A Bowl of Questions

Patty Bryant: Live from Brooklyn!

Vampires, dragons, and clones, oh my.

It is with the utmost pleasure that we see the return of Tremontaine author Patty Bryant to the Back of the Box. She stopped by to answer some questions for us and to remind everyone that all of Tremontaine season 1 is available for your binge reading and/or listening pleasure!In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that returns readers to the beloved world of Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a passionate young Scholar with dreams beyond his reach; a Foreign spy in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a Genius on the brink of scientific revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, the stakes are high, and more than lives may be lost. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue.Released in weekly episodes, Tremontaine began October 28th and is written by Ellen Kushner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Joel Derfner, Racheline Maltese, and Patty Bryant.Read it or learn more at Serial Box.com!

Tremontaine Episode 6
Tremontaine Series Cover
headshot_bryant

Can you describe your most recent project in one sentence?I’ve just begun a brand new project, so I haven’t worked out most of the details yet, but: historical romance with powerful heroines, a variety of settings, and plenty of satisfying sex scenes. Well, that’s what I’m aiming for. I hope readers will find it as fun as I do!Where are you a local?Currently I live in Brooklyn. I’ve been in NYC now for about nine years, which makes me so happy. When I was growing up in Ohio, I always had a bit of an idealized view of New York City, and the fact that I had the chance to move here and stay for so long has been the fulfillment of a dream. I love the city – even when it’s crowded and annoying.Who is your favorite writer outside your genre?I’m a huge fan of Barbara Hambly. She writes in an incredibly wide span of genres, most of which I can’t imagine writing in myself; her books include space opera, graphic novels, vampires, dragons, clones, spies, and more. Most importantly to me, she introduced me to the mystery genre, of which I’ve since become a voracious reader.Though I still can’t imagine writing a mystery myself.You now have a time machine – to where and when do you go?I have a degree in archaeology, so most people assume that I’d leap at any opportunity to travel to the past. But the truth is, I like it best right now! I’m not going anywhere that doesn’t have modern medicine, indoor plumbing, and ebooks.Where is your happy place?When I’m writing, my happy place is a total cliche: I like to take my laptop to the local coffee shop and order a cup of tea. Yes, I am a sad Brooklyn hipster.Last thing you read that made you think, “Well damn, that was cool…”I recently read Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho and fell in love. The book takes the Regency romance of Georgette Heyer, the terrifying aunts and madcap antics of P.G. Wodehouse, the untrustworthy fairies of Tam Lin, and mixes it all up with a modern understanding of racism, sexism, and colonialism. It’s funny, touching, and inventive, and I can’t wait until the sequel comes out.If your soul was manifested outside of your body in the form of an animal (like in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series), what would it be?One of my favorite writing games (by which I mean ways to procrastinate) is figuring out what daemons each of my characters would have. I like it because it’s a way to consider new aspects of their personalities, to think about the difference between how they see themselves and how other people see them, and to determine what their most fundamental attribute is.But when it comes to figuring out my own daemon, of course I’m far too complex and changeable to be boiled down to a single animal! And so every time I think I’ve chosen a daemon for myself, I change my mind a few days later. At least for today, my daemon would probably be an otter: playful, curious, and loves water, not a big predator – I’m not tough enough for that! – but not prey either. That seems like a good summary of me.Patty Bryant is a cafe-based writer who publishes in the romance genre under several different pen names. She has an M.A. in archaeology from New York University and, when she is not in the field, lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is passionate about tea, nail polish, and horror movies.

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