Welcome Allison!
What attracted you to the urban fantasy genre?
Well, I actually started writing more of a Paranormal Romance, but when I sold Brush of Darkness, I was asked to turn it into more of a UF. In a lot of ways that’s been much better for me – UF can be a little more flexible as far as writing rules goes, and that’s always a good thing. J Plus, I do like the kick-ass chick trope.
A Trace of Moonlight begins fairly soon after the end of A Sliver of Shadow, and Abby has lost her memories from drinking the lethe water. What was it like to write in her perspective when she didn't even know who she was?
I wanted to be very careful with this – I wanted to make sure the sacrifice she made did have an impact on the story (which is why I ended Sliver where I did – anything else would have sorta lessened that impact.) On the other hand, I didn’t want to spend half the next book with an amnesiac as a protag – that would be extremely frustrating for readers who are familiar with the other books and the world.
I love that a large chunk of the new book takes place in Faerie and we get to see more of that world. How much was inspired by actual lore, and how much have you invented?
I build off of what I already knew lore-wise, but for the most part, I’m just making it up as I go. There are some familiar faerie tropes involved - i.e. the seelie/unseelie courts, for example, but they’re a bit different than some of the traditional concepts.
How has Abby's relationship and attitude toward the Fae changed since she's become more involved with their world?
Of course. She’s not as wary of it as she was, particularly because so much of her duties appear to be entwined with it…plus her family is heavily connected as well. Doesn’t mean she wants to live there, though.
Things are getting more complicated between Abby and her suitors Brystion and Talivar as well. Do you think most fans have a favorite by now, and can you give us any hints about what's in store for these lovebirds?
Yeah – I’ve seen some rumblings about Team Ion or Team Talivar, and that hadn’t really been my goal with the triangle. Yes, a choice is made by the end of ToM, though readers may need to read between the lines a bit, but it is there. I’m not particularly fond of writing triangles, so I really did my best to make sure both men were potentially good matches for her. Plus, even though her relationship with both guys is fairly important to the story overall, I didn’t want it to *become* the story. The current storyline crisis requires everyone to work together, regardless of what their emotional drama is.
What kinds of stories and characters do you enjoy reading and writing the most?
Anything fantasy based , really. I’m not overly fond of contemporary stories and I’m miserable at writing them. Everything else is fine!
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to write a novel series?
I think it really depends on the type of writer. Obviously, if you’re a hard-core plotter, it makes sense to have everything outlined out. I’m a panster so I don’t always know where I’m going or how I’m going to get there…although usually I *do* know how a story arc is going to end, so as long as I have that goal in mind, I just wander my way through until I get there.
I think the key to a series is making sure each book needs to be told. (Sometimes we see series that appear to drag, book after book – it’s hard to keep an audience that way).
Can you tell us what you're working on now, and if you have any plans for other series in the works?
Sure! There’s a short story dealing with Melanie coming out in an upcoming anthology in August 2013, and I’ve got a 6 page comic book story coming out early next year in Womanthology: Space #5. I also have a free online graphic novel you can find at http://www.sadsausagedogs.com (The story is about a runaway princess and her cursed kitsune companion, but each chapter is loosely based on a contemporary fairy tale.) Otherwise I’m writing more of a straightforward fantasy (with a few steampunk elements) that I’m pretty excited about.
Sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Thanks for having me!
Things are getting more complicated between Abby and her suitors Brystion and Talivar as well. Do you think most fans have a favorite by now, and can you give us any hints about what's in store for these lovebirds?
Yeah – I’ve seen some rumblings about Team Ion or Team Talivar, and that hadn’t really been my goal with the triangle. Yes, a choice is made by the end of ToM, though readers may need to read between the lines a bit, but it is there. I’m not particularly fond of writing triangles, so I really did my best to make sure both men were potentially good matches for her. Plus, even though her relationship with both guys is fairly important to the story overall, I didn’t want it to *become* the story. The current storyline crisis requires everyone to work together, regardless of what their emotional drama is.
What kinds of stories and characters do you enjoy reading and writing the most?
Anything fantasy based , really. I’m not overly fond of contemporary stories and I’m miserable at writing them. Everything else is fine!
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to write a novel series?
I think it really depends on the type of writer. Obviously, if you’re a hard-core plotter, it makes sense to have everything outlined out. I’m a panster so I don’t always know where I’m going or how I’m going to get there…although usually I *do* know how a story arc is going to end, so as long as I have that goal in mind, I just wander my way through until I get there.
I think the key to a series is making sure each book needs to be told. (Sometimes we see series that appear to drag, book after book – it’s hard to keep an audience that way).
Can you tell us what you're working on now, and if you have any plans for other series in the works?
Sure! There’s a short story dealing with Melanie coming out in an upcoming anthology in August 2013, and I’ve got a 6 page comic book story coming out early next year in Womanthology: Space #5. I also have a free online graphic novel you can find at http://www.sadsausagedogs.com (The story is about a runaway princess and her cursed kitsune companion, but each chapter is loosely based on a contemporary fairy tale.) Otherwise I’m writing more of a straightforward fantasy (with a few steampunk elements) that I’m pretty excited about.
Sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Thanks for having me!
A Trace of Moonlight
Book Three Abby
Sinclair series
Allison Pang
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date of Publication: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 1439198365
Number of pages: 400
Book Description:
Abby’s pact with a demon—whether or not she remembers making it—is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that (in the words of a daemon who knows better) there’s nearly always a loophole. But her friends’ reckless attempts to free her, well intentioned though they may be, set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal and gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. She might have even been able to recover from all that had she not lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld and put its very existence in jeopardy.
Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.
A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang
turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect
Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and
nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys….Well, at least the marine biology
part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes,
and gorgeous violinists.
She spends her days in Northern Virginia working
as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the
occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she
just makes it up as she goes.
2 comments:
Very excited about this book and can't wait to see how Abby ends up. I have loved the first two in series!
From what I've seen of Allison Pang's work it's all filled with a great amount of awesomesauce and hmm, some bacon of cause ;-)
Post a Comment