Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Interview with Sara Walsh!

Sara Walsh's The Dark Light is a novel I definitely expected to enjoy, but little did I know I would finish it and wind up adding it to my 'favorites' list at once. When I put down The Dark Light, I simply could not stop thinking about its story, its characters, or even how Walsh had managed to craft such an intriguing, unique, and suspenseful novel. Thus, when Sara agreed to do an interview with me on Ivy Book Bindings - my very first since I began my blog - I was absolutely thrilled! I am overjoyed to welcome Sara to my blog today and I hope you will all enjoy my interview with her just as much as I enjoyed conducting it myself! :) 


Mysterious lights have flickered above Crownsville for as long as Mia can remember. And as far as she's concerned, that's about the only interesting thing to happen in her small town. That is, until Sol arrives. Mia's not one to fall for just any guy, but she can't get Sol--or the brilliant tattoo on his back--out of her mind. Then Mia's brother goes missing, and Mia's convinced that Sol knows more than he's sharing. But getting closer to Sol means reevaluating everything Mia once believed to be true. Because Sol's not who Mia thought he was--and neither is she.
Interview with Sara Walsh    
My Questions for the Interview   
Sara's Responses to the Questions
My Comments to the Interview

Hi, Keertana! Thanks so much for inviting me over!

Hi, Sara! Thank you so much for visiting!

First and foremost, I have to ask - what made you think of parallel universes? 

I wanted to create a world that was separate, yet connected, to our own, and to show how what happens in one world can have consequences in the other, so a parallel world seemed to fit that idea. Also, I love the idea of layers of worlds, and how what we see around us every day--in this case, the American Plains--might not always be as they seem. That’s pretty much the idea behind The Dark Light.


I love the idea of parallel universes myself, so the way in which you wrote about them in this novel was absolutely fascinating! I especially like the concept of, "a world that was separate, yet connected, to our own." I definitely felt that while reading this novel.

It is mentioned in your biography that the idea of The Dark Light came from a local news event of a boy mysteriously reappearing after a decade. What other events/novels/music/etc. inspired you to write this novel? 

The boy’s reappearance, coupled with a road trip across the plains, was the catalyst for The Dark Light, but it wasn’t until I was writing that I saw a lot of the ideas that influenced me as a young reader appearing in the story. As a child, I loved stories about regular people in fantastical settings, like Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia. About halfway through the first draft, I realized that was exactly the kind of story I was writing, and just decided to have fun with it. I’d say The Dark Light is basically a modern day Narnia with kissing!


I think that's a great way to describe this, Sara, especially as The Dark Light has the same magical feel as Narnia does, only a more mature scale. 

One of the biggest reasons why I loved The Dark Light so much was because of the characters. Which character do you feel you are most like? 

Of all the characters in The Dark Light, I’m probably most like Delane. I’m pretty laid back, I like to goof around with friends, and I tend to look on the bright side about most things in life.


I love that you're like Delane, Sara, especially as Delane is one of my favorite characters in this novel! I loved getting to meet him and was pleasantly surprised by the large role he played in this book as Sol's best friend!

The Dark Light has been classified as a mixture of genres - do you agree with this? What genre(s) would you categorize it in and why? 

I totally agree. The Dark Light is a mixture of genres. I classify the story as fantasy, but even then it’s a blend of different fantasy sub-genres--paranormal, urban, and a touch of traditional fantasy, too. There’s definitely romance in the story. Action and adventure. And there are elements of mystery. I never deliberately set out to blend genres to this extent. I do read widely, and I think that’s where a lot of the genre-blending comes from. The aim for me was to take all the elements that I love in a story and to just have fun with them.


I love that The Dark Light is such a wonderful blend, simply because it can appeal to a wider audience that way and it has a large dose of originality in it, so that's wonderful! 


I found the concept of Sol's tattoo, the Lunestral, to be fascinating. Can you explain how you came up with the idea for this and what role tattoos play in this story? 

