As the clock ticks another day closer to the release of Undead Chaos, I’m continuing with character interviews from the book. Today’s guest is none other than the Female Lead, romantic-interest, and all-around butt-kicking lady, Quinn Fawkes!
Thanks for being on the blog today, Quinn.
My pleasure. Um…not to be rude, but what’s that smell?
Crud. We’re still trying to disinfect from our last guest. Apparently the pumpkin spice candles aren’t working.
Not really, no.
Sorry.
It’s okay. I’ve dealt with the Reanimated before.
You certainly did in Undead Chaos.
A little, sure. Although out of all of us, Marcus spent the most time with Banks. When the dust settled, he didn’t bother washing his outfit. Just threw the clothes away.
I bet. Hey, speaking of Marcus, did I detected a grin when you mentioned him? Is there something going on with you two?
That’s between me and Marcus, thank you.
But the readers will want to know if you two hoo–
NEXT QUESTION.
Um, okay. Oh, here’s a good one: Is it true your family practices dark magic that is banned by the Delwinn Council?
Pass.
How about this one: Was your father, famed Necromancer Simeon Fawkes, really trying to raise an army of the undead before he was imprisoned?
Pass.
Listen, it’s really hard to conduct an interview if you keep passing on all the questions.
Well then, stop asking questions you know I won’t answer.
Ugh, fine. What kinds will you answer?
Questions about the story or my character. Barring family or relationship stuff, of course.
Character first. Between your hand-to-hand fighting, swordsmanship, and spells, you kick a lot of butt in this book.
*smiles* I try.
Some of those combat scenes are pretty intense. How did you prepare for them?
I’ve spent most of my life training for the worse-case-scenario. We’re talking hours in the gym, months studying spells in dusty old tomes, and constantly trying to plan for disaster.
Because of your father?
*nods* What happened to Daddy was unfair, but educational. It taught me that the world can be cruel and I’ve done my best to prepare for what may come.
Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.
It was a….unique childhood. But I had a few aces up my sleeve.
Like your ability to perform a spell called Shadow Dancing?
PASS!
Ooookay. Guess we’re done with that line of questioning. What can you tell our readers about Undead Chaos, instead?
*looks relieved* Undead Chaos is an Urban Fantasy that takes place in the Washington D.C. area. There’s a decent amount of action with a large focus on humor.
Dark humor or the BWAHAHA kind?
The latter. Apparently the author prefers it.
Guilty as charged.
*rolls eyes*
Now, when you say “Urban Fantasy”, does that mean there’s magic and stuff?
We call it “Skill”, but yes.
Sweet. I can’t wait to learn how to create fireballs and pull a rabbit out of a hat.
Sorry, but it doesn’t work like that. Skill can’t be created or simply learned from a book. A person is born with a certain capability that can only be improved upon with study and training. Our powers are recessive, so if a Skilled person and a Normal–
Normal?
Non-Magical person.
Oh…..Heeeeeey, I’m not sure I appreciate that ter–
Like I was saying, if a Skilled and a Normal got together, their child would stand a one-in-ten-thousand chance of being Skilled. But put two powerful Skilled together and their child will likely inherent the strength of both parents.
But the Skilled can perform spells, right?
To a degree, yes. Just like some people are more talented in music or can run faster than you and me, so too are the Skilled. Some of us are just more adept at the art form than others. But there are limitations.
Like what?
The first is distance. There’s an exponential factor in play here, so a spell loses its punch quickly the farther you are from your target. It’s why you can’t barbecue someone on the other side of the planet. It’s also why so many Skilled battles are fought hand-to-hand. Or, at least, in close quarters.
Makes it more personal, eh?
Absolutely. Anyway, there are also physical limitations. If you can’t lift a ton of bricks with your hands, you probably can’t lift it with a spell either. The human body is fragile. Push it too hard and there will be consequences. Exhaustion, headaches, etc. There are legends of the Skilled pushing themselves to the point of death.
Yikes.
So, those are the basics of our powers. Any other questions I can answer?
Just one last one: Did you have a favorite scene in the book?
*chews inside of her cheek* Honestly, there were a lot of them. I really enjoyed the scenes where Marcus and I were fighting side-by-side. It was like dancing, but a tad more violent.
You have to pick one.
In that case, the scene in the morgue when Daddy is inspecting Banks. There was something magical about being next to Marcus that drowned out the cold in the room. I think that’s where I first noticed a connection between us. So yeah, that one.
I thought you didn’t want to talk about relationship stuff.
*grins* What can I say? I’m an enigma.
Indeed you are. And with that, we’ll wrap up today’s interview. I’d like to thank Quinn Fawkes for coming on the show and giving us a little background to how the magic–
Skill.
–Skill of her world works. Thanks also to everyone who checked in. Tune in tomorrow for my interview with the infamous Huntress (and mother of Marcus), Angela Shifter!
And remember, Undead Chaos can be pre-orded from the online retailers below or your favorite e-book distributor. Order now and it’ll show up on your e-reader on October 28th. Just like magic!
