ASK THE AUTHOR for Women In SFF – Part 3
We had great fun at Christmas asking authors which of their characters they would spend Christmas eve with if they could (read that here). We had an incredible response, so we thought we’d bring that concept back for Women In SFF!
Over the course of the month, we asked authors three questions.
For Part 1 we asked which of your characters would you go on a road trip with?
For Part 2 we asked how did your family react when they read the spicy scenes in your book?
For our final week, we’re asking…
Which of your characters would you turn to for relationship advice?
I think probably Ellie Briar from The Briar Book of the Dead because she’s had a bad experience but I don’t think it made her bitter. I think she just went “Okay, that was a train wreck, but I didn’t die. Learned about people and how easily the gift of a heart can turn bad.” So, I think she’s then a lot healthier when she gets into an actual relationship with Huw. I think she’d be a good listener and give realistic and practical advice.
Angela “A.G.” Slatter | The Briar Book of the Dead
Both of my human leads in The Last Phi Hunter aren’t great at communication—Ex is woefully inexperienced, and Arinya is used to a more transactional relationship. They’re both figuring it out. I’d need to go to a tertiary character for advice. Mali is a wise and ornery 200 year old hedgewitch who is one of Ex’s regular buyers. Not only would she tell me to DTMFA or chill out, but she’d probably give me a tincture or hexdoll to distribute as needed.
Salinee Goldenberg | The Last Phi Hunter
Probably Sina, a firetender and the cousin of Alon the male MC in Saints. Alon has been too deeply engaged in unrequited pining for a decade to give coherent relationship advice and Lunurin is a complete disaster bi, her love life is a MESS I do not want her advice! But Sina would be a ride or die, do-you-want-to-burn-his-house-down kind of listener. She’s blunt enough to tell you when you’re getting too caught up in your own head, and she’s not afraid to do what it takes to get what and who she wants. I love how straightforward and open she is about her needs and goals.
Gabriella Buba | Saints of Storm and Sorrow
Honestly, most of the adults in this book are absolute disasters in terms of relationships (I seem incapable of writing books that don’t centre around disaster bisexuals).
Sicaryon, though, has made a lot of mistakes in his life, especially when it comes to romance. It gives him a certain “don’t make the mistakes I made” voice of experience. Besides him, I think Gwydinion’s parents, Aiden and Belsaor, are the ones who’ve managed to maintain a long, loving, and stable relationship—they’re a true power couple.
If I needed advice, I’d go to Briar’s tell-it-like-it-is, human bestie, Lisa. She’ll have your best interests at heart, but you’d better gird your loins ‘cause Lisa doesn’t pull her punches when she says what needs to be said.
K.C. Harper | Shadowed Moonlight
I’d turn to the eccentric clairvoyant, Cherry, but not just because of her patience and wisdom. Cherry has the sweetest and most touching relationship with her mate, Fodjour, who she calls her “devoted.” In one scene, Fodjour thoughtfully explains: “Cherry and I are like trees intertwined in a forest. Our roots grew together long ago.”
Denise Crittendon | Where it Rains in Color
Oh no my girls are all absolute disasters. Cemmy––from Until We Shatter––is still in love with her ex-girlfriend (but refuses to stop lying and fix it). Sil––from Mindwalker––thinks she’ll die long before finding love (she’s a ‘flings only’ kind of dater), and Indra––from Mindbreaker––might be falling for the girl who helped turn her into a robot, so I don’t think any of them are qualified to give anyone else advice lol.
I would turn to Serra Childs. She is married to an archangel, after all! Serra possessed such a quiet wisdom on so many different things, and always remained centered in her humanness, despite a rather extraordinary life. (She actually was hidden away with Noah on the Ark so that her husband, the Archangel Michael, could keep her from dying in the flood waters!)
Patricia A. Jackson | Forging A Nightmare
Hoo boy. Sooooo, none of my characters are great at relationships…I guess from Dot Slash Magic, I’d pick Angel Delgado, because they’re warm and kind, but they know their worth and won’t hesitate to tell it exactly like it is.
Liz Shipton | Dot Slash Magic acquired by Angry Robot, no further information currently.
