Get to Know Author Anna Kashina

by Sarah | Aug 12, 2014 | Author Interview, Guest Authors, Writing

Personal

• Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I have two lives: a scientist and a fantasy author. Some say this keeps both halves of my brain busy. This is probably true, judging by how difficult it is to keep up. I try to stay grounded by looking at the world through the eyes of my Majat warriors, all of them exceptional warriors with perfectly balanced minds–at least when it comes to fighting.

• Do you have a day job? 

I do biomedical research and teach at major a university. None of these activities can possibly explain why I write fantasy in my spare time.

• Do you have a saying or motto for your life and/or as a writer? 

Yes, my motto is “never give up”. I had to put it to the test many times, at it has never failed me yet.

• Where can people find you on the web? Where can they read more about your books? 

www.annakashina.com (links to my blog at http://annakashinablog.wordpress.com/)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Kashina/215289654593

https://twitter.com/annakashina

Your Novel

• What is your book about?

“The Guild of Assassins” is the second stand-alone installment in my epic fantasy adventure series, which opened earlier this year with “Blades of the Old Empire”. On the action side, it is about a group of people fighting an ancient and very powerful magical order. On the emotion side, this book is of course about love. But then, on a big scale–what book isn’t?…

• What about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 

Personally, I love the concept of the Majat warriors, which are, essentially ninjas in the European setting. They are martial artists brought up and trained in a world that resembles medieval Europe, complete with armored knights and heavy weapons. When I developed this concept, I was curious at how they would fare against different kinds of opponents. I have to say, they tend to do surprisingly well.

My book features several of those warriors, whose occupation is somewhat similar to assassins, or sometimes elite guards for hire. It gives a glimpse of very personal sides of their lives. Readers who enjoy action with elements of romance evolving around highly skilled, notorious warriors, would hopefully like my book.

• Are the names of the characters in your novel important? 

I do pay great attention to names when I create my characters. Usually, each particular character only has one name that fits him/her. Sometimes these names just pop up. Sometimes I have to go  through a lot of variants to identify the right one. It can take days, even weeks, to name a character–and of course the name then drives the personality and therefore I cannot write until this is done. Characters with difficult names can become a holdback.

• How much of yourself is hidden in the characters in the book? 

You have to become your character to write from his/her point of view convincingly. I tend to think that each of their personalities is hidden somewhere inside me, but in truth some of them are nothing like me. It feels as if becoming possessed by someone when writing. Of course, I hope my good characters share a lot of my positive traits, but all these faults–no idea where they get that from! 🙂

• Who is your most unusual/most likeable character? 

Mai, an assassin with a special skill to kill warriors of equal rank. He started as a secondary character in “Blades of the Old Empire”, but he quickly occupied the story and became the central character in “The Guild of Assassins”, even though he does not have a point of view. It has been rewarding for me to see some of his fans emerge after the release of the Blades. I hope these fans will feel rewarded when they read the current book.

• What was your favorite part or chapter, and why? 

I have to say, in “The Guild of Assassins”, which has a very strong underlying romance story, I really enjoyed all the love scenes. There is a total of four in the book, and I just feel they all make so much sense. Writing these scenes was, of course, a very personal thing, I am not sure how many readers will share this feeling.

Among the non-romantic parts, my favorite chapter is called “Diplomacy”. In this chapter, two main characters, both rivals for the same woman’s affections, are locked together in a room and get to say whatever they want to each other. These two guys have amazing chemistry, I really enjoyed watching them get all these feelings off their chests.

Writing

• How many people (i.e. characters) have you done away with in the course of your career? Have you ever regretted killing one of them off? 

Oh, well, this touches on a sensitive subject. I hope I am giving no spoilers by saying that I don’t believe in killing main characters. I don’t think I have ever read a book where this was justified or benefited the story in any way, no exceptions. I guess this probably says a lot right there about myself and my writing.

I do kill secondary characters sometimes, and I never feel good about it. Sometimes it is just necessary to the plot. I try not to do it too often.

• How much impact does your childhood have on your writing?

I was fortunate to be mentored by my amazing grandfather, Vladimir Keilis-Borok, who was my true soul mate and the man I credit with shaping me into the person I am. My serious writing started in high school, when he and I co-wrote a historical novel, “In the Name of the Queen”, published in Russian under pen names. He passed away last year, after “The Guild of Assassins” has been completed, and I dedicated “The Majat Code” series to him. He read, and loved, both books.

• What’s your writing schedule like? Do you strive for a certain amount of words each day? 

