What Is The Weir Chronicles about? Short answer: A race of magical beings have a direct connection to the energies of Earth and have lived among humans for thousands of years. But lo-and-behold in present day they are dying out, condemning the planet to natural disasters with increasing intensity and frequency. In steps Ian Black, the last born to dwindling their race. He’s prophesized to inherit their combined powers, thus saving Earth, except he doesn’t inherit the necessary powers and the desperate Weir turn to modern science to perpetuate themselves—with less than optimal results. After all, it’s not wise to tinker with Mother Nature . . .

When I wrote the original draft to the series, Fade To Black, I had a difficult time placing it into a solid category. It was a modern-day fantasy, set on present day Earth with magical beings. But I also added scientific elements, a lot of them, in a way that screams science fiction. I carried this through, not just in the initial novel, but throughout the series. I’ve kept the magic of the Weir, and the miniscule amount that Ian’s able to develop, albeit less than what is needed, but I’ve also kept the science fiction elements, incorporating nannites, other dimensions, evil pharmaceutical experiments (because who doesn’t love to hate those guys), all the while combining paranormal, urban fantasy, mystery, suspense, and even unrequited love and romance.

It’s one hell-of-a-ride and fun to write, but not a simple thing to explain, and I equate it to pulling teeth to fit my series into that standard box called genre. I get it. Agents need to know how to market it to Publishers. Publishers need to know how to tell book sellers where to shelf it. But in this speed-changing world of books, melding genres, and publishing, there’s always that catch-all genre and where I most often find my books on shelves. YA. It was never intended to be a YA book series, but to my surprise, I have twelve year old girls and fourteen year old boys who are some of my biggest fans. Of course, I also hear from the octogenarians who rave about my series being a bright light on what they feel has been a cookie-cutter, all-too familiar trope called fantasy or science fiction.

I’ll let you be the judge for yourself. Connect and let me know what your preferred genre self you see The Weir Chronicles fitting into. Or better yet, make up your own and post it on my website at www.sueduff.com. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

About the Author

Sue Duff has dreamed of dragons and spaceships before she could even read, so it’s only natural that she now combines both fantasy and science fiction as her favorite genre. Having written since high school, Duff never took it seriously until a skiing accident laid her up for an entire summer and she turned on the word processor to combat the boredom. A couple years later, her first urban fantasy novel, Fade to Black, was one of five finalists in the RMFW Colorado Gold Writing Contest and in 2015, Duff’s writing earned her the PEN Award.

She is the second oldest of six girls with an avid reader mom and her dad, the family’s single drop of testosterone in a sea of estrogen.

By day, Duff is a dedicated speech-language therapist at an inner city school district, a career she pursued much in part to her aunt who got her hooked on stories of the profession when Duff was younger. She is passionate about the work she does and regularly works to help those students that need it the most.

Sue is a member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and The Pikes Peak Writers. She calls Colorado home and when not saving the world one page at a time, she can be found walking her great dane, getting her hands dirty in her garden, or creating something delicious in her kitchen.

Check out her blog, A Cook’s Guide to Writing and other musings on her website.

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