Interview with Kiki Hamilton, author of THE FAERIE RING!

Today, please welcome Kiki Hamilton, author of the historical fantasy novel, THE FAERIE RING, which will be coming to a store near you on September 27 (or sooner)!

Kiki kindly agreed to subject herself to my merciless interviewing... Just kidding--I'm pretty nice, and Kiki's answers are a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, then take the time to stop on over to Kiki's blog and say hello!

Me: Welcome, Kiki! In honor of your debut year, I thought we'd go with an “eleven” theme...because, well, 2,011 questions would be a little over the top. :) 

Kiki: Oh God, save me! :-}

(Don't worry...he has. I'm sure it was divine intervention that compelled me to stick to 11. :)

1. So first, tell us a little about yourself—eleven words' worth:  

Kiki: Fun, crazy, insane, a bit sarcastic…ahem…, easy to be around.

(I can personally vouch for the fun one!)

2. Name eleven of your favorite things. 

Kiki: Magic, my daughter, mysteries, London, good books, milk chocolate, true friends, my guitar, my characters, margaritas and the bloghound.

(I didn't know you play guitar--me, too, though not well... And milk chocolate, in my opinion, is vastly superior to dark chocolate...just don't tell the chocolate experts I said so.) 

3. Name up to eleven writers who have inspired you:  

Kiki: JK Rowling, Dan Brown, Harlen Coben, Michael Crichton, Megan Whalen Turner, Erin Morgenstern, Diana Gabaldon, Robb D. White, Harold Robbins, Stephenie Meyer and Robert Ludlum.

(I've had The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner on my to-read shelf since Christmas...I suppose I should put it on the top of the pile!)

4. What eleven words best describe your story?

Kiki: Faeries, Victorian London, Pickpockets, Orphans, Romance, Mystery, The Queen’s Ring, Love.

(Ahh...I'm sighing in bliss at eleven words that describe just the type of story I love to read. Anything with Faeries and Victorian London in the same sentence....and pickpockets are ALWAYS a plus. :)

5. The Faerie Ring is described as historical fantasy, which is one of my very favorite genres. What were your favorite and least favorite parts of writing it? 

Kiki: I loved writing the first draft. The story just poured out of my head onto the page. Editorial revisions were hard work, initially. Towards the end I really enjoyed it, because I understood what my editor was looking for, but at first it was not always fun. Totally worth it and her suggestions were right on the money – but not always fun.

6. I understand that you were able to travel to London to research The Faerie Ring; what was the most interesting thing you learned there that didn't make it into your story? 

Kiki: Well, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Windsor Castle. I stood in the footsteps of kings, on the parapet overlooking England, and I totally GOT it. That castle has been inhabited by English royalty for the last 1,000 years. Sort of mind-boggling, when you think about it. I could spend hours just in St. George’s chapel, which is where Prince Leopold is buried in real life. But while other prominent parts of London are featured in THE FAERIE RING and future books, so far, Windsor Castle hasn’t made an appearance. Yet.

(Doesn't it make America seem so darn young? I can't wait to visit Europe someday, and Windsor Castle is definitely on my list of things to see.)

7. Moving from the “historical” part to the “fantasy” part...Did you ever find it difficult to balance the real world and the fantastical world in your story? 

Kiki: I didn’t have trouble balancing it – it’s all very clear in my head. The hardest part was limiting how much of the fantasy world was revealed in this first story. You know that picture of the iceberg that shows the little top that is above the water and then this HUGE part that can’t be seen under the water? (see below.) That’s the way it is with the Faerie world in THE FAERIE RING. There is SO MUCH that hasn’t been revealed yet.

8. And speaking of fantasy, you told me once that reading Harry Potter was one of your inspirations to begin writing a book... So of course I have to ask a couple Potter-related questions! Who's your favorite Weasley?  

Kiki: I have to pick?! Well, of course, we all love Ron, but I also love Ginny – because isn’t she the brave, loyal, strong, female version of Harry? She is his equal and worthy of his love. You know she will always be true. And hello? Who doesn’t love Fred and George? I still pretend it was Percy who died instead of Fred. Demented, I know.

(A dementia I will now be sharing with you. I like that idea... :)

9. Which secondary H.P. character do you most identify with? 

Kiki: I guess it would have to be Ginny because I always played games with the boys growing up. Golf, pool, skiing, baseball, poker, whatever. I was there for the adventure and excitement – not so much for the learning…ahem….if you know what I mean. :-} And if you’re true to me – I’m there for you until the bitter end.

(I love Ginny so much. We call my youngest daughter Genevieve "Ginny"...and I like the fact that she'll have a strong literary namesake, if you will, to look up to--I always loved Faith Meredith in L. M. Montgomery's Rainbow Valley for that reason, too...)

10. Which of your own secondary characters do you like best, if any, and why? (I know that's a little like asking a mother which of her children she loves the best...) 

Kiki: I like Larkin best. She fascinates me. She’s an extremely complicated character – so many layers that haven’t been peeled back yet.

11. What's the best writing advice you have ever received? 

Kiki: I think never to give up. It is a really tough business to succeed in. But my personal advice is to write for the love of the story you want to tell. That’s where the real measure of success lies.

Thanks so much for sharing a little bit of yourself and your story with us, Kiki! I hope The Faerie Ring's release brings you a lot of fun and great success! 

Kiki: Thank you so much for having me over, Faith! And good luck with your own compelling, beautiful story, THE WITHERING VINE. I know it won’t be long before I’m interviewing you on the release of your own book!

Ah, now I'm blushing. To divert attention permanently away from myself, check out some of these reviews THE FAERIE RING has already received...and then go order/buy it!

"Vastly suspenseful and filled with dark enthralling mystery and magical peril, The Faerie Ring will keep you up all night until the last page is turned. This is easily a five star novel." -Susan, A Soul Unsung
 
"This book is the best of so many worlds! We need more books like this in the young adult genre!" -The YA Sisterhood

"This book is going to be a hit with any age." -Jessi, The Elliott Review
 
"I can't began to tell you how much I love stories such as this one. Stories filled with a great plot, amazing characters and best all, great fantasy." Savannah, Books with Bite
 
"The novel had a little bit of everything sprinkled into it: historical fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, realistic - I loved every page of it!" Ashley, Books Obsession
 
Kirkus Review: "The Faerie Ring is an entertaining magical-historical adventure!"
 

Or watch the trailer while you wait: