Travels in Faerie: An Interview with Allison Pang

With the release of the third book in her Abby Sinclair urban fantasy series last month, Allison Pang has delivered another wonderfully fun and Faerie-centric story. I was able to snag some of her time and ask some burning questions about her books and craft. Follow the links at the end of the post to find her books on the web, and be sure to enter the drawing below to get your own copy of A Trace of Moonlight.

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!

A Trace of Moonlight

Book Three Abby  Sinclair series

Allison Pang

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Pocket Books
Date of Publication: October 30, 2012
ISBN: 1439198365
Number of pages: 400

Book Description:

Drinking from the waters of lethe and offering herself up as Faerie’s sacrificial Tithe …these just might be the least of Abby Sinclair’s problems. 

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.

Amazon          Kindle          Nook      Barnes & Noble

iTunes      Chapters           Google          Powell’s    Indiebound

Author Bio:

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.

http://www.heartofthedreaming.com

http://www.facebook.com/apang

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Pang/154530877925333

http://www.twitter.com/allison_pang

http://ionsfolly.tumblr.com

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3965895.Allison_Pang

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Why I love fantasy! ~ guest post by Ben Hennessy

Here at The Speculative Salon, we're very pleased to introduce a wonderful new fantasy author, Ben Hennessy. He's sharing his reasons why he loves fantasy, things I'm sure we all love! Be sure to check out his debut book, Queen of the World.

I love fantasy.

It’s bloody marvellous. You’ve got elves and goblins, fairies and orcs; creatures with ears of startling proportions. Old men stealing impressionable young children from their homes to teach them magic tricks without anyone wondering what the hell they’re doing. Big, looming evils threatening the world with voices so gravelled you could use them to stone your driveway.  Dragons, that bastion of all things swords ‘n’ sorcery, defying gravity and the very physics of flight by soaring with grace through the cold winter skies. Wars between races raging hundreds of years, sometimes for territory or expansion, but often just because they look and act strangely (A bit like the real world then, ho ho ho...).

Now, you might have noticed I’m picking out some obvious clichés in fantasy fiction and, perhaps, making fun of them. I’m not trying to be snarky here. I’ve written a fantasy novel, Queen of the World, so if I was trying to mock the genre I’d be pretty much shooting myself in the foot. I wasn’t lying when I said I love all of it. But the above paragraph isn’t far-fetched. Fantasy does have its stereotypes which have engrained themselves into pop culture. Same as gritty noir stories, about the hard-boiled detective sitting in a smoky office when the pretty woman turns up, (sexily) hiring him to find the man who’s trying to kill her. Or perhaps the action hero single-handedly storming an enemy compound, armed with a machine gun and a couple of hand grenades, who manages to utterly decimate the place without sustaining more than a few photogenic scratches. To the average person, fantasy means hobbits, swordplay, Merlin and dragons.

So why point this out? Visitors to the Speculative Salon probably have a fair grasp of the world of fantasy fiction. I’m not exactly revealing anything new. And that’s the crux of this flighty little guest post. Fantasy fiction succeeds in unison with all the clichés and preconceptions. A good writer and a strong story, populated with interesting characters, drag us in because we know what we’re getting. A whole world created for us by the author. Something we already enjoy, but in a way we haven’t seen before. Are all fantasy novels rip-offs of Lord of the Rings? No, and damned right they shouldn’t be. Do fantasy novels generally deal with similar themes? I’d argue yes.

 It isn’t important for our hero to pull up in a Toyota and step outside to light a Marlboro, before casing out the local Starbucks. Why? Because the author creates his-or-her own cultural highlights, deciding what they drink, eat and wear. Maybe the characters ride horses, maybe they ride snakes. Maybe they ride sharks through an underwater location. (In fact, I should make a note of that. Shark mounts would be amazing.)

The citizens of a fantasy world would probably find Easter to be a hilariously odd holiday – a giant rabbit gives out chocolate eggs to celebrate the death of a man two thousand years previous! – and that’s fine. Why? Because authors give them their holidays. The national religion, the remembrances and the important dates.

Fantasy authors can create languages, icons and deities. They can produce fables, myths and legends. It’s all up for grabs, and it’s all thematically set to a backdrop of majestic scenery, towering cities and salt-of-the-earth heroes. Throw in a dwarf or a gryphon here and there to see if it works. If it doesn’t? Take it out again and try something else. There are no limits when you’re world building. There are no restrictions when you’re crafting civilizations. This is why I love fantasy. When I pick up a new novel from an author I haven’t heard of before, it’s like stepping through that cupboard into Narnia all over again. I’m trusting them to give me a whole new reality to lose myself within, and ready to open my mind to all of their creations. We, as fans, know what we’re getting, and yet it can always surprise us. Hopefully, Queen of the World will provide that same comforting sense of immersion, while maintaining a sufficient sprinkling of originality which defines each novel from the next. We don’t need elves, old wizards and diabolical evils every single time, but we do need that grand flavour so specific to fantasy. It’s why we keep coming back for more.

Blurb Queen of the World~

 

In the legends, the Four saved the world from war and poverty. These incredible men walked the lands, seeking an audience with the ruler of each nation. They demanded that humanity focus its efforts on education, trade and culture. No longer would the people face starvation and terror. This commandment was enforced with displays of miraculous power. After all, it is difficult to argue with the Gods. Once finished, the Four left with a promise: If ever your people fall back into darkness, then we shall return.

Now, over five centuries later, Sarene grows tired of her village life. Suffocated by the confines of her surroundings and the overbearing protection of her family, she yearns to have an adventure of her own.

But the world outside is not as tranquil as it seems.

And Sarene is already in danger.

 

Author Bio~
Ben Hennessy is an exciting new author from Essex, England. Brought up on a literary diet including the likes of Stephen King, David Gemmell, Terry Pratchett and David Eddings, he looks to take all these elements and create a unique style of fiction which blends heroic fantasy and a subtle sense of wry humour. Having spent the last decade working various jobs in locations such as Ireland, New Zealand and Vietnam, he is now hoping to forge a new career as a full-time writer.

His debut novel, Queen of the World, is scheduled for release Summer, 2012. Due to be published by Inspired Quill, it tells the story of a young girl who finds herself at the centre of a whirlwind of political ambition, deadly creatures and men who are as Gods.

When he is not poking his keyboard, Ben enjoys travelling the world, finding new music and crashing parties.

Author Links~ 
 http://www.hennessywrites.com
Twitter, @HennessyWrites