Robots and Vamps

Our friends at Media Masters Publicity sent RaV headquarters the 2nd book in the YA urban fantasy series by Lesley Livingston.  Darklight continues Kelley Winslow’s story, alternating between the Otherworld and the mortal realm.

Dust Jacket Summary: Faerie can’t lie . . . or can they?

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power. Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.

With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with Wondrous Strange.

And – Here is a Q&A with Author Lesley Livingston:

1. Were you surprised with the huge response and instant fan base you received from your debut novel, Wondrous Strange?

I was, a little. Surprised and gratified! There’s nothing like getting your first fan mail. And when you get it before the book has even hit the shelves—when all the general public knows about it a title and maybe a plot description and cover art—you sit up and think to yourself that there is something going on here. That you’ve tapped into a wish for a certain kind of story. And then when the responses keep coming in after the book is out there and they say such wonderful things, it’s lovely and humbling at the same time.

2. Did any feedback you received from your fans influence you when writing Darklight?

I’m not sure if the (awesome!) feedback I received exactly influenced the plot of Darklight… I pretty much knew where I wanted to take the story before I started writing it… but what it did do was make me aware of just how much readers cared about these characters. They cared about them just as much as I did… and so that made me very aware of how I treated them in the second book. It made me keep a very close eye on some of them to make sure I was doing them justice.

3. Why did you select Central Park, rather than, for example, The Empire State Building or the subway, as the point where the mortal and Otherworld realms meet?

Because it’s one of the most magical places I have ever been! When I first went to New York I was wowed by the city as a whole, but I was absolutely captivated by Central Park. Even in February. It was utter infatuation at first sight. I did the touristy stuff on that trip – carriage ride, Tavern on the Green (both of which are now plot points in Wondrous Strange) but I also became fascinated by certain landmarks in the park – by the fantastic, otherworldly landscapes of the Shakespeare Garden and the Ramble and the Lake, by the statue of the Indian Hunter (a source of inspiration for Sonny Flannery and the Janus Guard in the book) and by the Carousel – which is the fourth one to stand on that spot – two previous incarnations having burnt to the ground. Back home, I couldn’t get the park out of my head. The whole place just struck me as somehow mythic. And a really good location to stick a story (obviously – I mean, writers have been doing that forever!).

4. What character in Darklight has been the most interesting to work with? What would happen if that character were real?

I introduce a new character into the story in Darklight. He’s alluded to in the first book, but only very tangentially. In this book, he comes very much to the forefront as a malevolent adversary that Sonny and Kelley find themselves facing off against. The character, like most of the Otherworldly beings in the books is based on a mythological creature but with my own particular slant that takes a much darker view of the reality behind the lore. He was a lot of fun to write.

If he were real? We should all be very worried. Personally, I would tend to avoid outdoor spaces with lots of landscaping and I might get rid of any potted plants in the house. Just as a precaution.

5. Which character most closely resembles you?

I think there’s a little bit of me in just about every character I write (yes, even the naughty ones!) but there are, of course, a few who come the closest. You might think Kelley is the obvious choice because we share a similar background in the theatre and similar experiences… but otherwise, were not all that similar. I think she’s braver than I am and maybe a little more reckless. (Also, I’m not a Faerie princess. That I know of.)

I do, however, think that Tyff (Kelley’s model/Faerie roommate) and I have a lot in common attitude-wise. Most of the things that come out of Tyff’s mouth are the same things that would come out of mine. We’ve both got the same kind of smart-ass, sardonic thing going on. Now if I just had her height, and bone structure, and wardrobe, I’d be set.

6. What songs do you think Kelley Winslow, the seventeen-year-old actress/ Faeries princess, would have on her ipod? Any special ones meant just for Sonny?

In fact, Kelley has entire playlists! (Or at least, I do—my boyfriend creates one for me for every book I write.) She’s got some Arcade Fire on there, a lot of U2, The Killers, Kings of Leon (especially Manhattan), Blue October, also some older stuff; Peter Gabriel, Springsteen, the Beatles, Robbie Robertson, The Police, Roxy Music (she likes the classics). A couple of songs that always make her think of Sonny are Dave Matthews Band’s Crush, The Waterboys’ When Ye Go Away, Clannad (w. Bono) In a Lifetime, INXS’s Afterglow…

7. Your stories are steeped in Faerie lore and Shakespearean references. How much research in these areas did you do prior to writing Wondrous Strange and Darklight?

I’ve been a Shakespearian actor for the better part of two decades now, and I have a Masters Degree in English with a specialization in the subject, so I didn’t have to do all that much active research in that respect. Same thing with Faerie lore, I suppose. I’ve been fascinated by Faerie lore since I was a kid. The stories that intrigued me the most, though, were never the ones that portrayed the Fae as tiny, sweet, sparkly things. Rather, I was drawn to the idea that these were the creatures that existed beyond the circle of firelight, or just on the other side of the threshold, or just over that far hill; things only ever glimpsed out of the corner of your eye – if you were lucky! I love the dangerous aspects of the Fair Folk. I did have to research detail stuff, and I did a lot of digging into the history of Central Park, but the rest of it, I’ve really just been researching my whole life.

8. If you could meet an infamous Faerie who would it be and why?

Puck, definitely. He’s one of my favorite characters in the Wondrous Strange series and we get along very well. I think it would be a riot to go out to a pub with him and just listen to him tell stories of all the various mischief and mayhem he’s caused down through the years. Although, I’d keep an eye out to make sure he didn’t stiff me on the bill or steal my wallet or anything like that. Also, I’d be polite. You never want to get on the bad side of a boucca. Never.

9. You’ve become a hot commodity in the urban fantasy genre. What’s next for you?

Well, what’s next is Darklight, and then the third book in the Wondrous Strange trilogy (which is, at present, nameless). Then I have another YA fantasy in the works that I’m very excited about. I’ve also got a fairly epic idea for yet another story that would involve fantasy elements and a sweeping romance. Plus, I’m not entirely convinced I’ve left the world of Wondrous Strange behind for good…there are potentially a few Otherworldly tales that remain yet to be told.