Interview with Kersten Hamilton

Here is an interview of Kersten Hamilton (no picture available) author of TYGER, TYGER

1. Why did you choose Irish folklore for your story?
I knew I wanted to wrap a love story up in a dark fairy tale, and the Celtic creatures come very naturally to me.

2. How long did it take from First Draft to having a release date?
Hmmm. I write backwards and forwards and all over the place. I will never have what most people consider a ‘first draft’. I have lots of scenes and emotions that I knit together to make the book. But it happens all at once, very organically, once I start to ‘knit’. ☺ Tyger Tyger took thirty years to think about and six months to get into book form.
I don’t have an agent, so I submit ms on my own. I discussed Tyger Tyger with an editor I like very much before it was completed and she asked to see it as soon as it was done. I sent it to her, and she loved it! I waited four months only to find out that she couldn’t convince her publisher to take the book. It was heart breaking for both of us.
As soon as I knew this, however, I sent it to another editor that I respect deeply. I settled in for a long wait, but it only took her three weeks to make an offer on the book! And as soon as she offered, I knew what the release date would be.
So the answer would be about five months.

3. Did you need to research a lot to get the folklore correct?
Yes! I have loved Celtic lore (especially the stories of Fionn Mac Cumhaill!) all of my life, and I still did massive research before and during my writing. I had to find just the right pieces to fit the story….

4. Are you planning to write a sequel?

I am working hard on the sequel, In the Forest of the Night right now.

5. Can you give us some insight of your writing schedule?

It varies wildly depending on my deadlines. Right now, I have three editors waiting for books so I write every moment that I can. Sometimes that’s five hours a day; sometimes sixteen. I am a little behind on my deadlines because life has been crazy lately!

Thanks for the interview Kersten!


~M.A.CHASE♥