Women in SFF Author Spotlight – Kerrie Flanagan (THE JUDAS FILES)
I am an author, writing consultant, presenter, and freelance writer with over 20 years’ experience in the publishing industry. I am the author of fourteen books, including three series’ with co-author Chuck Harrelson, under the pen names, and C.G. Harris (Sci-Fi/Fantasy) and C.K. Wiles (Romance): The Judas Files, The Rax and Curtain Call. My nonfiction book is The Writer’s Digest Guide to Magazine Articles and my articles and essays have appeared in publications and anthologies including Writer’s Digest, Alaska Magazine, The Writer, FamilyFun, and six Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Now as the cofounder of the Wordsmith Institute, I help coordinate one-day online writing conferences and events.
https://www.kerrieflanagan.com/
Welcome to the Hive, Kerrie Flanagan. Let’s start small: tell us about a great book you’ve read recently!
I recently finished Night Shift Dragons. This was the third book in the DFZ series by Rachel Aaron. I loved it. Along with the action and story line, there was lots of great humor that had me laughing out loud at times.
Okay, time to escalate things: reality warps and you suddenly find yourself leading a D&D-style party through a monster-infested dungeon. What character class are you, and what’s your weapon of choice?
I would be a story-weaving, lawful good Bard that uses words to wiggle my way out of any sticky situations. I would prefer to stay farther away from the fight using a crossbow for my weapon of choice to eliminate the wretched monsters.
When you’re not trawling through dungeons, how do you like to work? (In silence, with music, or serenaded by the damned souls of a thousand dead shrimps? Do you prefer to type or to hand-write? Are you an architect or a gardener? A plotter or a pantser? D’you write in your underwear, or in a deep-sea diver’s suit?)
Tell us a little bit about your writing method!
I write with a co-author, so my process may be different than some and does not include being serenaded by the souls of dead shrimp, (although I’d be open to that). Our process starts with brainstorming the plot. This is my favorite part of the process, because anything is possible. We throw ideas back and forth and play with those ideas until they begin coming together into a cohesive story. Next we create a very detailed outline. Because there are two of us, I can’t even imagine trying to take the panster approach.
Once we have the structure of the outline, my co-author takes off and writes the first draft. It takes him about a month to do this, then he sends it to me. My job is to then go through it, embellish, add more of the emotional depth and fill it out. If there are any areas in the story that aren’t working, we talk through those again to get those solid. I then send it back to him and he goes through it once more before we send it to a copy editor. I like to work on my laptop, with instrumental music playing in the background and sometimes waterfall sounds. When it comes to my wardrobe choice, comfy is the number one rule, so leather pants or chain mail are out of the question, although I do keep a magic wand nearby—it’s always good to be prepared.
What (or who) are your most significant female fantasy influences? Are there any creators whom you dream of working with someday?
The two that come to mind are Annette Marie and the incomparable, Madeleine L’engle. An avid reader growing up, I liked to escape into books—not because I had a horrible childhood—but because what kid doesn’t like to travel to faraway lands and make-believe worlds. L’engle’s Wrinkle in Time was one of my favorites. I think it was the first time I read a book with an alternate dimension and I found it fascinating. I have enjoyed a writing career that has taken me down different paths with a variety of genres and experiences. It has only been over the past couple years that I have been writing fantasy with my co-author. Annette Marie’s Guild Codex series was pivotal in this shift because I found great examples in her books of weaving in fantastic descriptions and building the magical elements in her world without slowing down the pacing of book.
What was the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it? Alternatively, what games have you enjoyed recently?
I am totally into Survivor right now. The drama, the challenges and the blind-sides, it has me hooked. Why this show? Got me, but I look forward to watching it each night. For games, my husband and I have been going “old school.” We broke out the Wii and have been doing the sports games on it—tennis, bowling, golf… It’s one way to get exercise!
The world shifts, and you find yourself with an extra day on your hands during which you’re not allowed to write. How do you choose to spend the day?
I would head to the mountains. I live in the beautiful state of Colorado and spending time in the outdoors, whether I am hiking, fishing, camping or just spending time by a river, provides me with an incredible sense of peace—and let’s face it, that’s something we can all use a little more of these days.
Absolutely!
Can you tell us a little something about your current work(s) in progress?
Currently my co-author and I are working hard on our urban fantasy series, The Judas Files, which centers around a double agent in hell whose job description includes stopping bad things from happening on earth. We just finished book three in the series and are diving right into number four. This book involves the main character having to mend his broken soul (which is very serious, but how they end up fixing it is quite hilarious), a snarky fallen angel is introduced, and dark forces are rising up on earth.
What’s the most (and/or least) helpful piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
One of my favorite quotes is from Henry Ford. “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” If you are going to be a writer, you can’t just go around telling people you want to be a writer, you have to sit down and write. It really is that simple. A writer, writes.
Every writer encounters stumbling blocks, be it a difficult chapter, challenging subject matter or just starting a new project. How do you motivate yourself on days when you don’t want to write?
I find that if I am really struggling, a change of scenery really helps. It’s a little more challenging now that we can’t go hang out in our local coffee shop, but even finding a different place in your home to write or going outside to work on a patio, can really help reset your creativity. Changing things up keeps our brains engaged.
Who are your favourite female characters in literature or pop culture? And do you have a favourite type of female character you enjoy writing?
I like strong female characters like Rey in the Rise of Skywalker, Princess Leia, Black Widow and Karen Murphy in the Dresden Files. I enjoy writing these characters as well. The main female character in The Judas Files is a strong woman who can take care of herself. What I enjoy most about well-written strong female characters, is when we see them being vulnerable, which gives them depth. If all they did was go around kicking ass, that would get boring. But to have those moments when we see them break down and then push through that, it’s those moments that really make the characters relatable and I like that.
Finally, would you be so kind as to dazzle us with an elevator pitch? Why should readers check out your work?
The Judas Files is an urban fantasy series that takes place in Hell and centers around Gabe, who died in the 80s. He is trying to make the best of his afterlife and is content running his black-market shop exchanging Topside goods like soda and Twinkies for secrets. That is until he is recruited by The Judas Agency (aka The Disaster Factory) to be a secret double agent. Gabe must now stop bad things from happening Topside and he can’t tell anyone, including his new partner, Alex or he will suffer serious consequences. Witty banter, an imperfect hero, and page turning action are at the core of The Judas Files books.
Thank you so much for joining us today Kerrie!