Playing With Fire Q&A discussion
Playing With Fire Q&A
Mod
Welcome and thank you for joining. We can start off the Q&A with whatever topic you like.
Although I will be focusing on Playing With Fire, I am happy to discuss Run To Earth too. We can also talk a little about the next book, Thicker Than Water, with regards to future predictions.
Just kick start the Q&A with the first question ;)
Hey everyone! My name is Monica. To kick off this Q&A I thought I would ask: What was the most difficult part to write in Playing With Fire?
Mod
Hi Monica, thank you for your question and for starting the Q&A.
To answer your question, I found writing the burial scene after Armana's death quite difficult. Skyler is a rather complex character but writing his pain as he laid Armana to rest was quite emotional. I found balancing that sad scene without going overboard rather tricky.
It's also a turning point in Skyler's character. Up until now, he's been rather harsh and a bit of a bully but he was still somewhat 'nice' because he had Armana in his life. Without her, Skyler is heading for a rather dark path. For this reason, it was also a difficult part to write, because it is, in a sense, the last time he will be 'Skyler'. In the next book, Skyler has a prominent role but like I said, his loss will make him darker.
Poor Skylar. That is super sad to hear but I can see how Armana's death affected him. I am thinking that I am going to miss the old Skylar when I read the next book then.
Mod
Definitely. The third book will delve into Skyler's past a bit, so you will see what he lost at a young age. Armana was what kept him together. Without her, Skyler is going to hit rock bottom.
Skylar wasn't there when Neriah died right? Does Skylar know about his death? Can he "feel" the loss of Neriah or even Armana even though they weren't family?
Mod
No, Skyler wasn't there when Neriah died. Mages can only feel the death of family, so Skyler wouldn't have felt Neriah's death or Armana's.
Thought so. Just wanted to make sure :)
Poor Skylar. I really felt for him when Armana died. His life would have been so much happier if she was still in it. Maybe he'll get together with Ella and will be saved from becoming too dark!!Will we find out more about the earlier history relating to Chris, Joseph and the other men of that generation? Need a flashback chapter or two!!
I agree Rukhsana! But if Skylar gets with Ella, then who's going to be with Sam?! lol He likes Ella a lot :)
Lol I forgot about Sam and his love for Ella!! Skylar won't be happy if those two get together!!
Kate also seems to be a complex character. We need to know more about her too.
Yeah, I can see Skylar's face right about now saying "really Ella?" lol Knowing more about Kate's background would be pretty awesome. What was her family like?
Mod
W..."
Hi Rukhsana, thank you for joining the Q&A. Ella and Skyler are very close but whether or not they will be together romantically is something you are going to have to wait and see.
Funny you should ask about the older Elemental generation. I am considering releasing a short novella, like a prequel type of thing, that will allow me to show Chris, Alex, James, Joseph, Neriah and Hadrian living together in the City or Marwa, before Hadrian changed. If I do write it, I will release it before the third book. There is a flashback planned in the fourth book that will show the events that led to Hadrian becoming a vamage, but I don't know how much detail I can get into. The novella can give me a chance to show certain events that I want to show but might struggle to get into the main books.
So what do all of you think? Does a short prequel novella sound like a good idea? Would you like to read something like that?
I would definitely read it. Can you not include in any of the books? Would it be too long?
Mod
Lol, yeah think about Sam! ;)
Details of Kate's background isn't planned to make an appearance in the main books, but it's something I can add to the novella?
Novella-yes! Oh and hi! :)
Firstly why oh why kill Armana :( that was so sad like so sad :( Felt so bad for poor Skyler.
Secondly- loved the waiting bloom story. Best chapter was the story and then the revelation of who it was about. Loved it.
Question: why does Aaron feel his brothers presence but the parents cannot?
I think the idea of a novella is AMAZING. I think a lot of people would like to read their back story. Plus I have this mini crush on Alex and I hardly even know him. lol. So learning more about him and all the rest would be awesome :)
Mod
There is a good portion of the fourth book dedicated to flashbacks but I can't get all the scenes I would like into it (like Kate's background for example) so having a novella dedicated to the older generation of the Elementals can allow me to expand the storyline in a way the main books can't.
Definitely need to know more about the past. Agree with Neelam. The Waiting Bloom story was rather fab,although very sad.
I think its better if you do the novella also because then it won't take so much away from Aaron and Kyran's story line.
Mod
Oh and hi! :)
Firstly why oh why kill Armana :( that was so sad like so sad :( Felt so bad for poor Skyler.
Secondly- loved the waiting bloom story. Best chapter was the story and th..."
