About the Authors:
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| Author's Amazon Page |
K. C. Lannon on the Web:
Website * Twitter * Tumblr |
| Author's Amazon Page |
M. C. Aquila on the Web:
Website * Twitter * InstagramInterview with M. C. Aquila & K.C. Lannon
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
Aquila: At the age of nine. I remember seeing this artist online who illustrated short passages of her story, and I was like “I’m going to be a writer, too!” And that was that.Lannon: I was thirteen when I wrote my first short story for a class. It was about a girl with a sword who freed a chained dragon and rode away on his back. Since then, I realized that writing could be a wonderful form of escapism.
What inspires you to write?
Aquila: Mostly other stories, in any format—from books to video games. Any story that is well-executed and enjoyable makes me feel, “I want to make something that beautiful!”Lannon: While I am also heavily inspired by stories, my main source of inspiration is listening to music. I hear a song and I want to capture the emotion, mood, or imagery the song creates in my head. I also try to write books for people who may have been feeling the same way I did as a teen!
How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
Aquila: Lannon started it, talking about faeries and all that. It snowballed from there. For a while, I felt like we were attempting to make soup, throwing all the faery fantasy/urban fantasy things we liked into pot after pot until we found a blend that actually worked. It was a bit chaotic but incredibly fun.Lannon: I had been watching a lot of tabletop fantasy RPGs and I had a dream about a changeling girl who was accused of a crime and forced to work in a dwarf mine in Faerie land. The story changed a lot from that initial idea!
What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
Aquila: For some reason, I really enjoyed writing the scene where Deirdre first enters her dorm in Neo-London. That feeling of being uncertain about a new “home” is really relatable, and plus I got to throw in a small “The Yellow Wallpaper” reference.Lannon: Without giving away spoilers, there is an intense monster action sequence that leads to an emotional scene for one of the characters. This moment really determines his fate and choices from then on, and he leaves the encounter changed. I was so emotionally drained after writing it that I napped for four hours!
Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Aquila: Deirdre’s short temper! For a little while, I didn’t even realize how bad her temper was until Lannon mentioned that she had an “anger problem.” And I was like, “Oh, I guess her temper is pretty bad—also, I feel personally called out.”Lannon: I relate to James’s intense excitability—especially regarding faeries and magic! He also unfortunately inherited my brooding, introverted moods.
Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
Aquila: I don’t read much lately, much to my shame. But my favorite authors influence me in different ways. Tolkien and James Gurney inspire deeper world building, P.G. Wodehouse inspires humorous situations, and John Flanagan inspires making character friendships as engaging as possible. Also, Peter S. Beagle. The way he writes about magic... I almost hate how good he is.Lannon: It is difficult to say who my favorite authors are, as I read a mishmash of books depending on my mood. I am huge reader of classic literature, especially Victorian or Gothic. I have been inspired by Gothic literature to include themes of duality of nature and virtue vs. vice, and I also create creepy, surreal settings and tones. A more modern favorite of mine is Holly Black, who also writes about faeries.
What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Aquila: Just do it! Write in whatever medium you feel comfortable with (in a notebook, on the computer, recording your voice on your phone, etc.), writing whatever you feel inspired to write.Lannon: Find your ideal process and stick to it. You will hear lots of varying advice from authors to outline, to wing it, or to try something in between. Do whatever you need to do to finish that first draft!
What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
Aquila: I don’t watch much TV or movies, so I’ll leave this one up to Lannon.Lannon: I could imagine Saoirse Ronan (with red hair) playing the optimistic, extroverted Deirdre. Since the characters James and Iain Callaghan are half-Romani, I would love for some Romani actors to play them. And for our villain, Alan Callaghan, I cannot imagine anyone but Andrew Buchan (from Broadchurch) playing him. He’s great at playing intense characters and he’s so British!
How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
Aquila: My favorite place to unwind would be either in a local coffee shop (not Starbucks, it’s always so noisy) or down at the nearby river. But I don’t have much free time, so I wind up sticking close to home, often watching early 1990’s sitcoms or playing video games. ...Which sounds kind of sad.Lannon: I enjoy spending my free time playing tabletop RPGs, reading, and playing with my mischievous kitten, Loki. My favorite place to go to unwind is my nearby walking trail by the river.
What do you have in store next for your readers?
Aquila: We’re currently outlining the 5th book in the Winter’s Blight series! The tentative release date is “sometime in October.” It’s going to have magic (of course), all the Gothic vibes, fluffy romance, and lots of broken cinnamon rolls.Lannon: I could not have said that better!
About the Book:
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| Check out the Book on Amazon |
Seventeen-year-old orphan Deirdre moves to Neo-London, a city created after an attack by Unseelie faeries, and becomes caught in the tension between the city faeries and the human military.
Deirdre develops uncontrollable magical abilities after having her fortune told—making her the target of Alan Callaghan, an extreme anti-faery general.
His sons, Iain and James, cross paths with Deirdre and are pushed towards the opposite sides of the conflict between humans and Fae. Iain is a rookie soldier in the Iron Guard trying to atone for past mistakes and keep his family together. James is a fourteen-year-old aspiring scholar fascinated by faeries and eager to leave his life in the city behind.
As Alan conspires to control the city, Deirdre and James plot to leave, seeking answers about her magic and James’s disappeared mother. However, when Deirdre is framed for a treasonous crime, their quest for answers becomes a desperate quest for freedom.
The Changeling’s Fortune is the first installment in a six-book series.
