Author Interview - Ivory Quinn
Phoebe Robbins has a darkness of her own. It's been two years since her life derailed in the most spectacular way and she's unwilling to let this hedonistic rock star into her recovery, but he has a knack of getting his own way and she's powerless to resist.
As the two unite to face their pasts together, they don't always take the route well-travelled, but sometimes the destination IS the journey and you don't know what you want until you get there
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Name: Ivory Quinn
Describe your writing style in three words…….
Poignant transformative kink
Which is your favourite chapter that you have written and why?
It's the scene at the end of Redemption when Blue walks into the play room and Red is there, kneeling with the piece of ribbon. It's the culmination of every moment of trust and heartbreak in the two books leading up to that point. I cried like a child for the whole fortnight it took me to write it, because it was so hopeful and so painful and so beautiful and so ugly all at once. It's all about the lengths that we'll go to for the people that we love, but in a way of healing instead of destruction. It was also the first time that we really saw any vulnerability in Blue and I know from talking to my readers that a lot of them abandoned their lust for him in that moment and fell head over heels in love instead. It's a really special scene.
Is there a message in your novel/novels that you want your reader to grasp?
I've never made any secret of the fact that the events of the Darkness Falls world are loosely (really loosely) based around my own experiences in an abusive relationship. It's been kind of fascinating watching the fallout from the books, when people realise for the first time that being smart and independent and suspicious of things that seem too good to be true isn't enough to protect you from falling down the rabbit hole. Even the best of women can get in over their heads before they're aware of what's happening. It's so insidious and love can make you so blind. It can destroy everything you have in your life and yet, somehow, you can still rise from that as a better and stronger person. My readers follow that journey with my characters, understanding how they came to be at rock bottom and how to fix it, learning how to live again. The second book is transformative and redemptive but it's not easy. I know from a lot of the emails I've had that people end the first book still not understanding what's happened and so the second one hits them like a freight train. They go through all the phases of grieving, especially denial, and then when it's over they go back and read the first one again with new eyes. It's even more powerful the second time round because even though you know what's happening, you still want to love him and you want their relationship to work. No person is all good and all bad. You can still love a person that wants to break you because there is much in them to love. Sometimes it's just not enough.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Network. Network like crazy. And I don't mean bombard people with irritating spam/sales messages, or obliquely bombard them with invitations to things. The minute you start writing, just reach out and make friends with people. Take an interest in other authors and learn what you can from them about the craft, being sure to help them out in return so that it is a true friendship. Do the same with bloggers and beta readers and cover designers. Make friends that can give you advice when you need it and make sure they know you'll be there when the tables are turned. More importantly, be there when they need you. There's a lot of drama in the Indie community and yeah, there are a lot of cliques too. Having a raft of friends to sail through the troubled waters with is what will keep you afloat. (And when you see the drama, pretend it's a shark and paddle furiously in the other direction. You don't want to get bitten.) Then, in a year or two years, when you're experienced and comfortable in what you're doing, take a chance and pay it forward to some other up and coming author looking for friends and advice.
If you could meet one of your own characters who would it be and why?
Blue. He'd be such a riot. I suspect an afternoon with him would spark more laughter than a month with anyone else.
Most embarrassing moment?
In the books? Um...Probably that time Noelle got drunk and woke up in the hospital without a clue what she'd done.
Quick fire:
Hard or Soft? Hard
Early bird or Night owl? Night owl. Definitely night owl!
Coffee and Tea? Tea. But I'm British, so that's not really a surprise.
Right handed or Left handed? Right-handed
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