An Interview
with Amber Benson
1. I had
such a great time reading DEATH’S DAUGHTER, and the potential for the
characters you’ve created is practically endless. Did Calliope (what a
fantastic name, by the way!) come to you in a dream, or was she the
accumulation of hours of character development spent drinking cup after cup
of loose leaf tea and banging your head on the keyboard? How did you come up
with her name?
Calliope kind of came into my brain just as she was, very much the way
Athena sprung from Zeus's head fully formed. She was very insistent that I
tell her story and that I do it NOW! :) I am definitely one of those writers
that has to wait for her muse to strike before she can get any work done,
but once I get a whisper of the story, I write like a speed demon. As far
Callie's name goes...I knew that I wanted to incorporate the muses into the
book and using their names for Callie and her sisters seemed like a good way
to do that - even though they don't specifically have their muse namesakes'
attributes, per say.
2. You’ve done such great work in acting and creating films (yes, I
loved you in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) when did you catch the writing
bug? How did your partnership with Christopher Golden help or hinder and how
did the two of you meet to work together?
When I was a kid I wrote bad poetry and plays and then as I got older, I
kind of segueway-ed into writing scripts. But it wasn't until Chris
approached me about writing the Willow and Tara comics - which then led to
the BBC animated series, The Ghosts of Albion, and the
subsequent GOA novels for Random House - that I realized I could write
prose. I like to say that I went to Chris Golden University and got my
Masters in creative writing. I learned so much from collaborating with
him. He's an amazing writer and teacher. So, it was kind of scary when
Death's Daughter came around and I was going to have to write it
all by myself. I couldn't call Chris and ask him what to do when I hit a
bump in the plot or when a character wouldn't do what I wanted them to
do. It was terrifying.
3. I loved how different the story of Death’s Daughter is. The
paranormal and urban fantasy genre seems to have grown by leaps and bounds
over the past few years. In a world where vampires and werewolves are so
common, you’ve managed to find your own little niche with something
different. Was that something you planned? Did you want to get away from the
vampire thing, or was this story just something you’ve had bubbling around
in your brain for a while?
I love and read paranormal/urban fantasy, but I really wanted to create
something different from the norm. I think some readers were upset because
the book deviates from the typical vampire/werewolf scenario and because the
heroine isn't a kick-butt, take no prisoners kind of a gal. I wanted a
heroine who was flawed, who - when called on a Hero's Journey - dug her
heels in and fought her fate using the only weapon she has: humor. Because
the story is being told over three separate books, I wanted Callie to have
an arc. I wanted her to grow over the course of each book, become a little
less selfish, a little more self-aware. I think Callie probably has more in
common with Mary Janice Davidson's protagonist from Undead and Unwed
than with the typical urban fantasy heroine, but she definitely goes on a
crazy plot-driven ride, which is more in line with the urban fantasy world.
4. From the interviews I’ve read, you are quite the bibliophile. Me
too! There’s nothing like that feel of a book in your hands. What authors do
you think have influenced you the most in your own writing? What are some of
your favorite reads?
I think Neil Gaiman, Charlaine Harris and Christopher Moore are probably the
authors that have influenced my work the most - I wish I wrote like
Dostoevsky, but, alas, as a writer I tend toward lighter fare. :) As far as
favorite reads go I would have to say that Christopher Moore's Lamb
is a fave, The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and Only
Forward by Michael Marshall Smith.
5. Can you share with us what goes into the mechanics of writing for
you? Do you outline everything first or do you write the first and last
chapters and then fill it in as you go along? Do you create your characters
first and then the plot?
I have the basic story in my head, but then I like to sit down and outline
the whole thing. Though, that's not to say that I stick one hundred percent
to the outline, no deviation. It's quite the opposite. I let the characters
dictate what happens and sometimes that means rewriting the outline to suit
their needs.
6. What does your writing space look like? Is it neatly organized with
Webster’s at your fingertips or are there stacks of “important” files
everywhere and post it’s decorating your computer monitor? It’s okay, you
can tell us. We’ll keep your secret.
I go sit at coffee houses to write. It's like going to work. I treat the
books like a job and I find that it makes things a lot easier. I use an
Apple Macbook and I keep everything (lots of research, etc.) in folders on
the hard drive so that I can access them easily. I also drink pitchers of
coffee and inhale pumpkin tarts. It's a very bad habit, but it makes the
writing go faster :)
7. Do you have any advice for aspiring new authors hoping to find
their dream publisher?
Write what you love to read. I think that if you stay true to your story and
enjoy the process of writing, it will resonate with editors who read your
work. I also think that starting a blog and sharing your work via the
internet is a good way to get the word out about your work. Create your own
fan base and then when you go to an agent or publisher, they see that your
work has an audience.
8. Do you have any celebration ritual when a publisher is wise enough
to buy your blood sweat and tears to turn it into a book? Champagne?
Chocolate? A quiet rest on the beach?
Screaming. Lots and lots of screaming and then a few tears. :) Usually, a
really nice dinner with my boyfriend follows that.
9. What was your favorite part of writing DEATH’S DAUGHTER?
Sitting in a coffee shop with my headphones on, giggling to myself at the
silly stuff I'm writing. I know everyone around me thinks I'm nuts, but if
they could only read the absurdity I've just put on the page, they'd
understand.
10. Do you listen to any particular music while you write, or do you
prefer quiet?
I listened to
Angela Correa's CORREATOWN during the first book. I had a mix of
scary music from the Suspiria Soundtrack, the Witches of
Eastwick Soundtrack, the Sleepy Hollow Soundtrack and
then Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue. That was a very weird mix.
11. DEATH’S DAUGHTER was so rich in different myths and creatures, it
must have been fun to tie all that together, but was it challenging to
research all the different aspects of religion and legends?
I spent more time researching fashion than I did researching the myth and
religion, primarily because I have always been fascinated by myth and
religion. I thought for a long time that I wanted to be a mythologist (I
had seen the PBS Power of Myth special as a kid), but as I got older I
realized that I loved the storytelling aspects of myth, not the actually
mythology itself. In Death's Daughter, I wanted to create a
universe where all religions could co-exist together. That way I could play
with all the mythological characters I loved so much. I was really inspired
by Neil Gaiman's American Gods. He took mythology and put it
into a new universe of his own making. It was a very inspiring read for me.
12. What can we look forward to in the future from you? How many books
will be featuring Calliope? Will you be sticking to the urban fantasy genre,
or do you have a mystery or young adult novel in the making?
There will be two more Callie books and then I just sold a fantasy
children's book to Simon and Schuster called The New Newbridge Academy. I'm
trying to keep busy and never have a vacation! :)
Read reviews of
Amber's book:
Death's
Daughter: A Calliope Reaper-Jones Novel
Interview by Terri
Interviewed June 2009
