Welcome to Inside the Mind where we here at The Faerie Review interview authors and creators.
Our guest today is Lisa Beth Darling, the author behind The First Sin

Lily:  Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview Lisa I enjoyed reading The First Sin. You have a setting and characters inspired by biblical ones – what inspired you to go that route?

Lisa:  I have a long and rocky history with The Divine that I’ve been exploring with most of my stories in one fashion or another. My Of War series is all about Greek Gods and Celtic Pagan Deities while my Sister Christian series relies heavily on the Christian faith in several aspects. This is the first time The Muse and I tried to tackle the whole biblical thing head-on.

Lily:  I think you did a great job with it. Do you have a favorite character? Was one more fun to write than the others? Was one more difficult to write?

Lisa:  My favorite character is our surprise second-lead male; Ares God of War. He was the star of the Of War series and insisted upon being a large part of this story as well. He evolved a lot in this story which was nice. 

My favorite character to write was Lucifer, my version of him anyway, he’s so out of touch and lost as he sort of bumbles around in Eden. I didn’t want the typical Wicked Devil all red faced and bat-winged. My version has been locked in Hell for 2000 years which makes him completely innocent of all historical/religious/ideological charges levied against him in that time. It also makes him very naive as far the ways of the world are concerned.

The hardest one to write was the Christian version of God a/k/a Chuck (author bows and nods politely). He started out easy but things took a big turn and it got rough for a long while.

Lily:  I absolutely loved your version of Lucifer. There was just something adorable about him coming back from Hell as clueless as the humans he once watched over were. Is there anything you’d like readers to keep in mind before they pick this up and start reading it?

Lisa:  Without sounding too incredibly egotistical (hopefully), I would want them to know “The First Sin” (South of Eden) is probably not like anything else they’ve ever read. If they have any, they should put down their religious baggage and open their minds to different possibilities before proceeding.

Lily:  I’ve read a lot of books (including a few different versions of the Bible), and I have to say this was definitely unique. Now we’d like to talk about you as a writer. What’s your favorite time of day to write?

Lisa:  Due to my work schedule, I have to carve out a niche to write during the week. Usually it’s between 2pm and 4pm on weekdays. Weekends are my time and The Muse and I can fly through our world up until about, again, 4pm which is when I start to tire and things begin to blur.  I like best to write when there’s no one around but now that our adult daughter has moved home and my husband has been on worker’s comp the last year, Alone Time is in very short supply.

Lily:  I’m glad you find time to write with everything going on. Do you do any research for your books?

Lisa: Yes and no. I don’t do deep research, I haven’t found that was necessary very often unless I was letting loose a biological weapon that wiped out ¾ of the world. Yes, I did that. I do use Google quite often to look up things that are zipping through my head and I know are going to be important. All of my life I’ve been a Picker. I take pick a little bit from here. I pick a little bit from there. I mash it up with a healthy dose of What If and make it my own.

Lily:  You do a great job of mashing things into your own creation. Do you read your book reviews? If so, do they influence your writing?

Lisa:    I don’t make a habit of checking them out…anymore. I did when I first began publishing and soon found it was driving my a bit bonkers so I stopped.  When I do go and read them, I do so with an open mind. My stuff isn’t for everyone, I understand that. I also understand that people aren’t always just being mean when they say something critical in their review. I have found many gems in the criticism that I’ve taken with me into the next story and it has made my writing better.

Lily:  Sounds like a really healthy attitude to have! Let’s finish up with some fun questions and get inside your mind. Do you have a piece of lucky clothing? If not do you have a favorite one?

Lisa:  My jewelry, I’m never without it. I have two necklaces that I fashioned the larger one has my charms; Tree of Life, Sun/Moon, Spiral Goddess, large piece of Moonstone, and a silver icon of Mary and Jesus. The small one is a garnet choker with a silver phoenix as the centerpiece. I wear my mother’s engagement ring and cocktail ring at all times, along with my aunt’s onyx ring and my husband’s grandmother’s wedding ring.

Lily:  Sounds like a beautiful collection of jewelry, with some meaning behind a few of the pieces. What hobbies do you wish you had more time for?

Lisa:  Photography, I love taking pictures but I’ve really let that hobby slide over the last couple of years.

Lily:  Photography can be a lot of fun, I hope you find time for it again! What household chore is just the worst? Which one do you not mind doing?

Lisa:  The dishes, I hate doing the dishes! I don’t mind putting away the laundry. No one else wants to do it so it affords a bit of the Quiet Time that’s in such short supply right now.

Lily:  I have to agree with you on both hehe. Would you rather live full time in an RV or full time on a sailboat?

Lisa:  RV, I was a boat detailer for a summer and I never want to see another boat!

Lily:  I imagine being in an RV would allow for some interesting road trips too. How do you feel about putting pineapple on pizza?

Lisa:  Occasionally, I actually crave it.

Lily:  Personally, I like it with pepperoni when I have it. What’s the best snack?

Lisa:  Popcorn

Lily:  I love popcorn – especially now that you can get so many flavors to sprinkle on it. How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Lisa:  I’m generally always around Ye Olde Internet and I’m rather friendly so they can find me on Facebook or my website, check me out Amazon and other retailers.

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The First Sin Links
Amazon | Signed Hard Cover | Goodreads