Firespell & our interview with Chloe Neill

Firespell
The Dark Elite Book 1
by Chloe Neill
Available Now!
Read Chapter One here

As the new girl at the elite St. Sophia’s boarding school, Lily Parker thinks her classmates are the most monstrous things she’ll have to face…
When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of a firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet…

Firespell is an exciting foray into a new world in the Urban Fantasy spectrum. Ms. Neill has created two wonderfully unique young characters in Lily and Scout. It was an easy thing to loose myself in the story, and it was definitely a quick read! Firespell is all about unearthing secrets and discovering a new world through the eyes of our spirited heroine Lily, who all the while must navigate that social tightrope of a boarding school for the über privileged. I heartily recommend picking up a copy of Firespell, there are still depths to be explored in this bright new series.
Update: You can now enter to win a copy of Firespell here! Read the rules below.

IB Teen Talks with Chloe Neill:
IBT: If you could bring one character to life who would it be?

CN: I'd love to spend an afternoon hanging out with Scout from FIRESPELL, maybe having her teach me a few spells.

IBT: How did you survive being a teen?

CN: I spend a lot of time drawing and, weirdly, watching college basketball. I'd have a game on my tiny bedroom television while drawing or watercoloring something.

IBT: What books have most inspired your writing?

CN: I love the heroes in J.D. Robb's In Death series (Roarke) and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (Jamie). Both are strong, smart and caring men who'd make any necessary sacrifice for their loved ones. I try to remember that sense of
love and trust when I'm writing, even if it's just between best friends.
*IBT: Jamie is MY ultimate hero!

IBT: What has been the strangest source of inspiration for you?

CN: Probably fashion and design sites like The Sartorialist and Desire to Inspire. They're a great way to think outside the box when it comes to characters and settings.
*IBT: I'm a longtime fan of The Sartorialist and of Desire to Inspire, but also I've found that Design*Sponge and FFFFound are HUGE sources of inspiration to me.

IBT: How naturally did Lily's voice come to you since you normally write for a more "mature demographic" with Merit in the Chicagoland Vampire Series?

CN: I didn't really try to write like a "teenager." I just tried to write in Lily's voice. She is a unique, very intelligent girl, so I tried my best to be true to her personality.

IBT: Do The Dark Elite Series share the same universe as the Chicagoland Vampires?

CN: Both series are set in Chicago, but they inhabit very different versions of the city. In the CV series, supernaturals are a little nicer than most humans expect. But in the DE series, the things that go bump in the night can often be
monsters.

IBT: What are your key ingredients to a good story?

CN: Well-developed characters, realistic dialogue, and a story arc that keeps readers on the edge of their seat.

IBT: If there was any other profession that you would love to try, what would it be?

CN: I have a day job, so I think I'm full-up on professions right now. :)

IBT: How do you keep all of your ideas organized? How do you decide which ones will make it on the pages of your novel?

CN: I use the program Evernote to keep photo clippings and notes, and I scribble down ideas in notebooks. I don't really have a manner of parsing out the stuff that makes it onto the pages, although I'll often cut out scenes later on in the editing process.

IBT: As an author how do you respond to those who think that censorship is a necessary evil?

CN: I think folks are certainly entitled to their opinions, but I think censorship is a personal decision best left to individuals and parents than governments or organizations.

IBT: Writing YA, do you find that you censor yourself knowing that what you are writing is intended primarily for a younger audience?

CN: I try to be true to Lily and Scout; there are certainly more "adult" areas of life that could be discussed, but as characters, they aren't really the type to explore them.

IBT: I have to ask, if you could have dinner with any three people (living, imaginary, or dead), who would they be and why?

CN: Charlie Chaplin, John Lennon and Leonardo Da Vinci, so that we could discuss inspiration and their creative processes.

Thanks for having me today!!