An Interview with Cat Sirota, Author of Forgiving the Darkness

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Forgiving the Darkness!

Today, we are thrilled to spotlight Forgiving the Darkness, the first book in the Binary Souls Duology by Cat Sirota. If you love fantasy romance, this book is a must-read! Read on to check out our interview with the author!

Title: Forgiving the Darkness

Series: Binary Souls Duology (Book 1)

Author: Cat Sirota

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Release Date: December 13th 2024

Purchase: Amazon

United by fate. Bound by secrets. Burned by betrayal.

As the runaway daughter of the tyrant King Rodden, a powerful nineteen-year-old witch Estrid lives a life of furtive exile. She will do anything to escape the iron-clawed grip of her father and his blood-soaked reign, even if it is her birthright.

But Estrid’s solitude is fractured during a hunting trip in the Dark Forest, when she stumbles upon a wounded, ethereal being unlike any she’s seen before. The Fae is golden-haired, rippling with power, and dressed in the finery of a wealthy lord. Even weakened and bleeding, he’s the most beautiful—and deadliest—creature she’s ever encountered.

But Estrid isn’t the only one harboring a secret identity. The Fae’s arrival could threaten the freedom she’s fought so hard for and the kingdom she loves.

Forgiving Darkness is the first epic installment of the seductive dark fantasy romance duology, “Binary Souls.”

An Interview with the Author

1. What inspired you to write Forgiving Darkness and delve into the world of dark fantasy romance?
I’ve always loved to read, but I only started reading dark fantasy romances recently after working a very stressful job and needing to break free from reality for a few hours a night. Reading other genres didn’t provide that escape from the normal world that I needed, nor did it provide that much-needed spice from otherworldly men. Reading about a hot detective is great, but reading about a shadow daddy is even better.
After inhaling hundreds of fantasy romance books, thanks to Sarah J Maas and many other great authors, I thought, wouldn’t it be great to give other people what those writers gave me? An escape. A way to explore new worlds from your own home. A way to laugh, cry, and have you sitting on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what happens next, even though it’s 3 a.m?
So, I decided my dream goal would be to quit my stressful corporate job and become a full-time fantasy romance writer. While I may not be able to quit my job yet, but I’ve had a lot of fun writing, meeting new people, and learning new skills. I haven’t given up on my dream of becoming a full-time writer, but I’ve taken the first step in my writing career.

2. Estrid is a powerful witch with a tragic past. What was your process for creating her character?
Estrid was such a great character to write. I enjoyed seeing her grow, but it was a balancing act to ensure she didn’t become too dark and that her redemption wasn’t plausible.
My inspiration behind her was the old Disney villains, like Maleficent, Ursula, and Queen Grimhilde (Snow White), and I asked questions like: ‘What if they weren’t evil to begin with?’, ‘What if something or someone was the trigger for them to become evil?’, ‘What if they could redeem themselves?’.
I coupled this inspiration with an old Scottish folktale about a Dark Witch who was the daughter of an invading Norse King, sent to destroy them. But the villagers managed to kill her. Again, I asked the question of ‘what if she survived?’.
If you keep asking the ‘What ifs,’ it will help you build that robust character. To help me round things out and give the characters more depth, like their backstory, their fatal flaws, and the lies they tell themselves, I also used a few tools, like K.M Weiland’s Creating Character Arcs, as well as Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi’s books

3. The relationship between Estrid and the Fae is central to the story. How did you approach writing their dynamic?
Aside from the secrets and betrayal arc in Forgiving Darkness, another arc central to the theme is fated mates. Most fantasy readers are familiar with fated mates, two characters destined to be with each other, the other half of one’s soul, and so on.
Some books instantly have them together, but the world works against them. In contrast, other books follow a more progressive (they slowly) come together, fated mate’s arc. I’ve tried to bring the two together. I wanted that instant attraction, an undeniable pull to each other, but also balancing out that they’ve just met and don’t entirely trust each other. Which is something many readers should be able to relate to.
So I created conflict between them and around them to rip them apart, but it had that fated mate arc and their character traits to bring them back together.

4. The world of Forgiving Darkness is rich with magic and intrigue. Can you share how you built the setting?
World-building, creating magical systems, and setting are some of the more exciting things to develop in writing. It’s not easy, but it’s fun. You get to draw in inspiration from everything around you, twist and turn it until you’ve made something that fits the story. Just like characters, worlds, settings, and magical systems have their own unique traits and characteristics. You need to define what they are, give them life, and weave them together so that they make sense and capture your reader’s attention.
In Forgiving Darkness, I’ve been inspired by many different things to create magical systems, worlds, and settings. For example, the Dark Forst is a setting inspired by many of the old fairytales of the Brothers Grimm, like Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood. They’ve all got a Dark Forest element to it, taken from the inspiration of the Black Forest in Germany (where the brothers originated from).
I’ve adapted various modern and old literary works about the Fae Courts and created my unique twist on them. I have built the magic systems using those; for me, the magical systems are intrinsically linked to the world.
I’ve drawn inspiration from my travels around the world to create the human-world elements of my story. From Austria’s lush rolling green hills and the pristine white peaks of the Swiss Alpes to the cold and barren rocky landscape of Central Otago in New Zealand. I've thought about how I felt in those places. Like how the icy winds of the Antarctic whip through Otago and burn your cheeks. Or how the grass squelches under your feet as I’ve walked through the meadows of Bavaria. I’ve incorporated sensory elements so readers can feel, see, and hear the world around them.