Hi Neelam *waves* Thank you for joining the Q&A.
Armana's death was planned from the get go, but I did feel quite emotional killing her. But it wasn't just for effect. I needed it to get Skylar to go where he has to go in the story.
I'm thrilled you liked the tale of the Waiting Bloom. I worked on that for a while, had it written before I wrote Run To Earth.
The answer to your question Neelam is an interesting one, and one I can't go into in detail otherwise I will spoil it. But it will be dealt with in the next book. What I can say, is that Chris and Kate aren't lying. They did feel Ben die. But Kyran is right too. He didn't die, he didn't die and then become resurrected. What happened that day that severed the link between Ben and his parents is a crucial plot point, which will be revealed in the third book. Why Aaron can feel Kyran is because he was born after the chaos of the attack. That's all I can say without ruining it. ;)
Mod
That's exactly my problem. I need to give important background info via flashbacks, but I can't do it too much because it will interfere from the main storyline. That's why I figured a Novella would be a good idea.
Mod
Thank you Rukhsana. I agree, its a sad story.
Oooh I'm SO looking forward to the next book!! Playing with Fire was quite a page turner!!Sam and Rose? Is there more to their story, apart from being linked with main characters?
Gosh, it is going to be such a long wait for the next book!!! I'm sure it will go by quicker than I think but do you plan on releasing it around the same time you released RTE and PWF?
Mod
Sam and Rose? Is there more to their story, apart from being linked with main characters?"
Thank you Rukhsana. Sam and Rose have considerably larger roles to play in the last two books. I know they were a little in the background in Playing With Fire. Sam especially will get involved in the war, while Rose has more than one battle to fight ;)
Another Question: which U might not tell me again haha. How can the vamages get past the gates. Must have been an insider that let them in? But can't have been Kyran/Ben so who else is it that you could have made evil?? My Wild guess is Drake!
Mod
If I do the Novella, that will be released for Oct/Nov of this year and Thicker Than Water will be released a little later next year, around April/May. That's the plan anyway. Dates might change, depending on how much time I get to write ;)
Mod
How can the vamages get past the gates. Must have been an insider that let them in? But can't have been Kyran/Ben so who else is it that you..."
Lol, well this question will also be revealed in the next book, but I can tell you that the vamages didn't get past the Gates. The Gate was brought down, and that has to be a mage. You know it wasn't Kyran, but it doesn't have to be a mage that lives in Salvador. Maybe the vamages have someone that works for them ;)
Lol, Drake? Why would you suspect Drake? He was in Salvador, fighting back the vamages.
Thank you for having this Q&A. I would love to read the Novella. I have two questions. I really like the Power of Four Series. Was this a series that you had been thinking about and developing for a while before you wrote the book or is it something that came to you all at once?The second question is about the characters. I am confused about the scene when Aaron is looking at pictures in his family's home. He finds a picture of Ben sitting on the lap of a boy that looks like Kyran. How can that be?
Thanks! I can't wait for the third book!
Mod
Hi Rain, thank you for joining the Q&A.
The idea came to me as one main story, which I then separated into four books and made it into a series. It took me the best part of four years to shape the idea into the Power of Four series. There is a lot of background that has yet to be revealed. :)
The scene you are talking about is Aaron seeing a photo of his uncle Alex holding Ben. Alex and Kyran are very, very similar in appearance, so that is why Aaron thinks it's Kyran with Ben on his lap, but it is actually Alex.
Hope that clears it up for you :)
Alex seems like such an interesting character. Why did you kill him? Or, is he alive??
Mod
Alex is a very interesting character :) Let me ask you, if Alex were still alive, wouldn't he come to meet his Alaina and end her wait?
Mod
Thanks Monica, I'm glad so many of you are liking the idea of a Novella. Lol, I totally get it, a lot of readers confessed their crush on Alex :) Fair warning though, if the Novella goes the way I plan, you'll be full blown in love with Alex :)
So I have a few different questions, and I apologize for putting them all in one comment. I have been dying to discuss this book with someone else who has read it (freaking out to your roommates who don't know what you're talking about is not very satisfying). Before I start though, I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved Playing With Fire.First, questions regarding Ben/Kyran:
1) When they're talking about the night Ben "died", they mention they went to the festival for his birthday. Does that mean Kyran/Ben's birthday is the day before Aaron's?
2) Kyran's bike is named "Lexi", is that supposed to be after his Uncle Alex, who he called "Lex"?
3) The rules regarding legacies are that if you give one up you die. Since Kyran holds multiple, does that mean if he gives one of them up, he dies? Or would the fact that there would still be other legacies in him keep him alive?
