I am so excited to welcome Laura L. Zimmerman to the blog to share some of the visual inspiration behind the world of her Banshee Song Series.
I absolutely loved Keen (the first book in the series) and can't wait to dive into Lament, the second installment which releases on January 26th!
Enjoy this journey through the World of Lament. Take it away, Laura!
One of my favorite parts of writing Lament was letting my imagination run wild when it came to worldbuilding. Although many tales of the Unseelie Realm show a cold, desolate land with little vegetation, I wanted the Winter Court to be filled with life and color, despite all that snow. Here are a few images that inspired the world of Lament!
I loved the idea of dwellings sitting on a piece of land that wasn’t attached to the ground below. The idea of waking up inside the clouds each day made me envious to live in such a place! This tree also inspired the dwelling that Caoine and her companions stay in while she resides within the Unseelie Realm.
Again, I liked the idea of the fae living inside trees or in Caoine’s case, living inside an oversized mushroom! It made me think of the magic of Harry Potter where the interior of the tent was much larger than how it appeared from the outside.
Colors! I just couldn’t bring myself to make the Unseelie Realm dark, and drab, and lifeless. I needed color. Vibrant colors, pastel colors. You name it and that color appears somewhere in Lament!
Bridges. Caoine is definitely not accustomed to being balanced or light on her feet, like the other fae. So when she’s faced with crossing bridges that are too slim for comfort, it creates a whole new challenge for her!
I hope you enjoyed taking a sneak peak at the world of Lament. I’d love to hear what you think of the Unseelie Realm you envisioned in your head!
Doesn't this just make you want to dive into this vibrant world?!
If you haven't yet, first read Keen.
Half-faerie Caoine has no control over the banshee lament she sings each night, predicting the death of others. A senior in a brand new high school, she expects the same response she’s received at every other school: judgment from fellow students over her unusual eyes and unnaturally white skin and hair. However, when Caoine arrives at West Lincoln High, for the first time in her life she finds friends. Real friends.
But being a teenager is never easy, especially when the star soccer player, Oliver, sets his sights on her. Allowing him to get close means revealing her curse to the human world.
She can’t let that happen.
Life spins further out of control when her lament comes out during the day, those whose death she predicts die right in front of her, and a dark faerie known only as the Unseelie prince blames Caoine by leaving her the creepiest notes ever.
Her curse is notsupposed to work like that.In a race against time, Caoine must uncover the Unseelie prince’s identity and stop a spell before it unleashes hell on earth, all while trying to control her banshee song and finding a place among her peers.
Senior year just got real.
Then grab your copy of Lament.
Half-fae banshee, Caoine, is devastated by the loss of her father, and graduation is just around the corner. Ignorant of an old enemy seeking revenge, she is whisked away to the Unseelie Realm where she learns someone dear to her is being held captive. She vows not to go home until he’s free.
Then she finds out she’s trapped, unable to return to the human realm.
In order to go home, she must set aside old prejudices and work with a nemesis to survive faerie tricks and fae creatures hungry for human blood. Only then will she discover the secret to her escape and her loved one’s freedom.
Aided by an unlikely band of fae, she uncovers more about her banshee powers than she dreamed possible, even as the fae remind her just how human she really is.
She’ll take the drama of high school over the pettiness of the fae any day.
For more info on the talented author behind this series, Laura L. Zimmerman, check out her website.