Today we are very excited to feature an interview with author E. Chris Garrison of the Tipsy Fairy Tales series. The first two novels, Blue Spirit and Restless Spirit, have been getting great reviews as readers discover a unique blend of the paranormal, humor and thriller elements. Here is a new interview that covers these books and much more, as we visit with E. Chris Garrison and explore her world!
What inspired the creation of the Tipsy Fairy Tales series?
I had written the Road Ghosts Trilogy, which seemed to be a nicely self-contained series, and I felt that I wanted to branch out into more fantasy. I liked the idea of keeping the same established world, so I thought I’d do a spin-off, that dealt with the supernatural world of fairies, rather than ghosts and demons. I thought for a long time about what character would be best suited for the job, and Skye came up as the obvious choice. She’s whimsical, she’s likeable, and she’s prone to getting herself into trouble.
What are some of the things you really enjoy writing the Skye MacLeod character? What things might be unique about her from other main characters you have created?
Skye is a lot of fun to write! She is impulsive and brave, loyal to a fault, and adventurous. And these qualities, especially mixed with alcohol, ensure that she’s always in one kind of mess or another. Many of my characters have some of these qualities, but she is easily the most passionate character I have written. When she loves, she loves with all her heart. She is perhaps overly trusting to the point of gullible at times, but that’s part of her charm as a character.
How would you describe your writing style to a reader?
In the Tipsy Fairy Tales, I write as Skye as the first person narrator, so the style is very conversational and personal. My stories tend to jump into action quickly, have a lot of dialogue to move the plot forward, and chapters tend to end on a cliffhanger or a revelation, which I’m told makes them real page-turners. By design, I want the reader to need to know what happens next.
As a writer of multiple genres, do you have any that you find more challenging than others to write?
If you do, why do you think that is so?
I have to say that writing steampunk, as in Reality Check and my Trans-Continental books, can be a challenge. I say that because I am torn between gritty realism and flying off into magical fantasy. Steampunk can be approached from both directions, the science fiction side of extrapolating alternate history and technology vs adding in “magic” via impossible technologies. I opted more for realism, despite my tendencies toward fantasy in my Road Ghosts and Tipsy Fairy Tales universe, though I do mix in some tech that isn’t (currently) possible in our world, such as anti-gravity as a way of enhancing lighter-than-air travel.
Do you have any genres that tend to be your favorites to write? And are those the same genres that are your favorites to read?
Urban fantasy is the genre I’ve published in the most, and find the easiest to write, especially having a firm idea of how supernatural elements work, what rules they must follow, and so on. Although I am a lifelong science fiction fan, and dearly love high fantasy, urban fantasy seems to be my favorite for the past 15 years or so. I have found a real passion for urban fantasy in particular for its ability to give a sense of wonder in our own world, whether in the fictional city of Newford where Charles de Lint sets his books, the hidden, mysterious parts of London in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, or Jim Butcher’s highly magical version of Chicago in his Dresden Files series.
Which is why Tipsy Fairy Tales is set in my home city of Indianapolis. I love finding unseen magic all around me to write into my stories.
What genres might you want to explore in the future?
I have considered a return to science fiction, and have had a few story ideas nagging at me for years that need to take better shape, and I need to find the time to work on. I have one comedic-science-fiction-noir hapless detective story in particular bugging me, if only the details of the world and main character weren’t quite so slippery…
Who are some of your writing influences?
In addition to de Lint, Gaiman, and Butcher, I’d say I admire Emma Bull, John Varley and Neal Stephenson for the intensity of their stories. Bone Dance by Bull shook me up and touched me deeply while telling a dystopic story before they became popular. Varley’s Steel Beach will always be one of my very favorite books, because it touches deeply on issues of gender and depression as it paints a sort of grim utopia in its setting. Stephenson’s Snow Crash was inspirational in its relentless energy and ability to make me root for its protagonists in an outrageous parody of a cyberpunk near future.
But in the end, what I take away from these authors is an admiration for fast-paced, emotionally engaging story telling that I try to emulate as best I can.
Describe your process a little bit? Any regular habits like a favorite place or listening to music while writing?
I have many traditions this way. I mostly write sitting at my basement bar, usually with my replica Indiana Jones fedora on, but I also haunt Mo’Joe Coffeehouse and the Monon Coffee Co, as well as the Broad Ripple Brewpub (which might be a model for how I picture Heath’s Brewpub in the Tipsy Fairy Tales). I listen to music that gets me in the mood for what I’m writing. For the Road Ghosts, it’s classic rock and blues music. For Tipsy Fairy Tales, I had a lot of Alanis Morissette, Joan Jett, Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow and so on, thinking of songs I thought Skye would like. More recently, I’ve found that I write fastest and concentrate best while listening to instrumental movie soundtracks.
What is the toughest part about being an author in this day and age?
The best and worst thing about being an author right now is the complete lack of gatekeeping in publishing. I don’t want to endorse more traditional publishing models, nor do I want to knock the rise of self-publishing and small presses. However, there’s a lot of competition for attention out there. Even without all the other authors working hard to attract eyeballs, books in general have TV, movies, video games, and Facebook as competition for readers’ time. It is hard to be heard above all the noise.
I still love to tell stories, and I am grateful for the audience I’ve built over the past few years, and I hope to find even more interest in the future.
What kinds of things do you like to do to unwind? Any interests or passions of yours that your readers might not guess or know about you yet?
Though my wife and I used to be amateur paranormal investigators, we haven’t as much in recent years. My publisher at Seventh Star Press delights in telling people that I am a brewmistress, having been making beer, wine, cider and meads since 1993. Like Skye, I am also a role-playing gamer, and have been attending Gen Con (which is surprisingly similar to the fictional Big Con in Restless Spirit) since 1987, many years before that character is supposed to have been born. I am also what I call a “passive activist” in the transgender community; I am out and open about my transition as a way to be a positive ambassador to those who may not think they know any transgender folks before getting to know me.
Find E. Chris Garrison online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EChrisGarrison
Twitter: @ecgarrison
Website: https://sillyhatbooks.com/
Pick up the Tipsy Fairy Tales novels in eBook or print formats at:
Amazon Links for Blue Spirit
Print Version
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-E-Chris-Garrison/dp/1941706827
Kindle Version
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Spirit-Tipsy-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B00X6571BC
Barnes and Noble Link for Blue Spirit
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blue-spirit-eric-garrison/1105805795?ean=9781941706824
Amazon Links for Restless Spirit
Print Version
https://www.amazon.com/Restless-Spirit-E-Chris-Garrison/dp/1941706444
Kindle Version
https://www.amazon.com/Restless-Spirit-Tipsy-Fairy-Tale-ebook/dp/B01GKC51FK
Barnes and Noble Link for Restless Spirit
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restless-spirit-e-chris-garrison/1123998495?ean=9781941706442