4) The vines on the house in Marwa: did the other residents put them up, or did Kyran?
Regarding Alex:
This is really a question, just a theory that I'm curious to see if anyone else agrees with:
Did Alex survive? And if so, is he the Lurker following Kyran around, protecting him and such? After all, he was hiding something from Chris that only Hadrian knew. Could it be possible that he is a vamage or something? That would explain why he didn't return to his family.
Also, whoever the Lurker is (which I am assuming we will find out in a later book), will we find out why he seems to be able to create portals on his own?
Regarding Neriah:
1) Will we find out more about his and Hadrian's relationship? Right now, there's a part of me that's thinking they viewed each other as more than brothers. After all, Hadrian said he did everything to fulfill Neriah's dream.
2) At what point did Neriah decide to give Aaron his legacy? Was he planning it all along, or did he only decide after the attack on Salvador? After all, I feel like he had to know he wouldn't be able to get the Hub back from Hadrian, so was his plan when they went to retrieve it, simply to give Aaron his legacy in front of Kyran? Was that the real reason behind the final battle of the book?
Sorry for the long note and multiple questions, these have been on notes in my book for over a month now and I just wanted to get them out. Feel free to answer whichever ones you want and in whatever order or format you want. I can't wait until Thicker Than Water comes out!
Hannah! Those are some awesome questions! I was thinking the same for some of those. I would LOVE it if Alex were alive....but why would he keep Alaina waiting? Maybe she knows? He is a great character so it would be interesting to see if he is the Lurker or not.
Mod
Hi Hannah. Thank you for joining the Q&A. Wow, I love your questions! Some I can answer, some I can't, but I will give you as much as I can without spoiling the upcoming books. :)
1. Yes, Kyran's birthday is the day before Aaron's. Aaron is born on 1st November, so Kyran's birthday is 31st October - Halloween. The festival that they go to is a Halloween one, which will be explained further in the next book.
2. Yep, Lexi is named after Alex. Remember Kyran tells Aaron in RTE that a Hunter's first bike and blade is named after someone they loved (and lost, which is left unsaid but Aaron understands) Kyran named his bike after his uncle but disguises it as a female name as that is the Hunter custom.
3. You are right that giving up legacies would kill you. In Kyran's case, having multiple legacies means that if he gave one up, he would still die and the other legacies would go to another elemental in Kyran's bloodline (Adams bloodline).
4. I'm seriously impressed! The vines around the house is indeed the work of Kyran, but the scene where it's revealed is a very important one, so I will say no more. But I'm very impressed you figured it out :) how did you?
Alex is definitely dead :( sorry guys, he was killed in the Lycan attack.
As for the identity of the Lurker? That will be revealed in the next book. The lurker isn't creating portals, he's using hidden ones that most mages can't even see, but he's a talented Lurker that knows this realm very well.
Neriah
1. Yes, you will find out more about Neriah and Hadrian's relationship. They were very, very close; they grew up together, they regarded one another as family, as brothers. What Hadrian said, about fulfilling Neriah's dream, will be explained in the final book.
2. Neriah never planned to give Aaron the legacy. He decided the moment before he did, when he saw how worried Kyran was that his younger brother was inside the circle and by Neriah's side. Neriah expected the attack from Hadrian and had Neriah died, his legacy would have gone to his next of kin: Ella. But Hadrian was getting ready to drink him, to take his legacy away and at the last minute, Neriah found a way to stop Hadrian by giving his legacy to Aaron. 'Nothing is more powerful than blood' were Neriah's last words. He's assuming Kyran won't let Hadrian harm his brother, that Kyran will choose his blood over loyalty. He gave Aaron the legacy in the hopes that Kyran will be forced to leave Hadrian's side. Whether that happens or not, remains to be seen in the next book. ;)
On that note, let me ask all of you a question; what do you think Kyran will do? Kill his brother on Hadrian's orders or protect his brother and defy his father?
Thank you so much for your insightful questions, Hannah!
Mod
Exactly Monica, had Alex been alive, he wouldn't have left Alaina to live in grief all these years.
Kyran won't kill Aaron...he just can't. If he did, I am pretty sure he would not be my favorite character anymore and I would cry a thousand tears.
I am glad that Hannah brought up the legacies question though because I was wondering if Kyran would die too if he gave up one of his legacies. Poor Kyran! Doesn't he realize that Hadrian wants the legacies for himself and do to that he would have to kill him?!?!?! Ugh.
Mod
Monica wrote: "I am glad that Hannah brought up the legacies question though because I was wondering if Kyran would die too if he gave up one of his legacies. Poor Kyran! Doesn't he realize that Hadrian wants the..."
