Welcome to Worlds of Wonderment Elizabeth, it’s great to
have you here.
Thanks for having me!
Can you tell potential readers about your book?
Sure thing. Here’s the official blurb,
which sums it up best:
A
dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody
war
In a city where humans and Darklings
are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still
simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood
Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet
and do the unthinkable—they fall in love.
Bonded by a mysterious connection, that
causes Ash’s long dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then
struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they’re
caught they’ll be executed—but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find
themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the
humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could
result in both their deaths.
Where did the idea for Black City spring from?
The idea of Black City all started with
Ash. I was watching this indie movie called Charlie Bartlett, and the character
of Ash suddenly sprung into my mind. I don’t know why, but inspiration often strikes
at the oddest times. I began thinking about this damaged, drug-dealing,
supernatural boy whose dormant heart starts to beat when he meets his soul mate,
Natalie. As soon as the film was over, I wrote a scene between Ash and his best
friend Beetle. It never made it into the final book, but it all started with
that kernel of an idea and grew from there.
What have you planned for the Black City Chronicles?
I can’t go into details as it is all
top secret for now. All I can say is that the stakes will be raised, you’ll get
to meet other supernaturals, and there’s plenty of kissing!
Describe Ash and Natalie in three words.
Ash - Damaged, brave, passionate
Natalie - Conflicted, rebellious,
caring
How does your paranormal world differ from others?
Black City differs from a lot of
paranormal YA novels, because it has a dystopian twist. It’s set in a war-torn,
post-apocalyptic world where Darklings are treated like second-class citizens
and forced to live inside walled ghettos. It’s a gritty, dark and dangerous
world, and the threat of execution always lingers over Ash and Natalie’s heads.
Do Ash and Natalie grow much during Black City?
Very much so. Ash starts off the story as
this broken, angry, selfish guy and grows into a very strong, brave young man,
who is willing to stand up for what’s right to protect those he loves. Equally,
Natalie starts off as a bit of a brat, who hates Darklings and does whatever
her mom tells her to do, and grows into this confident, defiant girl who
supports the Darkling cause despite the risks to herself.
If you could date or marry any fictional character who
would it be and why?
Oooh, that’s a good question! Mmm, well
the boy I’d want to date wouldn’t necessarily be the boy I’d want to marry. So
with that in mind, I would date Patch from Hush,
Hush because he’s such a bad boy and would be a lot of fun, but I’d marry
Edward from Twilight, because he’s a
gentleman, eternally cute, and a good provider and protector.
What’s your guilty indulgence?
I’m currently addicted to these caramel
chocolate bars called Curly Wurlys. They’re divine and a really naughty
indulgence.
Can we get a sneak peek at Black City? Just a teeny, tiny
one. Please?
Since you asked so nicely... ;-p
There’s actually a sampler of Black City on Penguin’s Breathless Reads Facebook
fan page, featuring excerpts from their Fall 2012 Breathless Reads, including Black
City, Origin, Venom, The Innocents and Falling Kingdoms. Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/breathlessreads/app_190322544333196
Elizabeth Richards is an award-winning journalist, who spent her early career reviewing videogames before making the bold (or crazy) move into travel writing, despite suffering from terrible travel sickness.
In her spare time, she ran a successful lifestyle website aimed at teenage girls, where she got to interview many of her favourite bands, go to gigs and basically blag loads of free swag all in the name of ‘research’.
Elizabeth lives in Buckinghamshire, England, with her husband. Black City is her debut novel.