I think I’d pick Pie. Who better to give you advice about matters of the heart than a travelling bard who specializes in ballads?
Rose Black | Til Death do us Bard
Frankly none of my characters have particularly healthy relationships with each other but if I had to listen to anyone then it would probably be Marie, the enigmatic tailor who pops up again and again to pass out lessons to my main character as she wanders through the city. If she’s passing out wisdom to everyone else then I want a turn!
Maud Woolf | Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock
Most of my characters have a LOT of issues when it comes to relationships, so I’m not sure I’d particularly take anyone’s advice! But I think David (MOTHTOWN) would probably say something that got to the heart of the matter quickly, even if he would be a bit blunt!
Caroline Hardaker (Mothtown, Composite Creatures) | Mothtown
Oh, dear. I think both Seokga and Hani would be equally terrible at imparting relationship advice. Hani has a long streak of giving rather, uh, controversial counsel to her friends (but really, can you expect a retired serial killer to have good advice related to anything other than murder?). And Seokga . . . Well, the trickster god might just give me the most ridiculous advice ever just for a lark. He’s got a strange sense of humour (see: the time he staged a violent coup just for some “fun and games”).
Sophie Kim | The God and the Gumiho
Probably Pec Esterhazy – former fence, smuggler, brothel keeper, convict, matriarch of the outlaw town of Angel Share, and more besides… I feel like she saw enough for a dozen lifetimes in her journey across the system, so would probably handle any issue with stoicism and a shot of pálinka.
Stark Holborn (The Factus Sequence: Ten Low, Hel’s Eight and Ninth Life) | Ninth Life
*looks around at my characters… Um…do I have to?
My lovely Hector is perhaps the only character who goes about his business with others without dragging an entire millstone of emotional damage behind him, so I’m piling all my troubles on him, I fear.
Stacey McEwan (The Glacian Trilogy) | Valley
It has to be Carl, the manager from Floating Hotel. There’s a reason everyone looks for him during the difficult moments. He wouldn’t give advice so much as guide me towards what I already know, which is the best way to do it. Then he’d make me a martini and give me a big ole hug. What more could you ask for?
Nearly all my characters need therapy, but it’s hard to find decent counsellors on the ice plains of Isfalk and the fighting pits of the Hrossi Wastelands. My MC Nara is the biggest, most loveable fuck-up, so I’d probably ask her, then smugly do the opposite … if I knew what was good for me (*see Jo’s response in part one).
I’d talk to Gloria. She’s the head of the coven, she knows how the world works, and how to transform what should be transformed. What better person to figure out the hidden springs of a relationship? If all else fails, she could transform my soon-to-be-ex into a cat, as Eleanor did to her stupid stalker, Stan–only Gloria would do it the right way. For one–take away his ability to talk!
Karen Heuler | The Splendid City
For relationship advice I’d turn to Old Zao, the kitchen god. They’re one of Lady Jing’s unofficial guardians. They’re a terrible gossip however they have great insight, since they’ve been the sympathetic year to thousands of years worth of kitchen gossip.
I’m going to cheat and choose the main trio from Evocation, since Moira, Rhys, and David sort of come as a package deal. Moira could pull some tarot cards and give gentle guidance, Rhys wouldn’t sugarcoat things if I needed to hear hard truths, and David would keep things breezy and fun.
Relationships between lovers, siblings, parents, children are at the heart of all my novels, but, as in real life, most of the characters make a massive endless mess of their relationships with the people they care about.
I’d say Kanda from A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, but one of the key things about her is her strength, her confidence, the fact she’s not like me – her relationships are positive and very much within her control, so I think she’d be useless at giving advice about things going wrong. I suspect she’d give a lecture on what I’d done wrong and make me feel worse. Lidae in A Woman of the Sword would be a case study in what not to do … I guess Thalia does get everything she wants in a relationship, kind of, but … and obviously I want a relationship with Marith, but gods I wouldn’t want to get advice from him….
Actually, I’d go to Darath Vorley in Empires of Dust. He’s cynical but romantic, deeply in love with Orhan and committed to him, really cares and wants Orhan to be happy, but is also well aware that life can be rubbish, people can be stupid and we all make massive mistakes. He’s much stronger and more sensible than he allows himself to seem – and also weaker and more vulnerable, more caught up in his concern for Orhan and for friends and family. I think he’d give thought out, caring, maybe a bit on-the-nose advice that helped. And he’s been around, seen enough to give advice based on personal experience.
Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust, A Woman of the Sword, A Sword of Bronze and Ashes) | The Court of Broken Knives
I feel like everyone’s advice would be spectacularly terrible for wildly different reasons. They are Hot Messes, y’all! But I would probably go with Caspian Verne because even though his advice would be so bad, it would at least be free entertainment to watch him try to implement it himself.
Georgia Summers | The City of Stardust
My various lead characters have assorted issues and hang-ups which rule them out. I did consider Nimue, in The Cleaving. She’s lived for hundreds of years, so she’s pretty much seen it all. But she’s not actually human, so maybe not.
I think I’d contact Charoleia, from the Tales of Einarinn. She’s an information broker and among her other sources, she buys letters and diaries and works out how to influence people for her own purposes, profit and the greater good. Her understanding of human nature is going to be second to none!
Juliet E McKenna (The Cleaving, The Green Man’s Quarry, The Tales of Einarinn) | The Thief’s Gamble
The person in all of my books who would give the best relationship advice would probably be Xue’s uncle in Song of the Six Realms as someone who is older and wiser, whose relationship with his partner has survived many challenges such as magical attempts on their lives, and has only grown stronger over time.
Judy I. Lin | Song of the Six Realms
I wouldn’t trust any of my characters for relationship advice. Reed’s head over heels for Ever, but he keeps her at arm’s length. Ever’s pining for Ira, but he’s not in the picture. And then there’s Ro, who thinks love is all about grand sacrifices. She had a great thing going with Axe but left him to avoid being a “family burden” while he chased his career dreams. So, yeah, not taking any of their advice.
I think I would have to go to Petra for relationship advice, as long as his louder, in-your-face cousin Manoli wasn’t around. Though young and shy, Petra is observant. He sees into people’s hearts. He’s steadfast, kind and always wants what’s best for his friends. Coming from a tight-knit clan in a brutal environment, he would know how important it is to foster trust, good communication and deep connection between partners. He also wouldn’t be afraid to tell me if I was making a mistake, though he would feel bad about it!
Hands down, the person I would turn to for relationship advice is Xu, Han’s best friend from Guardians of Dawn: Zhara. Not only are they clever, they are also incredibly astute and insightful. They would be the sort of person to deliver hard truths, but in a gently teasing way, which is how I prefer to receive my advice.
S. Jae-Jones | Guardians of Dawn: Zhara
OH! YIKES!!!
Mariana Costa | Shoestring Theory
Ooh, definitely Amy Harwood from Spellswept, Snowspelled, and Thornbound. She is EXCELLENT at understanding and managing people and would definitely know the best way to diplomatically and lovingly, but still firmly, handle any relationship issue.
When after advice of any sort, there’s only one answer really: Lady Vincenza ‘Vintage’ de Grazon from the Winnowing Flame trilogy. Sure, her own interpersonal relationships have not been, uh, wildly successful, but she’s lived her life with gusto and is open hearted enough to have learned a great deal from it – and she’s also someone who cares deeply about other people and will happily share what she knows. Of course, asking her for advice will likely also result in a fair amount of teasing, but it’s a reasonable price to pay.
Jen Williams (The Copper Promise/The Ninth Rain/Talonsister) | The Ninth Rain
I know who I wouldn’t turn to… Sal.
I suspect if I needed advice I’d turn to Chase and Tian, from the Aulirean Gates series. He and Tian have been together since they were young, and despite the strains of Chase’s work, and Tian’s refusal to move from his home, they are as in love as they were as young men. They are a powerful team, and I’d love to hear their take on making a relationship work. Tian would deliver advice gently, quietly and with kindness. Chase would be surprised to be asked, his deliberations on any response careful and likely delivered with the caveat, ‘One day I won’t be around and you’ll have to work things out for yourself, but…’
J E Hannaford (Black Hind’s Wake / Aulirean Gates / Unfamiliared) | Gates of Hope
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Ask the Author feature this Women in SFF!
