LoveVampires - the website dedicated to vampire fiction.
With vampire book reviews, information and author interviews.

Kelley Armstrong Bibliography & Interview

Otherworld Series (in reading order)

• Bitten - reviewed by LoveVampires
• Stolen - reviewed by LoveVampires
• Dime Store Magic - reviewed by LoveVampires
• Industrial Magic - reviewed by LoveVampires
• Haunted - reviewed by LoveVampires
• Broken - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Chaotic (novella where Hope first meets Karl in the anthology titled Dates From Hell) - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• No Humans Involved - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Personal Demon - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Living With The Dead - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Men of the Otherworld - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Frostbitten - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Tales of The Otherworld - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Waking The Witch - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Spell Bound - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• Thirteen - Reviewed by LoveVampires

Darkest Powers - YA Otherworld Trilogy

• The Summoning - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• The Awakening - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• The Reckoning - Reviewed by LoveVampires

Darkness Rising - YA Otherworld Trilogy

• The Gathering - Reviewed by LoveVampires
• The Calling
• The Rising (April 2013)

LoveVampires Interview With Kelly Armstrong

Interview by Missy

Tell us a little bit about Kelley Armstrong.

I’m the author of the "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series.  I grew up in Southwestern Ontario, where I still live with my family.  I’m a former computer programmer, who’s escaped my corporate cubicle and hopes never to return.

Tell us a little bit about the Women of the Otherworld series, as well as the Men of the Otherworld.

Women of the Otherworld is my main series.  It features a changing set of supernatural women, each with their own story, usually suspense adventures.  Though the narrators change, it's set in a shared world, so the characters from one book often appear in the others. Men of the Otherworld is an anthology of four stories, three of which are ones that I did a few years ago as online novellas (they're no longer online, though!)  All are about the men of my werewolf Pack.  All my proceeds go to World Literacy of Canada.

Each book, or few books, switch off between narrators.  Why?

That was decided as soon as the publishers asked for a series.  I discussed it with my agent and said I didn't want to do umpteen novels with the characters of Bitten.  I love them, but after a few books, I'd be struggling to find fresh threats for them to face!  It would get very repetitive very fast.  So we came up with the idea of the wider supernatural world, and creating characters in Stolen I could spin off to as narrators.  That has meant infinite possibilities for the series.  I just returned to my werewolves for #10 this year and it was as much fun as #2.  I wouldn't be saying that if it was book 10 of the werewolves!

Do you have a favorite narrator?

I don't have a favourite, but some are easier to write than others.  Elena is the easiest because I've written the most from her point of view (4 novels, a novella and a couple of short stories).

Do you have a favorite couple?

No, again, I don’t play favourites.  I like to work with all of them, each for different reasons.

You write about all sorts of creatures of the 'otherworld,' why not just pick a type of supernatural creature?

The first book, Bitten, was written as a stand-alone novel.  When the question of making it into a series came up, I gave it a lot of thought because, as much as I loved the stories and characters, I couldn't imagine writing a lengthy series about werewolves.  I decided to instead create a linked series with changing narrators/protagonists.  In the second book, Stolen, I introduced other supernatural characters.

How many books are slated for the series?

Currently I’m contracted for 13 books in the Otherworld series and for 6 books in the Darkest Powers YA series.

In Frostbitten, the readers were introduced to Elena and Clay's, twins.  You wrote about the first female werewolf, any chance you will write about the first hereditary female werewolf?

The twins were actually introduced in book 6, Broken, when they were born.  As for writing about the first hereditary werewolf, they don’t know yet whether Kate is one—they suspect she has some powers, but she isn’t old enough for them to know much more than that.

The young adult Darkest power trilogy is set in the same supernatural world.  Any chance the characters could cross paths in the last novel coming out this May?

In The Reckoning, no.  In the future, maybe.  It's probably more likely to see the kids show up in the adult series than vice-versa. It would take less explaining, as more of my adult readers are reading the YA than vice-versa...and it avoids the problem of not wanting to "promote" my adult books to the younger segment of my YA audience, which I'm very careful about.  I'd need to be certain it would cause more conflict than it would resolve. If, for example, meeting up with the Pack would solve all Derek's problems, then that can only happen when I'm pretty much done with his character. If, on the other hand, it would actually cause problems (he goes live with them for a while and that takes him out of the story, which means the others lose their powerhouse when they're in danger, plus makes them worry he'd choose to stay etc) then that works. Anything, though, that fixes everything marks the end of the series!

What authors have influenced you?

My biggest writing influences were Stephen King (for his ability to make the supernatural seem natural) and Anne Rice (for showing me how to put the story into the words of the "monster"). 

Who is your favorite supernatural character and why?

I would love to be a werewolf because I think it would be amazing to experience life—temporarily!--in a different form.  The secondary characteristics would be cool, too, but those "extras" also make it hard for werewolves to blend, so if I was being very practical, I'd go with spell-casters.  Their powers take work to learn, but overall they have fewer drawbacks.  Necromancy would fall a lot further down my list.  Too many complications, which makes it great to write about, but not nearly so great to experience. 

What are your plans for the future?

Less work, I hope <grin>  I'm a little over-extended right now, and I've been sharply cutting back on all the "extras" I agree to (short stories, travel and other obligations)  I'm contracted for at least 3 more Otherworld and 3 more YA books, and I hope to do 1-2 more in the Nadia crime series.

What books are you currently reading?

I sample a lot of genres when I read, but my favourite is crime thrillers.  Right now I’m reading one that hasn’t come out yet.

Any spoilers you'd care to let us in on? ; )

I hate spoilers.  I really do.  I never give more than hints, like saying that in the teen series, both romantic possibilities will get a shot with the protagonist, and by the end of The Reckoning, she’ll choose one.  Hardly a spoiler, but it’s the best I can do!

A big "thank-you" to Kelley Armstrong for taking part in the author interview. More information on the Otherworld and Darkest Powers books can be found at Kelley’s website
11th December 2009