1--What is the title of your latest release?
A KINGDOM OF SOULS AND SHADOWS, Fae Destiny Book 1
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
All her life, Eala Duir, a young college professor, has skirted the edges of a fantasy world. When a cryptic message in her grandmother's will sends her to Ireland, a handsome stranger with mysterious ties to the Fae realm swears she's been sent to help him fulfill a centuries-old fairy bargain.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I’ve always been a fan of Irish folk and fairy tales and loved to imagine what I would do if ever confronted with a faerie bargain. It seemed perfect to set my story in Ireland, the home of those fantastic stories, where my FMC faces just such a predicament.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes, Eala and I would totally get one another. We share the experience of being university educators and a deep love for Celtic and Irish history and myth.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Loyal – Practical - Inquisitive
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned about honoring one’s cultural roots on a deeper level than I’ve ever experienced. I visited Ireland for the first time to research this book and fell in love with the beauty of the land as well as the generous and witty people I met there. One of the great things about the U.S. is the myriad of diverse pieces and histories that come together. It was fascinating to spend time in a place rich with a more focused identity. Not to mention, there is definitely a sense of palpable magic about the place that encourages open mindedness about what exists beyond the obvious.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I need to let the story come to be in its entirety before I start poking at it. After that, I unleash my ruthless internal editor.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Ice cream especially anything involving hot fudge and chocolate sprinkles. One of the highlights of my life was eating ice cream at the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont while it was snowing.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I have a tiny little nook with two walls covered in Star Wars memorabilia, and the third wall is my planning space covered in sticky notes to organize my current project. I always have some icons like Funko Pops and mood pictures up as inspiration for my current work in progress. And pens, lots of pens, markers, highlighters, etc. As a writer and former teacher, I’m doomed with an inclination for office supplies.
10--Who is an author you admire?
My first fangirling was over Alexandre Dumas. I loved the adventure and intrigue in his books. I’m currently obsessed with romantasy. There are so many delicious authors and titles out there. If forced to choose I’d go with Stephanie Garber and Evelyn Skye and the incredible magic systems that inhabit their stories.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
I may be a walking cliché but it’s definitely the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was my entre into fantasy that started my love affair with complex worlds and characters. It’s an annual reread, audiobook indulgence, or rewatch of Peter Jackson’s extended versions of the movies for me. I’m dying to go to New Zealand and do the Lord of the Rings tour of movie locations.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
After more than a decade of multiple manuscripts, endless queries and rejections, I got an email message with the amazing words from my publisher, “We would like to acquire your book.” I was stunned for a while then I cried before heading straight for a triple scoop hot fudge sundae with mint chip ice cream. Perseverance DOES pay off.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’m obsessed with romantasy at the moment with an emphasis on fairy tale retellings. It’s so exciting how many different takes are out there on the familiar yarns.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Star Wars Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back. I will watch it wherever and whenever. I’m a proud and dedicated Star Wars nerd.
15--What is your favorite season?
I love autumn once the summer heat blast finally heads out of town. Sweater and sweatshirt weather with pumpkin flavored anything are my happy place.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I like to plan a trip to celebrate. Ireland was one and this coming birthday I’m going on my first ever cruise to Alaska. I’ve got Scotland and New Zealand on the brain for future destinations. I’d love to see the Northern Lights.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I just discovered the Lit. Happens, a bookish podcast, with the wonderful Megan and Brittney. They have super fun read-alongs and author interviews.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican food hands down. I live in Southern California so we have an abundance of small, family-owned Mexican restaurants with amazing food. I’m totally spoiled.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
I love to get out somewhere nature-y like the beach or the forest. Yosemite National Park never disappoints. Disneyland is also one of my favorite distractions, and I wouldn’t turn down a trip to Las Vegas. That place is nuts, but you can’t beat it for people-watching.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
The final book in my Rockin’ Fairy Tales romantasy series, Emerald Spire, will arrive this summer. It’s a Sleeping Beauty meets Jack and the Beanstalk mash up with a dash of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’m super sad to end that series. It’s been an absolute blast to write. Book 2 in the Fae Destiny series will release around Thanksgiving.
Fae Destiny
All her life, Eala Duir, a young college professor, has skirted the edges of a fantasy world.
Visions of folk stories coming alive in hearth flames and vivid daydreams where carousel horses ride off to battle, drove Eala to pursue an academic life specializing in tales of the Fae.
When a cryptic message in her grandmother’s will sends her to Ireland, Eala clashes with Sionnach Loho, an attractive, enigmatic local expert on folklore. After witnessing Eala’s encounter with a ghost girl at an allegedly haunted castle, Sionnach reveals his own ties to the Fae realm. He insists Eala’s ability to connect with the supernatural proves she’s been sent to partner with him and fulfill a centuries-old otherworldly quest ordained by the mighty Finnbheara, King of the Connacht Fae.
As the folk and faerie fiction that Eala adores collides with reality, she must decide whether to embrace it or flee back to the safe and predictable life she thought she always wanted.
Romance Fantasy | Fantasy [City Owl Press, On Sale: March 1, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781648984433 / eISBN: 9781648984440]
Leslie O’Sullivan is the author of Rockin' Fairy Tales, an adult romance series of Shakespeare/fairy tale mash ups set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s music scene. Coming soon is her Behind the Scenes contemporary romance series that peeks into the off-camera secrets of a wildly popular television drama. She’s a UCLA Bruin with a BA and MFA from their Department of Theater where she also taught for years on the design faculty. Her tenure in the world of television was as the assistant art director on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Leslie loves to indulge her fangirl side each year at San Diego Comic Con.
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