All About E. Rose Sabin
My guest today is the talented E. Rose Sabin. We used to be in a writing critique group (PINAWOR) together when I lived in Florida, so I can truly attest to what a lovely person Elenora is (and knowledgeable). She is the author of the fantastic A School for Sorcery (which is part of a trilogy) and a winner of the Andre Norton Gryphon Award.

You can learn more about Elenora at her official website.

About A School for Sorcery…
When Tria Tesserell arrives at the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted, she is disappointed to find an old, dilapidated building, only 36 students and six faculty members in addition to the stern Headmistress. She’s convinced that the school is only a scam until she’s faced with a roommate who shapeshifts to a black panther, she gets involved in a power duel with a fire-thrower, and faces the challenge of rescuing two young men from the Dire Realm, a dread place of demons and destruction.

The Q&A

Here’s my question for Elenora…

Fantasy world-building can be a tough business – can you share with us some of your methods?

And her answer…

I make a file for the fantasy world or country—Arucadi in the case of my published trilogy—and list such things as Economy (including monetary system), Government and Politics, Religion, Educational system, Military Status. Geography, Plants and Animals, History, Mythology, Calendar and Clock, Major Regions and Cities, etc. Then I fill in under each topic as much as I can—not just things I think I’ll need to include in the novel but all the details I can come up with. I make a map of the country, showing lakes, rivers, mountains, cities, provinces. Many times the details I include give me ideas for plot development. But always I include much information that is strictly for my own use in understanding the setting and the background of the characters—the land that produced them, the culture they grew up in. All of this contributes to the characters’ beliefs and attitudes and thus their behavior.

And Elenora’s question for me…

You have many things in your novel that differ greatly from the usual treatment of vampires—their powers, their limitations, etc. How did you decide what parts of traditional vampire lore you would keep and what you could discard or change?

Some aspects I took directly from the old myths and legends, which often differ quite a bit from current-day vampire lore. For others, I went with what would make sense to me for “my” version of vampirism (a little more boring and a lot less cosmopolitan). I tried to be consistent in that I felt they should be strong and essentially immortal, but more “normal” and less otherworldly.

The Giveaway
You can win a copy of A School for Sorcery just by visiting Elenora’s website and then emailing me at kim @ kimberlypauley.com with the subject line “Tria Rocks!” and tell me…what are the names of Elenora’s dogs? Please respond by September 13th, 2008.

And don’t forget to check out all the other Sucks to Be Me Book Launch Party days with all the great guest authors! The Grand Prize contest is getting closer and closer…