Julie Kagawa

When I was a kid, I read Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill, absolutely falling in love with his friendly, fatherly characterization of Puck. After reading The Iron King, though, I have to admit I much prefer Julie Kagawa's not-at-all fatherly version of Puck.

It's a familiar set up - two boys (Ash and Robbie), are both in love with the same girl (Meghan). But Meghan happens to be the half-human daughter of Oberon, Robbie is the infamous Puck, and Ash is the son of Oberon's enemy. Fans of the series have already aligned themselves into Team Puck and Team Ash divisions, and the second book, The Iron Daughter, only just hit the shelves.

(And since we've already established that I'm a sucker for Trickster types... Yay, Team Puck!)

I noticed in reading your blog that you've posted a couple of times lately about music. The Bad Romance couples post was a wonderful example of exactly what the Literary Soundtrack is about. I also enjoyed the Unseelie Dance Party video. It was fun to watch something you said fit well with your story - fun to get a further insight into your vision. I thought the lyrics seemed to work with The Iron King, too, capturing some of the conflicts your characters are dealing with. Is there any music that you think fits Iron King particularly well? What about music that fits your upcoming books in the Iron Fey series?

Thank you! I have a fairly extensive playlist that I listen to sometimes to get in the writing mood. For music that fits The Iron King, some of my favorites are Geek in the Pink (Puck’s Theme), Stray Cat Strut (Grimalkin’s Theme), and Fall for You (Meghan and Ash’s theme). For the Iron Fey series, I think the songs by Within Temptation fit the overall feel of the books.

Unfortunately, playlist.com, the site that I use for my playlists, has recently gone wonky and taken out a lot of the songs I use or has made them unavailable. So for the time being, I’ve decided to take down the lists on my site, rather then put up incomplete playlists.

Loved the Iron King book trailer. Did you have any input on that, especially the music? (What is that piece, btw? Is it something fans can buy if they want or was it written for the trailer?)

I adore the trailer! I can’t take any credit on it though; it was all done by the talented folks at Harlequin Teen. I do love the creepiness of the music, but as far as I know, it was written solely for the trailer and isn’t available anywhere else.

Some writers find the right song or group can help them get in the mood to write; some writers find music distracts them. What side of the fence do you fall on?

I think I’m in the middle. Sometimes, I listen to music to get into the mood, but sometimes I’d rather write to the sound of silence. I also tend to obsess on a song I really like, and play it over and over and over again until everyone around me is ready to scream.

Whether or not you listen to music while you are writing, do you find music to be inspirational? Have you ever gotten an idea for a story from listening to a song?

Oh, definitely. Sometimes, I’ll hear a song and think: that would be perfect for this character, or this scene. I’m able to write better if I have a song to base it off of, if that makes any sense.

What is your favorite kind of music? What do you like to listen to?

I think I have pretty eclectic tastes. I like anything from Sweetbox to Bon Jovi to My Chemical Romance. It’s all about how a song can make me feel.

Here's the Iron King book trailer, for those of you who haven't seen it yet:



Music: Geek in the Pink, Jason Mraz
            Stray Cat Strut, Stray Cats
            Fall For You, Secondhand Serenade
            Within Temptation
            Sweetbox
            Bon Jovi
            My Chemical Romance
Books: The Iron King, Julie Kagawa
            The Iron Daughter, Julie Kagawa
            Puck of Pook's Hill, Rudyard Kipling