Interview with Karen Marie Moning

Forget Tinker Bell; the otherworldly faeries in Karen Marie Moning's books are cruel and lethal. The urban fantasy writer's best-selling Fever series, set amid the Celtic folklore and cobbled streets of Dublin, chronicles the Fae's infiltration of the human world. Moning made her name writing the popular Highlander romances before turning to the darker Fever world, a series with a fan base so loyal that there is an annual New Orleans conference, FeverCon. The latest book, Iced, is the first in a trilogy narrated by Dani O'Malley, a supernaturally powered teen who investigates a mysterious force in Dublin that is freezing both humans and Fae to death. Moning chats with Goodreads about her new direction for the series and why she likes to write in the dark.

Goodreads: What do new readers starting with Iced need to know to jump into the Fever world?

Karen Marie Moning: The Fever series is set in a dystopian Dublin where the walls between the human world and the Fae have come crashing down. The first five books center around MacKayla Lane [known as "Mac"], who goes to Dublin after her sister is murdered there, determined to find her killer. She soon discovers that not only are fairies real, but she is a "sidhe-seer"—a person who can see the Fae as they are, even with the "glamour" they use to hide themselves from humans.

Iced revolves around Dani O'Malley, another "sidhe-seer" who was introduced in the earlier books. She is 14 years old and, like Mac, is determined to kick Fae ass and save the world. Unlike the previous Fever novels, there are other points of view in this book, including another "sidhe-seer" and a ridiculously hot Scotsman who unfortunately is quickly becoming something...not human at all.

GR: The Fever series came to you in a dream, complete with a five-book story arc and book titles! When did you realize that you wanted to extend the story of the Fever world beyond those initial five books?

KMM: Halfway through the Fever series I realized post-wall Dublin had become too real, with too many great stories begging to be told for me to turn my back on. I mean, really, there are nine of whatever Barrons is! [The character Jericho Barrons from Fever books 1-5 is not quite human.]

GR: With so many established characters, what inspired you to choose Dani O'Malley as your next focus?

KMM: I take orders from the Muse. I don't argue with her. She has a good side and a side that consists entirely of blank pages.

Mac's story [in Fever books 1-5] was about a young woman who'd never experienced tragedy of any kind, who'd been adored and cherished all her life, whose greatest fear was that OPI [nail polish] [LEILAH: SHOULD BRAND NAME BE IN ALL CAPS?] might discontinue her favorite shade of pink. She had all the love in the world and absolutely zero backbone. Mac is a cream puff with something very dangerous at the center.

Dani has a backbone of pure titanium, a mouth that spits out whatever she's thinking at the moment, the physical ability to outrun, outgun, and outmaneuver nearly anyone. But she's never known love. Dani is pure badass...with something very sweet at the center.

GR: Since you are writing in first person, does the voice of the character influence the series at large? Does Dani's voice bring in new elements of humor or mystery or anything else?

KMM: Dani's trilogy isn't as emotionally heavy. There's more humor because she's not enduring the pain of transformation Mac felt. Dani's not introspective. There's action, there are adventures to be had, virginity to be lost one day, and sometimes there's even time to sleep. While Mac faced a transformation and awakening of a supernatural kind, Dani is also dealing with everything that any 14-year-old does—lots of hormones and mood swings, feeling misunderstood by pretty much everyone, and wanting to be an adult while still also wanting to cling to the safety net and free pass that comes with being viewed as a kid.

GR: Goodreads Author Natasha Knight asks, "One of the things I love about your books is the sexual tension that is ever present. How will you treat the fact that Dani is [a teen]?"

KMM: Thanks, Natasha—and thanks to all of you at Goodreads for creating such an amazing community for readers! With love and respect for her character and for the readers while staying true to her story. It may not be a safe journey, or a politically correct one, but in my opinion, none of the memorable stories are. Keep the faith!

GR: Goodreads member Yolanda asks, "I would like to know if the personality of Dani comes from Karen's strength and uncertainties from her own youth. What part of herself does she bring to life in Dani?"

KMM: Her voice is utterly effortless for me. Who knows where fiction ends and reality begins?

GR: Goodreads member Stacie ~ paid the price for badassery asks, "Other things besides Fae have slipped into our world, like the Royal Hunters and of course Jericho. Are we going to see any more non-Fae otherworlders?"

KMM: Definitely! I can't wait for you to meet the Crimson Hag. Or the creepy flock of Unseelie that follow Mac around everywhere she goes. Or Papa Roach, and I don't mean the band. Or get your first look at the Unseelie King's real library—to say nothing of the of the Big Bad that's icing Dublin! And not with pink frosting.

GR: Briefly describe a typical day spent writing. Do you have any unusual writing habits?

KMM: The room must be completely dark. Seriously, totally. Blackout curtains and tinted windows. I tried writing in a closet for a while, but it was too small. I wake at 4:30. Get coffee. Refuse to let brain turn on. Sit at desk and start writing while I'm still asleep enough that I can't think about what I'm doing. I have to stay deep in my subconscious in order to write. Once I'm wide awake I can edit, but I can't create. I write for about three or four hours. Then I can stand light. I get breakfast, exercise, then go back to my office to edit and flesh out the scene for the next day. I never have an expected word count, and I don't write to outline. At all times I know exactly where the overall story arc is going, but sometimes it surprises even me how it gets there. Which is good. I have a theory: If the writer is bored, the reader will be, too. If the writer is having a blast, and is 100 percent invested in and committed to his or her fictional world, the reader will be, too.

GR: What authors, books, or ideas have influenced you?

KMM: All of Stephen King's stuff. He's a brilliant writer and storyteller combined. Harlan Ellison's Deathbird Stories. I read it when I was 13, and it forever skewed the way I thought of gods and demons, death and life. As a child, The Shades by Betty Brock, My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet, and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

GR: What are you reading now?

KMM: This interview. Ha-ha. I don't have time to read. I have a to-be-read pile that I plan to tackle when I'm 75. I also get to start smoking again then, too. Marlboro reds. Although I'm kind of counting on that I won't want to by then. One would think nearly 50 years of not smoking would make me quit wanting to, right?