What kind of research did you have to do for Away?

Once I decided I wanted to write a paranormal romance about fairies, I had to face the fact that I didn’t know a lot about them. My image of fairies was sort of based on illustrations from fairy tales: tiny damsels in tulle tutus with transparent wings named Pussy Willow. Anna Franklin’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Faeries, corrected that impression fast. A lot of fairies are actually pretty scary—monsters like the Red Caps who dye their caps in the blood of their victims. A few are demoted gods or goddesses like Frau Holda, who used to be Hulda, the goddess of the hearth in Germany. These are not people you mess around with, which made them a lot more fun to think about. I made lists of people and places I wanted to include, groups like the Barbegazi and individuals like Grim, an English goblin, and Morrigan, the Celtic battle goddess. Put those two together and you’ve got my hero, Grim Morrigan. Once I had a collection of fairy-related lore, I started working on a story that would include a lot of it. But I had much more than I could fit into a single book. So far I’ve done three Folk books, and I hope to keep going with their world.

Which character was your favorite to write?

My favorite is probably Prince Bertilak, aka Prince Bertie. He started out as a secondary character, and originally I wasn’t sure whether he’d be a good guy or one of the badies. But the more I worked with Bertie, the more I grew to like him. He’s the closest I’ll ever come to writing a regency rake, and that’s been loads to fun to fiddle around with. Bertie plays an even bigger role in book 2 of the Folk saga, Unseen. And he’s the hero of book 3, Found.

To which character did you relate the most?

I really relate to my heroine, Annie Duran. She’s on the outside of the Folk world looking in and trying to understand what’s going on. I had a similar feeling while I was creating that world as I tried to figure out which fairy traditions could fit as is and which ones had to be adapted a bit. Annie starts in confusion, but by the end of the book she’s a warrior, helping Grim and Bertie fight their way out of the enemy stronghold. I was really proud of her!

What was one of your favorite scenes?

The scene that was the most fun to write was the one where Grim goes to retrieve some Barbegazi (a group of Italian-American fairies who live in the foothills) who’ve been arrested by the Seelies, the nasty palace guards. He has to figure out a strategy to make the Seelies decide the Barbegazi are more trouble to keep than to let go. He decides to have the Barbegazi use a freezing spell on the Seelie guard. Here’s a brief excerpt:

“The Barbegazi have more resources than you give them credit for,” Grim said mildly.

“They’ve been in these mountains much longer than the Seelies. And before that, they lived in the mountains of the Old World. In fact, in the old times I’ve been told they never came below the timber line. Right?” He inclined his head to the leader, who crouched on his left.

He nodded slowly. “We came from the ice. It was our element. We rode the great snow slides down the mountains and carved our homes in the glaciers.”

Across from them, Bertie pulled his coat tighter.

Another Barbegazi turned toward Gowan, his voice low. “The curse begins in cold. Your hands and feet are never warm again. Then it travels to arms and legs, like frost across a frozen lake.”

His mouth a rigid line, Gowan flexed his fingers.

“When it reaches your stomach, it’s like you ate a dinner of sleet,” another Barbegazi threw in. “No matter how much coffee or tea or even mulled wine you drink, your guts stay frozen.”

Grim resisted the urge to zip his coat. The Barbegazi spell was spilling over onto him, too, but he didn’t want any distractions right now.

“Then it hits your balls,” the Barbegazi leader said with relish. “They shrink to the size of pebbles and your cock is no bigger than your thumb. And it never comes to size because the cold never leaves you.”

Something old and dark had entered the room. Not a trick this time. Mountain magic, from before the time the Barbegazi had moved below the timberline. Ancient power slid through the space like hoarfrost. Grim fought down his own shivering.

Will we see these characters again?

Definitely! Book 2 of the Folk series, Unseen is scheduled for releaseby Soul Mate Publishing in August.

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Grim Morrigan, Guardian of the Ward and part-time private detective, polices the Folk, the clans of fairies who live in the foothills outside Denver. But his main job is concealing their true nature from the mortals around them.

Enter mortal Annie Duran, who hires him to look for her brother Richard, missing and presumed dead for ten years. Annie has seen Richard in the parking lot of the nightclub where she works. Now she wants answers, and Grim’s supposed to find them.

The quest for Richard ensnares both Grim and Annie in a sinister conspiracy involving kidnapped women and outlaw magic. But they also discover their own overwhelming attraction to each other.

When Annie herself disappears, Grim’s need for answers becomes even more urgent. With the help of a dissolute prince and a motley crew of unlikely fairies, Grim confronts a rebellion among the Folk.

And it may take more than just magic and luck to save both Annie and Grim this time.

Read an excerpt:

Across from them, Bertie pulled his coat tighter.

Another Barbegazi turned toward Gowan, his voice low. “The curse begins in cold. Your hands and feet are never warm again. Then it travels to arms and legs, like frost across a frozen lake.”

His mouth a rigid line, Gowan flexed his fingers.

“When it reaches your stomach, it’s like you ate a dinner of sleet,” another Barbegazi threw in. “No matter how much coffee or tea or even mulled wine you drink, your guts stay frozen.”

Grim resisted the urge to zip his coat. The Barbegazi spell was spilling over onto him, too, but he didn’t want any distractions right now.

Something old and dark had entered the room. Not a trick this time. Mountain magic, from before the time the Barbegazi had moved below the timberline. Ancient power slid through the space like hoarfrost. Grim fought down his own shivering.

The Seelie’s ears were rimmed with ice. Spots of white and yellow marked the beginning of frostbite on Gowan’s cheeks. His hands were reddening around the joints. “Stop it,” he rasped.

“It’s a curse, Gowan. It doesn’t stop unless they rescind it.” Grim had to stiffen his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. “And this is only a taste of what it’s like. A brief demonstration, more or less. Give them to me and the curse won’t be imposed. Drag them off to the punishment suite, and you and your men had better lay in a supply of electric blankets.”

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