My connection to the author: Last year, I had a conversation with Ms Peterson whilst I was composing my thoughts on my review but it did not influence my reaction and/or change my honest opinion of the novel; something I disclosed at the top of my review for ‘Ian Quicksilver: The Warrior’s Return’. Since then, I’ve only touched based with the author off and on a few times in the interim, as we’re connected through Twitter. It’s always nice to keep in touch with an author you appreciate reading but also a renewed joy if you make a personal connection too. I am thankful my path crossed with Ms Peterson on the tour last year, and for the private conversations we’ve exchanged.
I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with Ms Peterson through our respective love & passion of reading inside the twitterverse as well as privately; I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time. Similarly this applies to all future novels I read by an author I appreciate reading due to the compelling story-lines and characters they continuously bring to their novels and/or novellas.
On returning to the world of Quicksilver:
I must admit, my return to the world of Quicksilver did not quite go as I had anticipated as I personally found myself unable to finish reading the story once I reached Chapter 15 and a few pages forward when the ‘cursed dagger’ is revealled. There is an invisible boundary for all of us as readers – I happen to delve into most of what concerns me as a reader on my Review Policy whilst remaining open to stories as a reader who does consistently push herself out of her comfort zones to entertain new authors and new styles of the writer’s craft – where story-telling can become uniquely original and individual.
Having said that, for me, I have been a sensitive reader since I was a young girl – this hasn’t changed as I’ve transitioned into an adult reader. There will always be those stories that I have such an itch and thirst to read that are going to disappoint me – either by tone or by inclusion of elements that I personally consider outside the boundaries of where I want to be taken visually, metaphorically and fictionally. We all have those key triggers where sometimes literature is just taken too far for us to personally enjoy what is left behind for us to find. This sadly was the case for me when I read The Cursed Dagger, as outlined on my review.
I respect the author reaching out to me after I posted my review, including being open with me about what inspired Ian Quicksilver as a character and as a series for Young Adults, but even after knowing the back-story which is not disclosed in the books themselves, I cannot return where I left the book itself. You see, for me, it was physically nauseating to read those passages – I honestly was so struck by shock, that I physically reacted and emotionally I honestly felt crushed. These were characters I had loved in the first novel and were grieved by what was happening in the sequel. Visually, I simply did not have the stomach to see what was coming next because there is this particular moment where Ian is attacked and it is that that point where I had to turn away from the book! I was so shaken by that scene and everything else I had mentioned on my review, that for me, it was too much to process.
I approach Young Adult Lit from a unique perspective – I originally started to read Young Adult and Middle Grade novels to inspire stories for my nieces and nephews to read themselves. Somewhere in the pursuit of that goal, I ended up falling back in love with these beautifully lovely sections of literature myself. So much so, I fully recaptured my own bookish joy and readerly innocence that I had as an 10, 11, 12 and 13 year old. I love internalising a story written for children as an adult whose childhood is very much still a part of her heart and spirit. I love to see the stories I will one day be recommending for my own future children whilst picking up where I left off with my own readings as well.
The exit I am having with the Quicksilver series was something that blindsided me – it truly was a series I loved reading last year, but this year, I had to let it go. It will find flight to other readers who may not be as sensitive to certain inclusions of scenes and incidents as I am. That’s okay. We all like different stories from one another. We’d be very boring as readers to love all the stories that reach our hands, hearts and imaginations. There will be a piece of Ari and Ian that remain with me – I fondly remember what it was like to meet them originally and I have 14 chapters of the sequel where I was walking beside them, rallying behind them and hoping they would overcome their new adversities.
Prior to reaching Chapter 15, I composed this interview. I yielded to the author if she still wanted me to run it as part of the tour as I know authors react differently to different reviews, especially if a prior reader who cherished their book(s) had to discontinue reading successive editions. Ms Peterson accepted my honesty and the ruminations I’ve left behind to explain what happened in the midst of my readings whilst giving me this conversation to share with you. For those of you on the Quicksilver blog tour, I know you will especially enjoy it as she hints towards what is coming up next in books three and four! For those of you arriving outside of the tour, may this be a book you will enjoy as it’s now one of the books I’ve met that is seeking love from other readers!
One note: for me I felt this as a despotic world due to how heavy the darker lines were drawn around Puckerbush; for me this is what Dystopia would feel and look like where most of the light and hope of the world is blinked out of sight. There are a few streaks of it left, but for the most part it’s a harsher environment and the conditions of the towne just felt Dystopic to me.
Ian Quicksilver your unexpected hero was a foster teen living in less than ideal circumstances as his foster parents weren’t exactly the best choice to raise children. What motivated you to make your hero come from humble and adverse start in life? What inspired you to ground his background to being a foster?
Peterson responds: I took Ian’s foster care experience from my own childhood. I had absentee parents who were very busy and too wrapped up in their career to really parent. Much of what I learned from life, I learned from my older siblings and through observation. Ian learned much the same way. I have some good friends who are foster parents and have friends that have been through the foster care system. The choices made in these situations are black and white and rely solely on the kid making them. It was that world I wanted to place Ian in. Not only was intentionally done by Silivus to make Ian feel worthless, it was intentionally done by me to prove Silivus wrong. Ian is a true warrior.
