Gina L. Maxwell is the author of the new novel The Dark King, the first in her Deviant Kings series. Her other novels include Seducing Cinderella. She lives in the Upper Midwest.
Q: What inspired you to write The Dark King, and how did you create your characters Bryn and Caiden?
A: My editor was actually the one who came up with the idea of “faeries in Vegas.” As I’d never even read a book with fae before (I’m embarrassed to admit I still have yet to read ACOTAR), I was highly intrigued and jumped at the chance to try something completely new.
As for how I created Caiden and Bryn, with every story I write, I always start by getting to know who my hero is first, then I figure out the kind of heroine he needs.
I knew Caiden was going to be a too-serious-for-his-own-good sort, so I made Bryn an eternal optimist with a sassy side who would challenge Caiden in ways he’d never experienced before since everyone has always deferred to him as royalty. It made for a fun combination to write, and I hope to read.
Q: How did you create the world in which the novel is set?
A: For the most part I didn’t have to do too much to it since it’s more urban fantasy, being that it’s set in Vegas. I added a fictional hotel and casino and a massive temple out in the desert. But I also chose an actual mansion in Vegas as the royal manor and refer to other real places in our contemporary world.
Since I knew practically nothing about fae, I did a lot of research about the different lore and added what worked for my series and made some things up on my own. With each book in the series, I plan on building the fantasy elements more and more.
Q: Did you know how the story would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: I had this book very tightly plotted. I had to make some adjustments along the way with adding a scene or two and changing the order of a couple, but I always knew how it would end.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: The theme for this book is Found Family. That no matter where you come from or who raised you, good or bad, we always have the ability to choose our own family as we get older. It's in the friends and relationships we find who lift us up, support us, and love us unconditionally for who we truly are.
Q: This is the first in a series--what's next?
A: Next up is The Rebel King, the story of Tiernan, who is Caiden’s middle brother. He’s Caiden’s opposite—charming and fun-loving with a strong aversion to responsibility. Which proves to be a HUGE problem considering the shocking thing that happens in the epilogue of The Dark King that’s actually in Tiernan’s POV.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: For those who love erotic Beauty and the Beast retellings, this book fits the bill! Broody royal kidnaps the plucky heroine who breaks down his defenses one day—and kink—at a time. All while an unknown enemy is making attempts on her life and threatening the Dark Fae’s way of life in Sin City forever. What doesn’t sound great about that? ;)
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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