E.M. Lacey is a Chicago based author of dark urban fantasy, YA, science fiction, and horror. You might bump into her at local comic cons and other such nerd fests. Whenever she's not getting her nerd on, she's writing, reading, binge-watching Netflix, or communing with other authors online (practicing social distance).
Interview with E. M. Lacey
What genre(s) do you write in?
Dark Urban Fantasy
When did you decide that you wanted to write in your Genre?
Since I was a little girl. I’ve been writing since I was ten but never thought I could do anything with it until I discovered Octavia Butler and Tananarive Due. Black women authors who write horror and science fiction which to me are the bones of urban fantasy.
What things in your life do you draw inspiration from?
People. I know a lot of people from different countries and I love listening to stories and legends about the culture. I also draw from current events and how they impact me. I use my life as a child to shape my YA. I escaped the sadness of it through books and now I create stories from it.
What is the purpose of your writing? Is there a specific message that you hope to convey?
I like creating heroes in situations where there are none. Give someone who is considered powerless a supernatural talent that lifts them out of their situation. The news is full of tragedy and violence, fiction allows me to turn it around for the good. I’m all about inspiring hope no matter the situation.
How much of yourself is reflected in your writing?
A lot of me is in the YA. I feel like I can identify with some of my little characters. In my urban fantasy, I get to explore questions about society that I have through the worlds I build. I get to give my solution to societal problems that are ignored or belittled.
What can readers expect to see from you in the next year? Any new releases, features, or celebrations?
Spirit Box (A Biggs & Myer Brief book 2) will release July 4th, 2020.
Kids can be sweet, innocent, and mischievous. Meet five children with the power to: return loved ones from the dead; to heal, protect, and live up to a dark calling.
Home Goin' - Everyone keeps telling little Patrick McPherson that his Nana Bee has gone to live with God. He knows it’s not true because he can still see her. To prove it, he wakes her up…right at the funeral.
The Magic in Kisses - There’s magic in a mother’s kiss, at least that’s what toddlers believe. For Alabaster and Richard Jones, that belief is flipped when their two-year-old Chloe does something unbelievable.
Breath of Life - Thirteen to a teenager is a magic number, it means you’re that much closer to being an adult. For Kya McDaniels, her thirteenth birthday is the day her powers awaken, which prove useful for getting rid of the dead man on the patio.
Pinky Swear - Delilah made a promise to her little brother Carlos, that not even death can stop her from keeping.
Practice - Darius McCray wants nothing more than to please his Papa, and the way for him to do that is to perfect his craft before the big party.
Minor Mischief celebrates the power of innocence, the purity of a promise, and the magic that allows children to rise above the darkest circumstance.
From the book:
She glanced back at Patrick one last time, offering a small smile before she leapt into the coffin. Beatrice “Nana Bee” McPherson did like the ease in which a walk became a leap. The lightness of her body, almost like a feather. The husk she resided in moved well: the speed, the grace, and the power—all of it came from her link to the other side. It was something she knew but could not explain to anyone who was not dead.
- Home Goin’-