If a whimsical fantasy like “The Hobbit” was written with the adult oriented humor of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” you would have “Kingdom of the Snark: The Quest for the Sword,” the first in a series of humorous fantasy.
Renee the Righteous is a young Quester who must find the long-lost Sword of Power to save her people. When at last she thinks her quest for the sword is at an end, she discovers a catch: it takes two people to claim the blade, not one, so she needs a Questing Partner for help. Too bad Renee never bothered to make any friends on her journey, and she has to put her trust in a stranger. She thinks she has found the perfect Questing Partner in Guy Smokes, a hapless Assistant Barkeep always willing to help anyone with heaving bosoms. However, Guy might just change his mind after they are attacked by lustful nun assassins and lethal men in green cloaks. Will Renee be able to claim the Sword of Power, or will she and her Questing Partner be slain instead?
Journey to a land where men are women, women are men and unicorns are jerks in “Kingdom of the Snark: The Quest for the Sword.”
What are the main themes of your book?
“Kingdom of the Snark” is a Fantasy/Comedy series aimed for an adult audience. This isn’t some watered down YA series with brooding, unrealistically good looking youngsters! There are themes of religious figures who manipulate followers, the corruption of greed, issues of trust (and a lot of mistrust), and how people don’t always learn their lessons.
Who or what inspired your story?
I have always been an avid fantasy fan, along with the works of Douglas Adams, so I wanted to combine fantasy with satire to emulate a typical fantasy trilogy. Part one, “The Quest for the Sword,” is a grand build up that goes nowhere. Part two, “An Affair with Wizards” (to be released in June/July 2013), is the part of the story where everyone gets laid. The third part, “Kingdom Smackdown” (to be released in 2014), is the part where the entire kingdom comes together in one last grand battle of epic epicness.
What do you like best about your primary characters?
They reflect us: we all want to be shiny, perfect heroes who always save the day, but our human qualities (okay, our flaws) prevent us from succeeding.
What are their worst peculiarities?
Ooooooh, where to start? My characters are stubborn (Renee the Righteous), naïve (Guy Smokes), egotistical (The Lord Asher Dark), corrupted with power (Sister Ferriera, Mother Superior), and some are horny (the wicked nuns…yes, it’s that kind of a story).
How does your main character evolve?
Renee the Righteous is a typical cold stone warrior from beginning to end. I won’t go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but the ending of the novel does carry over to her actions in “An Affair with Wizards,” and that is where Renee’s heart finally grows. Renee evolves as the trilogy progresses.
What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?
Fantasy is fun, but it shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?
Where can we purchase it?
Everywhere!
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony Reader Store, iTunes
I also have some “Snarky” short stories that are available for free on occasion, so stay posted to my Twitter, Facebook, and website for freebie alerts.
About Melanie Hatfield
Melanie Hatfield originally hails from Kansas City, MO, where she grew up watching too much television. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of writing sitcoms, only to have that dream crushed like so much glass at Jewish weddings. While she struggled, she developed kick-ass writing skills and wrote her first novel, “Kingdom of the Snark: The Quest for the Sword,” to incorporate her two favorite genres of comedy and fantasy. She is currently working on the sequel, “Kingdom of the Snark: An Affair with Wizards,” to be published in June/July 2013. If you want to learn more about Melanie Hatfield, you can visit her website, or connect with her on Goodreads, Twitter and Facebook.
