In working with a publisher who puts out a lot of books (Shout out to Reagan and the team at Black Rose Writing) you cross trails with a lot of people. Some of them stick with you and you form a small society of cool people you like interacting with. Enter KJ Fieler. She’s interviewed me in the past and pretends to enjoy my work. Her newest book, Shadow Runner is out now. I’ll let her tell you about it.
So what’s your deal, lady?
By all accounts, I’m an adult, a suburbanite, and a writer. I agree with that last bit. As for the first two, I’ve never claimed to be either and can’t imagine how such a rumor started. Okay, maybe the fact that I do own a home is misleading. I submit to suburbia but view a house as just something to clean, and I need it to come with interchangeable backyards. Turns out, that’s entirely possible. Toward that end, Ric and I bought an Airstream, hired someone to mow the lawn, and spent six months one year, eight the next, wandering around state and national parks. I was never so gloriously happy as when there was a bison scratching his behind on our truck.
There’s a visual, to be sure. What’s the new book about and does it involve buffalo hindquarters?
In a nutshell: what happens to a person who’s forced to embrace the darkness to survive?
Shadow Runner is the tale of Ada, a young aristocrat who’s kidnapped and raised by a secret society. As she comes of age, she must target the very people she once called kin or attempt a daring escape. But if she leaves, she risks the lives of the ones most dear: her adopted sister and her enigmatic captor. Moreover, in a world of moral ambiguity, she must find her humanity. It’s a cross-genre blend of historical fantasy, steampunk, and young adult fiction.
What is it about the story that appealed to you? Where did it come from?
My favorite stories are all some version of the Heroine or Hero’s Journey. Ada’s life mirrors my own, except that her circumstances are placeholders for less glamorous—and slightly less traumatic—real-life events. I was never abducted by criminals… unless you count the time my rather seedy college roommates once told me we were going to the beach and failed to mention the part about having to scale a fence marked “no trespassing.” But I digress. Like most people, I’ve experienced my share of adversity. Among other things, I’m a breast cancer survivor, which years you’d think I would want to erase from my life. I don’t. I consider those trials a blessing. They forced me to find my mettle and stop sailing through life as if the days ahead are endless. They also caused me to stop being afraid… of anything other than air travel and palmetto bugs.
Ada is a better version of the me who feeds the cat and does the laundry. She’s brave, smart, precocious. She knows just what to say to bullies, she stands firm when monsters come her way, and she always knows her way home.
Who are the authors you read?
Oh, I’d have given vital organs to meet Douglas Adams. Hitchiker’s Guide was great, but he also wrote Last Chance to See: a magical book. He went all the places—some I’m not entirely sure he didn’t make up—and wrote about them in his wickedly comedic voice.
I’d donate a kidney to meet Neil Gaiman… in case anyone needs a kidney and is in good with him. I grew up on Asimov and Clark; spent my junior high school days learning to write in Elvish, thanks to Tolkien; found myself in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which sparked my fascination with psychology and travel.
These days I’m a devotee of Barbara Kingsolver, Jess Kid, Wayne Turmel (EDITORS NOTE-SUCKING UP WON’T HELP), Cam Torrens, Del Blackwater, Deb Heim, Kim Conrey, Alex Hugi and… well, let’s just say I’m a big fan of digital books because they travel well.
And they’re cheap! Don’t forget that. Where can we learn more about you?
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29624050-kjfieler
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/k-j-fieler
https://www.facebook.com/kat.fieler
If you hate starting series that aren’t complete, consider starting the Johnny Lycan: Werewolf PI series. The grand finale, Johnny Lycan & the Last Witchfinder is available now on Amazon and from Black Rose Writing.
“I’ve been a fan of this series since the beginning, and while I’m slightly devastated that this is the end of it, I LOVED The Last Witchfinder.” S G Tasz
This final installment in Johnny’s saga is perhaps the weirdest, most baffling of all… Author Jill Hand