Guy Gavriel Kay...
From Shelf Awareness:
Interviewer David Powell: You are brilliant at capturing the romantic aspect of life, the sexual longing and fulfillments of the flesh. How do you approach this as a writer?
Guy Gavriel Kay: You do know this is almost begging for a joke about due and diligent research.... Honestly, I think it is another element of fiction that comes back to imagination and empathy, and perhaps also, in a larger sense, to a core belief in respecting my readers. In assuming they are interested in, and willing to explore with me, complex figures experiencing complex lives, which can (and will) include the erotic and emotional.
Interviewer David Powell: You stand out among modern male fantasy writers in being able to portray strong, fully realized heroines (Lin Shan in your new book [River of Stars] is only one example). What influences in your life made you more attuned to writing credible females?
Guy Gavriel Kay: Thank you. I admit I used to feel very flattered when readers made comments like this. But as I get older I have come to worry about what is embedded in the comment. If we can only write from our own stance or perspective, how do we do any fiction that is not autobiography? How does a woman write a man? A young author do an elderly character? An Australian or Indian novelist create a Canadian? A decent person create an evil character? In the end, all of this comes down to imaginative empathy and to craft, and these are central to the writing process.