# Questions for Freda Warrington



## Mark Robson

I've recently conversed by email with Freda and she is interested in coming to participate in an interview here at Chronicles. With 17 titles to her name covering everything from vampires to historical fantasy, to high fantasy and heroic fantasy, I'm sure there must be some readers here who might have some questions they would like to ask her.

If you're interested in seeing what she has written, you can take a look at her website here: http://members.aol.com/FredaMike/index.html 

Don't worry if you haven't read any of her work (the interview will hopefully spark some interest in checking out her impressive cross-section of stories) - the questions can be general: about her writing methodology, about her life, her career, or her wide selection of storylines. For those who have read some of her work, you might wish to ask about particular books, characters, ideas etc.

Please give this some thought so I can put together a structured series of interview questions.


----------



## Omega

Just read through most of her website, very interesting. I don't have any questions myself, but look forward to reading the interview.


----------



## Brian G Turner

I'd certainly be interested to know:

1. How difficult she finds it writing between different genres
2. How difficult her agent find it with her writing between different genres.  Not intended as facetious - there's a general comment of publishers prefering an author to stay within a specific genre market for helping with fan loyalty.


----------



## sanityassassin

checked out her website and she sounds very intresting may have to try and look out for her work


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

I'm particularly intrigued by the Richard III book -- wondering if I have time to get it, read it, and ask some questions about it before the interview.

Since her first fantasy novel was published in 1986, I'd be interested in any comparisons she might want to make between the genre in the mid-eighties and the genre now.  Also, I think I see some Warrington influence in the works of newer writers like Ricardo Pinto, which makes me wonder about some of the books and writers that inspired and influenced _her_ when she was starting out.


----------



## Mark Robson

I was intrigued by that book too, Kelpie. (Court of the Midnight King)  I note that Nixie has read it.  I wonder if she would be kind enough to comment on it before the interview.  An overview for the rest of us would be useful.  I'm going to try to read at least a little of the first in the Jewelfire Trilogy.  I read the first four of her Blackbird series a long time ago, but I'm going to see if I can lay my hands on a copy of A Blackbird in Silver again in order to compare the then and now.  All I can remember is that I enjoyed it, which is not much to go on!

I'm also keen to find out what motivates someone to write horror.  As someone who has never been drawn to this genre, I would love to know why anyone would want to immerse themselves in something innately frightening.


----------



## GOLLUM

HMMM..don't know much about this author but I'm always interested in people who can write in different genres ala Robert E. Howard and co.

Q1) I'd be interested to know whether Freda has a leaning towards writing in any specific Genre or is it more a case of allowing an idea to surface and then writing something that best suits that mood?

Q2)Does Freda have a preference to writing in any specific Genre or does she in fact find certain Genres more difficult or challenging to write in than others OR does she in fact not view her writing when she approaches it as necessarily being Genre-specific and simply goes with whatever feels right for the story at the time ala along the lines of my first question?


----------



## nixie

Court of the Midnight King a mixture of historical fact and fantasy.A lot of  research went into the book, in  fact this book was the one that made me question if Richard did order the death of his nephews, [the princes in the tower] and do some digging on my own.She paints a very different picture of Richard than the one school texts books and Shakespeare potray.She brings  the tale of Richard III to life and gives it a nice twist.Its set in alternate reality.The tale is told from the view of one of Richard's servants,a pagan priestess, and the visions of a modern day history student.Very easy to lose yourself in.the history and fantasy blend very well and its easy to forget were one ends and the other begins.
If I try harder I could probably go in to more detail but it's a couple of year since I read it.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

That only makes me more eager to read the book and formulate some specific questions, as the mixing of history and fantasy particularly fascinates me.  When is this interview going to take place?


----------



## Omega

Hmm it would a pear that a largish proportion of her novels are out of print.


----------



## nixie

Kelpie said:
			
		

> That only makes me more eager to read the book and formulate some specific questions, as the mixing of history and fantasy particularly fascinates me. When is this interview going to take place?


