Q&A with Gina L. Maxwell

 

 

 

Gina L. Maxwell is the author of the new novel The Rebel King, the second in a trilogy that began with The Dark King. She lives in the upper Midwest.

 

Q: The Rebel King is the second in your series--how would you describe the relationship between the two novels?

 

A: The Deviant Kings series is a trilogy of interconnected standalones, with each book focusing on a different Verran brother.

 

The Dark King introduced us to the world of the Dark Fae and featured Caiden, the eldest and most serious of the three, while The Rebel King focuses on the middle brother, Tiernan, who has challenges of his own as he prepares to do something he never dreamed he'd have to do: ascend the Midnight Throne.

 

Q: How did you create your character Tiernan?

 

A: Each of the brothers has a distinct personality. Tiernan is the typical middle child, the one who was always up to a little bit of trouble and getting out of it by using his indelible charm. He's the social butterfly rubbing elbows with celebrities in the VIP rooms at clubs and using the private jet to hit up a party in Hong Kong for the weekend.

 

But there's another side to him that most people don't see; one who plays chess with his 80-year-old human best friend every Sunday afternoon while threatening said best friend with telling his daughter that he needs to be placed into assisted living if he doesn't start listening to the doctor's orders about his health.

 

He appears shallow to the world, but the middle Verran is a lot deeper than anyone realizes.

 

Q: In our previous Q&A, you said the theme of The Dark King was "found family." What would you say is the theme of The Rebel King?

 

A: I would say it's "be the change you want to see in the world." 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I'm working on finishing up The Vicious King, the third and final book in the Deviant Kings series featuring the youngest Verran brother, Finnian.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: The world-building in this series gets deeper and more developed with each story. I explain a lot more about the Dark Fae's past, and I also bring in other supernatural races as well as introduce a couple of important side characters that people have fallen in love with. I hope you will, too!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Gina L. Maxwell.