I have an extremely crazy life with no time for anything, so I developed a habit of writing in short stretches every time I can sit down in front of my computer. Sometimes these stretches can be 10-minute long, but amazingly they still work. I do dream of having some uninterrupted time, but it only happens occasionally.

• How many stories are swirling around in your head? Do you keep a mental list, a computer file, or a spiral notebook filled with the ideas? 

Too many for my own good :-). And yes, I do keep a mental list. I also shift between them occasionally, even though I do try to stick to one major project at a time.

• What are you working on now? 

I am finishing the edits on the prequel to the series, and working on the first draft of Book 3 of the Majat Code, tentatively titled “Assassin Queen”.

• Have you written any other books? 

In addition to the Majat Code books, I wrote three other novels, all of them quite different from the current series. Full list can be found on my blog and web site at www.annakashina.com

Fun (Crazy, odd questions just for fun)

• Have you ever gone out in public in mis-matched shoes, or with your shirt on backward, and when you realized it just said ‘eh, screw it’? 

Yes, I did wear mis-matched shoes once. I was in graduate school then. When I left home I was so deeply absorbed in a scientific problem that I did not notice putting on two different shoes. In the subway I looked down at my feet and saw that the color of the shoe laces did not match — I was wearing sneakers, one white and one gray with green laces. Somehow the color of the shoes escaped me, but the laces caught my eye. I remember thinking “I heard it is fashionable to wear shoe laces of different colors. I guess I am dressed fashionably today.” Then I went back to thinking on my scientific problem, and only when I arrived at work did I realize I was wearing different shoes. Possibly it wasn’t until after a co-worked pointed it out. At that time I thought, “Wow, I am acting like a true scientist”–and of course went back to thinking about science without giving it a second throught. Recalling this afterwards was funny, but during the whole episode it somehow all made perfect sense.

• Are you a neat freak? Or clutter-bound? 

I used to be neat. Then something clicked and I became a clutterer (is there such a word?). It does not help that I like collecting things and never throw anything away. Ugh.

• If you could have a super power, what would it be? 

Stopping the time, so that I could fit more things in a day. I would love to be able to heal and stop death, but that is against the rules, is it?

• Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten. 

You don’t want to know :-). I am one of these people who would try anything if I was told it’s edible. This particular one was a kind of bean curd, fermented and flavored to taste and smell exactly like feces. I have no idea what possessed me to put a piece in my mouth, even though everyone around me was eating and enjoying it, but I could not wash off the smell for several days.

It was in China. By comparison, deep-fried scorpions I ate on another day, seemed very tasty and completely natural.

Quick Questions

• Sing in the rain or dance in the streets? 

Dance in the streets for sure. I have done it, too.

• Pen or pencil? 

A very particular type of soft ballpoint pen.

• Summer or Winter? 

Summer. Despite growing up in Russia I am unable to tolerate cold. Not to mention those long nights I had too much of when I was little. Just seeing dusk at 4 pm makes me depressed.

• Movies or TV? 

Um. Both?…

• Theater or DVD? 

DVD. I like to watch movies in the comfort of my own home, and I have issues with overly amplified sound.

• Facial hair or clean shaven? 

Clean shaven, always. My readers may notice that any romantic hero I ever write about would have smooth skin and hairless chest. For some reason I can’t stand the thought of facial or body hair–romantically speaking, of course 🙂

• Fall leaves or Spring flowers? 

Spring flowers. I like beginnings. I don’t like a sense of something coming to an end.

*~*

| Amazon | BN | Random House |

Blurb

Kara, an elite warrior from the Majat Guild, has escaped execution and achieved something that no Majat has ever managed – freedom from the Guild!

But the Black Diamond assassin Mai has been called back to face his punishment for sparing her life. Determined to join his fight or share his punishment, Kara finds herself falling for Mai.

Is their relationship – and the force that makes their union all-powerful – a tool to defeat the overpowering forces of the Kaddim armies, or a ploy sure to cause the downfall of the Majat?
Link to Follow Tour: http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2014/06/now-booking-tasty-virtual-tour-for_7.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19325184-the-guild-of-assassins

Author Info

Anna Kashina grew up in Russia and moved to the United States in 1994 after receiving her Ph.D. in cell biology from the Russian Academy of Sciences. She works as a biomedical researcher and combines career in science with her passion for writing. Anna’s interests in ballroom dancing, world mythologies and folklore feed her high-level interest in martial arts of the Majat warriors. She is a recent medalist in the ForeWord Book of the Year and Independent Publishers Book Award contests.

Author Links

http://annakashinablog.wordpress.com/

https://twitter.com/annakashina

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Kashina/215289654593

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