Part of what endeared me to Quicksilver is his no-nonsense approach to living, his ‘I will survive this’ attitude and the fact in the beginning of ‘The Warrior’s Return’ (book 1) he wasn’t the most athletic boy. How did you approach crafting the attributes that came to define Ian?
Peterson responds: I had the best example set by my own sons. My kids have been through the school of hard knocks as most kids are these days. Their consistent resolve to push forward and keep going absolutely floors me. Often times I wondered if it was just my kids and they are abnormal, but they aren’t. Their friends show the same heart, same resolve and core of tenacity that built the foundation for Ian’s character. Young men come in all shapes, sizes and abilities, but they way that they choose to act defies athletic ability and the popular norm. That is the heart of Ian.
A strong thread of narrative in ‘The Warrior’s Return’ (book 1) were the hard situations children face against those who bully them. Was there a personal reason to highlight how demeaning bullies can be and how strong the bullied have to become to rise above the taunting and teasing? What did you want to inspire as a takeaway for Tweens and Tweens reading the series?
Peterson responds: My youngest son had a fairly disturbing bullying situation a few years ago. While my protective mama bear was about to raise its head, he told me, unreservedly that he fought back. When I asked him why, his reply was simple. He said: Nobody is allowed to push me around. He meant that both physically and emotionally. My oldest son felt the same way when he was faced with taunting bullies.I’m not sure the outcome was from anything I had done or taught them, but rather from the fact that in all of us there is an inner strength. The reason why I wrote about Ian’s rise above the bullying is to show that a) it can be done and b) you can do it. Nobody is allowed to push you around. Shut off your ears, walk away or whatever it takes, do it.
You’ve written a clever hybrid Fantasy spilt between a Contemporary setting, a near-dystopian version of Nevada and a realm completely different from our own. What initially inspired this duality to give readers an exciting story that is one part Urban Fantasy and one part elusive Space Opera (as the aliens are stuck on Earth as we enter the series?)? How did you seek the balance between Ian’s ordinary life and the heart of the fantastic?
Peterson responds: Puckerbush, Nevada is an actual town I’ve visited and a mix of my own hometown farming community. The mention of “near-dystopian” made me chuckle. Perhaps it is the fact that I grew up in the west in harsher climates and amid people still stuck in the “Old West” that give me a different view on Ian’s experience. I grew up on a farm, with farm practices that would shock the lights out of city folks. They were archaic and a touch barbaric, but I wouldn’t change that experience for the world. To handle the bumps of life, I escaped into my head. My fantasies there were as real and tangible to me as my less than desirable reality. Translating that onto the page was easy. As was mixing the ordinary with the fantastic. Probably because I lived in that world for so many years and even in my middle age, flatly refuse to let go of.
Arianna made such an ordinary entrance into Ian’s life – quite remarkable was how her and Ian felt unique from the rest of their peers but until they met the pieces did not click into place. Except to say, Ari was surprised Ian would accept her vs Ian having a glimpse of an idea of whom he might actually be. They each had memory loss but Ari’s was greater than Ian’s. How did you choose to give your hero and heroine an ordinary background whilst knowing their beyond extraordinary? Why was this important for their individual character growth?
Peterson responds: Don’t we all have ordinary backgrounds? More than anything, I wanted my readers to know and feel as if Ian and Ari could be them. Personal self doubt and fear are what keeps us all from doing the extraordinary. Ian and Ari are no different. How they grow and develop together as magical beings and royalty with the fate of the galaxy firmly on their shoulders shows us all that every “ordinary” has the ability to be extraordinary.
How did you initially create the back-story on Bakhir and Garfelian societies? Did you write out a full back-story or did the details emerge as you wrote the series? What were your favourite discoveries about the two?
Peterson responds: Bankhir and Garfel were partially created before I started writing and then fleshed out as the story took shape. I separated Bankhir as the Warriors who war and the Garfellians as the magic that is peace. They are polar opposites that work together in tandem as you can’t have one without the other and vise versa. My favorite discovery is that they have more in common than even they think they do. Both races are co-dependent on each other and as they discover that, it’s pretty amazing what happens.
The dedication to Will Anderson inside The Cursed Dagger felt like there was a special story attached to it. Could you share a bit about this?
Peterson responds: Will is an amazing kid. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know him, learn of his struggles and how he overcame them. His strength of character is greater than his already towering height. His mom related to me a few of his experiences as he struggled to make new friends after we moved 1300 miles away (my son is his best friend). What she told me made my heart ache for the kid. For being the truly amazing boy that he is, he’s been through a lot and unkindness was the heart of it. Kids are mean to each other, but Will didn’t fall for it. He continues to be the most amazing boy I’ve met. It’s kids like that which proves what Ian does—through his strength and his courage—is possible.