5. Themes of betrayal and secrets play a big role in the story. Why did you choose to focus on these themes?
All the books I read that keep me up until 3 a.m. have one thing in common: that gut-wrenching moment that keeps you turning the pages. On most occasions, that moment involves some secret or betrayal. I wanted to give readers that feeling, to keep them guessing and turning the page until they discover what happens next.
Admittedly, as a writer, you must delicately juggle secrets and betrayals. If you’re after the happily ever after, your characters need to be redeemable from those secrets, from that betrayal.

 
6. The Fae character is described as both beautiful and deadly. What inspired this complex depiction of him?
In my book, I’ve been inspired by many sources, both old (Celtic, Norse, and European folklore) and modern (Maleficent). In both cases, Fae are considered beautiful and deadly, with good and evil intentions toward humans.
For example, for modern inspiration, I’m not a die-hard fan of Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, but I do appreciate the books and movies. I sought inspiration from the elves, Legolas and Tauriel. While they are not Fae, they inspired that powerful yet seductive and beautiful depiction.
Similarly, when writing my book (and yes, fictional fantasy writers do research), I investigated many old folk tales about Fae and fairy, which are often described as beautiful but deadly to humans.

7. As the first book in the Binary Souls duology, how does Forgiving Darkness set the stage for the next installment?
Book two promises so much juicy stuff, and I can’t wait to release it.
Estrid and Zain’s story has only begun. They will be tested more individually and together in book two, but Forgiving Darkness has set a strong foundation for them. Many more secrets will be unearthed during the second book, and not from the characters you think they’ll come from.
I’ll be diving into more about the Fae courts; we’ll visit a few and learn more about the world of Faery. I can guarantee there will be plot twists galore because it’s my style to keep readers on their toes.
The bad guys are more sinister, and if you’ve paid attention to book one, I’m sure you’ll have some theories about who the ultimate evil is in book two. I’d be interested to see if anyone has any theories out there that they’d like to share.
Between Forgiving Darkness and Book Two, I will release some bonus chapters that explore scenes that weren’t in the book but were alluded to, as well as change the point of view for some characters. If you’d like to get access to them, join my newsletter.

 
8. What was the most challenging part of writing this book?
Balancing feedback from early editors and beta readers was one of the hardest things when writing this book, as I think it is with any book. Reading is so subjective. What one person loves doesn’t mean that the next person will.
As a writer, you can get so caught up in trying to please everyone that you lose your voice and the core story. During developmental edits, there were times when I needed to trust my gut and write what I wanted rather than listen to every piece of advice.
Granted, when all the feedback (from both beta readers and editors) pointed to fixing the same thing, I listened. But it was when they all had conflicting options that I trusted my gut and did what I thought would work best for my characters and their stories. Keep in mind that editors and beta readers don’t have access to what’s happening later in the series, so I needed to take that into account.

 
9. Many readers are drawn to strong female protagonists. How do you hope Estrid will resonate with your audience?
I hope readers love Estrid, an independent, strong, and resilient character. She’s powerful and can change the world, but she also struggles with her own demons. Many of us, including myself, struggle with this inner turmoil. So Estrid’s journey is as much my own as it will be for many readers. It is about harnessing that power, finding yourself, and using it to change the world around you.

10. What do you hope readers take away from Forgiving Darkness?
I hope readers take away from Forgiving Darkness that we are all flawed inside and out. Sometimes, we call these weaknesses, but I like to think of them as little bits of darkness. Forgiving Darkness is about being kinder to ourselves, about embracing our flaws and turning them into strengths that make us better, stronger individuals.

Connect with the Author

Cat moved to Middle Earth (known informally as New Zealand) at the age of twelve. The moody, romantic landscape inspired her passion for fantasy novels and would go on to shape her own fiction writing, setting the scene for lush worldbuilding, dark characters, and satisfying plot twists.

Every morning, at 5 a.m., long before her rambunctious household has risen, Cat pours a cup of coffee and gets to work. When she isn't writing and editing, she's lost in the stories of her favorite authors like LJ Andrews Penn Cole, and Jennifer L. Armentrout. For Cat, only one thing trumps the magical alchemy of reading, and that is crafting new portals of escapism in her own stories.

If you'd like to escape with Cat and hear about exclusive up-and-coming adventures, characters, and treats, join her newsletter via her website or her readers group on Facebook. Otherwise, follow her on Instagram or TikTok for general fun and shenanigans.

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Happy reading! ✨