I always pictured Brakaland as a very visual society, and I wanted to reflect that in the characters that inhabited the world--someone like Vermillion, for example. Many of the people there were going to be bright and bold with huge variation between each other. For me, body art was a great way to show how Brakalanders carry their stories on their skin, and how those stories connect characters to their past and the mythologies of the culture, and that was certainly true of Sol. I then took it another step and decided it would be fun to embody those tattoos with mystical characteristics, like the seeing eye on Duddon Malone’s hand, and how Sol’s Lunestral offers protection from demons.


I loved the way you used tattoos in this novel, so thank you for elaborating more on your motivations behind that. It was definitely an aspect of this novel that I loved! 


I know a lot of authors use online programs to organize their writing and some even write by shorthand first before transferring their material to the computer, so what is your method of writing? 

I have to admit that I’m really boring and just sit down at my PC and write. I do scribble down notes in all kinds of strange places, and I always keep the iPad by the bed in case I wake in the night with a shiny, new idea. I don’t tend to outline in huge amounts of detail, just enough to cover the major events in the story. I’m not always sure how I’ll link those events until I start writing. For me, discovering how the story comes together is the best part of writing.


I know a lot of authors who tend to write that way as well, Sara, so it's nice to see that novels can work out even without elaborate planning and outlining.


I know many readers (including me) have fallen in love with Sol. How did you go about creating his character? 

Thank you! Sol was the toughest character to write, by far! He’s an incredibly reserved, incredibly focused guy, and as we only ever see him from Mia’s point of view, it was a real challenge to chip away at that front so that Mia, and the reader, can ultimately see the other sides of him. With Sol, I knew from the start that I wanted to play with the hot, sexy, mysterious bad boy image, and flip it. On the outside, Sol appears to fit that mold--and he certainly has a reckless side and a past that we only really touch on in the story--but beneath that I knew I wanted Sol to be much more--a true friend, a loyal companion, a guy who sees the bigger picture.


I have to tell you, I think you achieved exactly what you set out to do with Sol. While I adored his bad boy image from the outside, it was what was inside Sol that made me - and Mia! - fall so hard for him, so I love that we were able to see the real Sol underneath his exterior image. 


I thought Mia was an extremely unique protagonist, simply because her strengths lay in her inner perseverance and courage opposed to any type of outer displays of strength, such as swordplay. What made you make the conscious decision to create Mia in this manner? 

With Mia, I needed a character who didn’t have all the answers, but who wasn’t afraid to do whatever it took to get her brother back. I needed someone who was independent and determined, so we could watch how she’d react when totally out of her element. Mia’s strength does lies on the inside, but she also has lots of vulnerabilities, especially in terms of her past. She can be very single-minded, almost to the point where she’s too independent.  For me, one of the key parts of Mia’s journey was always going to be her realizing that it is okay to trust other people.


I really loved Mia in this novel, especially as she was so easy for me to relate to as well. I think it's remarkable that you are so aware of your characters and what you want for them and it definitely shows in your writing - especially Mia's flaws, which really only add to her character and personality. 


If The Dark Light ever sold movie rights, who would be in your dream cast? 

I seriously have no idea! I’d want relatively unknown actors for Mia and Sol, just so we can get to know the actors as we get to know Mia and Sol in the story. I’d love to see who a casting director would pick as Vermillion. She’s definitely one of my favorite characters in the story. Very fun to write.


I can definitely see how Vermillion would have been fun to write! She's an eccentric character, to say the least, so I think some new actors would work really well for the casting of this novel! 


Lastly, I have to admit that The Dark Light is a wonderful stand-alone novel, but it also leaves just enough hanging for a possible sequel. Do you/have you planned a sequel to this novel? If not, what other future plans do you have in terms of writing?

It’s early days and as yet there are no plans for a sequel to The Dark Light, though I do know where this story would go next and where it would ultimately end up. It is something that I would love to write. Beyond The Dark Light, I do have an idea for an epic YA sci-fi that I’m itching to write. Like The Dark Light, there will be new worlds and plenty of twists and turns.