Corbin plays such an integral part of the story, yet he wasn’t the most favourable character in young Ian’s life. How did you turn such an unlikely person as the wingman to Ian’s training? Did you have another reason for making him not as approachable to readers but endeared them in the end due to his compassion for Ian’s circumstances? How did you want to bring these two unlikely people together whilst softening his abrasiveness to readers?
Peterson responds: I married a Corbin. While rough edged, harsh and blunt as he is on the outside, I have never met a more kind hearted and charitable person in my life. Both men are strong and loyal to a fault. However, it is their pride in tradition and confidence in their abilities that makes them a bit abrasive. What is on the surface is not always who they are underneath. My hubby has marveled that people are afraid of him or think him scary. I laugh because I want him to look in the mirror, assess his muscular build and scowl without what he knows is on the inside. Both men have been through the tough times and both men came out stronger for it. Corbin is a good man with a hard exterior. Sometimes the best people you’ll ever know need time and a chisel to show who they really are.
I loved how you showed that the right perspective adoptive placement can be incredibly centering and full of love for a foster child. Whilst equally observed that love is unconditional as viewed through Marvin’s devotion and acceptance of Ian. How important was it to show Ian having a turning of fate and to have a better home life than the one we saw him in originally now that the series moves forward?
Peterson responds: Well, dang it. That’s a tough one. I can’t answer without spoiling future books in some way. I suppose I could say I wanted Ian to have a moment of kindness and love before he gets chucked into the deep end. He needed some grounding and Marvin was perfect for that. Genuine kindness sticks to our hearts in ways hate and anger just can’t.
How did you conceptionalise the colour patterns of Ari’s internal magic and the energy fields around her as her magic is counter-specific to her emotions? What did you want readers to recognise by this pattern?
Peterson responds: Readers will get to discover more of the Warriors and the Magic Keepers as the series progresses. The way their magic interacts, grows and expresses is closely related to who they are as a people. The patterns further illustrate the differences between Ian and Ari. Ari is more emotional that Ian. She thinks and feels her magic on an emotional level while Ian feels his magic on a more physical plane. In all things there is an opposite and the reason for that will rear its head in books three and four.
Ian and Ari share a unique bridge of energy balance – was this in-part why their father’s felt they could bring peace to their planets? The best of each and the worst of each could cancel each other out by conjoined energy? Thus bringing a period of harmony and peace to their homeworlds through the united union of their powers?
Peterson responds: They don’t cancel each other out as much as the combined and shared magic from each participant makes them stronger together rather than apart. While Ian and Ari may be opposites, it is their differences that make them such a great team together. Edrak, Ian’s father and king of Bankhir only wanted the wars to stop. His people are warriors who know nothing but war and peace is foreign to them. The only way he could get them to stop was to somehow unify the two people. Ari’s father agreed to the union because he was more enlightened. He knew the union would bring the two planets together in a way that would take the entire galaxy up to a whole new level. How that is done….well, that’s in book four so I must keep mum.
With the source of Ari’s energy and magic be explored in the next books? As the fuller back-history of the Magic Keeper’s hasn’t yet been revealed. What can you share with us now about her unique talent?
Peterson responds: Yes and No. In book three Ari goes through a transformation I can’t talk about without spilling all the respective beans. Ari will learn more of her magic and how to use it, but how she does that… I can’t talk about. All I have to say is that the exchange of trinkets and the ensuing bond created between Ari and Ian has long lasting and reverberating consequences.
Parlaying a bit into the Science behind the Fantasy, what were your direct influences both in inspiration and research that led to your Fantasy having strong ties to scientific theory, thought and practice? (i.e. regarding telepathy, telekinesis and AstroPhysics)
Peterson responds: I think you are reading more into my thought processes than I have written down on paper. The magic I created was very organic. Magic waxes and wanes from Ari much in the same way the ocean goes in and out with the tide. The ocean gives life, harbors life and is big and strong enough to take it away. Ari’s magic is much the same. Ian’s magic is more barbaric in origin. Again, organic in the way that a boulder is dislodged from a mountain side and can’t be stopped until it smashes everything in its path. Control depends solely on the strength of Ian’s character. Silivus’s brand of magic is tainted by his anger, hatred for the warriors and insatiable greed. All three depend on the emotions and choices of their users.
Do you already have an outline in mind for books 3 and 4? If so, what can you share in regards to the next sequences? When will the series shift from Earth and re-align on Ian and Ari’s homeward?
Peterson responds: Book three is already complete and four is in the works. Expect to see more worlds, new people and some pretty cool aliens. Expect to be shocked. People are not always who they seem on the outside or as their traditions dictate. The great will fall, hearts will change, loyalties will shift… it’s all a part of the Quicksilver universe.
Converse via: #IanQuicksilver
About Alyson Peterson
Alyson Peterson lives in a mountainside gully –of all places– in northern Utah with her neurotic, shed-tastic dog, two ninja kids, and superhero husband. She spends her time painting, breaking bones at her Martial Arts class (mostly her own) and reading as many books as she can get her hands on.
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