Thursday, December 20, 2012

Michelle Miles: A Discussion on Fantasy & Only for a Knight

A Discussion on Fantasy


I love fantasy. I don’t think that’s any secret. One of the first books I fell in love with as a teen was Patricia McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. It’s an old book, now, but the story was about a girl named Sybel who lived alone on a mountain with a menagerie of fantastic beasts that could talk to her. One night, a man comes to her gates with a baby boy. She raises the boy, names him Tam, and grows to love him. But Coren returns for the boy and Sybel’s isolated world is turned upside down again.

There was something about this book that spoke to me. I don’t know – maybe it was the hint of romance between Coren and Sybel. Maybe it was the fantastic beasts she lived with. Whatever it was, I have never forgotten that book. I must have read that over twenty years ago and even now I can recall certain details. How Sybel sews Tam’s cloak. The elegant swan Sybel searches for.

I’ve since read several of Ms. McKillip’s books. Another one stands out in my mind—Alphabet of Thorn. This book had an unexpected twist that took me by complete surprise. It made me want to write a similar story but so far I’ve got nothing.

So it was really this author that made me want to write these types of stories. When I started writing the Knight books, I had no idea it would turn into a series. I loved writing about Elyne and Derron so much that I decided to continue their love story in Only For a Knight. They have a complicated love affair but it was so much fun to write.


In this story, I introduced Elves and dragons. Derron’s and Elyne’s human friends even returned. Maggie and Finn are now happily married. (Maggie is still up to her old tricks of match-making.) I have a soft spot for the Elven prince, Ainthas. And I absolutely adored writing the dragons. There are four in this story and they all have names: Nero (onyx), Ambrielle (emerald), Aura (azure), Luna (silver). It would be so much fun to write another story with the dragons. I have one in mind that has been sitting unfinished on my hard drive for about, oh, ten years. Maybe I should finish it, eh?

So today’s question is: If you could be any fantasy character, what would it be and why?
Everyone who answers will be put into a drawer to win a copy of my new release. Below is the official blurb, buy links and where you can find me online.

Happy reading!

PS Nero, the onyx dragon, makes a special appearance in the third book, tentatively titled A Knight to Remember. Yep, that was a teaser.

Official Blurb:

After saving her love, Princess Elyne returns to the Otherworld by order of her mother. But it’s not the homecoming she expects. Furious Elyne has meddled with humans the queen imprisons her and strips away her magic. The only way Elyne can get it back is to perform one selfless act.

When Queen Maeve sends Derron to find the Guardian of the Sword of Light, he can’t leave without releasing Elyne. After all, she altered time to save his life. But freeing the princess comes with a steep price—he must take her with him on this dangerous quest. And the two must deal with feelings of past hurt and the love growing between them.

Their search becomes more than a pursuit for the missing Guardian as Lord Kieran rises to dominate the Unseelie court. He will stop at nothing to gain control of both the Otherworld and the human realm. Even with the help of Elves, dragons and their human friends, the odds are stacked against Derron and Elyne.

Where to Purchase:

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Website and blog home: http://www.michellemiles.net

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