Please Welcome Elizabeth C. Bunce!
Elizabeth C. Bunce is the author of A Curse as Dark as Gold, StarCrossed, and its recently released sequel Liar's Moon. I ADORED StarCrossed and highly recommend it if you're looking for some great court intrigue. I haven't read the other two yet, but they're both on my TBR!
There are NO spoilers here!
Q:
How do you personally define historical fantasy?
A:
I’m sure you’ve had several responses to this by now, and heard multiple definitions, so I’ll just say that for me, historical fantasy is far more than simply historical fiction with magical elements. It’s about being immersed in a fantasy world built firmly on a historical foundation, where the historical details are more than mere window-dressing, but inform the story in real and inextricable ways. This world may be our own—a genuine historical setting plus fantasy elements—or a separate fantasy world heavily inspired by a recognizable historical era—but in either case, the fantasy must be as powerful and authentic as the history.
Q:
What
are your historical fantasy must-reads? (*Note: I have added Goodreads
links for the titles Elizabeth mentioned so you can easily add them to
your TBR!)
A:
The benchmark for historical fantasy was set by authors like Guy Gavriel Kay, Gillian Bradshaw (The Wolf Hunt is one of my very most favorite books ever), and Judith Tarr. For younger readers, I'm a big fan of Catherine Fisher. Most readers probably know her Incarceron books, but she also has a marvelous series called The Oracle Prophecies, set in a world inspired by ancient Egypt during the Greek period. Rebecca Barnhouse has done some wonderful things with the Beowulf story, and, of course, Megan Whalen Turner's Attolia novels are true classics of the genre. And I nearly forgot Juliet Marillier—Wildwood Dancing is a pitch-perfect example.
Q:
What's coming up next for you in terms of publication?
A:
Well, right now we're pretty excited about the release of Liar's Moon, and to celebrate that, my publisher is offering the electronic version of the first Digger book, StarCrossed, at a great promotional rate ($2.99) for a limited time. It also has a huge sample of Liar's Moon inside. After that? Well, I know all of us would love to work on a third book about Digger!
Q:
What drew you to historical fantasy?
A:
I've been a lifelong fantasy fan—I think I read my first Xanth novel when I was eight. But as I grew as a reader, and later as a writer, I found myself really captivated by the more subtle elements of world building, and inspired by the fascinating and often unbelievable details of our own history. I love the sense of realism--of the worlds being truly real--that layers of accurate historical detail can bring to a story. I loved my history classes in school, and then my anthropology studies in college, but I always found I was reading with an eye toward using those elements I was learning about in stories. "How can I spin this information for another world?" Even now I crave that authenticity as I write.
Q:
What’s your preference: Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or (gulp) white chocolate?
A:
Q:
If you had to live in the world of one of your books, which book would you choose and which character would you like to be?
A:
Dear me, what a choice! Curses and black magic and no reliable indoor heating... or a religious Inquisition in a police state. Do I choose the Renaissance or the Enlightenment? Charlotte Miller makes her living in the textile industry (and I can certainly see the appeal of that), but Digger lives above a bakery... and that's terribly tempting, as well. The truth is, I've "lived" in both worlds, and would be delighted to revisit either of them. And there are new worlds to come my readers haven't seen yet.
Q:
Is there a genre you could never see yourself writing? Why not?
A:
Now that's a trap of a question! First, I can't criticize any genre; I think all sorts of books have their place, particularly for young readers whose tastes and sensibilities haven't been cemented yet. We need many kinds of books because there are many kinds of readers. Secondly, I know from experience that just as soon as I say, "Oh, I'll never write X," that's the precise moment I have an idea for X! But I will say that it's difficult for me to envision myself writing a story that was firmly contemporary, without any sort of genre classification at all (mystery, paranormal, etc), simply because my own tastes don't generally run that way. But I've just recently had my first idea for a story that is strictly historical (no fantasy elements), so you never know what will happen!
Q:
Are there any other fairy tales you would like to retell?
A:
Oh, plenty. (Insert wicked laughter here.) This is an exciting time for fairy tale fans, with all the new books out, plus two new TV series ("Once Upon a Time" and "Grimm"). I hope I'll continue to be a part of it!
Q:
Will there be any romance for Digger in Liar’s Moon?
A:
Oh, yes. Probably all she can handle, really!
Q:
Did you draw on any real historical religions or cultural aspects to influence the development of the moon-religion in Digger’s world?
A:
The religion of Digger's world is an old, old part of those stories, and it developed gradually, over a period of many years while I was in school. I think it's fair to say that whenever I was studying world religions, I incorporated the elements I found most compelling into that cosmology. On the surface, it's easy to see similarities to the pantheons of the Greek and Norse worlds. I was intrigued by the idea of the evolution of religious systems--how do those beliefs change as societies change? What would a Reformation look like to a pantheistic society? What if that society embraced monotheism? What becomes of the believers of the old ways? And if you add magic to the mix--in particular a sophisticated, highly religious sort of magical system--how does that affect the conflicts such a society might encounter? It was those questions that drove me as I was working with the religious elements of these books.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Elizabeth!
Have any of you read one of Elizabeth's books? Which fairy tale retelling would you like to see her write? I'd gobble up any retelling, but my heart is pinned on the hopes of a third Digger book.
Have any of you read one of Elizabeth's books? Which fairy tale retelling would you like to see her write? I'd gobble up any retelling, but my heart is pinned on the hopes of a third Digger book.
Elizabeth C. Bunce is generously providing a signed copy of Liar's Moon + swag for giveaway!
Info for the giveaway:
- As always, you do NOT have to be a follower
- You must have a US/CA mailing address
- You must be 13 years of age or older
- One entry per person
- Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
- I will contact the winner through email and the winner will have 24 hours to reply before a new winner is chosen
- This giveaway closes on December 7th
Ruby is chatting with another historical fantasy author today! Click here to read the interview and enter the giveaway (INT)!
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