Interview & Giveaway: Lesley Livingston -Darklight

I’m so pleased to welcome the author of the Wondrous Strange trilogy, Lesley Livingston today.  Sadly, Lesley misunderstood my last question regarding her nerd qualifications and listed a bunch of awesome qualifications instead. Oh well.  At least she’s generous: The second book in the series Darklight was published in January (you can read my review HERE) and you can win a copy at the end of this interview!

Lesley is a writer and actor living in Toronto, Canada.  Captivated at a young age by stories of mythology and folk lore, past civilizations, and legendary heroes, she developed into a full-fledged Celtic Mythology Geek, steeped in stories of the Otherworld, Faeries and King Arthur. Lesley went on to earn a Master’s Degree in English from the University of Toronto specializing in Shakespeare and Arthurian literature. She is also a founding member and principal performer with TEMPEST THEATRE GROUP.

Interview

ATUF: Can you give us any details about the next Wondrous Strange book?  Will it be the last one in the series?

LL: I can tell you that it is the last one in this particular series. Now – that doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t revisit the same universe in subsequent stories (I have a few ideas simmering away as a matter of fact), but it is the end of this particular story arc. Book 3 answers (hopefully!) the questions that have been hanging in the air over Sonny and Kelley’s heads and will resolve the mystery of who is behind all the chaos and upheaval. And it will also reveal the ultimate fate of….. wait. That would be telling! ;-)

ATUF: How much of the mythology of your faeries is based on lore and how much did you invent?

LL: The books are rooted pretty firmly in authentic Faerie lore. The marvelous thing about this particular mythology is its tremendous malleability. There are, for example, several different folkloric traditions concerning the Wild Hunt, numerous varying accounts of Sirens and Black Shuck and Leprechauns (oh my!), and wildly differing interpretations of the Fae Courts. I was able to pick and choose which versions and elements best suited my purposes and, going from there, I was able to build my own cohesive version of Faerie and give it an internal logic without ever having to carelessly contradict traditional lore. That was important to me and important to the underpinnings of the story. Books that profess to be based on familiar tropes which then ignore those tropes drive me bonkers – if you’re going to ignore the mythology you’re ostensible basing your story on, they why are you writing that story in the first place?

ATUF: Wondrous Strange was linked with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Darklight was linked with Romeo & Juliet, and I read that the next book will be linked with The Tempest.  How much of an inspiration were these plays when it came to writing these books?  Did you consider any of Shakespeare’s other works for inspiration?

LL: The plays – and Shakespeare, in general – were very inspirational. Of course, the entire series takes its impetus from the fairies in Shakespeare’s MSND, but I also had a great deal of fun incorporating the other two plays in the subsequent books. I definitely wanted to use R&J in the second book because the themes in Darklight play upon the star-crossed lovers idea of that play, along with the recklessness of young love and – of course – it is the play which specifically mentions Queen Mab (although, I’m quite sure my version of Mabh would say that Mercutio totally has his facts screwed up where she’s concerned!). In book three, The Tempest is mirrored in several thematic ways throughout the story. I wanted to use this play because it is so Otherworldly and magical in so many ways and I love the character of Ariel. There are actually quite a few instances of supernatural occurrences throughout Shakespeare and I think it’s very interesting to see how the Elizabethans were closer in a lot of ways and more accepting of the concept of the ‘paranormal’ world existing alongside our own.

ATUF: I mentioned in my review of Darklight that Fennrys was my favorite character.  How did you come up with his character and can you give us any hints about his role in the next book?  Is there a love interest coming up for him?

LL: Ah… Fennrys. He’s one of those characters that sort of sprang from my head fully formed. Even in the beginning stages of writing Wondrous Strange, when I first described the members of the Janus Guard, he was a very clear, strong presence and I had a sneaking suspicion in those early days that he would play a larger part in books to come. I so totally don’t want to give anything away about his story arc – but I can tell you that I’m having an awful lot of fun with it. (Of course, writers are usually happiest when we’re torturing our characters in one way or another, so I’m not necessarily saying that’s a good thing for ol’ Fenn…)

I’m awfully glad you’re enjoying him, though! He does seem to be getting a fair bit of blog-luv, I’ve noticed! ;-)

ATUF: The clover necklace that Kelley wears in the book (and on the covers) is gorgeous.  Was this inspired by a piece you own?

