Interview + Giveaway: Meet Sharon Lynn Fisher, Author of THE ABSINTHE EARL

I couldn’t be happier to welcome Sharon Lynn Fisher to the blog to talk about her latest book, The Absinthe Earl, now available from Blackstone Publishing! The Absinthe Earl is the first in a new fantasy series that takes Irish mythology and folklore, adds a dash of romance, and wraps it all up in a fast-paced mystery. I’m very excited to have TWO finished copies of the book to give away as well (U.S. and Canada only this time), so check out the giveaway information after the interview.

Welcome, Sharon! I’m thrilled to have you visit the blog today to talk about your latest book, The Absinthe Earl, the first book in The Faery Rehistory series. Let’s start with a quick recap. What is The Absinthe Earl about?

Thanks for having me, Tammy!

The Absinthe Earl is about a student of the Lovelace Academy for Promising Young Women and her quest to finish her thesis. I’ll also add that her thesis is on fairies, she travels to Ireland alone to research it, and one evening in an absinthe bar a troubled Irish earl who is far more than he seems makes a borderline scandalous offer that she can’t refuse.

The Absinthe Earl is full of rich, historical details, and you’ve obviously done lots of research to bring this story to life. What was your research process like?

I’ve read enough novels set in this time period that I had a pretty good foundation when I got started. I enjoy historical romance and Victorian fantasy, and also Anthony Trollope is one of my favorite authors. So I kind of dove right in and then any time I wasn’t sure about a detail (like when were matches invented?), I would scour the Internet for the most authoritative answer. My setting is fantastical and also an alternate history, so I took some liberties as well. My research on the mythological aspects was a bit different. I own a trove of reference books on fairies and Celtic mythology, which I’ve collected over the course of my lifetime, and they came in very handy. (Though I took liberties there as well!) As for the Irish setting, I have always loved Ireland (as I’m sure you’ve noticed!), have visited a couple of times, and have read a good bit about the history.

Curious minds want to know: did you try absinthe as part of your research, and what did you think of it? (Bonus question: did you see any fairies while drinking it?!)

I did try it! I bought a bottle and prepared it the traditional way, with water drizzled over sugar. The anise/licorice family of flavors is not my favorite, but I thought it was refreshing and nice. (Sadly, I saw no fairies.) But I think for me the fantasy of absinthe is more enjoyable than the reality. I like my wine, and the occasional sour beer or hard cider!

I’m not a fan of licorice either, lol. With so many fascinating elements in The Absinthe Earl, what part of the story was your favorite to research/write about?

I very much enjoyed researching absinthe, and loved the way it became my “gateway” to the fairy world for this story. I have also always been fascinated by bog people—the mummified bodies found in bogs in Ireland and other Northern European countries—and I loved writing the bog king. Another favorite was the real-life pirate queen, Grace (Grainne) O’Malley!

Because this is a romance, I just have to ask you about the romantic entanglements among Ada, Edward, Diarmuid and Cliona. How did the idea for this…unusual romance come about?

This aspect of the novel started with Edward, and with the idea for a scene inside the Newgrange tomb. I have been fascinated with that site ever since the first time I visited Ireland, and particularly with the fact that the sun shines down the shaft into the tomb only one day a year. It’s so momentous and intentional. I mean the idea is that it was a significant day for ancient people—the winter solstice, the day when the promise of spring feels like it might actually come true. But I’ve always wondered, what if there’s more to it than that? Though this was a fated mates story from the get-go, Ada’s tie to Cliona didn’t reveal itself to me until I was pretty far into writing the first draft. But once they arrived on Achill Island, suddenly it just made sense.

All of your books rely on strong, independent female characters, and Ada is no exception. How tough was it to give Ada these qualities when your story is set during a time in history where women are still faced with oppression and limits?

It really has become so natural to write my heroines that way that it was more a question of researching and doing my worldbuilding in such a way that it felt believable for her to be so independent. And that independence became a key aspect in her relationship with the earl—Edward admires her for her self-sufficiency but it also kind of freaks him out.

I’d love to hear you talk a bit about the cover of the book. It’s so striking and really sets the tone of the story.  Maybe you could share the artist’s name, and did you have any input?

The wonderful artist was Blackstone’s Kurt Jones. Yes, I gave Kurt a lot of information about the characters and setting, and he also read the book. He was the primary designer for my book, but the title design was done by Blackstone’s lead print designer, Katy. The title design will carry through all three books. (I didn’t work with her directly and don’t know her last name, but didn’t want to leave her out!)

I also had input on the completed design. It is mostly what you see now, but we worked together to massage the heroine’s lovely hair, which I wanted to be sure was a style that fit with the time period.

I am really excited to see what they come up with for The Raven Lady!

The Faery Rehistory is such a vivid world, and it seems as if you will never run out of stories to tell. With this in mind, what can readers expect in the next book?

I’m so excited about The Raven Lady! It’s a very different plot, but definitely still set in the same world and storyline. We’ll be spending time with Duncan O’Malley/King Finvara, who is feeling quite the fish-out-of-water, transitioning from smuggler and rogue to an important position in the new Ireland: The Fairy King. I don’t want to give too much away, but this is an enemies-to-lovers story and will bring an Icelandic elf princess and Norse mythology into the mix!

I can hardly wait, it sounds wonderful! Thank you so much, Sharon!

RWA RITA-nominated author SHARON LYNN FISHER writes smart, twisty, passionate tales–mash-ups of science fiction, fantasy, and slow-burn romance set in lush and atmospheric worlds. She lives where it rains nine months of the year and is mom to two lovely tweens, two huge dogs, two ridiculous goats, an orange cat and orange mare, and a fluctuating number of poultry.

Sharon has published sci-fi romance with Tor Books and adult fairy tales with Penguin Random House. Her fantasy historical romance trilogy The Faery Rehistory is being released by Blackstone Publishing.

Find newsletter and book information here: www.sharonlynnfisher.com.

“…Fisher’s writing shines.” –Kirkus

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Read my review of The Absinthe Earl

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound | Audible

Follow Sharon Lynn Fisher: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Website

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And now for the giveaway! Courtesy of the publisher, two finished copies of The Absinthe Earl are up for grabs, as long as you live in the U.S. or Canada. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway