Interview + Giveaway: Thea Harrison

Next week one of my favourite books of 2011 is being released. Today we have Thea Harison here with us answering a few questions about Dragon Bound.

What can you tell us about Dragon Bound?

Dragon Bound is the story of what happens when you get two people with opposing philosophies together. Pia, the heroine, ascribes to that old adage from Charles Schultz’s Peanut characters: there is no problem so big you can’t run away from it. On the other hand, Dragos believes there is no problem so small, no theft so minor, that he can’t track it down. It’s sort of their version of the unstoppable force meeting the immoveable object. Through the course of the story Dragos discovers he might enjoy being surprised by Pia, and Pia realizes there are some problems she doesn’t actually want to run away from.

The main characters are Wyr (or at least half Wyr). What exactly is a Wyr? Do they all have similar abilities or does it depend on the type of Wyr they are?

Wyr are, in essence, two-natured creatures, or shape shifters. All Wyr have a few abilities that are similar. They have a human form and some kind of animal or “other” form (such as gargoyles or harpies), the ability to shift between the two, enhanced healing capabilities, and they mate for life. Wyr have plenty of differences as well. There are three main different classifications of Wyr. Immortal Wyr came into being at the Earth’s formation. Normal Wyr can be any kind of animal species with a lifespan of around two hundred years old. Unique Wyr have animal forms that do not appear in mundane species, and they may have lifespans that differ from the usual. Individual difference also occur in the Wyr.

Let’s talk about the Elder Races. How long have they existed? What kind of creatures or societies are considered part of the Elder Races?

The Elder Races are essentially any creature or society that existed before the proliferation of humankind civilization. The Elder Races are often long-lived and magical in nature and they tend to cluster in or near to Other lands. There are the Wyrkind and the Elves, the Light and Dark Fae, the Nightkind, and Demonkind. Like the Wyrkind classification, there are many types of creatures labeled Nightkind and Demonkind. Because they have Power and are not mundane, human witches are also considered part of the Elder Races.

In the continental U.S. there are seven Elder Races demesnes. The seat of the Wyrkind demesne is based in New York City. The seat of Elven demesne is based in Charleston, South Carolina. The Dark Fae’s demesne is centered in Chicago, and the Light Fae demesne is based in Los Angeles. The Nightkind, which includes all forms of Vampyres, controls the San Francisco/Bay area and the Pacific Northwest, while the human witches, considered part of the Elder Races due to their command of magical Power, are based in Louisville, Kentucky. Demonkind, like the Wyr and the Vampyres, consist of several different types that included goblins and Djinn, and their seat is based in Houston.

In the world you’ve created the Elder Races and the humans live openly among each other. Was there some sort of revelation in the past or have humans always known about them? Are there any races that remain secret?

Well, secrets and machinations abound in the Elder Races, so you never know! But mostly in this universe humans have always known about the Elder Races. For example, in ancient Egypt and Greece, people of the Elder Races were often considered gods by humans. At some point I think it would be very interesting do more world-building and write about those alternative histories. For now I content myself with telling those histories in bits and pieces as background for the main stories.

The main villains in the story are the Dark Fae. What started the animosity between them and the Wyr? Is there any other type of Fae that is not dark? What are the differences between them if they exist?

There are two types of Fae, the Light Fae and the Dark Fae. Ireland has two demesnes, a Light Fae and a Dark Fae, where the kingdoms are seated in Other lands. In the United States, the Dark Fae are based in Chicago but they have mostly been sequestered in their Other land named Adriyel. The Light Fae are based in Los Angeles.

Aside from geographical and political differences, the Dark Fae and the Light Fae are also different in coloring and in manifestations of Power. The Light Fae is a blond, charismatic race, with either blue or green eyes, and they have an aversion to iron. The Dark Fae are black-haired, with pale skin and gray eyes, and they often have a gift for metallurgy.

What are you working on right now? Do you plan to write a story that doesn’t have any Wyr as main characters? I find Quentin to be a very interesting character ... any hopes on him getting his own story?

Ah, yes, Quentin. His story might well be coming up soon (hint hint). Right now I am working on book four in the series, currently titled Oracle’s Moon. This is my first foray into main characters that are not Wyr. The story is set in the human witches’ demesne of Louisville, Kentucky. Demonkind are also involved. I’m quite excited! There are so many possibilities to explore in the Elder Races universe. In fact, I’m making early plans for a story about Elves soon!

Thanks so much for being here today, Thea!

Thanks so much for having me! It’s been a pleasure to visit with you, and to share some of the Elder Races universe with readers!

You can find out more about Thea and her books on her site.
You can also check out my review of Dragon Bound here.


Giveaway
I have one copy of Dragon Bound to giveaway.
US/Canada only / Ends May 5th.
All you have to do is fill out the form.