 
Kelpie if you were in the UK I'd send you my copy


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Thanks for the thought, nixie.

I just finished ordering the book, since in fact you can get it over here after all.  I'm happy to buy books and support authors, when I can squeeze the money out of the budget (and the other person with his name on the bank account) which isn't as often as I would like.

My big concern is getting the book in time, since the vendor said it could take up to two weeks -- which in my experience can mean quite a bit longer.  Sometimes I think media mail is required to grow its own little legs (and thumbs) and hitch-hike across the country.  

I've had things arrive sooner from the UK than from places relatively nearby.  It must have something to do with prevailing currents in the Atlantic Ocean -- the postal service _tries_ to slow things down by just floating the books across, but once something hits that East Greenland current there's no stopping it!


----------



## Mark Robson

Kelpie said:
			
		

> That only makes me more eager to read the book and formulate some specific questions, as the mixing of history and fantasy particularly fascinates me. When is this interview going to take place?


 
I've not set a specific timescale, though, given people's interest I think I'll hold off on it for a couple of weeks at least to give people a chance to get their thoughts in order and any research for questions done.  

What I hope to do is arrange it so that I conduct the initial interview - post it up for people to read, and then have Freda come in to answer any questions that arise as a result of the interview.  I hope it will give a starting base for a wide ranging discussion - she is certainly a diverse author and a very interesting person.


----------



## Mark Robson

Omega said:
			
		

> Hmm it would a pear that a largish proportion of her novels are out of print.


 
Immanion Press are apparently righting that particular wrong by re-releasing some of her titles.  I'm not sure how many - this is one of the questions I will be sure to ask.

It's good to see that I've got a few questions to base an interview around.  Does anyone else have anything they would like to ask?  Aside, of course, from the inevitable question that will get the answer 42!


----------



## Freda

Hi everyone,

Freda here! Just to say I'm really looking forward to doing this interview, and I'm really grateful to Mark for setting the whole thing up. Yes, many of my books are out of print BUT you can still get The Court of the Midnight King, the 'Jewelfire Trililogy' - the Amber Citadel, The Sapphire Throne and The Obsidian Tower - to the best of my knowledge - and A Taste of Blood Wine (US edition). Most of the Blackbird quartet is now available from Immanion Press. Plus I have loads of copies of Dark Cathedral, and a few copies of the out-of print stuff. Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you all better soon...  

Blessings, Freda


----------



## nixie

Can I be the first to say welcome and once again say how much I liked the Court of the Midnight King


----------



## Mark Robson

Nice to see you here, Freda.  I'm currently enjoying The Amber Citadel.  I only started a couple of days ago, but I can see already that I'm going to enjoy reading it very much.  My notebook of questions is building nicely, so we should have plenty to discuss.  I also hope to lay my hands on another copy of A Blackbird in Silver before the interview to remind myself of the characters in that series too.


----------



## littlemissattitude

Welcome to the boards, Freda.  Glad to have you join us.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

Welcome, Freda!  We're very glad to have you here.

I'm impatiently awaiting the arrival of _Court of the Midnight King_.  The whole Richard III controversy has fascinated me ever since I was a teenager doing my best to escape the 20th century by immersing myself in historical novels, so I'm sure to have plenty of questions for you once I've had a chance to read it.

(While I've never been _convinced_ of Richard's innocence, I've always tended toward the view that in the matter of the little Princes -- as in so much else -- he was slandered by Tudor historians.  I certainly do agree with Richard's partisans that the murder was far more in keeping with Henry's record and character.)


----------



## Brian G Turner

Hi Freda, and welcome to chronicles. 

It's been suggested that we redo our book club to focus on an authors who'll be happy to answer questions from the book group readers. Is this something you'd be interested in? If so, are there any specific books of yours that you would especially like to discuss with a reading group?


----------



## Culhwch

Hey there, Freda, welcome aboard! I must shamefully admit that I have never read any of your books (yet!) but what I have read here so far very much intrigues me, so I will keep an eye out for you on the shelves of my regular book haunts....