LL: It was, in fact, something that I dreamed up in my head and then – much to my delight – I actually found one that fit the description exactly in real life… and promptly purchased it! I knew right from the start that I wanted Kelley to wear a clover charm because of the Faerie lore I’ve associated with it and I decided to make it out of amber – specifically green amber – because it just fit so well with the mythology of the book: as Kelley’s aunt describes it – amber is the blood of very old trees. The necklace on the cover isn’t exactly the same as the one I own, but it is a lovely representation of what the it might look like when the magick in the stones begins to fire up. If you want to see what the real thing looks like, it appears in the book trailer for Darklight (near the end) and I’m also wearing it in a video interview I did – both of which are posted on the Darklight Goodreads page!

ATUF: In Darklight, Central Park is the home of one of the four gates to the Faerie realm.  What was it about that location that appealed to you?

LL: If you’ve ever been to Central Park – and I highly recommend it – you’d see that the place is utterly enchanting all by itself. I was enamored from the minute I set eyes on it. It just seemed so perfectly magical to me that I knew instantly that I had to set this story there. And then I started to delve into the history of the Park a bit and that became even more apparent. It really is extraordinary and it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to find out that there really is a Gate to another realm hidden in there somewhere.

ATUF: Are there any plans to adapt the Wondrous Strange books into movies?  And if so do you have a dream cast in mind?

LL: Wondrous Strange has actually been optioned – although whether for film or television remains to be seen at this point! (Fingers x-ed for both or either! Hollywood can be a very strange place…) That being said, I haven’t the faintest idea who I’d cast. A couple of fabulous unknowns for Sonny and Kelley maybe… and I’d love to see Andy Serkis play Bob. Beyond that? Not a clue! You guys tell me who you’d like to see!

ATUF: What are some of your favorite books in this genre?

LL: In YA in general – I’m in love with Suzanne Collins’ stuff. In YA Faerie stories, I thought Lisa Mantchev’s Eyes Like Stars was a great deal of fun (she and I share both the theatre and faeries – in wildly different ways) and I’m really looking forward to her upcoming Perchance to Dream. I also really enjoyed RJ Anderson’s Faery Rebels. That’s the really recent stuff. Historically, I loved the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay and Mary Stewart’s Crystal Cave books.

ATUF: You recently announced on your blog about your next book: ONCE EVERY NEVER, about a modern teen girl who spirals back in time to Rome's bloody conquest of Britain -- where she befriends the daughter of a fiery queen, falls for a fierce warrior prince, and discovers that she may be the only hope of averting a devastating blood-curse.  Is this the start of a new series? 

LL: That would be lovely! (She says grinning widely…) Once Every Never is, at present, a stand-alone book. But I have a very clear idea of where things go after that and, if given the opportunity, would love to explore the story further.

ATUF: You are listed as the Literature and Fantasy Correspondent for the site Hardcore Nerdity.  What is one of the nerdiest things about you?

LL: Oh dear. There are so many things. Um… I can pretty much recite all of the dialogue from Monty Python and the Holy Grail on command. I totally geeked out all over Hugh Jackman when I met him on the set of X-Men (he was in full Wolverine costume – you would have geeked out too!). To this day I have a crush on Captain Kirk – in both incarnations. I own motion-activated 18 inch tall figurines of Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas. I also own a replica of the puppet from the Smile Time Theatre episode of Angel. I dressed as a Klingon for Halloween one year and won a contest. I dressed as the DC Comics superhero Zatanna last year and won another. I stand with those that believe ‘Han Shot First!’. I spent several years as a late night sci-fi B-movie host on a nationally broadcast t.v. station playing a character called the Waitron-9000 – a sparkly holographic waitress with an encyclopaedic knowledge of movie trivia. I… wait. That was more than one wasn’t it? Ah well! Yep. Pretty Hardcore Nerd here. And – hey –if you get a chance, you should all come meet the rest of the Nerd Herd over at www.hardcorenerdity.com We’re a fun bunch!

Thanks so much for the great questions, Abigail! This was tremendous fun!

Find Lesley on the web at:
Blogspot
The Novel Girls (weekly writing blog)
Twitter
Facebook
Myspace
At Harper Teen

Giveaway

A copy of Darklight by Lesley Livingston courtesy of Media Masters Publicity

In this sequel to Wondrous Strange, Kelley Winslow finds her NYC acting career blossoming as she takes the lead in Romeo and Juliet. But she also finds herself desperately missing Sonny Flannery—who was forced back to the Faerie Otherworld, charged with a dangerous mission by Kelley’s father, King Auberon.

When Kelley finds herself thrown into the Otherworld following a deadly chase in Central Park, her passionate reunion with Sonny is cut short. Ancient magick is stirring, and a dangerous enemy has Sonny and Kelley caught in a web of Faerie deception that could tear their love apart.

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