In A Sliver of Shadow, your
heroine, Abby Sinclair, is beginning her new life as a TouchStone. What did she
do to gain this new position? Was it earned or inherited?
She more or less stumbled into it. I mention it briefly in A Brush of
Darkness, but essentially she’s invited to come hang out in Portsmyth by
Melanie. (Several months after the accident that kills her mother and leaves
her crippled.) While there, she discovers the OtherFolk world and decides to
stay for a while. Moira happened to have an apartment for rent above the
bookstore she owned and offered Abby the TouchStone position at that point.
As a side note – any mortal can be a TouchStone – it just requires a
Contract.
Who might want to put a spell on Abby?
Anyone who wants to get to Moira, undoubtedly. Although we learn some
interesting things about Abby in A Sliver of Shadow that would definitely put
her up on a “Most Wanted” list for her own sake.
When the Faery Queen declares the Doors between the Faery and human
worlds officially closed, the OtherFolk who are trapped in the mortal world
begin to fade. What happens to them as they fade? Why?
OtherFolk aren’t creatures of our world – they need the magic of the
CrossRoads and the ability to get back to their own homes to continue to exist.
They like to visit here for a number of reasons, and this is why TouchStones
become so important. TouchStones are mortal anchors for the OtherFolk. The
Contracts essentially allow the OtherFolk to siphon the mortal’s energy for a
time, usually in return for something cool. (Wishes, spells, whatever. The
Contracts are rather essential for this, and it’s the Protectorate’s job to
make sure mortals don’t get screwed.)
Once the CrossRoads are closed, the magic is shut off. Those OtherFolk
with TouchStones will last a bit longer, but those who don’t will grow weaker
and weaker and eventually die.
Abby journeys to the CrossRoads with Prince Talivar and the incubus,
Brystion. Once there, she hopes to override the Queen’s magic. How? Does Abby
need to perform magic to accomplish this? Is she capable as a mortal, or must
her friends help her?
Well, I think she’s just going to try for diplomacy. She can’t really
expect to waltz into Faerie and demand that the Queen do anything. Of course
there are things about the Queen that make this difficult (which I’m not going
to mention because I want to avoid spoilers.) Abby doesn’t really possess any direct magic
herself – with one exception – she’s a KeyStone. This means she can TouchStone
to any OtherFolk being on contact without the need for a Contract. It makes her
a valuable commodity among the OtherFolk in general.
Although Abby cannot open the CrossRoads directly herself, she does have
an item in her possession that can, on a limited basis. How it works is
something she discovers along the way…
You described the Faery realm as beautiful and dangerous. Give us an idea
of what it looks like. What are some of the potential dangers Abby may face
there?
Well, for one thing, the Fae in general have a completely different moral
compass when it comes to things they want or need. They’re rather self-absorbed as a whole and
living as long as they do means the political games are infinite in
nature. So on one hand, they’re pretty
to look at, but it’s not really a place for hapless mortals to hang out in for
too long.
I’ve split the Fae up into the traditional Seelie vs Unseelie Courts.
Talivar and Moira are Seelie – what you’d consider “high” elves or Sidhe.
What’s left of the Unseelie Court (currently banished to a roaming existence)
is made up of “lesser” Fae – who are in general a good deal more sinister – and
desperate to reclaim their homeland. You can’t always tell by looking as they
will often use glamours to hide their true appearance. (And many of them also
have no qualms about using mortals to their own ends either.)
To be honest though, I don’t like to determine sides in black and white
like that – and Abby discovers there are many shades of grey in her dealings
with them.
Thanks for answering my questions. The book sounds great! I'm eager to read this one!
Thanks for answering my questions. The book sounds great! I'm eager to read this one!
A
Sliver of Shadow
Book
2 Abby Sinclair Series
By
Allison Pang
A
Sliver of Shadow Blurb:
Just when her new life as a
TouchStone – a mortal bound to help OtherFolk cross between Faery and human
worlds – seems to be settling down, Abby Sinclair is left in charge when the
Protectorate, Moira, leaves for the Faery Court. And when the Protectorate’s
away…let’s just say things spiral out of control when a spell on Abby backfires
and the Faery Queen declares the Doors between their worlds officially closed.
The results
are disastrous for both sides: OtherFolk trapped in the mortal world
are beginning to fade, while Faerie is on the brink of war with the daemons of
Hell. Along with her brooding eleven prince Talivar and sexy incubus Brystion,
Abby ventures to the CrossRoads in an attempt to override the Queen’s magic.
But nothing in this beautiful, dangerous realm will compare to the discoveries
she’s making about her past, her destiny, and what she will sacrifice for those
she loves.
Buy Links:
A
Sliver of Shadow Excerpt:
“Who’s my little
man?” The unicorn crooned at Benjamin and then winced when a hank of beard
became the baby’s newest form of entertainment.
“Keep that up
and you’ll be a baldy chin,” I retorted. “And I don’t recall asking your
opinion. Not that that’s ever stopped you before. Talivar around?”
“Nope, burned
the coffee again. Ran out to get more.” A snort escaped him. “He’s even worse
at it then you are.”
“Probably
something about being a prince and not having to actually cook for himself. At
least he’s trying. More than I can say for you.” I stooped to search for my
Crocs, pushing through dust bunnies and clumps of what suspiciously looked like
unicorn droppings. “Christ, Phin, use the toilet or go outside or something.” I
snatched my hand away.
“That’s not me.
I think you’ve got mice.” His tone became wheedling.
“I’ll bet. Just
clean it up.”
“With what?
Gonna turn my tail into a broom?” The furred tuft in question flicked as if to
make the point.
“I’m sure you’ll
come up with something. Besides, aren’t unicorn horns proof against poison?
Purifying water, that sort of thing? Surely something that can bring a dead man
back to life can disinfect like Lysol?”
A Brush
of Darkness
About the Author:
A marine biologist in a former
life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending
habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she
spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing
boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned
by a hawk once. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous
violinists.
A Brush
of Darkness
Book 1
Abby Sinclair Series
The man of her dreams might be the cause of her
nightmares.
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to
pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a
miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to
manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all
prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching
for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts.
Abby has enough problems without having this
seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But
when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion
must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this
perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as
much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.
About the Author:
A marine biologist in a former
life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending
habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she
spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing
boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned
by a hawk once. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous
violinists.
She spends her days in Northern
Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats,
punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to
write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.
Author
Links:
Official site: http://www.heartofthedreaming.com
Borrowing Heaven, Subletting Hell
Blog: http://mynfel.blogspot.com
Word Whores Blog: http://word-whores.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/apang
Facebook Author page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Allison-Pang/154530877925333
Twitter: @allison_pang (also
@phintheunicorn)
Tumblr: http://ionsfolly.tumblr.com
1 comments:
Abby is one of my favorite new characters! Can't wait to read the new book :)
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