VK Fox - Urban Fantasy With an Interesting Twist

VK Fox lives in the beautiful Piedmont region with her husband and a small herd of children. When she's not deep in her mind she enjoys wrangling a menagerie of exotic pets, uppity livestock, and carnivorous plants. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Indie Saint.

Please give us a short introduction to what Indie Saint is about.

Jane's young. She's broke. Oh, and she'd better figure out her new supernatural powers fast - someone's magicking up cryptids in a sleepy PA town, and they are haaangry. To live, fall in love, and see the year 2000, Jane'll have to work with a morally dubious shadow cult-poration to stop a middle-aged madwoman from ripping a hole in the multiverse.

What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything that made you want to tackle this?

Yes! I started with a list of tropes that I wanted to twist, monsters I wanted to play with, and story elements I wanted to include. I set out to write urban fantasy that hits the right chords for veteran readers - we've all read the typical fare about vamps and shifters and the spunky, beautiful heroine falling for the bad boy. So I thought about what I wanted to read that I couldn't find: urban legends and cryptids, golems, and non-Eurocentric mythology; hot but complex relationships that focus on emotional intimacy and found family. Reader experience and relatability were at the front of my mind the whole time.

In which way is this a journey of self-discovery for Jane?

The biggest discovery arc in this book was to draw a comparison between the protagonist, Jane, and the antagonist, Eileen. They are both women who suddenly have the power to change the world. They both have family struggles and a desire to help other people. They both come from humble roots and are afraid of the rapid changes in their lives - mundane and supernatural. However, Jane works to stand against the darkness even though she is afraid and Eileen chooses to hide behind it. I wanted to show what happens when fear rules our actions and prevents us from being who we are meant to be. When we are faced with incredible challenges we can choose to stand tall or let it twist us.

Why did you decide to include urban legends like Mothman, the Jersey Devil and Bunnyman in your story?

Because they are amazing and largely unsung - a modern mythology of weird and wonderful creatures! I got heavily involved in some cryptozoology groups while researching and it is an enormously rich, underappreciated source of fantastic creatures. It's been such a joy I plan to continue the cryptid theme in my next series.

This is Book 1 of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How does it tie in with the other books in the series?

Read it alone and it's a pretty fun romp, but you are missing the meat of the story and it doesn't end on a note of closure. This book is meant to be the introduction to the issues that will span the series through Jane's eyes since she has the most in common with the reader: she has a relatable coming-of-age experience and only recently learned about magic. But there are clues that all is not well in the world and the problems go far deeper than the surface issues of stop the bad guy and stay alive. The next two books in the series focus more heavily on different point of view characters that expand the reader's view of the world and then it all comes together in the finale.

Readers say the book contains a lot of interesting twists and turns. Did you plan it all out before you started writing, or did some of it just "happen" along the way?

I am a discovery writer, so in the first draft of the series I just let it happen. I treated that version more like an outline than anything else. Then it was planned, checked, cross-checked, and entirely written before the first book came out. As a reader, I think one of the coolest experiences is when things click into place and goosebumps erupt. I wanted to give people that surprising inevitability, those creeping chills as much as possible. Writing the whole series ahead of time allowed me to produce my best work.

Why urban fantasy? What drew you to the genre?

I love the mashup of technology and modern cityscapes with ancient creatures and magic. It feels like writing new fairytales and I can't get enough of a setting that I can effortlessly picture. It leaves the development open for characters and secret societies and cool monsters without having to build a whole world. I do prefer slightly retro settings, though - think early X Files or Stranger Things. It's more fun when you can text everyone and Google everything.

Which of your characters was the most challenging to create?

Dahl, my emotionally troubled teen King Arthur, hands down. His voice was the most challenging to write in as he walks the tightrope of sweet and salty, angsty and hopeful, caustic and tender. All that in a show, don't tell character development framework was a huge challenge. He features much more heavily in books two through four, and some of my favorite moments in the series come from him, but he was a challenge. Except his verbal rants were pure fun - when he really rips into someone I got to craft the speech over days to make it as devastating as possible. Have you ever thought of the perfect zinger after a fight is over? It was like that, only I could just go edit and include it. Very satisfying.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Oh, yes. Some are more headstrong than others but honestly it's a huge relief when they start pulling their weight and making the plot happen and I am just chronicling events. So much easier for me that way.

What are you working on right now?

While this series is coming out I have started a new series about a man in rural Virginia who works for the supernatural branch of animal control and is sent out on cryptid calls. I am planning on doing a mash-up of a redneck Supernatural and a gay retelling of The Little Mermaid. Subsequent books in the series will feature other fairytale/ Urban legend blends. This urban fantasy romance adventure is still in the works, but I hope to be ready to look for a publisher by Christmas.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

The best central location is my website vk-fox.com, from there you can catch all my social media links, email list, and calendar for live and virtual appearances. I am also available to meet with book clubs, so feel free to reach out to me through the website!