Teens Read and Write: Author Interview with Kiki Hamilton, THE FAERIE RING

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Author Interview with Kiki Hamilton, THE FAERIE RING

We're thrilled to be hosting Kiki Hamilton today on her blog tour with Mundie Moms! It's the launch day for her fantabulous debut novel, THE FAERIE RING, a book we were lucky enough to read early and provide a blurb which said:

A delicious blend of urban fantasy, heart-stopping suspense and sizzling romance - THE FAERIE RING rocks! Pulsing with excitement this high-stakes adventure catapults you through the gritty slums of Victorian London, the glittering balls of the Royal Palace, and the menacing Otherworld, in a thrilling tale where no one and nothing is what it seems. Deception, twists, diabolical faeries, a gutsy heroine and a sexy love interest all woven into a spectacular wild ride. You'll devour every page - compelled to finish but never wanting it to end!"

Can you tell we kinda liked it?

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1) Since you wrote The Faerie Ring without having been to London, what was your biggest surprise about the city when you finally made the trip?

That everything I plotted in the book actually worked and worked beautifully. There is a side entrance to Buckingham Palace, it is logistically possible to easily get from Buckingham to St. James Park to Charing Cross; Hyde Park and Grosvenor Square are accessible as told in the story and it all worked! Thank goodness!

2) What was your favorite moment when you followed Tiki's footsteps in London?

I loved every minute I spent in London. It was like I’d come home. I especially loved being in beautiful St. James Park and seeing Buckingham in the distance – it was like a snapshot of two different worlds: the royals and the rest of us. I’ll never forget standing on the side of the building and looking at the ways Tiki could have snuck in. Back in 1871 they didn’t have any fences around the palace so it was fascinating imagining that. Also, I’ll never forget walking around the corner and seeing the outside of Charing Cross. Loved it!

3) What is your favorite quote or scene from The Faerie Ring?

There is a scene when Tiki is in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace and meets William Richmond. Prince Leopold sees the mark on her wrist and his reaction still makes me laugh. I love that part.

4) Rieker is a dreamy love interest, and he and Tiki have a great relationship - believable, exciting and romantic. What do you think makes a good love interest and how did you go about creating the credibility of their relationship?

Well, initially there’s that period of time when you’re learning to trust the other person, which is a theme in the story. And of course, every relationship has its ups and downs, which helps build the tension in making the relationship work, so, like real life, there are moments of disagreement or distrust. Another essential ingredient is respect. You have to respect the love interest and *want* the main character to get together with them because there’s nobody else better for them. Finally, I think pacing is important in developing your character’s interest in each other so that it feels believable too.

5) What literary character would you like to interview most and what would you ask them?

I’d love to interview Harry Potter. Of course we’d have to do a little flying during the interview, visit Hogwarts and drink butter beer at Hogsmeade. All in the name of research, of course. J I’d ask Harry how long it took Hogwarts to be rebuilt after they destroyed Voldemort and the Elder wand. If he ever returned to Hogwarts, did he ever consider becoming head master…etc. etc. The questions would probably go on and on.

6) What is the most surprising thing we would find in your purse right now?

Hmmm…glances at purse which has recently been cleaned….probably the most surprising thing is what ISN’T in there. I usually NEVER go anywhere without some chocolate – for emergency purposes only, of course – but right now – there’s no candy at all. Let me tell you – that’s a first!

7) You awaken to the sound of large feathered wings flapping and realize you're being carried by a giant eagle with the head of a moose sporting a top hat and monocle. Despite your quaking fear, you attack it's talons. "Maaaaaaaawwwwwwww!" screams the moose head. Crazed by your attack, he releases you and you plummet to the earth, landing onto the balcony of Windsor Castle. "Do you have biscuits for brains, you daft fool!" cries the Queen of England. She sprints toward you wielding a katana and a P-90 handgun. Behind her is her Royal Guard who have been transformed into bloodthirsty zombies! "Assist me in squelching this rebellion!" You frantically search your pockets and find one broken balloon, a dried pixie, an ounce of horseradish, and an original 1965 vinyl of The Sound of Music movie soundtrack. How do you survive?

Using the vinyl LP, I throw it like a Frisbee with dead-eye aim, decapitating half of the royal guard. I snatch the katana from the Queen and take out a few more zombie guards. Using the balloon like a slingshot I shoot the horseradish into the eyes of the remaining guard and whew! we’re all safe. Of course, I’m saving the dried pixie for another adventure.

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Thanks for stopping by and excellent job on the zombie question! What could you be saving the dried pixie for???

Tomorrow there's a character interview at Overflowing Shelf and you can get information on the whole Faerie Ring Tour here,

THE FAERIE RING

by Kiki Hamilton

pub: 9/27/11

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger.
The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.
Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.
Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…