Author Interview: Kersten Hamilton (Tyger Tyger)

YA Books by Kersten Hamilton:

Tyger Tyger (November 15, 2010)

Tyger Tyger:

Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.

Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right.

The goblins are coming.

Interview:

Why did you decide to make Finn sorta-kinda cousins with Teagan?

Because if Finn’s grandmother, Mamieo Ida, had not rescued Teagan’s mother from Mag Mell and adopted her into the Travelers’ clan (thereby making the not-yet-born Finn and Tea adopted cousins!) there would be no Goblin Wars stories to tell! Even though Tyger Tyger is the story of Teagan and Finn, it was Ida Mac Cumhaill’s courage that set the whole adventure in motion.

It happened many years ago, when the Travelers had gathered at Selsey, near Chichester and Bosham, on a stormy Samhain’s Eve. Ida—she wasn’t Mamieo then, she was far to young to be a grandmother—was thanking the good Lord that her own two children were safe in bed when she heard the howling of terrible hounds. It was the Hunt, as sure as there’s mold on Pádraig’s bones. Evil was hunting some poor child through the night, a girl child stolen from her home with no one to help her, no place to run. Grown men have been known to cower under the covers at the sound, but Ida was a máthair, with children of her own, and so she put on her shawl and stepped into the night…

You can read the story of that Samhain’s Eve at Page Turners: http://www.pageturnersblog.com/2010/08/tyger-tyger-blog-tour.html

How do you blend the modern world with old folklore so well?

At one point in the Lord of the Rings, Galadriel, describing the journey of the ring through time, says: “History became legend. Legend became Myth…

Which is another way of saying that the heroes of old stores were once as we are now – creatures of flesh and blood, hopes and dreams.

With that idea as my starting place, I searched Celtic myth for characters with enough power to reach through time, then worked my way forward through legend, then history, and finally into our present day where science and technology come into play, each time seeking out the most logical story path, the clearest connections.

The tricky part was weaving myth, legend, history and science together into a world that felt real… without slowing the story down!

What can we expect from future Goblin Wars books?

I just finished In the Forests of the Night, and it is much darker and much scarier. Finn and Tea have a long way to go before they can finally rest. But I think you’re going to love it.

Who is your favorite character from the Goblin Wars books to write?

It changes every day. Today it is Finn, because not only does he have excellent aim with a throwing knife, he would never, ever play goblin games.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Yes! I’d like to tell your readers that the world of Tyger Tyger is equal parts legend, nightmare and Midsummer’s Night Dream. It is the stuff that real fairy tales — the kind we had before Disney came along—are made of. And I can’t wait for them to be able to explore it!

Thank you for interviewing me, Alex!

- Kersten Hamilton

What a great interview! Thanks to The Teen Book Scene for hosting the blog tour. If you missed my review of Tyger Tyger, you can see it right here. If you want to buy it, or any of Kersten Hamilton's books, click here.

Now for some giveaway goodness...

My letter for the scavenger hunt, which is also an Amazon Kindle giveaway is...O.

Also, fill out the form below to win a copy of Tyger Tyger.

Rules:

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Ends 11/4/10