Laurell K. Hamilton

Biography

Con Bio - May be used by anyone hosting a signing, con or interview. Hi res photos of Laurell can be found at: Media


Interviews with Laurell


Photo courtesy of Lauretta Allen

Copy righted to Laurell K. Hamilton









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Laurell has always been fascinated with the darker side of things. Staying up late, alone, as a child to catch the Creature Feature on television. When Laurell was 13, she discover a short story collection titled "Pigeons from Hell". "It was the first heroic fantasy I'd read. It was fights, swords, monsters I decided not only did I want to become a writer, it was this I wanted to write". She chanced upon another book in the high school library " The Natural History of the Vampire". She read it so many times she nearly memorized it. When it's suggested that her choice of creepy films and stories were unseemly when her friends' companions were dolls: "I wasn't like most girls" she said.

Laurell does not shy away from sex or violence in her books. "I was a kiss to be so believable it give the reader shivers. Two things I do well are sex and violence, but I don't want gratuitous sex or violence. The sex and violence is only as graphic as need be. And never included unless it furthers the plot, world building or character development. Everyone [in the book] has someone to lust after, but Anita is like me. She doesn't see herself as a lust object."

From Darla:
A question that gets asked a lot is "What is Laurell really like?". Hmmmm.... She is not Anita, though you can see bits of Anita in her. She is the truly the warm, generous, friendly person you see at cons and signings. I am blessed by her continuing friendship.

Before her writing career kept her so busy she volunteered at an animal shelter. Not as a keeper but as a person who went out and shared time and love with unwanted pets. Unfortunately, she had to drop that from her busy schedule. She says that all work and no play makes the writer grumpy. But I have never seen her act that way. She writes as fast as she can manage. And that brings up the topic of publication dates. Laurell does not set these, the publisher does. It is a complicated formula of length of time from last book by author, other authors who are publishing something, printer schedules and multiple bookhouses juggling. Laurell has little control over the when.

I know she wishes she could answer each fan mail herself. But if she did that we would get no books! She gets a lot of mail. And for those wondering, Laurell is a self admitted technophobe (read the computer confuses her), though she is learning to use the email with help from her friends.

The awe she generates often confuses her. She sees herself as an ordinary person, nothing special. She writes because to not write even for her own enjoyment would be like not breathing. It is just something she has to do. Thankfully she is willing to share that wonderful talent with us all.

Laurell K. Hamilton resides in St. Louis County in Missouri with her family.



Some information for this biography were taken from a St. Louis Post Dispatch Newspaper interview in 1996.


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Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the THE HARLEQUIN , number fifteen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve. There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now five novels exceeding one million copies in print. A LICK OF FROST, the sixth in the series debuted October 23, 2007. She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, two pug dogs and one boxer/pug dog. She invites you to visit her website and message board at www.laurellkhamilton.org or catch her on MySpace at www.myspace.com/laurellkhamilton.



VIDEO, AUDIO INTERVIEWS AND PODCASTS

Go to Podcasts by Laurell
This Week In Geek 09/07/07
Rhode Island Sci-Fi Video Interview
Upfront and Unscripted podcast from BEA 2007
Videos of Laurell at YouTube.
Marvel chats with Laurell - 2007
Fan Boy TV interview 07/07.
May 17, 2007 - Laurell answers questions from the message board.
Click here to hear the wolves howl from 06/29/05.
Fanboy Comic Radio Interview 11/12/2006
March 13th Laurell did a podcast on St. Louis and her books with Mayorslay.com (hint he is the mayor of the City of St. Louis).
Sex with Sue Interview- 3/2005
Eye On Books
Host Bill Thompson interviews Laurell about Caress of Twilight and on what it is like to write Anita.
Be sure to catch Bill's other two interviews with Laurell on Cerulean Sins and on The Craft Of Writing.
Eye On Books - Look for Hamilton, Laurell

Writers Roundtable with Antoinette Kuritz - 07/03 - approximately an hour long.
Part 1    Part 2    Part 3
Pam and Debbie have an interview with Laurell. Look under the Neckles and Eckert listing. http://www.bookcrazy.net/.
Book Crazy Network
Check out the Hour 25 interview with Laurell.
Hour 25


TEXT INTERVIEWS


Illusion Television Interview 12/07
Writers Digest Inteview by Maria Schneider
CoffeeTime Romance Interview

RBL Interviews Laurell K. Hamilton
Publishers Weekly interview 07/07
ING interview 07/12/07
ComixFan Interviews Laurell 07/07.
Dee at Enchanting Reviews has her interview with Laurell.
Interview with Laurell on the graphic novel.
The February 27, 2006 issue of Time Magazine has an interview with Laurell, Christine Feehan and MaryJanice Davidson.
Interview with Laurell: Aunt Bessie's How To Survive A Day Job While Pursuing the Creative Life A Joel Eisenbergh Presentation ISBN: 0-9767575-0-8
Here is a log of the chat Laurell did with Scifi.com on Oct. 22,2002. Scifi.com Chat
Interview by Paula Guran for Metropole Dungeons and Dragons 30th Anniversary book has an interview with Laurell in the Ravenloft section.
Orbit books has an interview with Laurell available at their website:Orbit Interview with Laurell K. Hamilton
The interview with Laurell can be read both in Hungarian and English at the following website: http://www.fantasya.hu/
Center For The Book
Crescent Blues' Cristopher DeRose recently chatted with Laurell. Check it out!
Cresent Blues Crescent Blues' Cristpher De Rose recently talked to Laurell.
Playback St. Louis featured Laurell on their front page in April 2003.
Two Headed Cat Interviews Laurell! (I just love saying that one.)
Two Headed Cat.
RBL Romantica has their issue up with an interview with Laurell. Drop by and read the interview then jump to the home page and read some of the articles!
Barnes and Noble Interview with Laurell - Laurell Hamilton Bites Back
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