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Myth-inspired Fantasy

Hanna Park Author Interview

Resurrection follows a woman caught between two identities, the adopted daughter of mortals and the blood-born child of the King of the Faeries, who has to decide what she is willing to risk, and what path her future will hold. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The inspiration came from Irish folklore and the land itself. The Scald Crow introduces Calla Sweet and sets her on the path that carries her straight into the faerie realm in Resurrection. My worldbuilding is rooted in the Tuatha Dé Danann of Irish mythology, and the setting is drawn from Donegal County in Ireland, a place I had the privilege of visiting. Walking that landscape—its bogs, cliffs, and souterrains—helped me plot the story directly onto the land, blending the myth-soaked history of the region with my characters’ journeys. Rather than magical realism, I would call it myth-inspired fantasy: the legends of Ireland reimagined in a way that asks Calla, and the reader, what risks are worth taking and what future is worth choosing. Readers who enjoy romantasy grounded in rich folklore—think ACOTAR with a darker, more mythic edge—will feel right at home.

I find the world you created in this novel brimming with possibilities. Where did the inspiration for the setting come from, and how did it change as you were writing?

The setting began with Donegal—the wild Atlantic coast, the ruins, the hidden valleys. That landscape gave me my foundation, but as I wrote Resurrection, the world kept expanding. The faerie realm began to layer itself over the geography of Ireland, drawing on souterrains, standing stones, and cairns, reimagined as portals, prisons, or thresholds of power. What started as a place grounded in Ireland’s physical beauty grew into something more myth-drenched and shifting, shaped as much by the Tuatha Dé Danann as by Calla’s choices. In many ways, the setting became a character in its own right, evolving in step with her journey. For readers who crave immersive, atmospheric worlds where myth and magic are woven into every shadow, this is that kind of story.

In fantasy novels, it’s easy to get carried away with the magical powers characters have. How did you balance the use of supernatural powers?

Each character in Resurrection has a specialty, a gift that feels innate to them, yet the Tuatha Dé Danann as a whole share the same mystical capabilities. What creates balance is not the sheer presence of power, but its limits. The abilities come with costs, consequences, and vulnerabilities, and those aspects are as important as the magic itself. I was careful to keep the focus on the characters—their decisions, struggles, and relationships—so that the powers serve the story rather than overwhelm it. In that way, the supernatural becomes a natural extension of who they are, rather than the entire definition of them.

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

Beyond the Faerie Rath is, at its heart, the story of three sisters—Calla, Nemain, and Macha—whose destinies are bound to the faerie realm in dangerous and surprising ways. Book Three, Tides of Treachery, follows Macha into the House of Faces, a place of illusion and betrayal where every mask hides a threat. If Resurrection was about identity and belonging, Macha’s journey delves into deception, ambition, and the peril of choosing the wrong allegiance.

As the series continues, each sister’s path will unravel different facets of the Tuatha Dé Danann and the shadows working against them. Their stories are meant to build layer by layer, until the moment their journeys converge again—when the fate of the realm will rest on the choices of all three.

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Calla, torn between loyalty and legacy, faces choices she never imagined. The Faerie Kingdom hums beneath her skin, pulling her into unavoidable truths. She turns her fear into a weapon—her source of strength. Her bonds grow stronger, sacrifices are inevitable, and Calla must decide: how much is she willing to risk to secure her place in a kingdom that might destroy her?

Colm, weighed down by more than just his name, embodies the voice of an ancient power that risks consuming him, even as he strives to protect his loved ones. When a threat jeopardizes everything dear to him, he ventures into the Faerie realm—pursued, haunted, and determined to find Calla before it’s too late.

Ciarán returns, but the burden of freedom weighs heavily on him. Can he let go of past wrongs and live in the light?

Saoirse shines brightly. The land feels it. The old gods stir.

Their journey continues in Resurrection, a darkly romantic fantasy where love is dangerous, power is awakening, and the dead whisper.