Years ago, when I wrote Bound to Love Her, my first Elven romantic-suspense novel, I did it for two reasons.
1) I’d heard that you could write a fantasy and get it published in a romance sub-genre, as long as it had the lurve.
2) I’d seen Orlando Bloom as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings movie.
All writers start out with a basic idea and embroider on it. I live in Boulder, Colorado, a pretty environmentally minded town. That and Elven lore in general caused me to make my Elves guardians of the earth, and also vulnerable to its destruction. They merge with the land, they draw their energy from it, and when it ceases to be land and becomes a foundation for roads, homes, or malls, they die.
But roads, homes and malls aren’t evil, and Elves aren’t always good.
Fantasy novels are a great way to explore philosophical and sociological issues. Romance novels are a great way to explore personal relationships. In Bound to Love Her, Galan, my Elven hero, distrusts humans. They’re driving his people to extinction, although they don’t know it. And Erin, my human heroine, distrusts Galan, because he won’t acknowledge the feelings between them, and also because Elves have this nasty habit of hypnotizing humans and rejiggering their reality. They were brought together by magical circumstance and a villain, which are both fun.
Fast forward to my second book, Stolen Magic, which just came out. This time, I wanted to explore the world of Elves from the inside looking out. Were they a devoted group of folks, with no dissent? Did they get everything they needed from each other? Does anyone? And so I created Adlia, the odd Elf out. She never knew her parents, is short where other Elves are tall, and lacks the magical talent that reassures Elves that they are, well… magical. She wanted someone to love her for all the things she was, not look at her funny for the things she wasn’t. She needed someone with a welcoming clan – family and friends who know that people aren’t perfect, but who love and take care of them just the same. Mark Speranzi (Italian for hope), fit the bill perfectly.
As for Elves and the humans, they’re getting better at compromise. If the books have a message, it’s that states of all-bad or all-good are thin on the ground. Relationships change, the planet changes, there is no perfect state of equilibrium, no Eden to return to. There never was. That doesn’t mean we stop trying to make things better, both for ourselves and others.
You can find back-cover blurbs and first chapters for both books here, and please drop by my ElvesInBoulder Giveaway, where you can register to win two different prizes.
1) Jewelry, art, and body care.
2) Free hotel nights, restaurant and boutique gift certificates, and theater tickets in my very own Boulder, Colorado.
And to show that giving is sometimes as fun as receiving, you can also don a pair of pointy ears and upload your photo (cut-and-tape pattern provided). I’ll donate a dollar to the Nature Conservancy for each of the first 500 pointy-eared folks I see. You’ll be pretending to be an Elf, but you’ll be a hero (or heroine) for real.
Esri Rose is the author of two books about Elves in Boulder, Colorado – Stolen Magic, just out, and Bound to Love Her. She lives in Boulder with her husband and her cat, only one of whom has pointy ears. You can find her main website at ElvesAmongUs.com and her Giveaway site at ElvesInBoulder.com.
Esri, when I picked up Bound To Love Her last year, it was at a time in my life that I needed to restore that sense of compromise between parties, one which so hungrily needs to be restored. That doesn't mean we stop trying, as you so eruditely phrased it above. Looking forward to picking up Stolen Magic to-day, to help immerse my(s)elf in that sense of wonder alive in the world of now. But, hey, that's easier for you to mine, being in Boulder as you are. Thank you, Esri! All the very best, always, to thee & thine!
ReplyDeleteLive from Apple Mountain,
Anadæ Effro (•:-)}
What a wonderful thing to say, Anadae! I know Esri will be pleased. And I agree with you, Bound to Love her is not just a fantasy story. It speaks to us mere humans for our lives too.
ReplyDeleteI just received word yesterday that my copy of Stolen Magic is at last on its way, and may arrive today. I'm at a place today where I need some magic in my life so I'm really looking forward to it.
(Thought I posted this yesterday) Anadae is awesome (as are you, Delle!) Yeah, compromise is a big thing for me, as is letting go of perfectionism. Americans are so convinced that if they do everything right, they can achieve a perfect state of health, happiness, whatever. It's like we believe we're little gods who can control our lives completely if we just work hard enough.
ReplyDeleteHello Esri and Delle! I just love that cover for Stolen Magic! And I love the idea of compromise between the elves and humans. Aldia sounds like a wonderful character looking to fit in! We used to tease my sister that she was an elf because she had a pointy ear!
ReplyDeleteHi, MarthaE! Pointy ears? That's cool!
ReplyDeleteHi Martha! Sorry, I've been dealing with the loss of the cat, so I've sort of been away. Ster Trek helped us all.
ReplyDeleteI have pointy ears, or did when I was a kid and in my younger years, when they also stuck out much more than they do now. So I've always been teased about elf or fairy blood. I've decided they were right. Esri has taught me it's cool to have elven blood.
I'm going nuts between reading Esri's book and Diane Gaston's new book at the same time. Makes for interesting dreams at night but I can't stop on either one of them.