Interview With Writer Kim Bannerman
Author of “The Tattooed Wolf” On Writing Process and Writing Advice
Mar 10, 2009
Kim Bannerman's werewolf novels are often classified as science fiction or fantasy, though the well-rendered characters make delightful reading for even the most realistic of readers.
Bannerman's work earned her a Hugo nomination in 2006, awarded every year for the best science fiction or fantasy works of the previous year.
The Tattooed Wolf [Double Dragon 2004 ISBN 978-1-55404-173-2] and its sequel The Wolf of Gilsbury Cross [Double Dragon 2006 ISBN 978-1-55404-380-4] are both available as paperbacks and ebooks.
Suite101 caught up with Vancouver Island-based Bannerman via email.
Suite101: How and when did you get started as a writer?
Bannerman: I wrote my first novella in grade six, and I suppose it's fair to say I've always enjoyed writing. It wasn't until after I finished my degree, though, that I considered writing professionally.
The first story of mine that was ever accepted was a horrible little sci-fi story, and while they were kind enough to pay for my work, the magazine also folded before my work was published.
The first story that actually made it onto paper was "On The House", which was included in a British magazine called Cimmplicity. It was then translated into Romanian and published in the magazine, Antares, a month later.
Suite101: What is your drink of choice while writing?
Bannerman: My drink of choice: dark roast coffee with lots of cream. Hardly very exciting or unique, I suppose, but it think it's a bit like Pavlov's bells. I take a sip of coffee, and suddenly, I'm ready to write.
Suite101: Clean desk or messy desk? Do you prefer to work in silence or with noise or music?
Bannerman: Desk? Oh, such luxury! I work at either a very, very, very messy kitchen table or at a particular table in a nearby coffee shop. I don't work well with music in the background. However, I do work very well with the hum of conversation surrounding me, and have often considered recording the ambient noise of a coffee shop, so that I can just turn on the background noise when I'm writing at home.
Suite 101: What is the best advice you've received as a writer?
Bannerman: Once, I was told to save all my rejection notices, because that depressing paper trail is a great way to prove that you're a working writer. It became a game. Who could I wrangle rejections from? How many could I get in a month? It put a positive spin on something that might, with another perspective, become very depressing and soul-crushing.
Man, that sounds kind of pathetic, doesn't it?
Suite101: What advice do you have for novelists who are just starting out?
Bannerman: My advice would be this: make sure you have a copy of Strunk & White, a copy of Chicago Manual of Style, and lots of patience. Read, read, read. Do what you love to do, then write about it with such passion that the reader will love it, too.
More About K. Bannerman
For more info about Bannerman and her writing, check out her website.
The continuation of this interview can be found here.