----------



## Freda

Hi Everyone and Hi Brian!

The book club sounds a great idea. I'd suggest we could do Court of the Midnight King as it's more easily available and my most recent, or Taste of Blood Wine, or A Blackbird in Silver and ~Darkness (the pair makes one story), or Dark Cathedral as I have copies - but I'm happy to discuss whichever one the readers want!

Are any of you going to Eastercon in Glasgow? Mark and I have agreed to share a bookstall where I'll be displaying Immanion Press books (including my own). It should be a lot of fun.


----------



## StevenSavile

Blackbird was the second ever fantasy novel I read - very good book. I hope to be at Eastercon in Glasgow. It's all a matter of finances, as it ever is.

I met Freda years ago at the BFS but she won't remember me - it was probably 99... maybe 2000... very talented lady.


----------



## Freda

Gee thanks Steven!

Hi folks - this was to let you know that I've updated my website but, unfortunately, the board won't allow me to post the URL. So I'll try to spell it out instead.  You can either use fredawarrington dot com (which comes with an annoying ad banner until I do something about getting rid of it!) or members dot aol dot com slash FredaMike slash index.html - which comes without the ad banner!


----------



## Brian G Turner

Sorry about that - here's the link: http://members.aol.com/FredaMike/index.html


----------



## angie

Freda said:
			
		

> Hi everyone,
> 
> Freda here! Just to say I'm really looking forward to doing this interview, and I'm really grateful to Mark for setting the whole thing up. Yes, many of my books are out of print BUT you can still get The Court of the Midnight King, the 'Jewelfire Trililogy' - the Amber Citadel, The Sapphire Throne and The Obsidian Tower - to the best of my knowledge - and A Taste of Blood Wine (US edition). Most of the Blackbird quartet is now available from Immanion Press. Plus I have loads of copies of Dark Cathedral, and a few copies of the out-of print stuff. Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you all better soon...
> 
> Blessings, Freda


Hi Freda.  I absolutely love your Vampire series and would like to know if you, at this stage, have any intention to write a fourth novel?!  I found these books impossible to put down and fell in love with the characters and lush descriptions.  I also enjoyed the thought provoking ideas relating to sex and gender, science, 'good' vs 'evil', religion and history.  Thanks!


----------



## Mark Robson

angie said:
			
		

> Hi Freda. I absolutely love your Vampire series and would like to know if you, at this stage, have any intention to write a fourth novel?! I found these books impossible to put down and fell in love with the characters and lush descriptions. I also enjoyed the thought provoking ideas relating to sex and gender, science, 'good' vs 'evil', religion and history. Thanks!


 
Hi, angie.  Welcome to Chronicles.  I'll be sure to add your question into the interview I'm putting together, but Freda may well pop in and answer it before I get a chance!  Do make yourself at home here in the forums.  I hope to be ready to send the questions for her shortly, so if any of you have any more questions you are burning to have answered, you would do well to get them in soon.


----------



## Teresa Edgerton

I have several more questions, but they are very specific to _Court of the Midnight King_, so I'll save them for that discussion. (And if we don't end up choosing that one over all her others for the Book Club, I'll post those questions later.)


----------



## nikkles

Hi Freda,  I would just like to know if you will be releasing the Vampire books in the future?  I've looked everywhere on the Internet for them, and some people are asking ridiculously high prices like $2128USD for the trilogy!  I'd rather the money I spend when buying books go to the authors, not some person trying to make money for books which are rare or out of print!  Thanks.


----------



## Freda

Hi everyone, sorry I've taken so long to reappear - struggling with the last couple of chapters of my novel at the mo!

Well actually, just in the last couple of days I've received a glimmer of hope about the vampire books, or 'Blood Wine sequence' as I call it. A UK publisher has expressed interest in re-issuing them. It's early days and nothing has been sorted out or signed yet, but I am hopeful. And if this happened, it's VERY likely I would write a fourth (and maybe more, who knows!) which I've always wanted to do. Keep your fingers crossed!

