Author Interview: Kendare Blake on 'Anna Dressed in Blood' and Writing YA

Realms YA Fantasy Literary Magazine: Will you give us a brief background about who you are and where you’re from?

Kendare Blake: Sure! I was born in South Korea, and adopted by my Midwest parents. I grew up mainly in smallish towns in Central Minnesota, so I know a lot about ice fishing and Ole and Lena jokes. I went to college in upstate New York and grad school in London, and now I live south of Seattle, Washington, with my husband, and our four-legged boys.  We have three of them: cats Tybalt (yes, he was in Anna Dressed in Blood) and Tyrion Cattister, and their baby brother, Obi Dog Kenobi.

Realms: Would you say your childhood and adolescence influenced your writing?

Kendare: Absolutely. Not so much the Ole and Lena jokes, but those are formative years, right? They influenced the way I interpret the world. Those years are also the years when I read the most, first by checking out every unicorn book in the library with my mother, and later buying every Stephen King and Anne Rice in the bookstore, also with my mother.

Realms: What appeals to you about writing YA?

Kendare: Well, there’s the fact that you can do almost anything. That’s nice. It’s a broad category with lots to explore. But when I write, I never think to myself, “Oh, I’m writing YA.” I’m just writing a story, same as always.

Realms: What about Cas Lowood, ghost hunter extraordinaire in Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares, do you think appeals to readers?

Kendare: He appreciates that you refer to him as “extraordinaire.” I think Cas appeals to some readers because he’s tough but plainly lonely. Because he might act like a jerk sometimes and make stupid, bullheaded choices, but you can still see his reasons. And a lot of it has to do with his voice. It was a lot of fun writing with Cas. He’s just an engaging guy. I miss him.

Realms: Do you think that adults have something to gain by reading YA stories?

Kendare: Yes. I think everyone has something to gain by reading anything. I hear way too many people utter the words, “I don’t read,” with a tone of pride, like a badge of honor or something, and I don’t get it. Read, dammit. Read! I promise, the worlds you find in books are far cooler than the one we have to live in.

Realms: You have an MA in creative writing from Middlesex University. How did that experience shape your writing?

Kendare: It opened me up to looking at writing in a different way. Breaking it down. Seeing the strings. Appreciating the construction of pieces even if I didn’t find the narrative personally engaging. And it did a lot as far as helping me understand the business of writing. Plus, I was in London, man. And a writer’s workshop is a great place to form lasting friendships.

Realms: Who are your influences?

Kendare: Everyone I’ve ever read, probably. Lots of writers influence me in rather indirect ways, like reading Milan Kundera sort of pops the cap off of my brain. His words often feel like my own thoughts, put to better music. Reading Bret Easton Ellis tends to make me ambitious and sharp. Caitlin R. Kiernan pushes my imagination and makes me feel bad about my research skills.

Kendare Blake

Realms: If you had to choose a favorite YA book (decisions, decisions, we know!), which might it be?

Kendare: Aaaargh, that’s hard. Way too hard. By the time you get to The Amber Spyglass, the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman might be considered YA. Or, I still really love So Shelly, by Ty Roth, and The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater…there are really too many to name.

Realms: From Anna Dressed in Blood and Girl of Nightmares to the Goddess War Series (the last of which is forthcoming in August 2015): what’s next for you?

Kendare: My next novel will be called Three Dark Crowns. It’s about queens on a hidden island in the Atlantic. On the island, queens are born in threes. Sisters, and each has a particular gift. She can be a naturist, or an elemental. A poisoner or a telekinetic. They are raised in the city populated with people of their specific gift, and when they come of age, one rises to take the throne, by killing the other two.

            Three Dark Crowns is the story of one generation of young queens. Arsinoe, the naturist, Katharine, the poisoner, and Mirabella, the elemental.

Realms: If there were the kind of magic in the world that is in storybooks, what would you want to be or be able to do?

Kendare: I’d want the ability to change a thing into another thing. I want to turn a rock into a cupcake. A dog into a goat and then back into a dog. That’s less storybook and more comic book, but it would be so rad.

Realms: What would you tell aspiring writers of fantasy and/or YA?

Kendare: Keep on writing, and keep on reading. You may read many bad things, and write many bad things along the way, but when you look back you’ll see the method to the madness. Try different ways of working until you find what’s best for you. Understand that what works may change from book to book.

            Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy it.

Anna Dressed in Blood is a YA fantasy novel by Kendare Blake. In this tale of horror, Cas Lowood, a ghost hunter, meets Anna, a spirit who's killed all who enter her home, but she spares Cas's life. Anna Dressed in Blood and its sequel, Girl of Nightmares, have been praised by YA authors Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and more. Be sure to also check out Kendare Blake's Goddess War Series. You can learn more about Kendare Blake on her website, and follow her on Twitter.