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... characters climb out of books and start doing their own publicity! Over here.

Ike during the unfortunate bum-inflation incident, book 3, Grim and Grimmer by Ian Irvine.

Q&A with Ian Irvine

The Calamitous Queen by Ian Irvine, out in June 2011!

How long did it take you to write the Grim and Grimmer series?

I began the plan of the series, and the first book, in August 2008, and finished the final edits of the fourth book in March 2011, but most of that time I was writing other things. The total time to write each book was about a month. The Headless Highwayman and The Grasping Goblin took a bit over a month each, The Desperate Dwarf and The Calamitous Queen a bit less. But a lot of that work is planning. For instance I spent six days planning The Calamitous Queen in great detail, then another six and a half days writing the first draft. Curiously, I find that the faster I write, the less editing I have to do. I still do a lot of drafts, though.

Do you procrastinate? Are you an early-morning or late-at-night writer?

I don’t procrastinate because I really enjoy writing and want to do more of it. I usually start about 7.30 am and write until after lunch, have a break or a brief nap, then write through until dinner time. Sometimes, If I’m working to a very tight deadline, as with The Calamitous Queen, I’ll start at 5 am and go right through to dinner time, and even do a bit of writing late at night.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

Everywhere. I’ve travelled a lot, and worked in a dozen countries, so I have plenty of experience to draw on. I also draw inspiration from my scientific background (I’ve been a marine scientist for 30 years) which perhaps is why I write differently to most other writers.

When did you write your first book and how old were you?

In 1987, when I was 37. It was A Shadow on the Glass, and forms the first book of my epic fantasy quartet The View from the Mirror. The quartet is over 800,000 words and it took more than 10 years to get the series published, but it’s never been out of print in Australia since, and has been published in many other countries.

What does your family think of your writing?

Well, they all enjoy reading so I imagine they’re fairly pleased, though to be honest I’ve never asked them.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m re-reading my 20-book set of the Brother Cadfael medieval whodunits by Ellis Peters (AKA Edith Pargeter). And I’m about to start Jonathan Stroud’s The Ring of Solomon, the fourth in his Bartimaeus series about a sarcastic and cowardly djinni, which I’m very much looking forward to.

What are you writing next?

Now that I’ve done the Grim and Grimmer quartet, I’m working on a new epic fantasy series for older readers called The Tainted Realm. The first book, which I’ve just finished, is Vengeance. I’m also tossing around ideas for a new children’s series though I won’t start it until The Tainted Realm is finished next year.

Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

I get email from a few hundred different people a year – readers can email me here. Now that I have a Facebook author page, I’m in touch with my readers daily and we have a great conversation going. The most common questions are: When is the next book coming out? Why did you kill off that character I really loved? Are your books available as eBooks? The answers to many FAQs can be found on my gigantic website.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Deep space explorer. Fighter pilot. Adventurer. Pretty much anything that didn’t involve real work.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Lie on the lounge reading a book. Wander around the garden. Daydream.

When was the last time you went on a bus?

Umm, years ago, since I live in the country and there’s no public transport at all here. I’ve a vague memory of getting a bus in Sydney some years back.

Win an iPad 2!

Yep, you read right, commuters. Ian Irvine is only giving away an iPad 2 over at his Facebook page. Be quick and click because this competition is running only during April. Goodness me, that's exciting!

Ian Irvine

Hi Everyone!

Just letting you know that I'm blog touring Grim and Grimmer over the next couple of weeks. The full list is here.

I'm also active at Supanova in Brisbane and the Bellingen Readers and Writer's Festival over this period, so lots of promotion going on.

Cheers

Ian

(Now there's a busy author! Go, Ian!)

A treat from our book files, the original illustration of the one and only Con Glomryt, by Martin McKenna

March releases

We're setting down some lovely books this March. We're honoured to be publishing the beautiful, accomplished and eloquent Randa Abdel-Fattah's first junior fiction novel, The Friendship Matchmaker. With it's super-cute cover, we think this one will be a new favourite with the tweens. The Junior Bookseller and Publisher says: 'Great writing, topical content and a big dose of humour will make this book one of the successes of 2011.' Yes, we totally agree!

Hopping off the bus next in Omnibus's much-loved Mates series is Aussie Dog by Eleanor Nilsson, illustrated by Beth Norling. Here on the bus we are sensitive (teary) when it comes to books about dogs. But so long as they have a happy ending, we're okay.

The long-awaited third edition of the chaotic adventures of that worrisome pair Pilot & Huxley makes its debut this month. These two questionable heroes face their greatest challenge yet, being wiped out of existence all together. Just pass it straight to the kids, they get it.

Good grief, it's a huge month! Next cab off the rank is Grim and Grimmer: The Desperate Dwarf by Ian Irvine. In this, the third and second-to-last in this epic series, we meet the unforgettable dwarf Con Glomryt. You won't find this kind of guy in The Hobbit. Uh uh. And remember to check out Ian's amazing competition!

Last but by no means least, especially to her legions of fans, is Tamora Pierce's collection Tortall and Other Lands. Very little more needs to be said. Return to the land of Tortall and catch up with some old friends and make some new ones.

Competition!

Omnibus author Ian Irvine is having a monster (or should that be 'demon'?) of a competition over at his Facebook page. He's giving away 300 books in 200 hundred days! If we weren't all focused on words here on the bus, we'd be able to do some proper maths but it's definitely more than one book a day to be won! With the third book in the Grim and Grimmer series, The Desperate Dwarf, out next month and the final, hilarious book, The Calamitious Queen, out in June 2011, this competition must be Liked. So go Like it, people!