Sci-Fi Encounters: Interview with Grace Draven
Sometimes I read a book and am totally blown away by it, which then causes me to read everything else by the author and reread the first book. This was my experience with the wonderful epic fantasy romance Radiance (Wraith Kings book one) by Grace Draven.
A bit about Grace (courtesy of the author):
Looking for any excuse to delay in doing the laundry, Grace Draven turned to the much more entertaining task of telling stories about fantasy worlds, magic, antiheroes, and the women who love them. She currently lives in Texas with her husband, kids, and a big doofus dog. Laundry has now been assigned to the kids.
About Radiance (courtesy of the author):
The prince of no value …
Brishen Khaskem, prince of the Kai, has lived content as the nonessential spare heir to a throne secured many times over. A trade and political alliance between the human kingdom of Gaur and the Kai kingdom of Bast-Haradis requires that he marry a Gauri woman to seal the treaty. Always a dutiful son, Brishen agrees to the marriage and discovers his bride is as ugly as he expected and more beautiful than he could have imagined.
The noblewoman of no importance …
Ildiko, niece of the Gauri king, has always known her only worth to the royal family lay in a strategic marriage. Resigned to her fate, she is horrified to learn that her intended groom isn't just a foreign aristocrat but the younger prince of a people neither familiar nor human. Bound to her new husband, Ildiko will leave behind all she's known to embrace a man shrouded in darkness but with a soul forged by light.
Two people brought together by the trappings of duty and politics will discover they are destined for each other, even as the powers of a hostile kingdom scheme to tear them apart.
INTERVIEW
Veronica: What were your major influences in writing this book?
Grace: I wish I could say it was one of those wildly creative sparks of inspiration that hit me in the middle of the night, but that wasn't the case. The author Ilona Andrews kindly created a website for me (because I'm terrible at getting these necessities done myself) that looked amazing. I wanted to show it off. I thought it might be nice to do so by posting a short story that I'd serialize on my blog. Radiance was originally supposed to be no more than 12,000 words tops. I remember telling one of my two editors that. She knows my writing habits — I almost never write short. So when I told her about my plans for making Radiance short, she replied with a virtual raised eyebrow and a doubtful "Are you suuuurrre?" And she was right. Radiance morphed very quickly from short story to novella to novel. So showing off my sparkly new website to people was the first thing that influenced the writing of this book.
Second and third? No one thing in particular. I like the marriage-of-convenience trope as well as the friends-to-lovers trope. I have a couple of close friends who fit the bill for the second one, and it's been really cool to watch over the decades how their relationship has transformed. Seeing that definitely inspired how I wanted Brishen and Ildiko to act towards each other from the beginning. I just took a shortcut and instead of allowing years to pass as the friendship deepened, I had it happen very quickly. I don't necessarily believe in love at first sight, but I do believe in instant connections between people who become friends and stay close through decades. It's happened for me, so it was easy to write from that perspective.
Veronica: I for one am very glad the book came out much longer than 12,000 words! What was the inspiration for Brishen's people, the Kai?
Grace: A little bit o' this and a little bit o' that. : ) I was working in a fantasy world, and I wanted a non-human hero. Elves, trolls, etc., are mainstays of fantasy fiction, and I like them all. I just thought I'd write about a people who were a twist on all of these. I wish I could say I mapped out who the Kai were beforehand — their culture, their philosophy, etc. But honestly? I'm a pantser down to my DNA, so everything I touched on in the book about the Kai evolved as the book evolved. When I first started writing them, all I knew was they had yellow eyes with no pupils and sharp teeth. That's it. I've since fleshed them out in my head a little more in preparation for writing Eidolon (the next book in the series), but even then, I know they'll continue to evolve as I write that story.
Veronica: I loved the idea of the mortem lights — what inspired them?
Grace: A song. It's an instrumental piece by Xymox called Clementina. I don't typically listen to music while I write, but certain pieces I've heard before will give me an idea that I'll use at a later date.
Veronica: Which character was the biggest challenge to write and why?
Grace: With the exception of Louvaen in my novel Entreat Me, all my heroines are the hardest for me to write. So for Radiance, I'd say Ildiko. I'd like to think of her as adaptable and tenacious — two traits I admire in anyone. They are, however, difficult to write.
Veronica: I adored her, and her can-do attitude. Do you have a short scene from the book you'd like to share?
Grace: My personal favorite is the first time Ildiko demonstrates to Brishen her ability to cross her eyes. As the Kai think human eyes are probably the creepiest and ugliest things about them, his reaction to what she does reflects that philosophy:
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"We're growing used to each other. My kin will grow used to you and you to them as well."
Ildiko sighed. "I hope so. An ugly stranger in a far land with people not of my blood or my kind." She wrapped a strand of his hair around her finger and tugged gently. "I'll need your guidance, husband."
Brishen cupped one side of her face. "You have it, Ildiko. Along with my protection and my patience. I didn't lie when I said we would manage together."
Ildiko pressed her cheek into his palm for a moment. She pulled away, and her smile turned impish. "It'll be hard not to tease your folk sometimes."
Brishen couldn't imagine how she might go about such a thing. He had no idea if the Kai and the Gauri even knew the same jokes or found the same things funny. "What do you mean?"
He almost leapt out of his skin when Ildiko stared at him as both of her eyes drifted slowly down and over until they seemed to meet together, separated only by the elegant bridge of her nose.
"Lover of thorns and holy gods!" he yelped and clapped one hand across her eyes to shut out the sight. "Stop that," he ordered.
Ildiko laughed and pushed his hand away. She laughed even harder when she caught sight of his expression. "Wait," she gasped on a giggle. "I can do better. Want to see me make one eye cross and have the other stay still?"
Brishen reared back. "No!" He grimaced. "Nightmarish. I'll thank you to keep that particular talent to yourself, wife."
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Veronica: How's the next book in the series coming? Any idea when it might be released?
Grace: I have a lot of notes and the story arc mapped out — completely different from what I normally do with a story (which tends to be sit down, stare at the screen and ask myself "Now what?"). I've also had a lot of brainstorming sessions over the phone with my principal editor, Lora Gasway. Lora is with me in the process from the second I have a kernel of an idea to right before I hit the file upload button on the retailer sites.
I'm a slow writer, so I'm only guesstimating here. I'd like to shoot for a release date of either very end of 2015 or very beginning of 2016. Don't write that in blood, though. I tend to jinx myself if I give even a hint of a release date, and unexpected delays start happening.
Veronica: How do you celebrate when you finish writing a novel?
Grace: I dance around the living room, filch some of my husband's Laphroaig quarter-cask and then demand he take me out to dinner because I am soooo not cooking after all that work.
You can find out more about Grace and her books at gracedraven.com/blog.
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Amazon best-seller Veronica Scott is a three-time recipient of the SFR Galaxy Award and has written a number of science-fiction and paranormal romances. Her latest is Ghost of the Nile. You can find out more about her and her books at veronicascott.wordpress.com. Please e-mail Veronica at scifiencounters@gmail.com about content related to this column. Due to the volume of mail, e-mails may not be answered personally, but all will be read.