What is your name, where were you born
and where do you live now?
I'm Gwen Perkins. I was born in Salem, Oregon though I always
think of myself as being from Brinnon, Washington out on the Hood Canal. Presently I live in Tacoma, Washington also
known as the "City of Destiny."
Has a ring to it, doesn't it?
What is the name of your latest book,
and if you had to summarise it in less than 20 words what would you say?
My first book ( out now) is The Universal Mirror but I have a sequel
entitled The Jealousy Glass which is
coming out this November. If I was to
summarize the series, I suppose I could refer to it as "Magicians Behaving
Badly." Really, what the books are
about is doing what is right in the face
of conventional authority telling you that you're wrong.
Who is your publisher? or do you self
publish?
I'm with Hydra Publications, a small
press in Indiana. It's been a fantastic
experience thus far and I love meeting and working with other authors, both
with my press and outside of it.
Which of your books were easier/harder
to write than the others?
I have to admit that my second novel was
harder to write because in many ways, the book is more personal. There are some very difficult topics—it deals
a lot with prejudice that I've experienced in my own life. In spite of that, one of the overall themes
is about learning to love and tolerate all people in the end, even those who
may treat you badly. Sometimes, it's
hard to find empathy for others who seem to have none for you, even as a
writer.
There's one line in particular in The Jealousy Glass that wrenches me inside a little when I think about
it—it's the simplest little line and probably most readers will miss it but it
so perfectly expresses how I myself have felt at points of my life.
What can we expect from you in the
future? ie More books of the same genre?
Books of a different genre?
I have plans to continue the Artifacts
of Empire series with two more novels and possibly more. (The world is so rich that I could play in
that sandbox for years to come.) I'm also
co-writing a YA novel with Wilson Fabián Saravia so more about that will be
revealed later this year. After that,
who knows?
Do you read all the reviews of your
book/books?
If I'm aware of them, I certainly
do. I may not always compulsively check
for them (that way lies madness, I've learned) but I do enjoy finding out what
readers think. Good, bad, or
indifferent.
Would you ever ask a reviewer to change
their review if it was not all positive about your book/books?
Absolutely not! I learn just as much from my critical reviews
as from my positive ones. To be honest,
I enjoy them. It's not often that
writers get to have an insight into how a reader sees their work. When I read reviews, I often learn things
that I didn't know about how the book sounds or how it's perceived by other
people. I may not agree with the review
but generally speaking, I'll think about it for quite some time and use it to
improve my work.
I have to be honest and tell you that my
second novel was influenced by comments about the first, hopefully in a
positive way. I did make more efforts to
strengthen my exposition because of critical remarks. Other reviews also had an impact. For instance, I felt much better about making
a minor character from Mirror (Felix)
a point-of-view character in Jealousy
Glass because of all the notice he received from readers. Now, I would have done this regardless but it
was a little nerve-racking wondering whether this would be accepted.
How do you come up with characters'
names and place names in your books?
In part, I take names from history. Fairly frequently, you can find a historical
figure who shares a name with one of mine and there's often a reason for
it. In some cases, I borrow names from
popular culture (Quentin was named for the werewolf from Dark Shadows). My children are also fond of naming my
characters—they named both Felix and Nicolas.
I admit that often a character I hadn't intended to be a favorite gets
more prominence with me because the kids gave them a name.
What are you currently reading? Are you
enjoying it? What format is it?(ebook, hardback or paperback)
Oh, I'm currently reading a trio of
unreleased books by fantastic authors (all will be released in ebook and
paperback). Beyond Anon by Peter Giglio (coming out in June), Cassandra's Castle by Dianne Gardner
(part of her Ian's Realm Saga, coming
out this fall), and The Exile's Violin
(also coming in fall) by R.S. Hunter.
I'm overwhelmed by the talent sitting on my bookshelf right now, to be
honest. As a writer myself, it's a
little intimidating!
Do you have a treasured book from your
childhood? If yes, what is it?
Little
Women by Louisa May Alcott. I always wanted to be Jo when I was younger…
actually, I'm not so sure that I'm not.
I do lovingly call my house Plumfield sometimes because it's full of
fruit trees, children, and writers.
Where can readers follow you?
All of my social media is linked at http://theuniversalmirror.com and
you can find out more about the series there as well.
Your blog details? It's "A Few Words," over at
http://gwenperkins.wordpress.com
Your web site ? http://theuniversalmirror.com
Your facebook page? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gwen-Perkins/227456783969902
Your Twitter details? http://twitter.com/!/helleder
And any other information you wish to
supply?
I'd love to hear from people! I always follow back so don't hesitate to
track me down and friend me. J I should also note that I love to help other writers, readers,
artists, and bloggers out so if you've got an interest in being a part of my
blog, just shoot me an email.
gwen@ironangel.net
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