My guest author today
is Cynthia A. Morgan. She’s chatting with me about her newest release, Dark Fey: Standing in Shadows, which is
the second installment of the Dark Fey
Trilogy, her WIP. The Trilogy’s finale, Dark
Fey: Breaking into the Light is due out in the early part of next year.
Welcome, Cynthia. Please tell us a
little bit about your newest release.
Standing
in Shadows delves
deeper into the mystery and suspense of the tale initiated in book one: The
Reviled. In book two, readers discover the history behind the main
character, Gairynzvl, in greater detail as they learn about the harrowing life
he endured among the Reviled Fey of the Uunglarda, as well as the terrors of
The Integration; the process of intentional cruelty and neglect designed to
twist childfey into Dark Ones. Although Standing in Shadows reaches
deeper into the shadows, it never strays entirely out of the Light, relating a
tale of both fear and hope as readers share Gairynzvl’s challenges to return
into a restored life.
What inspired you to write this book?
Although
certainly darker than book one, Standing in Shadows does not
incorporate this level of horror simply for the sake of it. One does not need
to open the pages of a book to discover the unthinkable, as the darkness
typically embodied in fantasy genre stories by some terrifying being or
creature is very much alive in our own reality and this is the underlying
motivation for the darkness woven into Dark
Fey. Standing in Shadows was inspired in great part by the
terrifying, yet true-life events of the Lord’s Resistance Army or LRA, a rebel
militant group in Uganda that has for over 20 years abducted children from
their homes; forcing them to commit horrifying acts of violence against each
other and their own people. These children suffer a very real Integration and,
like the childfey of Jyndari, they endure violence, starvation, multiple rapes
and beatings at the hands of truly sadistic overlords. This is how the Reviled
came to life and became the horrifyingly cruel beings depicted in Dark Fey.
Did you have to research for this
novel and if so, why?
Jyndari
is a realm of my own making and the Fey who abide there are unlike fairies in a
typical fantasy genre, so I did not need to research them. They are their own
creation; however, I did research the LRA to understand more fully what happens
to the children they abduct. Much of what happens to them is represented
through intimation in the story of the childfey of Jyndari, not to add any
measure of sadistic horror to the tale, but to bring to light the horrifying
truths of our own world.
What surprised you most to learn and
why?
Learning
that such atrocities happen in our own world was heartbreaking to me. We like
to think that such darkness only exists in books, but fact actually IS much
stranger than any fiction.
Is there anything specific you want
readers to know about this piece of work?
The
story itself is fantasy, but the underlying significance lies in how we deal
with tragedy and hardship; how the choices we make affect others, and the
decision to live a purposeful life that will have a positive contribution. Heavy
stuff for a fantasy, I know. It is also my greatest hope to be able to
ultimately provide some percentage of its royalties to the work UNICEF does,
specifically in Uganda.
When did you first consider yourself
a writer?
I
have always been a writer. Even as a child I wrote poems, in crayon! I have an
abiding love of words, beautiful phrases, creating images through lyrical
descriptions and weaving stories.
Anything else you’d like to share
with the readers?
I
love sharing my love of words with others who feel the same and being able to
do something I enjoy so passionately, ultimately for employment as well as for
the sheer joy of it, is a Blessing to be forever thankful for.
Links:
Buy links:
Dark Fey The Reviled on Amazon/Kindle:
Dark Fey The Reviled on Barnes and Noble:
Dark Fey The Reviled on Barnes and Noble:
