Why Be Paranormal?
Fantasy novelist Kelley Armstrong has never met a ghost, witch, or werewolf—but she writes like she has.
By Elizabeth Miller
You could say that Kelley Armstrong has a sixth sense for the paranormal—paranormal writing, that is. Waking the Witch— the 11th installment of her popular Otherworld series (Random House Canada)—is a spellbinding brew of urban fantasy and murder mystery (with a hint of romance). The story follows a feisty young witch who uses supernatural powers to solve a small-town murder. We asked the Ontario-based sci-fi guru about her otherworldly obsession and whether she has paranormal powers of her own.
How does Waking the Witch compare to the rest of the Otherworld series? This one was fun because this was the first time that I’ve done this particular narrator. [Savannah] is a character who actually first appeared in book two when she was 12, so readers have watched her grow up.
What was it like to write in Savannah’s voice? It was lots of fun. Savannah gets to say things that I would love to say, but I have filters that Savannah lacks.
Where did your interest in writing fantasy begin? I started writing as a child and always loved the paranormal. I had an interviewer ask me, “When you were 5 and telling stories, what did they have in them? Ponies?” And I said, “Only if they were zombie ponies.”
Do you write your books with first-time fantasy readers in mind? I try to write something that’s accessible. Although you’ve got those paranormal, fantastical elements, people can read it and say, “OK, that wasn’t as ‘bad’ as I thought it would be.”
Is it challenging to make these supernatural plots seem real? It is. In doing paranormal, you want readers to know that even though this character is a witch, a werewolf, a half-demon, [you] can relate to them. They have other problems in their life—you know, problems with work, friendships, and romances that are very similar to everybody else.
Do you have any personal links to the paranormal? I wish I could say, “Oh yes, I saw a ghost when I was 5, and that’s what started my interest.” But I’ve never had any vaguely supernatural encounter.
If you had a supernatural power, what would it be? I think the most interesting one to have would be werewolf. The idea of changing into some other form and experiencing life as a wolf or some other animal is fascinating.
How do you find inspiration for your storylines? Storylines can come from a variety of ways. [Waking the Witch] was actually very very loosely based on an actual crime—the murder of a woman. I had read a Canadian story on that and so I took that little kernel and went with it.