantasy about a group of boys who become linked together after a viscous werewolf  attack, and I’m also in the midst of writing a thriller about a secret society of organ harvesters. I’m pretty excited about them both!

Q: Any advice for aspiring writers?

A: Well, I could say what any other author would and that’s to KEEP WRITING. But, I will also add this; don’t ever get too ahead of yourself, like releasing work that hasn’t been properly edited. You’re never too good for an editor. Keep your creative batteries charged with books. And last, but not least, you may not always write what you love but you should always love what you write.