I'm excited that to have author Caitlin Kittredge on the blog today! She stopped by to celebrate today's release of The Nightmare Garden, book #2 in the Iron Codex Series.
Congratulations on today's release of The Nightmare Garden, you're sequel in the Iron Codex series. Did you find writing the sequel to be more challenging or a little bit easier than the first book?
It was definitely more challenging--I had a lot of plot threads to juggle from the first book, plus I had to include a standalone story that new readers could jump into without being bogged down. The Iron Codex books are definitely a linked trilogy, so deciding what I'd wrap up in Nightmare Garden or carry on to the third volume was hard! The Nightmare Garden was definitely more difficult in terms of the details, but it was nice to have the worldbuilding all done so I could take readers right into the story.
What's something you've come to admire about Aoife?
I love Aoife's stubbornness and her refusal to give up, even when the odds are against her. She might not be the strongest, most powerful character in these books but she's the most resilient, and determined. She sticks by her friends and she's loyal, smart and courageous. To me, those are the qualities that define a heroine.
Aside from Aoife, which of your characters do you feel has grown the most since book 1 and in what way have they changed?
I think Aoife's dad, Archie, has grown the most. He started off as a guy who'd made some very bad choices and hadn't done right by his family and I think in Nightmare Garden, we get to understand more about what makes him tick and see that he's not cold and calculating--he's a good man forced into an impossible situation who made the best choice he could. Aoife and he are a lot alike, and I really enjoyed showing readers more of their father/daughter relationship.
I like that you have a blend of steampunk and dark fantasy in this series. What was one of your favorite dark fantasy reads as a teen?
Definitely the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman. I did and still do love them and consider them some of my favorite fantasy stories.
What's one thing you do when you find yourself in a writing slump?
I try to go work on something new, even if it's just for an afternoon. Change it up a bit. Or I clean my house--distracting myself from a problem with a draft is a good way to get unstuck.
If you could share one piece of writing advance with teen writers, what would that be?
Don't give up--this is an endeavor that can be very frustrating at times, but the ultimate rewards are worth all the challenges. And try to push yourself--if you think you "can't" write something because you're "not ready", give it a try--it might be terrible, but you'll be teaching yourself to be a better writer, even if it takes you five, ten or twenty tries to write the story you wanted.Thank you so much for stopping by today Caitlin!
Thanks Katie!
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Released on: February 14th, 2012- TODAY
Everything Aoife thought she knew about the world was a lie. There is no Necrovirus. And Aoife isn't going to succumb to madness because of a latent strain—she will lose her faculties because she is allergic to iron. Aoife isn't human. She is a changeling—half human and half from the land of Thorn. And time is running out for her.
When Aoife destroyed the Lovecraft engine she released the monsters from the Thorn Lands into the Iron Lands and now she must find a way to seal the gates and reverse the destruction she's ravaged on the world that's about to poison her. -quoted from Goodreads
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Not sure I liked that trailer!!
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