"Wonderland" came to me after a culmination of three things:
a) I was sick of going into booksellers and finding the YA (Young Adult) shelves riddled with books about vampires and werewolves. After Twilight, I was certain that if I read about another vampire I'd kill the author, personally. I longed for something different but still set in the fairy tale/mythology vein.
b) Shrek. The idea of an unconventional hero saving someone with secrets of their own from a castle tower just floored me. It was such a twist on the original and after that day at B&N, I was writing "Wonderland"'s introduction in my head as I drove home.
And finally c) the Disney cartoon 'Gargoyles'. Seriously, I was four and I had a crush on Goliath. I even had the t-shirt, which I wore until it fell apart - literally - at the seams.
"Wonderland" has certainly changed over time. The original "Wonderland" was actually split into two: 'Wonderland' was told from the POV of Talon and Tempest, who immediately bonded and faced the growing threat of the Raspan invasion with the aid of other Gargoyles. It ended with the Raspan's taking over the city and the Gargoyles fleeing to Queensland to safety. 'Queensland', the second book in the series, was told from multiple accounts including Emma Baker, a captured human girl that was being held as a slave in the Raspan caves in the Queensland Mountains; Thatcher, a high-ranking officer in the Raspan army; and Tempest. Lines are crossed, boundaries are blurred, war looms, and...was never finished. In the new "Wonderland", only the first chapter remains unchanged. Everything else was rewritten, and in the beginning, I started to follow the story line...
But then I started to wonder what would happen if Thatcher, the misunderstood Raspan dying to change the norm, was placed in the first book. And what would happen if instead of falling for Emma, he fell for Tempest instead. What if Talon lost his magic and had to rely on only his intelligence and wits? What if Tempest denied the mating bond and chose the bastard son of their ultimate enemy instead?
So my brain went to work, and what you see on my profile is what you get. Maybe one day I'll post the original, just for kicks. Maybe not.
"Wonderland" is my own world, though I can't take all the credit. Thanks to our human ancestors and their fallback plan of gods and mythical beings running rampant over - and around and under - the earth, I was given a great deal of inspiration, but they are innumerable to recount here. I've been inspired by everything from the movie Shrek to George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, if that gives you any clue.
So if you're interested, take a look around and get to the know the world a little better! As I go along, I'll add more information here and there, and all announcements will show on my regular blogger when I do. Thanks for stopping by!
-Lily