Yay! I'm so excited about your future plans, Sara! I'd love to re-visit the world of The Dark Light but your YA Science Fiction Novel sounds amazing as well! I can't wait to hear more about it soon! :) I would like to thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog today! I love this interview and I'm sure everyone else enjoyed this one immensely as well! :D

Sara Walsh is British, but happily lives in Annapolis, Maryland. She graduated college with a degree in psychology, but soon decided that telling stories was much more fun. When not writing, Sara is usually reading, drowning in tea, or frolicking around town with the world's cutest St. Bernard. The Dark Light is her first novel.
Want to learn more about Sara? Visit the following links: Sara's Website/ Blog/ Twitter/ Facebook/ and Goodreads. Or, if you'd like to buy a copy of The Dark Light, you can do so on Amazon.

Well...what did you think? I loved interviewing Sara and her responses were wonderfully detailed and completely made my day! I think my favorite answer had to be the one about Sol, simply because he is so swoon-worthy! (Seriously, it's worth reading this novel just for him!) I hope you enjoyed this interview as I really loved hosting it and if you haven't checked out The Dark Light yet, I would highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite debuts of the year and if you need any more persuasion or want to learn more about this book, I'd encourage you to check out my review of it! :)

31 comments:

  1. Oh goodness, I LOVE the idea of the inspiration. The boy mysteriously reappearing and road trips? And then she had to go name drop Narnia and Alice? I'm THERE.

    AMAZING interview--questions AND answers! ♥

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    1. Thanks Sarah! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! :)

      Yes, I loved Sara's inspiration as well! It was so fascinating and if I wasn't already in love with this book, she would have sold me with Narnia! ;)

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  2. A fab interview Sara and Keertana, I was quite excited about this book when I read your lovely review but this interview has made me even more excited! I need to meet Sol now! :)

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    1. Yayy! Yes, you definitely do need to meet Sol, Jasprit! I can already picture you swooning over him, so I can't wait till you read this one! :D

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  3. Wow! That was definitely an insightful question and answer sessesion Keertana! I have to agree with Jasprit, all the more excited for this book.

    I loved your question about the tattoo. :)

    Sara certainly sounds like an author to keep your eyes on.

    I can't wait to get ahold of this now!

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    1. Yesss! I can't wait till you read this one, Olivia, as I just loved this! Sol's tattoo is such an intriguing aspect of this novel and Sara really is a phenomenal debut author. I hope you can get your hands on a copy of this one soon! :)

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  4. I LOVE SOL! He was such a fabulous character, and I was so impressed with the different turn this book took after the first few chapters. Brilliant. Do you think if we all start groveling now, we can eventually wear Sara down and get ourselves a sequel? That would be amazing, I'm definitely not ready to say goodbye to Sol, Mia, and this world. Such a fantastic interview ladies, thank you!

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    1. Thank YOU Jenny for introducing me to this novel in the first place! Sol really is SUCH a wonderful and deep character, so I hope we can learn more about him in the future. Like you, I'm not ready to say goodbye to these fantastic characters, so hopefully Sara will write a sequel soon! *fingers crossed*

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  5. What an amazing interview, Keertana! After I read your glowing review I hopped right on Amazon and bought myself a copy of The Dark Light; I definitely can't wait to read it after such praise from you!

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    1. Yay! I hope you enjoy it, Blythe! I'll be stalking you even more than I usually do now to see what you think! :D

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  6. Is it strange for me to haven fallen for Sol before I've even met him? ;) I love the way Sara described him! It's really interesting to read about the tattoo too. I have to admit that it's my favourite part of the cover! Thanks so much for sharing Keertana. After this interview and your review, I'm almost certain I will enjoy this book. :)

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    1. I really do hope you enjoy this book when you get around to reading it, Sam! It's one of my favorites and Sol really is SUCH a fascinating character! I'll be looking out for your thoughts on this one for sure! :D

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  7. Now I'm so curious about Sol's tattoo! That sounds fascinating. I love that Sara was inspired by that news story, too...how creepy would it be to have a friend or family member reappear after years of being missing? I can't even imagine. Great interview, Keertana. Thanks for stopping by, Sara! :)
    - Lauren

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    1. Thanks Lauren!(: It is such an intriguing scenario, isn't it? I love how much information Sara gave us, especially as it's all so interesting and relevant to the story. Sol's tattoo has a hugeee mystery behind it, even when you think you know it all, so I can't wait till you pick this one up, Lauren! ;)

