Just had a lovely interview with the amazing Karen Mahoney! Enjoy!
Would you be an Alchemist, Elf or Fairy?
First of all, thanks for inviting me! I love your questions – it’s nice to be asked
some different things.
I’d definitely choose to be an alchemist. I’ve always been fascinated by alchemy
and love any kind of magic.
Xan or Nav... which is your guy?
Ha! Well... in real life my guy is actually Nav (he’s based on my boyfriend), so I
guess I’ll have to go with him. ;) I do love Xan too, though. He literally came to me
in a dream and I feel pretty invested in his happiness.
What was your inspiration for The Iron Witch Series and why did you pick Alchemists
over Vampires or Werewolves?
I’ve always loved vampires (see: my other series about teen vampire Moth), but
I really wanted to do something different with the world of The Iron Witch. I’ve
read tons about alchemy – including some of Dr. John Dee’s journals – and there’s
just something about the mystery surrounding that particular branch of magic
that I find interesting.
Are any of the characters based on you or people you know?
Yes! As I mentioned, Navin is based on my boyfriend of the last six years.
Normally, it’s not the best idea to openly base characters on real people, but I
couldn’t help myself – and, I have to say, he loves that I did it. Otherwise, most
of the other characters come purely from my imagination. I’m sure some of them
have elements that are unconsciously inspired by people I know, but probably just
little things taken from here and there.
Do your family and friends ever try to find themselves in the characters?
I don’t think so... I hope not! :)
Do you have a writing ritual?
I’m quite random in my whole approach to writing. Often I write late at night, but
then again... I have been known to write in a busy cafe at lunchtime. I do like to
have a cup of coffee (or green tea!) before I start a writing session, but I wouldn’t
say it’s a ritual.
What is your most embarrassing moment as a writer?
The Iron Witch? Then, yes, I have the right person.”
Will there be a movie of The Iron Witch?
It would be lovely, but there is nothing in the works. Movies are something
completely out of my hands – if a studio or screenwriter or producer shows any
interest I’d be thrilled, but it doesn’t happen all that often. I did have some interest
from someone who wanted to turn The Iron Witch into a graphic novel, but that
didn’t go anywhere. Maybe one day!
When did you know you wanted to write?
I think I always wanted to write. The first time I consciously remember saying,
“I’m going to be an author” I was about 12 years old.
Who is your Favourite Author?
There are honestly too many to name. Here are five (it could just as easily be any
other five – or fifty): Charlotte Bronte, Marjorie M. Liu, Holly Black, Richelle
Mead and Neil Gaiman.
What is the book you wish you had written?
I can’t answer that, I’m afraid. I truly am writing the books I want to write. I love
reading, and read ALL THE TIME, but I can’t say I’ve ever thought there was
a book I wish that I’d written. I just feel grateful that we live in a time where so
many incredible novels are being created.
How does it feel to see your book in a bookshop or to know you’ve created a
worldwide phenomenon?
I’m not sure I’d call my books a worldwide phenomenon (although I appreciate
the sentiment!), but it is still a magical feeling to see my work in bookshops.
Also, the fact that The Iron Witch – my first ever novel – has been published in 8
countries blows my mind every time I think about it. I am very lucky.
If you could have dinner with any three people (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
Tough one! I’d have to say Charlotte Bronte, Erica Jong, and William Moulton
Marston (the creator of Wonder Woman). One of them is still alive... :)
Book: The Stone Demon
Author: Karen Mahoney
Publisher: Random House / Corgi
ISBN: 9780552565288
Rating: A
When the newly-released demons set the Order of the Crow an impossible ultimatum - deliver the Philosopher's Stone, or suffer fatal consequences - alchemist's apprentice Donna Underwood must recreate the mythical artefact before the world is plunged into a modern Dark Age. But will she succeed when she finds herself pitted against a vengeful demon king, not one but two Faerie queens, an immortal Magus with his own shadowy agenda, and her own dangerously unpredictable powers? Donna must be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, but even death may not be enough.
I got this a little later than everyone else, because I didn't realise there was a book 3 in this series until it started popping up all over my twitter feed, but when i realised I had it quick as a flash and it's left me feeling pretty good.
This is one of those series that I just love. There doesn't have to be a reason because everything about it it totally lovable. For starters the idea is unique and... i just cant put into words how much I loved this. This book had me on toes the whole way through and explored so many different things i was continually entranced.
I guess I love escaping to Donna's world because whats not to love.
This book picks up a couple of months after the end of book 2 and It has a pretty dramatic beginning. The plot was seamlessly created and I loved every part of it! There was so much crammed into this book and I just loved it so so much! The events jumped from one to one, the action and romance balanced perfectly and even at time when it seemed to easy for a love triangle to be formed, Mahoney did the sensible thing and stayed away. The story was magical and captivating and I loved reading it every last word.
The settings were nicely balanced. This is the second YA book I've read this year set in England/London and that's really nice, just because YA is rarely set in england. Mahoney definitely knew what she was taking about when describing London, because as she described it my mind pulled up pictures of those areas from memory and placed Donna into those situation. Then we moved back to Ironbridge but during that we venture to many other realms/worlds which was really interesting but Mahoney doesn't dawdle on too much detail which is nice.
Writing. I don't know. I guess Mahoney just gets me. Something about her writing has just made me fall in love. Every since book 1 I have loved her writing so much. One thing I always love about her writing is 3rd person. Every time I read the next book in this series I always get so surprised that it's third person, because naturally you expect a book like this to be first person, but it s a nice change of perspective because not only do you get a better look on the other world but you are not limited to a single characters, which was another good point about this. We switched between characters, allowing us to venture into different parts of the story and piece puzzle pieces together. The description as i mentioned was beautiful and balanced just to the correct amount.
Characters. We didn't see to many new characters but where we did they were all so diverse and interesting. A new main characters was the involvement of Demian, the demon king and the romance that isn't quite a romance between Donna and him. Mahoney played it well though, because as the reader you want Donna to fall for him and for them to fall in love (or maybe it's just me) but nevertheless she stays true to Xan, who surprisingly we didn't see much of in this book. The characters in this focused onto the ones we haven't seen as much of so we can build on out knowledge base and connection to them.
Overall this was the perfect ending. I loved it so much and couldn't think of a better way to say goodbye to Donna and the friends. But I have to thank Mahoney, because, from page 1 I fell in love with this series.
