Today I welcome romance author Lily Silver to discuss Some Enchanted Dream, the most recent book in her Seasons of Enchantment series.
Inspiration for Some Enchanted Dream: Art History, Absinthe, and Fairies.
I love Fairies. I love researching fairy lore and learning about regional myths regarding these lovely, fantastic beings. This book is a sequel to Some Enchanted Waltz, so my characters were already created and had certain needs for growth in the new story. In the first story the heroine, Tara, discovered she could travel through time and was of fey descent. She met two of her fey brothers at the end of book one. I was able to bring those two Fey men, Mick Gilamuir and Doc Riley, through time with Tara and add to the fun. In this book, she gets lessons in trans-location to and from the top of Notre Dame Cathedral from big brother Mick, and will find him posing nude with his wings unfurled for an artist living in the attic of their apartment building in an embarrassing moment. Brother Riley will save lives with his knowledge of herbs and magic whilst pining for the beautiful Green Fairy, Artemisia and visiting her court often to gain knowledge about their enemies. I also mentioned the enemies of her Starling Clan in the first book, so I brought the Darkling Fey in this story as the threat the hero and heroine and their company must face.
While researching the setting for the story, I decided the 1889 Paris World’s Fair would be the perfect place for Tara and her husband to be, as it was a time of celebration and hope, a celebration of a new world with technology advancing. It worked for Adrian, as he’s from the past century and being brought forward in time by nearly 100 years allows the reader to be in awe of the new advances of the Victorian era as they see them from his eyes. It also worked for bring Tara into contact with other fey beings of myth and legend as the famous Green Fairy and Absinthe came into play. Once I had the ingredients–potential Fairy Conflict between light and dark fey, the World’s Fair attracting millions of tourists from around the world and the newly completed Eiffel Tower being a celebration of humanity, the famous Green Fairy and the legend of the creation of Absinthe–the storyline fell into place. The needs of both my hero and heroine were met, and they were given a challenge to overcome outside of their conflict with each other. I am an Art History geek, I minored in the subject in college, so it was heaven to research Absinthe lore, various artist’s lives in Paris (Henri Toulouse-Latrec makes an appearance in my story). I loved researching old photos of the Moulin Rouge, reading about that lifestyle and discovering tidbits of info about the local dance clubs. I also had a blast researching the intricacies of the 1889 World’s Fair exhibitions from around the world, (with architecture that would stagger the mind for a temporary fair construction). This book was the most fun to write as it brought together my love for history, art, and Fey Magic. This time, Adrian, Tara and her fey brothers get to save the world, not just themselves as they did in book one. And Dan Wilson, Tara’s adopted human father, will be right at her side as she faces new challenges and struggles. Spoiler alert; Dan falls in love with a dancer in a club similar to the Moulin Rouge. Whether she can love him back is the question as she has many admirers!
The next book in the series will send Adrian and Tara back in time to 16th Century England, where they will meet Shakespeare and inspire him to write about fairies in his next play.
Author’s Note: In light of the recent attacks on Paris, I am donating all proceeds of the sale of Some Enchanted Dream to the victims of the terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015. For the next month, and throughout December if you purchase a copy of this book, my royalties on sales will go to help Paris and the unfortunate victims of this tragedy. Not a book promo, but a way to contribute to the cause, as my book celebrates the beauty and wonder of Paris. We must hold the light higher to banish the darkness.
Adrian and Tara move through time to Paris of 1889. The newlyweds take cheap lodgings in Montmartre, an area known for its artists, absinthe and an Avante Garde lifestyle.
He’s from the past: Adrian’s privileged lifestyle crashes into a sobering reality. He’s time-jumped into the future with his lovely bride, but his wealth is locked up in a bank account he cannot access. Adrian struggles to overcome his aristocratic airs and survive without his wealth. Pride makes him resist the obvious solution to his woes: accepting help from the woman he loves. As a vigilante in his prior life, will he resurrect his role as Captain Midnight to protect the weak on the back streets of Montmartre?
She’s from the future: Tara discovers marriage to a man from the past has its drawbacks. She’s awakening to her fey powers, learning how to use magic to survive among mortals. Adrian refuses to let her provide for him, fueling the fires of discord between them. When the Green Fairy visits Tara’s dreams begging for aid, Tara realizes she’s been drawn to this time for a purpose, and it isn’t to admire art.
Like Babel of old, the newly completed Eiffel Tower inspires a gathering of nations to celebrate human achievement. Beneath the festive atmosphere of the Paris World’s Fair, a cruel darkness lurks. Tara and Adrian will need to set aside their difficulties and blend their strengths to confront an ancient evil seeking to enslave mankind.
Buy Links
- Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FRrQDh
- Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/some-enchanted-dream
- iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id100067169
- Nook: http://bit.ly/1j6JknK
About the Author
As a reader, I have always loved romances that blend history and the paranormal. I fell in love with Louis from Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice) when I was just sixteen, and from that point on I’ve hungered for bad boy heroes with dark secrets and an element of danger. It also contributed to my love for the historical setting and stories that traverse time. Add a hint of magic, a druid sorcerer or werewolf looking for love, and I’m in bliss. Those types of stories are hard to find, so I started writing them to entertain myself.
When I am not writing Gothic or historical romance with paranormal elements, I can be found in my art studio with a glass of Sangria and a paint brush. I like to play with watercolors and with collage imagery to relax after a grueling day at the writing desk.
If you would like to learn about timeless lovers in myth, legend, history and literature, follow my blog. I have weekly discussions on Jane Austen characters, the Bronte sister’s works, revolutionary women in history and those real life shield maidens, as well as fairytale lovers. I also write and publish historical essays on women in history and the feminist movement in past centuries.
Connect with Lily at http://romancinghistorylove.blogspot.com/