The lovely and dynamic Kendare Blake stopped by the blog to have a chat about her recent works, and what readers can look forward to in the future. If you haven’t already read Anna Dress in Blood, DO IT!

Happy New Year! What are you looking forward to most in 2013?

I guess that would have to be the release of ANTIGODDESS. But I’m equal parts excited and freaked out.

What were some of your favourite reads from 2012?

Hmm…so many to mention…I loved THE DROWNING GIRL by Caitlin R Kiernan, and her collection CONFESSIONS OF A FIVE CHAMBERED HEART. Also enjoyed THE LOOP by Shandy Lawson, about two kids stuck in a time loop in New Orleans. Reminded me of that episode of The X Files where Mulder and Scully keep dying over and over in that bank.

What inspired you to become an author?

Reading, probably. My mom read to me constantly as a kid.

Who are your top five favourite authors?

Top five? This is a cruel question. But I’ll try, in no particular order. Caitlin R Kiernan. Joe Hill. Bret Easton Ellis. Milan Kundera. Holly Black.

When you shared your first published work with editors, were you overwhelmed with nerves or did your confidence in your work keep you steady?

Nerves. And then, steady. And then, nerves. It comes in waves, you see.

You are such a beautiful writer. Your stories can be dark, and yet so gorgeously written. How did you develop your signature style of prose?

Oh, thank you! You’re too kind, but I’ll take it. As for style, I don’t know. You write enough and try enough different things, and pretty soon, it melds into your voice. I’ve always been sort of a minimalist, but it wasn’t a conscious style choice.

How do you craft your characters? They are so well developed they are almost friends to the reader as your books draw to a close.

I’m so glad to hear this. Because they are friends to me, and I feel a lot less crazy when other people feel the same way about them. I think about my main characters a lot before I write. They have lots of conversations in my head. If I’m lucky, I have a handle on who they are before they hit the page. It wasn’t that way with Anna. I only knew her dead side. And I didn’t know Thomas and Carmel at all. They just showed up. I actually thought Carmel was going to die early. I don’t do character worksheets and stuff. Honestly they develop themselves as the story moves along.

To date, which character has been your favourite?

I love Anna. But I’m closest to Cas, and Athena from Antigoddess. I know them best. But favorite? Maybe Morfran and Thomas. And Hermes, who you haven’t met yet.

Do you have a go-to friend you discuss ideas with before bringing them to your publisher?

Just my husband. He likes to be as involved as possible in the process. Mostly I think so he can puff up and say what a good husband he is. And I’m usually like, what, do you want a cookie? Get out of here.

Which novel was the most fun to write? Of your published works to date, which are you most proud of?

Both Anna and Antigoddess came so fast and easy I hardly remember doing them. Of course Antigoddess needed to be half rewritten but we won’t talk about that. I can’t say which of the published ones I’m most proud of. They’re all pretty different. Maybe Sleepwalk Society, because nobody read it and I feel like it needs me to be proud of it. The sad little thing.

If you were to have an entirely uncreative job, what would you do?

I’ve had those. I do them as long as I can, and then blow up the car and walk away. Start a new life someplace else.

What can readers anticipate seeing from you in the near future?

ANTIGODDESS comes out September 10th. After that, Antigoddess #2 and 3. And then, who knows?

Thank you so much for having me by the blog!