INTERVIEW: Karissa Laurel (author of the Stormbourne Chronicles)

Hi everyone! Mary here, and I today, I’m interviewing Karissa Laurel. She’s the author of the 

A post by Mary Fan

Stormbourne Chronicles, a YA steampunk fantasy trilogy about Evelyn “Evie” Stormbourne, a princess with powers over thunder who’s forced to go on the run after dark forces take over her kingdom. The first book, Heir of Thunder, was released last fall from Evolved Publishing. The sequel, Quest of Thunder, is releasing on December 4. I’ve read both (I got an advance copy of Quest of Thunder), and they’re fantastic! Adventures across a fantasyland inspired by 19th century Europe, magic powers and steampunk wonders… all narrated by an amazing protagonist who grows from damsel-in-distress to kickass heroine over the course of the books.

Karissa, welcome to Across the Board! What inspired you to write the Stormbourne Chronicles?

Hi Mary. Thanks for having me. So, the Stormbourne Chronicles were inspired by a song. When Coldplay's “Viva la Vida” came out years ago, I loved it right away. It gave me instant ideas about a character who once had a kingdom, but lost it. I asked myself: Who is this character and what could have happened to make her loose her kingdom? And what is she doing about it, now? Those questions eventually evolved into Heir of Thunder.

Evie is a fantastic protagonist who gets to develop significantly over the course of her journey. What inspired her character?

It was almost always my intent, from the start, to write a coming-of-age story. The goal was to create a young woman who has the capacity to be strong and independent, but she would have to grow and change a lot to get there. I think the teenage years are all about leaving behind childish things and discovering the kind of person you want to be as an adult, and that's one of the main themes throughout the trilogy and in Evie's character development.

The Stormbourne Chronicles takes the reader on a vast international journey along with Evie. How did you tackle the world-building?

Sort of like the multiverse theory, I've always imagined Evie's world is one that started out the same as ours, but somewhere along the way, reality branched off into a new dimension--one allowing for Magic. So, her world has many similarities to ours, including languages, technology, and geographical locations. I debated whether to make up languages or use ones that existed in our world. Ultimately, I decided that, at the point where Evie's world would have branched off from ours, that many of the same languages already existed. Over time, place names might have evolved as they often do in the real world (Is it St. Petersburg or Leningrad? Is it Istanbul or Constantinople?) or they'd be different based on where you come from (Is it Deutschland or Germany? Japan or Nippon?) So, what would the map of a one-off world evolve into? Something different, yes, but not that much different.

Let’s talk about boys. What can you tell us about Evie’s love interest, Gideon? How does he contrast the other boy in her life, Jackie? Were either inspired by the guys in your life?

Gideon and Jackie were not inspired by any guys in my real life, although, when I look back on my
dating history, it appears I tended to lean toward guys who embodied a pretty standard idea of masculinity. They've been soldiers or blue-collar workers and outdoors-men who like hunting and fishing and such. Maybe that was because my dad was a "man's man": A Vietnam vet, a police officer, and a backpacker who retired into the mountains of Virginia to get closer to nature. Gideon is definitely that kind of guy. But he's also a bit secretive and mysterious and he hates personal questions. Jackie, on the other hand, is a bit more cultured. He's got money, and he's careful about the way he dresses. His manners are elegant and refined. He's charming and chatty. He's almost too charming, if you know what I mean. Gideon needed a foil, and Jackie is his opposite in many ways. But to be clear, this story does not have a love triangle. It doesn't take Evie long to figure out which guy has her best interests at heart.

Steampunk is an interesting category, in that it’s more of an aesthetic than a true genre. You can have steampunk fantasies, steampunk sci-fi, steampunk mystery… What does steampunk mean to you, and how did you tackle incorporating it into the Stormbourne Chronicles?

To me, steampunk is what happens when magic and technology combine. Evie's world is just starting to explore those possibilities, so in the first book, the steampunk element is more like seasoning rather than the meat in the story--it hovers in the periphery with elements like the Fantazike's airships. However, that element increases throughout the series and becomes more prominent by the end of the trilogy. For example, book 2 includes some alchemy (magic combined with chemistry), which I tend to think goes hand-in-hand with steampunk, and there's also a mechanical circus. Why did I choose to include the steampunk? Mainly because I think the steampunk aesthetic just looks really, really cool. I also wanted to do something other than "medieval" which tends to be the standard default in epic fantasy stories.

What was it like narrating the story from the point of view of a teenager?

I often have a hard time remembering how old I am, and maybe I still have some teen living inside me. I also have a teen in my household, too, so I have a lot of reference points to work with. One thing that helped was that Evie is young, but not contemporary so I could put aside worrying about things like current fashion or fads and focus on things that are universal with teens (and with all people), such as friendship, love, a need for independence, and discovering one's passions and purpose in life.

You’re also the author of the Norse Chronicles, an urban fantasy trilogy. How is it different writing young adult versus grown-up fiction?

To be fair, the main character in the Norse Chronicles, Solina, is barely an adult herself. She's still on that path of self-discovery that most YA characters are travelling. She's lived a sheltered, naive life similar to Evie's. The biggest difference is that Evie is usually surrounded by other young people while Solina has to try to hold her own among a group of ancient demi-gods. In truth, the more I try to find differences between Evie and Solina, the more I realize they're a lot alike.