Kyran is going to face a dilemma, because the man whose every order he follows wants the legacy Aaron holds and the only way to get it is to kill Aaron. But Kyran has yet to do anything other than protect Aaron. He couldn't stand the sight of Skyler beating him during 'training', so how is he supposed to kill him?
Kyran knows he has to give the legacies to his father when he's ready. The extent of his loyalty to Hadrian is that he is ready and willing to die to fulfil his fathers wishes. But Hadrian won't kill Kyran, he has brought him up, he loves him like a father would.
In the next book, you will see how Hadrian plans on taking the legacies from Kyran, without killing him. It's a special way, that can only work for Kyran, not anyone else. So Aaron can't transfer the legacy and survive, like Kyran can.
Most of the things that I would most like to know probably can't be answered here as they will probably be answered in later books - for example I am really curious as to why Kyran can mentally feel his family, but his parents can't feel him? It was very sad, the image of young Kyran waiting for his parents to return and believing that they had abandoned him. I am sure there is much more to be told here.
BTW. I love the idea of a prequel / novella writing about the older generation. Maybe another series perhaps... (asking a bit too much maybe???)
Can you tell us what the next book is going to be called?
Mod
There is definitely more of a story to be told about Kyran waiting for his family to return for him. Fair warning; it's very sad.
Lol! Let's start with the novella, then we'll see about a series ;)
The next book will be called Thicker Than Water.
The novella will be titled The Elementals.
S.F. wrote: "Hannah wrote: "So I have a few different questions, and I apologize for putting them all in one comment. I have been dying to discuss this book with someone else who has read it (freaking out to yo..."I guessed Kyran wrapped the house in vines after rereading Playing With Fire the second time. Remembering his anger and hurt towards his parents, and then seeing how Aaron viewed the vines wrapping around the house, the menacing feeling coming from them, made me think it might be Kyran. Plus, it took a lot of effort to remove them, meaning whoever put them there was powerful.
I think I'm most curious about the identity of the Lurker. He seems to want to protect Kyran and fight against the vamages. The fact that he won't reveal his identity and is protecting Kyran, makes me think he knows who exactly Kyran is, so I feel like he's not on Neriah's side or he would have told someone. In any case, I'm looking forward to learning more about him in the next book.
S.F. wrote: "Monica wrote: "Kyran won't kill Aaron...he just can't. If he did, I am pretty sure he would not be my favorite character anymore and I would cry a thousand tears."Monica wrote: "I am glad that Ha..."
I also don't think that Kyran will kill Aaron, I don't think he's capable of doing so. His instinct seems to be to protect Aaron, so I think he'd be trying to protect him while trying to kill him. I'm curious to know how Hadrian is going to get the legacies without killing Kyran, though that doesn't surprise me. He seems to genuinely love Kyran and I couldn't see him being okay with Kyran dying.
I can't wait to find out why Kyran can feel his parents and they can't feel him. I hope Hadrian didn't have anything to do with it, that it was Raoul or something. I feel like Raoul is the biggest threat either Hadrian or the mages are facing right now, but they're so focused on killing each other that they've forgotten about him, which is probably what he wants.
I really like learning more about Hadrian and seeing that he's not pure evil. Yes, the vamages are drinking from the mages, but Hadrian is trying to protect both realms from the demons. Or at least, he is if what Kyran believes is the truth.
Also, will we find out more about what the little girl meant when she called Aaron a "web" in the next book? Or will we discover that in the last?
I am really intrigued about how Hadrian will take Kyran's legacies without killing him. Can't wait to read more about that. It's so hard to not like Hadrian's and Kyran's relationship. It will also be interesting to rad about what Kate and Chris think of Kyran and Hadrian's relationship, especially if they become a proper family again, which I am reallllly hope will happen eventually. :)
Mod
In the next book, you will see the scene when Kyran wraps the house in vines in a flashback. It's a very important scene, in terms of Kyran's character and at what point he does this.
I like your thoughts about the mysterious Lurker. You are right, of course. This Lurker knows who Kyran really is, and he's not on anyone's side. His identity will be revealed in the next book.
A reminder again that you should only join and/or read the following comments if you have read BOTH Run To Earth and Playing With Fire, as there will be plenty of spoilers. If you haven't, turn around and go finish the books. You've been warned! ;)
I will be available for the next four days to answer your questions and chat about both books, as well as discuss the future of certain characters in the third book. The event starts at 8am tomorrow, but please feel free to come on and introduce yourself.
I look forward to chatting with all of you over the next four days.
:)