Fairies in Fiction 

Most of my experience with fairies in fiction comes either from fairy tales or from children’s books, yet I have always loved the old fairy lore. When growing up as well as the usual fairy tales, I also had a couple of books with fairy tales from around the world. In the ones where fairies featured they were always tricksters and never to be trusted…and yet they quiet often revealed a person’s true heart.

My love of all things fairy was amplified when I was given a set of the Fairy Ring Oracle cards and I discovered even more fairies and their background (which of course led to more research…).

But it was several more years before I had an idea for a fairy story. While I knew there were other fairy paranormal romances out there, I hadn’t actually read any. However I think there is enough fairy lore out there for writers to put their own spin on things (much like has been done with vampires).

Because my stories tend to be on the darker side I knew I was going to draw on the old legends where fairies were powerful and to be feared. They ruled the underworld and loved to trick humans who weren’t smart enough to avoid them.

Fairies these days tend to be seen as diminutive benevolent little flutterbys. They were downgraded from gods, or demi-gods, to little more than the imaginings of children.

I imagine some fairies would care and others wouldn’t as while humans have forgotten, nothing has changed for the fairies. They still decide the fate of souls and rule the underworld. They still take the occasional human as they need a human to reproduce (there has to be some reason for kidnapping all those mortals in the old stories) and they still meddle in mortal affairs…only these days people don’t blame the fairies.

While creating my fairy world I was very aware that the fairy lore that is still around is old. Which means it’s not current news from Annwyn so I had to imagine what had changed over the centuries. Kind of a where are they now? Since my fairies love to plot and scheme, what better way to show that than with a battle for the throne looming?

I also had create Annwyn, the realm where they live, but I didn’t want it to be static. So Annwyn changes depending on what is happening. With the old king dying Annwyn is no longer in summer, the leaves are falling and everyone is worried about who will claim the throne, his son or the challenger (who is revealed in Lord of the Hunt).

Annwyn is full of beautiful fairies…but their looks concealed cunning and cruelty. They can be charming and yet terrifying. Capable of compassion and trickery. Their morals and rules are not the same as ours. They couldn’t be as they live for so much longer.

I hope that I have created a place of great beauty and danger.

LORD OF THE HUNT

by SHONA HUSK

 JANUARY 2014

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She Wasn’t Cut Out for His World…

The realm of the fairies might be unbelievably beautiful, but its people are notoriously treacherous. Raised among mortals, Taryn hoped to avoid her fairy heritage her whole life. But now she must cross over to Annwyn and appeal to the King to pardon her exiled parents, or they’re sure to die. And to get to the King, she’ll first have to face the Lord of the Hunt…

He Can’t Imagine Life Without Her…

Verden, Lord of the Hunt, is sworn to serve to King. But the moment he sees Taryn, the attraction is instant and devastating. How can he not help the beautiful, brave young woman who refuses to bend to the will of the court? Yet the power in Annwyn is shifting, its magic failing. No matter how much he may love Taryn, the Hunter knows that abandoning his duty could bring down the mortal world forever…

Praise for the works of Shona Husk:

“Romantic and intriguing.” —Publishers Weekly

“Enthralling.” —Booklist

“A great fairy-tale feel…dark, fresh, and tantalizing.” —Anna’s Book Blog

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Three time ARRA finalist Shona Husk lives in Western Australia at the edge of the Indian Ocean. Blessed with a lively imagination she spent most of her childhood making up stories. As an adult she discovered romance novels and hasn’t looked back. Drawing on history and myth, she writes about heroes who are armed and dangerous but have a heart of gold—sometimes literally. She is the author of the Shadowlands Series and the Annwyn Series. You can find out more information about Shona and her edgy romances at http://www.shonahusk.com/ or follow her on Twitter, @ShonaHusk.

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