Suzanne Lazear: Innocent Darkness Q&A Part 1

Today, we are thrilled to bring you part 1 of our exclusive interview with Innocent Darkness author Suzanne Lazear!

INNOCENT DARKNESS is a very unique blend of Steampunk, fairy lore, and historical fiction. How did you come about this very original combination?

I love faeries and fairy tales. I remember trying to track down Scott Lang’s Fairybooks from used bookstores and paying for them with my babysitting money. The Ordinary Princess was my favorite book for a very long time (and I’d love to see that made into a movie.) Nearly everything I’ve ever written involved faeries, elves, or magic.

The Victorians, too, loved their faeries. When I discovered Steampunk and started to write it, it seemed very natural, especially given the Victorian fascination with them, to combine the two. I sought to take it one step further, and create my own steampunk fairytale, pulling themes from the fairytales I read as a child and teen.

Where I love the Victorian era, I’ve always shied away from writing straight0up historical because I’m pretty much incapable of writing stories without magic and/or mythological creatures. Steampunk gave me the opportunity to do exactly that, and make a few things up along the way.

How did you first discover Steampunk? What drew you to it?

I’ve liked Steampunk for quite some time, but I didn’t know what it was called until 2008, when I discovered the term whileonline shopping for ball gowns for a Victorian ball. I love it because there is so much room to be creative and create incredible worlds–also, I have to admit, dressing the part is a lot of fun.

It seems to me that Steampunk is becoming slowly more popular. What do you think is behind Steampunk becoming a growing trend?

I think part of it is that, like me, many people have liked steampunk without actually knowing it was an actual genre. As the term becomes more and more common I think more people are going “Oh, so that’s what it’s called.” Also, Steampunk is tied into the maker culture and I think that the creation aspect of steampunk calls to people.

Tune in for more tomorrow!