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  8. Thanks for the great interview :) !! I'm dying to read this book, I sooo have to buy a copy !!
    I'm a new follower, thanks for stopping by my blog =)

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    1. Thanks Elodie! Yes, you definitely do have to buy a copy! It's completely worth it and I adored this novel! :D

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  9. This interview is brilliant ladies, and the questions are superb and incredibly detailed. :) Now, confession to make: I was completely turned off by this book when I found out there was a love triangle in it. I'm glad though that you loved this in spite of that though. :) I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for this one now. :)

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    1. Leanne, there isn't a love triangle in this one AT ALL! I hate that the synopsis is so misleading about that, but there isn't one and I loved it all the more because of that, so I hope you decide to pick this one up! :D

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  10. I love that The Dark Light is a blend of all different genres... it's so awesome it can't be contained to just one :D

    I am really, really fascinated to learn more about Brakaland and the stories behind the tattoo's that they have. And oh, Sol. The more I hear about this boy... *SIGH* I have a feeling he's going to shoot straight up to my Top Ten Fave Book Boys... at least!

    Ideas for an epic sci-fi? EXCITING. Love, love, LOVE this interview, ladies! I swear, my excitement for this big cannot grow ANY bigger now!!

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    1. Yayyyy! I'm SO excited for you to read this one, Brodie! I just KNOW you'll love it! :D It really is so awesome that it can't be contained into one genre and Sol is just... *swoooons* He. Is. Awesome. Yup, he's definitely going to be making that list and Brakaland is such a fascinating universe as well! I'm looking forward to you reading this one soon! :)

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  11. AAAAAAA, I WANT TO READ THIS BOOK SO MUCH! The cover is so AWESOME and the story sounds really interesting too! And LOVE LOVE THE INTERVIEW! Parallel universe is a very great concept and I can't wait to read this book to see how it's explored.

    Awesome interview, Keertana! ♥ Must run off to get a copy of this book now ;)

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    1. I hope you're able to get a copy of this one soon, Celine! I think you'll really like it and I'd highly recommend it as well. Plus, the parallel universe concept was done AMAZINGLY! I can't wait till you read this one, now! :D

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  12. First! Congrats on your first author interview! They're scary and fun and nerve wracking, but I love the questions you thought up and the author seems like such a nice person. Well done, Keertana!

    Second: I had given up this one after reading a few unfavorable reviews, but this interview combined with your review have me rethinking that decision. Back into the TBR it goes. Parallel universes? Fantastic and well-characterized characters? How can I say no to that?

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    1. Thanks Jessie! Yes, I was a little scared and nervous, but I'm glad it went off so well and Sara really is SUCH a nice and easy person to talk to! :) I'm also glad you enjoyed my questions!

      I'm sorry to hear you read some unfavorable reviews of this one - I haven't come across any, but I'm glad I've convinced you to add it back to your TBR! I think you'll enjoy this one, so I hope you decide to pick it up soon! I'd love to hear what you have to say about it for sure! :D

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  13. I am must starting to see reviews on this one and everyone is loving it! I didn't know it featured parralel universes, I like that concept as well and love that it in spired by Alice and Narnia! I have been hearing some amazing things about Sol and his tattoo and I have added this to my list. Fabulous interview! Congrats on your first one, Ivy!

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    1. I am so sorry I meant Keertana! Forgive me!

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    2. No problem, Heidi! You are forgiven, no worries! Plus, I actually like Ivy as a better name than Keertana anyway! :)

      I am so glad I've convinced you to pick up this book, Heidi, and I hope you enjoy it! I loved it to pieces and Sol, his tattoo, and even the world-building of parallel universes is all done superbly! I can't wait till you read it and thanks for stopping by! :D

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  14. I'd really like to meet Sol after reading this. What a wonderful interview ladies! Thanks for sharing. Nice to hear there may be a sequel someday. :)

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  15. A fab interview Sara and Keertana, I was quite excited about this book when I read your lovely review but this interview has made me even more excited! I need to meet Sol now! :)

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