Interesting about the high prices, isn't it. if only I'd kept more copies, I could have cleaned up on eBay!


----------



## scalem X

part A; don't read when in a hurry :Mmm damn I always seem to come to find interesting stuff very late, I blame the fact that I have to study constantly because I don't study enough, yeah doesn't make sense. Not that I hate learning Japanese, it's fun, but time consuming damnit and (*insert random rant about other languages like traditional chinese and courses that I have trouble studying*).

B:Mmm your books look pretty interesting, must remember name when I have the time to get to a bookshop and must also find time to read it afterwards (see part A for further info concerning time). I usually ask authors about translations, but well for a change:
How do you do your research? Do you start with files bulking with info about the subject and plot outlines who run all across the room or is it in your mind and do you look something up when you need it?

C: Mmm Welcome to chronicles lolz, late and weird, but since it's at the end of the post it's too late to realize you shouldn't have bothered reading on. Since I've wasted your time (see part A how time loss affects your life), I feel sorry and should warn you:

warning:

Chronicles-network may bring huge hazard to your time schedule
But in a pleasant way


----------



## Freda

Hi Scalem - Japanese eh, good for you!

I try to keep research to a minimum and tend to look things up when I need them. It eats into writing time so massively. While I TRY to avoid inaccuracies, I'm more interested in creating story and atmosphere - eg the 1920s flavour of the vampire books - than obsessing over historical or technical detail.

I had to do a massive amount of research about Richard III for Court of the Midnight King and really it was a bit of a nightmare. The more you learn, the more you realise there is to learn - I could have spent ten years researching and never written a word! Setting it in a parallel world helped me get away with quite a lot! I don't think I would tackle another historical story for that reason. A friend of mine was once writing a wonderful period novel but unfortunately the 'facts' got in the way of the story she wanted to tell and she gave up in the end... such a shame!

Thanks for the time warning! I already know!


----------



## G_wolf_P

Hello all. I am new to this place, but I have read some of Freda's works. Thus, consequently I have some questions.
  First and foremost I loved "Dark Cathedral" and "Pagan Moon". I have to say that I connected so well with Morgan (as well as the other characters) That I instantly developed a deep respect for your works and writing style. So this leads me to my,perhaps, obvious question.
  "What, or who was your inspiration for Morgan?" 
The way you portray him touches on almost all aspects of my life, and if you pulled him completly from you head I applaud you full well on your ability to develope a character so thouroughly without an outside source.


----------



## G_wolf_P

G_wolf_P said:
			
		

> Hello all. I am new to this place, but I have read some of Freda's works. Thus, consequently I have some questions.
> First and foremost I loved "Dark Cathedral" and "Pagan Moon". I have to say that I connected so well with Morgan (as well as the other characters) That I instantly developed a deep respect for your works and writing style. So this leads me to my,perhaps, obvious question.
> "What, or who was your inspiration for Morgan?"
> The way you portray him touches on almost all aspects of my life, and if you pulled him completly from you head I applaud you full well on your ability to develope a character so thouroughly without an outside source.


 
Ok I have a small confession to make. while it would be nice to get an answer to the question, it's hardly necessary. ( I know you get questions like that all the time.) Actually quite honestly I would just love to have a conversation with you. I find you facinating,and weird (in a very good way). That, and I have never has the opportunity to talk to any of the authors I love to read. Thank you for bearing with me.


----------



## Freda

Sorry - I've been so immersed in trying to get my novel finished that I haven't been on the board for a while!

Where did I get Morgan from... H'm it's a while ago now and I can't remember specifically what inspired me. My male characters generally develop from maybe a particular image, or something I've read, or just an idea in my head. Generally, I'm trying to visualise what would be most attractive to my heroine, and in the case of Dark Cathedral, a person who would be absolutely irresistible to Beth regardless of the consequences... and Morgan was who turned up in my head! Yes, he behaved badly and hurt her, but redeemed himself in the end. It's interesting looking at good or bad, excusable or inexcusable behaviour from different perspectives, as I often try to do. He might look 'evil' to one character but merely young and impulsive to another.

