Kelley Armstrong is one of the sweetest authors writing.
I met her for the first time for the release of Waking the Witch, where I videotaped her B&N event for Suvudu. She had about a hundred fans there. What struck me about Kelley while taking questions is how invested she is in her craft of writing, the worlds she’s created, and how her fans interact with her and her work. She jumps around when it comes to the POV character she uses, and I think it’s that decision that lends a reinvigoration of writing and reading for the author as well as her fans.
Her new book, which is released today and is titled Spell Bound, is the second to last book released in Kelley’s Otherworld series. That’s bittersweet for many. Here is a bit more about the book:
At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united.
It’s been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong’s New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong’s witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.
Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she’s powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.
And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.
Here are 5 QUESTIONS WITH KELLEY ARMSTRONG
Shawn Speakman: Hi Kelley! Your new Otherworld book, SPELL BOUND, is published today. Tell Suvudu readers a bit about it?
Kelley Armstrong: Spell Bound is the second to last book in the Otherworld series. It picks up right where Waking the Witch left off. In Waking the Witch, Savannah Levine thought she’d solved the mystery and vanquished the killer, but in Spell Bound, she’ll realize that those events were only a small part of something much larger, something that will threaten the entire Otherworld *cue ominous music* All the past Otherworld narrators will return to help fight the final battle.
SS: SPELL BOUND celebrates the 10th anniversary of the series. When you published BITTEN in 2001, did you ever think you’d still be writing in the series in 2011?
KA: No. Bitten was written as a standalone. Shortly before it came out, I decided to turn it into a series. I still didn’t imagine it would last nearly as long as it has.
SS: You tend to jump around a lot within the Otherworld series, using different Point of View characters for different novels. Why do you do this? Does it help keep the series fresh?
KA: When I was asked to consider turning it into a series, I knew I couldn’t do a long series with the characters of Bitten. I love them, but after a few books, I’d been struggling to find new plots. So I decided to use a wider supernatural world with multiple narrators and it has definitely kept things fresh. I’ve finished writing the final book, but still feel I have stories I could tell in this world, and hope someday to return to it for a few more—for now, it’s just time to move on.
SS: From what I understand, there has been some Hollywood interest in the series. Where does that stand right now and are you willing to take the Hollywood risk of a poor adaptation?
KA: The rights to make Bitten into a movie were bought before the book first came out by Warner Bros, and Angelina Jolie was signed to star, but the project stalled years ago. The rights to the werewolf books were recently bought by a Canadian production company who are interested in developing a TV series.
SS: Writers are usually working on something else when a new book is published. What are you working on and when can we expect it?
KA: I’ve finished book 13, which after a year of calling “book 13,” we’ve decided will be called 13 J. I’m now working on the first book in my follow-up adult series, which has some supernatural elements, but is more mystery. I’m also trying my hand at middle grade fantasy, having recently sold a Norse-myth-based trilogy that’ll be co-written with Melissa Marr.
Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong is in fine bookstores today! If you haven’t tried Kelley’s work and love urban fantasy, definitely pick up Bitten!
