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Pick Katie’s Brain: The Penguin Edition, by Katie MacAlister

Mon, 06/22/2009

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Since I haven't done a Pick Katie's Brain blog post in forever, I thought this week's stint on Penguin's blog would be the perfect opportunity to answer some of those pesky questions readers have for me. If you have a burning question you're dying to know, feel free to post it and I'll do my best to answer it later this week.

Question #1: Can I have a book with a crab fishing vampire...or dragon?

Normally, I'd giggle at this question (I happen to know the woman who asked this is smitten with the Deadliest Catch show) and move on, but what's behind the question itself is interesting-the desire for readers to have their favorite elements included in future books.

Believe it or not, I do actually listen to reader requests. I'm not always able to act on them, but I do listen, and when possible, incorporate reader desires into books. That's why Paen in Even Vampires Get the Blues was Scottish-and appeared in a kilt. I had received so many requests, both on my message forum and via e-mail, for a Scottish kilt-wearing vampire that I decided it was a story element I could work with, and included it into the storyline.

And I'm sorry OkieLlama, but I doubt if there will be a crab-fishing vampire in the future. Salmon, now, that's a whole different matter...

Question #2: As a writer do you enjoy to read as well or does it hinder the process?

I've always maintained that writers have to be readers, and that's something that's very true for me. I was a voracious reader as a kid, and even more so now. In fact, I frequently bemoan the fact that I just don't have enough time to lounge around reading all the books I want to read, both for pleasure and research.

I particularly love research books, and possess ones covering a number of subjects that I've either needed in the past, or imagine I may one day need (that's the excuse I give my husband whenever he sees another box of books arriving at Rancho Doghair). Thus I have books covering Victorian etiquette, the histories of numerous countries, detailed information about medieval times, books devoted to explaining how castles were built and functioned, histories of somewhat esoteric subjects (like mercenaries in medieval times), the Baltic crusades, Wiccan craft, root magic, demonology, history of names, guides to various European places, and more mythology books than you can shake an Ilargi at.

The last batch of books that the kindly UPS guy delivered to my safekeeping were: