I’m thrilled to be the next stop on the Lament tour, the awesome second book to author Laura L. Zimmerman’s banshee trilogy. Laura and I caught up in a cyber-cafe where I asked her all about the story, the writing process, and other tidbits. We had a great chat, and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.

1. Caoine’s character is based on the Celtic folktales about banshees. What new information about banshees did you discover while writing the second book?

I actually discovered a bit of banshee lore that I hadn’t run across while researching Keen. This bit of info fit in perfectly with a plotline that goes through book two and into book three. Because the entire thing hasn’t been revealed yet (you’ll need to get book three!) I can’t say exactly what it is, yet. But this small thread of banshee lore fit in perfectly with what I had already set up for Caoine and her history, and the direction she was already headed. (I thank God for help with that! *woo-hoo*)

2. Keen was a fabulous debut novel. I adored it. What challenges did you face when writing the sequel?

Early on in the revision process, I realized one of the relationships I had created between two of the characters just wasn’t working. I needed them to interact with one another in an entirely different way. This meant going back and changing all the dialogue between the two. It also became evident during revision with my editor that the main plot I had originally intended for Lament wasn’t right for this book. It would work much better as a main thread in book three. I ended up taking a subplot of book two and enhancing it to become the main plot. This took a bit of work but was totally worth it. In the end, these changes made the story 100% better!

3. I’m anxiously awaiting my copy of Lament (eeep!), and I’m looking forward to a new setting, different characters, more of Caoine’s background etc. Give me a sneak peek of one of your favourite scenes and any inspiration behind it.

One of my favorite scenes that I had envisioned early on was the chase scene where Caoine and her partner need to hide inside a tree to escape a monster. I remember having a clear picture of exactly how it would go and I couldn’t wait to get it down on paper. The intensity of the moment of them running from the monster and realising there was no way to lose him; Then finding a large tree to hide inside (which, of course, grows magically smaller, once they’re inside. Because, Faerie!); And the fear Caoine experiences as they wait for the monster to pass. I honestly couldn’t get the TV show Lost out of my head. It reminded me of something that would’ve happened on that mysterious island!

4. I know coffee plays a biggggg role in a writer’s life, especially yours. 😉 If you could develop a signature coffee inspired by Caoine or even another element/character from the book, what would it be?

This has to be my favorite interview question yet! *squeals* I’d say an Iced White Chocolate Macchiato made with coconut milk. Iced to reflect the Winter Realm, white chocolate because chocolate is my favorite but it should be white since the Winter Realm has snow, and coconut milk because I think a macchiato always tastes better with that added flavor! Yum. I believe I might go order one of these the next time I hit the coffee shop!

5. Finally, let’s play a game of kiss, kill, and marry, shall we? Which character from Lament would you kiss, which one would you kill, and which one would you marry and why?

Oooh, fun! I would definitely kiss a new little friend you’re going to meet, named Nym. A kiss on the top of the head, of course, because he’s definitely much more of a child than adult! He’s a sweet faerie that I hope you’ll come to love just as much as I do!

Oh dear, do I have to kill someone? *wink* Okay, I suppose I’ll go with Aibell, simply because she is not the most enjoyable faerie to have around. *hides eyes* I believe at least one other character would agree with me!

And, who to marry? Hmmm…I think I’ll go with Killian because he so closely resembles Legolas from LOTR. Although, he has no sense of humor, so he’d probably drive me nuts!

Thank you so much for having me visit with you and your readers, Jebraun! This interview was a blast! I hope you enjoy reading Lament just as much as I had writing it. *heart*

Thanks so much for sharing the wonderful world of Lament with us, Laura!

Don’t forget to check out the next stop on the Lament Blog Tour!
“Themes of Lament” Laura L. Zimmerman, https://www.lauralzimmerman.com

Too short to be an elf and too tall to be a Hobbit, Jebraun lives smack-dab in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island surrounded by thermal activity, stunning lakes, and enough Redwoods to make her Californian heart swoon. She writes about discovering identity, living without fear, and enjoys creating fantastic and far-off worlds. Her loves include coffee, tree ferns, dark chocolate, and Jesus, and she harbours a secret penchant for British spelling. You can find her sci-fi short story “Beyond the Stars, Past the Moons” in Encircled, a collection of fairy tale retellings.

Have you signed up for my newsletter yet? You’ll get instant access to my short story, “The Watertamer’s Sister,” plus I give away good stuff in every one!