Saturday, October 22, 2011

Arthurian Legend, Teens, and Time Travel: An interview with YA fantasy author Sue Owen

 Today, I'm talking with Sue Owen about her YA fantasy, Wizard of Time.

1) Tell us about your book.


Wizard of Time is about 3 kids pulled out of their time by the Wizard of Time and asked to steal and return Excalibur. They must travel through time, where they meet their companions and an assortment of interesting folks from the time of Knights and Ladies.

2) Arthurian legend and related characters plays a key role in your book. Have you always been interested in Arthurian legend?

Pretty much, yes. I marvel at that time period and what they were able to accomplish with so few luxuries. It was a grand time and one that made people into heroes.

3) You have several antagonists in this story. Who is your favorite?


I really didn’t label one person a "bad" guy in this story. There were some hiccups in them getting to their goal, but none were deliberately set out as bad. You are minimally introduced to Peter, but in this book his true ‘badness’ doesn’t come up.

4) We live in a very jaded and cynical age. This is reflected in our fiction. Some of the most popular adult fantasy is defined by settings full of corruption and morally ambiguous heroes. YA fantasy has increasingly become darker as well. Do you worry that this increasing tend toward darker will lead to less interest in traditional heroic narratives?

Not really. There is always the type of read that just wants to get away from it all. As the news becomes grimmer, I think people are going to seek the lighter fiction.

5) We live in an age where man has walked on the moon and we're plumbing the very depths of life and matter itself. Arguably, this is an age of science and reason. Fantasy, with its emphasis on magic, is still just as popular as ever. What do you think is responsible for the continuing appeal of fantasy?
The need to escape. Everyone no matter their job or walk in life want to set aside their worries and cares and think about someone else or go somewhere else. As long as people create worlds to disappear in, I think there will be readers to travel along.

6) You're working on some sequels. How many books are planned with these characters?

Three. One emphasizing each of the three many characters. Next up is Meri’s story as Defender of Time. Her, along with her mom make up that title. There’s a true bad guy in this story, which was pretty hard for me to write. But I think he turned out pretty gruesome.

7) The time travel elements open a lot of possibilities. Are future books going to be indifferent time periods?

The three planned for the Chasing History series will be back and forth between the three kids’ times, Morty’s time and Camelot’s time. After that, who knows? Right now I’m not planning any more period type pieces, but one never knows what will happen. Never say never.

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Thanks, Sue. You can see more from her at her website http://bysueowen.blogspot.com/.

You can find Wizard of Time at Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.

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