What’s your writing process like? Does it differ depending on which project you’re working on?

You and I have teased each other lots of times about our panting versus outlining differences. I tend to be a pantser. I don't like knowing too much before going into a story because I like the wonder of discovering the plots and characters as I work. However, I think this tends to make me a slower writer because often I hit walls where I have to stop and figure out what happens next. Yet, I still prefer to work that way. Too much fore-planning means risking that I'll lose interest in a project. I also write a lot of short stories and the process isn't much different for that. Generally, I start a story with a big idea-- a "What if?" question. I also like to have idea about what the main conflict will be, who the main character is, and I'll probably try to figure out the ending, but I don't try to hard to plot much more than that before I begin.

What’s it like working with Evolved Publishing?

My first book series (the Norse Chronicles) was published by a full-service small press, which means I gave them the book and they did the rest. Evolved Publishing is a slightly different model in that the publisher requires a little more involvement, investment, and input from it's authors. We work more as a collective than a standard full-service press. Even thought he business model differs, it's a professional publisher with a really strong support team. I've been able to grow and learn from other EP authors who've been doing this a lot longer than me and are great about sharing experience and advice.

What was your favorite scene to write in the Stormbourne Chronicles? What was the most challenging part?

I wrote the first Stormbourne book a long time ago, relatively speaking, before I wrote my adult urban fantasy series. I think it was easier then because I didn't know what I was doing. I just charged ahead, not worrying about rules or style or marketability. The second book, Quest of Thunder, I wrote last year, and it was much harder because I was a lot more self aware as a writer. I think it's a better book because of it, but I was more critical and careful, writing with less free-wheeling abandon, if that makes any sense. As far as a favorite scene goes,I knew book 2 was going to have a circus with some mechanical animals. I thought they would be background, world-building wallpaper, mostly. Then my cover artist came up with the cover design that prominently featured a big, mechanical lion, and I knew it would have to become a more integral character. So, I don't necessarily have a favorite scene, but anytime Sher-sah (the mechanical lion) shows up in the book, you know I was having fun writing him. He's my favorite part of Quest of Thunder.

Anything else you’d like to tell us, either about yourself or about the Stormbourne Chronicles?

I'm working on Book 3 right now, called Crown of Thunder. It's scheduled to come out next year some time, probably late in 2018. That book will conclude the series and hopefully see Evie living happily ever after because, to be honest, those are the kinds of stories I like to write. Will she be queen or won't she: that will be the question answered in Book 3.

ABOUT KARISSA LAUREL

Karissa lives in North Carolina with her kid, her husband, the occasional in-law, and a very hairy husky. Some of her favorite things are coffee, chocolate, and super heroes. She can quote Princess Bride verbatim. She loves to read and has a sweet tooth for fantasy, sci-fi, and anything in between. Sometimes her husband convinces her to put down the books and take the motorcycles out for a spin. When it snows, you'll find her on the slopes.

Find her online: http://www.karissalaurel.com/

ABOUT HEIR OF THUNDER (THE STORMBOURNE CHRONICLES, #1)


The Lord of Thunder has passed, leaving daughter Evelyn Stormbourne to overcome her kingdom’s greatest enemies, but first she must embrace her dominion over the sky.

The Lord of Thunder’s sudden death leaves his daughter, Evelyn Stormbourne, unprepared to rule Inselgrau in his place. Weeks before Evie’s ascension to the throne, revolutionaries attack and destroy her home. She conceals her identity and escapes under the protection of her father’s young horse master, Gideon Faust. Together they flee Inselgrau and set sail for the Continent, but they’re separated when a brutal storm washes Evie overboard.

In her efforts to reunite with her protector and reach allies on the Continent, Evie befriends a band of nomads who roam the world in airships fueled by lightning. She also confronts a cabal of dark Magicians plotting to use her powers to create a new divine being, and she clashes with an ancient family who insists her birthright belongs to them.

If she’s to prevail and defeat her enemies, Evie must claim her heritage, embrace her dominion over the sky, and define what it means to be Heir of Thunder.
Find it on Amazon

ABOUT QUEST OF THUNDER (THE STORMBOURNE CHRONICLES, #2)



Evie must restore her divine abilities, or be enslaved by her enemy’s dark Magic.

Evelyn Stormbourne has overcome revolutionaries, pirates, devious relatives, and powerful Magicians to claim her birthright as Lady of Thunder, but before she can embrace her dominion over the skies, her powers falter, leaving her impotent and adrift. Under the protection of her stalwart companion, Gideon Faust, Evie hides in anonymity and searches for news of the Fantazikes who had once promised to help her master her divine abilities.

Without her capacity to control the storms, Evie wonders how she’ll ever reclaim her throne—a legacy she’s not convinced she deserves. But when a fearsome nemesis from her past reemerges, she embarks on desperate quest to find the Fantazikes and restore her powers. If she fails, her enemy’s dark Magic will enslave her, forcing her to destroy everything and everyone she loves.
Preorder on Amazon