Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan
Marie Brennan is the pseudonym of Bryn Neuenschwander, an American fantasy author. Her works include the Doppelganger duology; the Onyx Court series; and numerous short stories. The first of the Onyx Court novels, Midnight Never Come, published on 1 May 2008 in the United Kingdom, and 1 June 2008 in the United States, received a four star-review from SFX Magazine...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
CountryUnited States of America
changed feels history obliged sort
I'm the sort of person who, once I put dragons into the real world, feels obliged to think about how their presence would have changed history.
dominated male neither point roughly split written
I've only written two novels, neither of them published, where the book is dominated by a male point of view; in the 'Onyx Court' series, it's split roughly 50/50.
brief cut largely liked period somebody time
There was a brief period of time when I was very young where I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian - largely because I liked cats - but then somebody told me I would have to cut animals open, and that was the end of that.
against ashes entire lives love might narrative people point pushing suggested true
At one point in the 'Onyx Court' series, I think during 'In Ashes Lie', I suggested that Lune might come to love someone else eventually. Which was me pushing back against the narrative trope that people only get one True Love in their entire lives - an idea I think is kind of pernicious - but in retrospect, I wish I hadn't done it there.
eventually far figuring wrote
I think if you write for long enough, you eventually have a problem with everything, because you start figuring out where you could be doing better. But as far back as I can trace, I always wrote clear, grammatical prose.
characters folklore love novels stories
I'd love to see more novels and short stories where the characters have their own folklore that isn't the Plot-Bearing Prophecy of Doom.
reason
'Fire and Hemlock' is the reason I'm a writer.
generally needs time
When I'm working on a novel, I generally do write every day, but in between those marathons, I take breaks. My brain needs time to recharge.
given
Given what I do to my characters, I'm not sure I'd want to meet any of them.
My mood depends heavily on what happens to me right after I get up.
basically couple dragon far formative influences maybe none novels stick
I read a lot of the 'Pern books' growing up - basically up through 'All the Weyrs of Pern,' maybe a couple after that. As far as formative dragon influences are concerned, she's probably one of the top ones; I know I read other fantasy novels that had them, but none particularly stick in mind.
fields history honestly useful writer
I honestly think anthropology is one of the most useful fields a fantasy writer can study, more so even than history.
found fountain imagine soon turns
I'm a writer; as soon as I imagine what would happen if I found the fountain of youth, it turns into a dystopia in my head.
genre terry until via
I didn't really distinguish between genre and not-genre as a kid, until I made the transition to adult fantasy via Terry Brooks.