Kimber: I am here today with Envy Davis from my upcoming YA urban fantasy, Bitter Envy. Thanks to Amy for hosting us!
Amy: Tell us a bit about yourself, Envy.
Envy: Well, I'm sixteen years old. I love theater, music, and the beach. Oh, and I'm an enchantress who was sold into servitude by my parents for a house and a monthly stipend. Now I torture and kill my master's enemies and help him grow his criminal empire against my will.
A: Wow. I'm really sorry… when… how—
E: A long time ago. I was doing okay for a while. I mean he was only having me kill really bad guys who would never be punished by human law. And I'd learned how to get the most information with the least amount of torture. I wasn't happy but could accept it… then…
A: What happened?
E: My master, Uriah, let me know that I tortured and killed an innocent man because he wanted the man's wife. That poor man cried and pled, claimed he was innocent of the terrible crimes Uriah said he committed. I didn't believe him. Maybe I didn't want to believe him.
A: Can't you just run away?
E: If only it was that easy. Uriah knows how to keep me in line. He would commit atrocious acts to make me return. I-I… I'm sorry, I can't talk about it.
A: Let's lighten this up a bit. Tell us about Donovan.
E: You know how it is—that guy you're attracted to even though your brain warns you to stay away… far away. That's Donovan. I'm drawn to him in ways I don't understand. Part is due to our magic meshing or melding or whatever. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to finding him sexy as hell. But Donovan is a tiger shifter and I'm an enchantress. Light and dark magic aren't supposed to mesh, so sometimes I worry if this is an impossible romance…
A: So you two are like Romeo and Juliet?
E: I suppose, in a way. Without all the family melodrama though. When I say impossible, I don't mean star-crossed so much as completely incompatible. Enchanters and shifters are natural constraints to each other, meant to keep the other from world domination or something ridiculous like that. We are natural enemies. Kind of like the Cold War. I'll be good if you'll be good, but if anyone falls out of line, here comes Armageddon. I have a lot to learn. I know nothing about enchanters because my mother is estranged from her family. And I'm always surrounded by shifters.
A: What can you tell us about enchanters and shifters?
E: Shifters can shift into an animal form and are dark magic beings. Enchanters are sorcerers who wield light magic. Shifters are quite vulnerable to light magic. We both live among humans but keep to ourselves. Most humans don't know about our existence right under their noses. Same as the fey folk and a few other magical beings who share the Earth.
A: How did your parents come up with your unusual name?
E: My dad thought it was hilarious when I was born with the brand of an enchanter on my arm. My mother hates her family who are all enchanters because the gene passed her by. I was told she refused to hold me and asked the nurse to take me away. So my dad named me Envy as a constant reminder of her jealousy. Nice, huh.
A: If you could escape, go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
E: I've always wanted to live on a ranch in Colorado or Wyoming. Someplace big and quiet with lots of animals. Someplace where the sky is lit up with stars at night.
A: What's your favorite book?
E: I love fairy tales—the Brothers' Grimm type versions not Disney. I also love Alice in Wonderland.
A: What advice would you give to others?
E: Be true to yourself. Your life is your own. Do what you feel is right even if it isn't the popular decision. Sometimes we must make hard choices. Own them and move forward with your head high.
