Picking Pixies by Frances Pauli

I’d like to welcome my guest today, Frances Pauli, while she discusses writing in the Fae world.

When I set out to write a series about the Fey, I knew it would be a challenge. You just don’t capture fairies and stick them on a page—unless, of course, you’re Lady Cottington. They are flighty, ellusive creatures, and they come in more flavors than Bertie Bott’s beans. As much as I wanted to do justice to that diversity, I also knew that I was going to have to be selective. Like it or not.

So when I began work on the Changeling Race, I looked hard at ways that I could embody the entire spirit of the fairy world, but do so with a limited number of creatures and Fey races. I wanted each race to stand out as unique, and more than that, I wanted to adore each one.

That’s not a big stretch for someone who’s been “fairy obsessed” most of her life, but selecting a few favorites certainly was.

At the beginning of A Moth in Darkness, the world knows only the light or Seelie races, and because of the nature of the plot, each race needed a match, or Unseelie counterpart, to balance it out. So when I dug through my fairy lore for a character type, at the same time I needed to work out the dark opposite of that species—in effect, it’s shadow. (Another reason the number of Fey types needed to be limited)

In the end, I went with my heart, a method I think the fairies would understand. I chose winged pixies, and paired them with red-eyed boggins. I matched my gnomes with blood caps, my version of the redcaps that I’d always found both haunting and fascinating. The trolls that presented themselves for inspection leaned toward the Seelie side–gentle, misunderstood giants. They were the perfect opposite of the sleek, black Kelpies that, admittedly, are my favorite of the Unseelie creatures.  And I rounded out the cast with my elves, and their leaders, the Sidhe.

If I missed your favorite, I certainly apologize, but balance was key here, and by restricting the numbers, I hope that I’ve imbued each species with something special, that my fascination transfers to the page.

I took another bit of lore that has always interested me, the changelings, and wove that into the mystery of my elves’ origins. Here I may have veered from the traditional, but I did so with a basis in the old stories. When I originally read about stolen children, and the soulless changelings left behind to fool the human parents, I think that seed stuck deep in my psyche. It brewed there for years, sprouting into something both traditional and stretched into my own concept.

I added some bits, yes. I twisted a little, but the branches were already in place, and the implications only needed a little nudge in one direction or the other. Perhaps the fairies had their own hand in the crafting. They do tend to buzz in one’s ear from time to time.

Sometimes I think of other races, small fey or large that I haven’t used, and I think they might have stories to tell as well. You never know with fairies. For now, I have my favorites in the mix, and here at the finish, I do adore them. Even the nasty ones.

I’d love to hear which fey sing most loudly to you as well. Shout out your favorite and enter to win an electronic copy of one of the books or the grand prize give-away of the print trilogy.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog!

Frances

 

Frances Pauli writes speculative fiction with romantic touches. Her books are published through Mundania Press LLC, Awe-Struck, and Devine Destinies, and her short stories are featured in various anthologies. More information on her worlds and writing can be found on her website and blog, and she offers free online stories, web serials, podcasts there as well.

http://francespauli.com

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http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3426477.Frances_Pauli