Keir with Pippa Jay

Today I welcome a fellow Lyrical Press over, Pippa Jay, who's celebrating the release of her novel, Keir. Welcome Pippa,

ND: Tell us a little bit more about Keirlan and his background? If you had to pick an actor to play him in the film of your movie, who'd you choose? What sort of powers does he have?

PJ: Keirlan was born into the most powerful family in his medieval-level society and a priviledged childhood - the first son of the city's military commander. But his freakish appearance soon led to rumours of a curse on the ruling family, and his father eventaully took terrible steps to remove him. When we first meet Keir he's waiting for death to end his misery - a life as an outcast, feared and abused. Even though he's never hurt anyone or shown any signs of the demonic nature he's accused of, he believes he deserves such hatred. He's given up. And then he meets Quin...

His powers don't develop until after Quin rescues him, and then run wild, further convincing his that his own people were right from the start - he is some kind of demon. But the truth horrifies him more. He's telepathic, can open gateways through time and space, and throws telekinetic bolts hard enough to knock someone off their feet. All things no normal human being should be able to do.

And only one actor? Hmmm, my BFF and I actually discussed a short list of four actors that we thought would fit the part. But I have to go with Aidan Turner (from the UK's Being Human and currently being filmed as one of the dwarves in The Hobbit).  

ND: Tell us more about Quin and her mission? What is she searching for? How do her powers work, and how does her encounter with Keir affect her?

PJ: Quin is a young woman born in our time - 21st century Earth - but an encounter with an alien being has gifted her with a collection of strange powers that transport her far from her own world. She's been searching through time and space for this creature in the hope of finding an old friend lost with it. After reading the legend of the Blue Demon of Adalucien, she believed it to be the alien she sought and the only clue to her friend's whereabouts...but instead she find Keir. She starts off feeling sorry for him as a fellow prisoner, one obviously hurt or sick, but the first time they touch something passes between them. There's a strange connection she can't ignore. As a telepath herself, she doesn't come across that kind of affinity in another human very often, and his plight touches her heart. She sees him as a lost soul in need of saving. Her power are the same as Keir's, another fact that convinces her they have a common bond.

ND: You classify this novel as sweet romance, but what are some of the other elements that you bring into it? Are there any books or movies that have been particularly influential on your writing career?

PJ: Well, it has strong elements of scifi and time-travel, although the medieval theme at the start might seem more fantasy. I like to blend the two. I think that probably comes from reading a lot of Anne McCaffrey as a teenager, and now Jaine Fenn and Linnea Sinclair. Films like Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal and the original Star Wars films were huge early influences, although I based some of Keir's character on Sir Ulric (Heath Ledger) from A Knight's Tale. I'm torn between a love of fantasy and science fiction, but it gives me the best of both worlds.

ND: Here's a question I love asking authors. Do you have a particular soundtrack you listen to while writing? If so, does your choice of music affect your writing or vice versa? Were there particular songs or artists you listened to while writing this particular story? 


PJ: Oh, definitely! With Keir I rediscovered a band that I'd liked a few years previously - The Rasmus - and I listened to their music nonstop while writing, particularly the album Black Roses. A lot of the overall darkness of the story is down to the feel of their music, and I don't think it would have been the same without them. So they get a mention in my acknowledgments. :) s

ND: Lastly, are there any writing projects you're currently working on that you care to spill the beans about?

PJ: I'm working on the sequel to Keir, as well as another science fiction romance called Tethered. I also have a YA scifi novella that still needs a little tweaking before submission, and a short scifi story that I plan to self-publish - one of Quin's earlier adventures. Keir's sequel is set a year after the first book, and I've found myself writing out the events of that year even though I doubt I'll ever try to publish it. Somehow my muse felt that needed writing.

LINKS:
Blogsite, Twitter,   
Facebook:  Keir - Beyond Redemption (book page) and Pippa Jay (profile) 
Goodreads

Keir - a science-fiction romance available from Lyrical Press Inc