ALLISON SAFT’s novel Down Comes the Night is a snow-drenched romantic fantasy that will keep you racing through the pages long into the night. Read on for a Q&A with the author.
What inspired Down Comes the Night?
My book ideas typically come to me in the form a relationship dynamic and a situation that forces the romantic leads to spend time together. For Down Comes the Night, it was something like ‘in an isolated, snowy setting, a magical doctor must cure her sworn enemy of a mysterious illness.’ It wasn’t until I wrote the first draft that I saw the potential for leaning into the Gothic elements baked into the premise.
What can you tell us about the setting of Colwick Hall?
Colwick Hall is a crumbling manor located high in a mountain range. It’s lonely, presumably cursed, and grossly understaffed after a disease swept through the servants quarters. In the winter, there’s only one road in and out. Its proprietor is Alistair Lowry, a foppish and eccentric nobleman who’s recently withdrawn from his busy social life. There is absolutely nothing weird in the half-collapsed wing of the estate.
What was your favourite part of creating Hal and Wren’s dynamic?
Wren and Hal play off each other in a way that always delighted me. Wren is a little quick-tempered and emotional. Hal is reserved and unflappable. Despite their differences, they struggle with the same core wound. They’re both desperately in search of redemption. When they first meet, they regard each other with real animosity and fear. By the end, they’re able to offer each other forgiveness and a path forward. Getting them there was immensely rewarding. They go through a lot together.
What’s your favourite romance trope? Why?
Forced proximity! I love devising a situation that forces characters not only to spend time with one another but also ties their fates together. It’s also a good opportunity to draw out characters’ idiosyncrasies. Allowing them to notice small (often annoying) things about one another makes them come to life.
Did you draw any inspiration from other fantasy novels to create your magic systems and world?
I drew inspiration mostly from Gothic and sensation novels while designing this world. While the scope of the conflict is pretty sweeping, the story itself is intimate and relies heavily on atmosphere and emotion. Some of my favorites are The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.
What kind of sinister forces will Hal and Wren face in this novel?
The sinister forces in this book are primarily the darkness of the human heart: cycles of violence, the lengths people will go to get and maintain power, prejudice, cruelty.
What was involved in your worldbuilding process?
I did some research on the Victorian period, but most of my time was spent on medical research. Wren is a magical healer, but her abilities require extensive knowledge of the body and how it works. It’s difficult, painstaking work. She spends a lot of time healing Hal, so I wanted those scenes to feel like a real struggle – and like the reader could understand what she was trying to accomplish.
If you could have dinner with one fictional couple (not from your own book), who would it be and why?
Roy and Riza from Fullmetal Alchemist, my all-time favorite couple. I feel like they’d have some interesting and helpful perspective on the current state of our world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photos © Pacifica Studio
Allison Saft is the author of acclaimed romantic fantasy including instant New York Times bestsellers A Far Wilder Magic, and Wings of Starlight. After receiving her MA in English Literature from Tulane University, New Orleans, USA. she moved from the Gulf Coast to the West Coast in the USA, where she spends her time hiking the redwoods and practicing aerial silks.
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