I'm excited to introduce you guys to the lovely Elizabeth Richards, who's debut book Black City will be out later this fall. Elizabeth has kindly stopped by Mundie Moms to talk about her book.
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you for stopping by Mundie Moms. What two words would you use to describe Black City?
Thanks for having me! I think the two words I’d use to describe Black City would be ‘danger’ and ‘romance’.
I would call it dystopian fantasy, because I think it best encompasses the dark, post-apocalyptic / paranormal vibe of the book. However, I’ve seen it categorized as everything from paranormal romance to sci-fi! But I’ve always been a fan of blending genres as it opens up your story to so many new possibilities.
I really enjoy a layered story, and I've heard a lot of exciting buzz surrounding your world building, your story's themes and your characters. Which element of your story did you have the most fun creating? Why?
I had a lot of fun creating the landscape and architecture of Black City itself, working out everything from the street names to the cinderstone bricks that the buildings are made of. The city is a character in its own right, and as soon as I had Black City finalized in my mind, everything else – the characters, the story, the history of that world – all fell into place.
I'm a sucker for forbidden romance, which I understand is one of the themes in Black City. What's one of your favorite "forbidden romances" in either YA or classic literature?
Well you can’t beat Romeo and Juliet for forbidden romance! But in YA books, my favorite romances have been between Bella and Edward, Sam and Grace, and Patch and Nora.
What is one thing you came to admire in each of your main characters, Ash and Natalie?
I admire how brave Ash is, especially by the end of the book, and Natalie’s strength to stand up for what’s right, even though it puts her life at risk.
What author or authors inspired you as a young reader?
I was a big fan of horror books when I was younger, so read a lot of Christopher Pike, James Herbert, Dean Koontz etc. I loved anything scary and was obsessed with vampires and ghosts! So no change there. I also religiously read Stephen Fry’s books (he’s my hero! *swoon*), loads of crime novels and *cough* Mills & Boon *cough*. Actually, I have a real soft spot for Mills & Boon novels, they’re my guilty pleasure. My best friend and I had hundreds of the things growing up – we bought them by the bag-load at car boot sales and charity shops and would giggle at all the rude bits...in fact, we still do!
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Thank you Elizabeth for visiting with me today!
A dark and tender post-apocalyptic love story set in the aftermath of a bloody war.
In a city where humans and Darklings are now separated by a high wall and tensions between the two races still simmer after a terrible war, sixteen-year-olds Ash Fisher, a half-blood Darkling, and Natalie Buchanan, a human and the daughter of the Emissary, meet and do the unthinkable--they fall in love.
Bonded by a mysterious connection that causes Ash's long-dormant heart to beat, Ash and Natalie first deny and then struggle to fight their forbidden feelings for each other, knowing if they're caught, they'll be executed--but their feelings are too strong.
When Ash and Natalie then find themselves at the center of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to pull the humans and Darklings back into war, they must make hard choices that could result in both their deaths -quoted from Goodreads
Pre-Order Black City at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Amazon.co.uk | The Book Depository
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