AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Christina Delay

Please join us for a chat with BVC’s newest member Christina Delay!

• Very soon you will have a new book available through BVC and other outlets. SONG OF DESTINY Is this a new work or a reprint? Will there be new fiction coming from you? Soon?

A: This is a reprint. Song of Destiny was first published in 2019 and is the first of a five book series. Currently, books one through three are out in this series, with book four coming in 2023! Additionally, my debut suspense novel, TRUTH TRUTH LIE, was just released. It’ll be coming to Book View Cafe in early 2023.

• Why do you write under two pen names?

A:Kris Faryn is my fantasy author name, while Christina Delay is my suspense author name. Since Kris Faryn writes for teens and adults alike, while Christina Delay writes purely for adults, I wanted to make sure my readers didn’t get confused, as the genres I write in do not have a lot of cross-over.

• Where did this book (SONG OF DESTINY) start for you? (Examples:—plot first, then characters. World first, then people to live in the world.)

A:The idea for this book came to me in the middle of a traffic jam outside downtown Houston. Not an uncommon thing for Houston, but the idea that arrived was uncommon. I’ve always had a fascination with Greek mythology and the backstories of so-called villains. In particular, sirens. What if history got the stories wrong? What if sirens weren’t bad, but misunderstood? What if they had daughters? What if those daughters didn’t know they were sirens? All of this led to the creation of SONG OF DESTINY. Set in Brooklyn at a private school, Korrina is a scholarship student, a spray paint artist, and second in command of Mischief and Mayhem, a prank gang with a mission of protecting the unpopular misfits. The twist? Korrina has an irresistible urge to sing. But when she sings, people die. Oh, and she’s in love with her best friend but he has no idea.

My story ideas typically start with a question, and my books tend to be my own exploration into finding those answers. For example, in my latest release TRUTH TRUTH LIE, the story idea came to me while I was running a writing retreat in a chateau in the south of France. I realized that I was a slightly different person with my guests versus the chateau staff versus my best friend versus my husband. That got me thinking about all the different masks each of us wear, and how few times we allow ourselves to go maskless. What would that look like if taken to the extreme? What if someone wore their mask so tightly and well, that their best friend never knew the person behind the mask? What if the person behind the mask was a killer?

• Have you explored all of your siren world yet? Could there be more stories in it?

A:The SONG OF DESTINY world is endless! Since it is all based on Greek mythology, and Greek mythology has so many variations on tales and creatures, it really leaves the world wide open to explore. However, Korrina’s story will end with book five…for now.

• Why is mythology such a focus in your fiction?

A: I love the history and the cultural revelations that come through mythology. In our now-a-day world, these stories seem so far-fetched, but back then they were accepted as truth. The gods were present, and a mirror to humanity, showing us our flaws and strengths in blunt detail. These tales add so much color to history, and we can see how so many mythologies still impact our present-day world.

• Do you live in your fiction? Is it a refuge, a delight–on some works, just a job? (You can close a book cleanly–a life, not so much.)

A: Writing has always been a sort of therapy for me. No, it’s not always easy, but when I work through a scene or a character issue or a plot twist, there is an immense satisfaction. My writing time does have an impact on the rest of my day—when I don’t make time for it, my entire system feels a little let down. Like I’ve let down about a good friend.

• Are you inspired by someone else’s work?

A: Always! Tana French has amazing descriptors. Marcus Sakey is a genius plot twister. Sarah J. Mass and Lindsey Buroker create fantastical worlds that are so real they stick with me years after reading them. Loreth Anne White has a creepy-crawly way of telling stories and once I pick up one of her books, it takes an act of God for me to put it down. There are very few books I read that don’t spark some sort of awe or inspiration, whether it be the author’s raw talent, a turn of phrase, or a delectable scene.

• Whose fiction do you love to read?

A: I have a very wide range of fiction that I enjoy, and I tend to pick up new books based on recommendations from friends or other authors, or if I stumble across a gorgeous cover while browsing the library. I have huge admiration for Lindsey Buroker. As an indie author myself, Lindsey is an inspiration in how many books she turns out, the high quality of her stories, and how she connects with her readers.

• What else do you want readers to know about you?

A: I’m Team Spike, Team Edward, and a Gryffindor. My favorite guilty food is a bean burrito from Taco Bell. I met my husband while skydiving and went on to become a licensed skydiver with over 100 jumps before realizing that it was not a good hobby for the clumsy. My family and I almost moved to a small village in southern France before the pandemic, but then, well, pandemic. None of us speaks French, but we are fluent in French food. My favorite color is purple, somehow I convinced my patooties to call me Empress Mommy, and they have since made me a cape and multiple tiaras. Which I wear frequently. If I could live in my pajamas, I would. My favorite thing in the world is watching someone’s dreams come true.