We chat with author Lesley Livingston about her new release Queen Among the Dead, which is a stunning Celtic YA fantasy adventure set in the ancient kingdom of Eire, inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland, perfect for fans of Shelby Mahurin and Adrienne Young.
Hi, Lesley! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi Nerds! I am one of you, first and foremost. I have a deep and abiding love of things Fantasy and Science Fiction and Historical. I live and breathe mythology and folklore. I’m Canadian. Wolverine is my favourite superhero (see: Canadian). New York is my favourite city. Salty snacks over sweet ones. Medium dark-roast, two milk no sugar.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I think I was still in single digits, age-wise. The elementary school librarian (bless her) fed me a steady diet of books just to keep me out of her hair. As I got a little older, I decided I wanted to be a storyteller. That first manifested as stage acting and I performed lead roles in a Shakespearean theatre company for the better part of two decades. But I’d also been writing steadily all the while and—after a lot of querying (no, really, a lot)—I found a marvellous agent and that led to a publishing deal and now, with QUEEN AMONG THE DEAD, it’s sixteen books later on down that road!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
- Beatrix Potter’s “A Tale of Two Bad Mice”
- Parke Godwin’s “Firelord”
- Guy Gavriel Kay’s “Fionavar Tapestry” (Ok, I cheated – that one’s a trilogy!)
Your new novel, Queen Among the Dead, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magical-mysterious, girl-powered, shape-shifty, swords-n-sorcery, hot-ex-Druid-thief-y (again – cheating!)
What can readers expect?
An adventure through a green and misty place full of dark and sparkling magic, riding alongside a misfit princess determined to do what’s right for her land and people – even if it kills her! – with help (hopefully?!) from a band of shapeshifting warrior women, a Horse Lord, and a not entirely trustworthy ex-Druid apprentice-turned-thief who brings out the best/worst in her.
Where did the inspiration for Queen Among the Dead come from?
Mostly from ancient Irish mythology, with a bit of – oddly enough – ancient Egyptian legend (by way of Ireland and Scotland) folded in. The historic monument of Newgrange (Brú na Bóinne) looms large in the story. It predates the building of Stonehenge and the Pyramids and is a place steeped in myth and mystery. In setting my story there, I wanted to create a civilization that was so ancient and magical and forgotten to the world that it had an almost lost Atlantean feel to it. And Neve was the character living in my imagination who demanded I tell her story in that place.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are a lot of moments between Neve and Ronan that were so much fun to write because I never knew if they were going to try to kiss each other, or kill each other. And sometimes it turned out to be a bit of both at the same time! But I also really enjoyed the small, subtle scenes with some of the minor supporting characters like Cavall (a smart-mouthed blacksmith) or Eolas (Ronan’s old Druid master), because those scenes give a sense of the society and the world Neve and Ronan exist in. I also enjoyed pretty much anything to do with Sakir, the Scythian Horse Lord. And Queen Anann. And the Faoladh. And…
Do you have any advice for those who may have set some writing resolutions for the new year?
This is one of those answers with a strong YMMV caveat because something that works for one writer may not work for another, and you can’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work for you. Actually – “don’t beat yourself up” is pretty great advice, honestly. What works for me is if I can possibly manage to write everyday, I do. Not necessarily to word count (although I’ve found that to be helpful at a certain point in the process – usually under the shadow of a looming deadline), but anything from a paragraph to a page to a whole scene or chapter. It helps me keep my head in the story and keeps it churning in the back of my head when I’m doing other things. If I go too many days without writing something then I have to spend a lot of time circling back to get back into the flow. But again – YMMV!!
What’s next for you?
That would be telling. 😉
I am working on a couple of things at the moment, though. No worries about that! First things first – getting Neve and Ronan out the door and into the world. Then maybe a nap. Or a margarita.
Lastly, are there any 2023 book releases our readers should look out for?
I am really looking forward to Maurene Goo’s THROWBACK. Maurene is a fellow Zando Young Readers author and this book sounds like so much fun! YA Rom-Com with a time travel twist? Yes please!