He did kind of develop from an earlier idea, about a witch who lived on the edge of a forest and was visited by a 'demon lover'. The witch sort of turned into Beth and the 'demon lover' sort of turned into Morgan!

Anyway, I'm not sure if this is a particularly helpful answer but I'm really pleased to hear you identified with him and got so much out of it! Thank you!


----------



## Freda

Fascinating and weird, eh! 

Apologies again for taking so long to answer... I always will eventually, even if Mark has to hit me over the head first!


----------



## G_wolf_P

actually that was very hepful. Thank you for taking the time to answer. well since I don't have much time to write, this is a short thank you. ciao.


----------



## scalem X

Freda, you're alive! 

I was wondering about this and was going to ask some other writers too, but since you suddenly popped up I thought I should give you some piece of the action.
How about moods:
I personally am quite surprised by my sudden injections of creativity when I'm fairly down. (don't even get me started on the suicidal attitude of girls in Belgium, oh and what about turtles, they don't bring along their houses, they bring along their coffins) ahum anyway: when is your best or worst mood to write?
(I almost never write when down though I splurge my ideas to people through instant messaging, that's why I have yet an alternative mood that's fit for writing too)


----------



## Freda

Hi Scalem,

You paint an intriguing picture of Belgian girls walking around with coffins on their backs! That's a very good question. Not sure I can answer it clearly. If I'm feeling really down, I can't write at all. However, there have been times in the past when I have written obsessively to escape from bad things that were happening around me. So, there seems to be a difference between feeling down within myself, and feeling down because of external problems.

My best mood for writing is when I can get into what I call the 'zone' - completely wrapped up in my imaginary world and completely oblivious to what anyone else might think of what I'm writing! I only wish I could conjure it up to order!


----------



## Mark Robson

Freda, I'm now intrigued to see what sort of writing schedule, if any, you set for yourself in an average week.  Do you have word targets that you aim for, or do you write for a certain amount of time?  Or do you not have rigid targets at all?  Writers seem to vary on this a lot.  Also, do you plan in detail before getting going on a novel, or do you get an idea in your head and let your pen (or equivalent) run wild?  

As I finished writing this I've got the spookiest feeling that I might have asked you these things before.  If I have, then apologies - in one ear and out of the other I'm afraid!


----------



## G_wolf_P

I want to touch upon what mark is asking (or as the case might be,already asked). My question; do you plan your writing "scheduale" differently based upon the genre you're writing? I know I do. For instance if it is realistic fiction I make sure I do alot of research so I know what to tweak without sounding like a dumbass.I try to spend "X" amount of time per day. But when it comes to fantasy....well I just let er rip and see what this head of mine comes up with. (of course I do suffer throught alot of editing, as what comes out of this head does not always coincide with story at hand.)


----------



## Freda

I've never managed to make that 9-5 thing work. I don't know about you, Mark, but my schedule seems to work on a kind of sliding scale. Or do I mean an exponential curve?? What I mean is that when I first start a new project, I find it hard going and may only manage a couple of hours, or many hours but only a handful of words, per day. The further I get with it, the faster it grows and longer I'm able to work. I always find the first draft really hard. My favourite part is the second draft and subsequent drafts, when you can really get your teeth into it and flesh it out. The more I'm enjoying it, the longer I work! By the end, when I'm doing the very final draft ready for my agent, I can be working 12-hour days or more by then! So I guess my procrastination at the start and long hours at the end balance each other out.

I'm just at that difficult first-draft stage again now... I do try to set targets, which can be helpful but can also give me a lot of grief when they come off the rails. Every book is different, but I tend to start with a patchwork of scenes that gradually merge into a picture. So no, I'm not very disciplined but I suppose we have to do what works for us! How about you?

I don't really consider that I work in different genres as such, G wolf, and I just research bits and pieces as I need them really. Ha, I like that - what comes out of your head doesn't always coincide with the story at hand! Me too - so true!


----------



## Mark Robson

Oh, my!  We are sooooo different!  I find that I throw myself into the first draft and rattle through the opening chapters before getting bogged down for a couple of months in the middle section and then, once I hit the beginning of the resolution phase, I race through to the end.  I suppose I expect to write a first draft in about 4-5 months these days, but the editing ... yeuch!

I normally put the first effort aside for at least a month, preferrably more if I have the flex.  Then I come back to it, having let several proof readers loose on it in the meantime.  I look at their comments and compare them to see if there are any common themes, then I hack through the manuscript with what I hope is a fairly objective view.  By the time I've done this, it is usually pretty clean.  I then send it to the editor for comments before starting all over again.  However, I much prefer the sensation of creating the initial draft to that of editing an existing story.  Maybe that's why your description has so much more depth than mine.  Every time you revisit the manuscript, you have the opportunity to notice more detail in each scene.


----------



## scalem X

> You paint an intriguing picture of Belgian girls walking around with coffins on their backs!


I did date a girl who, among other weird stuff, had a coffin in her bedroom...

Anyway what I really wanted to say is that I tend to take more after Mark.
Go fast, then downtime. Then just finish it and then comes the editing.
I kind off dislike the editing, but on the other hand the major works seem to be done (of course the editing turns out to be the major work, but we keep ourselves in blissful ignorance, don't we?  )

Question: after editing, do you sometimes look back upon the original version and compare it with the fully edited one? If so, are there any things that keep coming back.
examples: 
-favourite (overused) adjectives
-stress on certain parts that are in fact not part of the main plot
-favourite phrases/parts to dispose of a possibly long subplot (an example could be: "and then he fled with the gold, which attracted a dragon who ate him and thus he was punished for his crime ")
-any other habbits that you have and things you use, while you know you'll edit them out later on?


----------



## Freda

Mark, I envy your ease in rattling off the first draft! I'm not sure I'd swap it for the pleasures of rewriting, tho! The fastest I've ever written a book is 3 months... I wrote A Blackbird in Darkness in 3 months, because a lot of it derived from splitting A B in Silver into 2 books. I wrote Dark Cathedral in 4 months, and most of Dark Blood of Poppies in the same year, but that's really unusual. I usually take at least a year... All About Elfland has taken more like 3 years, mainly because I didn't have an editor breathing down my neck, and also because I've been doing a part-time job...

Scalem, yes I do tend to overuse certain words, phrases, images. Sometimes I know I'm doing it, other times it takes someone else to point it out! I think that's why writing never gets easier, because you become aware of your own habits and you're always trying not to repeat yourself. A lot of editing DOES take place and I often cringe at the things I wrote the first time!

Wrapping up a subplot in a single sentence - not guilty! I do the opposite, wrap them up so completely that the book ends up WAY too long!

By the way, have you had anything published?


----------



## scalem X

> By the way, have you had anything published?


Hey I thought we were the ones asking questions .
In fact I haven't. (unless you regard high school and university magazines as being published)
I blame various reasons:
-I write in English and live in Belgium (not that there is a market for any writing in Dutch besides: non-fiction (read as: "the horror the horror!!" and if only it had been horror, that would have been much easier), detectives, children's books, derivates from colums in magazines)
-I am 'only' 19 and hence I tend to play around much and am searching for a normal pattern to build my life on (as in for example: I'm searching a stable girlfriend (preferably non-suicidal or homicidal)). University; which means I have papers to write (hence writing downtime).
-I never have sent anything to an editor/publisher because I tend to 'know' beforehand it won't be good enough.
-I hate editing and finishing stuff (numerous files with ideas and a few pages from a storyline fill my laptop)

I do get the reply:
-you should get this published.
Then again, there is a major difference with the reaction:
-you could get this published.

In the end I should really blame my lack of focus and the fact that I can live with 'not being good enough to get published' without even trying to.

'Oh sweet lazyness, why do I love you so?


----------

