Interview - Kevin Hearne, author of HOUNDED

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

Today at Bibliognome, I have Kevin Hearne the author of Hounded.  I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Bibliognome:  How/when did you come up with the idea for Hounded?

Kevin: The idea was spawned in 2008. It was originally going to be a comic book called American Druid, but once I realized how fun the characters were, I decided to try writing an urban fantasy instead. The ideas behind the world formed from there, after much research—it took a while for me to realize that I didn't just have a single book on my hands, but a series.


Bibliognome: Which character in Hounded is your favorite?  

Kevin: Oh, definitely Oberon. I've always wished I could talk to dogs, and the original comic book (and then the novel) was always about a man and his dog looking out for each other.


Bibliognome: Which character did you think was the easiest to write for and why?

Kevin: Oberon was also the easiest to write, because dogs are pretty uncomplicated. They like to eat and play and smell things, so their motivations are clear.  


Bibliognome: What author do you enjoy reading the most?

Kevin: I've always loved Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.


Bibliognome: What's the best part of the writing process for you?

Kevin: I love it when something awesome happens unexpectedly. I don't want to give anything away, but while I was writing HEXED some characters walked into the story and never left; they became significant antagonists in the HAMMERED. They were never plotted ahead of time; they just sort of appeared spontaneously and demanded a role. I really enjoyed that.


Bibliognome: This book was chock full of paranormal creatures, magic, and pretty much a whole pantheon of gods/goddesses, so did you do a lot of mythological research or just look it up as you wrote?

Kevin: I did quite a bit on the front end for the Irish stuff in HOUNDED because I had to get that straight in terms of history and who was who. All other pantheons got researched on the fly as I needed it.


Bibliognome: What word is your favorite to say or write?

Kevin: This changes from time to time, but right now it's "asskitten." It amuses me to wonder what an asskitten's meow would sound like.


Bibliognome: What is your favorite paranormal creature?

Kevin: Demon rams. They are so intimidating and cool-lookin'. But I suppose a close second would have to be asskittens.


Bibliognome: Do you think the cover model looks like how you pictured Atticus?

Kevin: Yes, he's brilliant. I sent Del Rey some sketches and some lengthy emails on the subject and they really came through for me. I couldn't be happier. If you'd like to see a discussion of how the cover got made, my editor and I did a fairly lengthy post about it: http://suvudu.com/2011/01/making-a-book-cover-a-behind-the-scenes-look.html


Bibliognome: What are you writing currently or percolating in your mind to write soon?

Kevin: I'm working on the fourth book of The Iron Druid Chronicles, as well as an epic fantasy and another project that's kind of secret.


Bibliognome:  Anything else that you would like to let people know?

Kevin: Well, I'd love to say howdy. Feel free to chat via Twitter (@kevinhearne), comment on my blog or on my author page on Facebook; I always do my best to respond.


Quick Questions:
1.) druid or witch?
Druid
2.) pop or soda?
Beer
3.) silver or gold?
Silver  
4.) Starbursts or Skittles?
Skittles  
5.) pen or pencil?
Pen. Gel ones, though, no ball points.  
6.) Dog or cat?
Dog