FANTABULOUS FRIDAYS A-Z: I FOR IMP WITH STEVE FEASEY

Scribble City Central's twenty-first Fantabulous Friday comes from Steve Feasey, whose extremely cool Changeling (Wereling in the USA) novels about a  teenage werewolf are favourites of mine. Steve doesn't only write about werewolves in his books, though - he's an expert on the dark and dangerous Netherworld and its vile denizens.  He's definitely my go-to source for data on any kind of  creature that goes bump in the night and tears your head off without a second thought.

When Steve was last on SCC, his fourth book was about to be published. Last year he finished the series up with Zombie Dawn, a cracking finale which left me satisfied and yet longing to read more from Steve's inventive mind.  Like Andy Briggs' Tarzan books (also featured here this week), this series is the perfect read for boys who might be reluctant to leave their X Box - a great mix of full-on battle scenes, ghastly monsters and plots that zip along irresisibly. So let me hand over to Steve without more ado to tell you about:

I for Imp

Napoleon of the Netherworld

SF:  Imp. It’s a rather funny sounding word isn’t it? Like pug or conk (I particularly like the word, conk). We describe people who have a naughty sense of humour as impish, and there’s no harm in that, is there? But imps are not nice. Sure, they’re not as scary as a ten-foot tall, winged and horned Hellkraken, but even so they are not to be messed with.

The imps in the Changeling books are as far removed from being puckish jokesters as you could get. They are feared denizens of the Netherworld, with little or no respect for the larger, more powerful demons who rule the place. I liked the idea of these creatures having a bit of a Napoleon complex, so the fire imp who teams up with my hero, Trey Laporte, to help him find his way through the demon realm is fearsome in his willingness to take on creatures far bigger than himself. It also helps that he can spit tennis ball sized balls of napalm at anybody foolish enough to upset him. Like I said, imps are not to be messed with.

Perhaps the most famous imp in Britain is the Lincoln Imp. This little fellow was in the process of wrecking a cathedral when an angel came out of a hymn book (hey, where else?) and told him to pack it in. Now I don’t know about you, but when one of those huge, fearsome creatures (they’re God’s enforcers, don’t you know) tells you to do something, I would suggest it’s a good idea to listen. But not this imp, oh no. He thumbed his nose and waggled his cow ears at the winged brute and went back to his business. See what I mean about a Napoleon complex? The angel, being a bit miffed about this, turned the little demon to stone and he now resides on a pillar in the cathedral.

SCC: Thanks so much for visiting, Steve.  I LOVE that story about the Lincoln Imp - fascinating to know that they're in the midst of our historical buildings, perhaps without us noticing.  I've come across them in all sorts of cathedrals and churches, and am sure that those old stonemason carvers knew a thing or two about them, or they wouldn't have been able to portray them so accurately.

Want to read Steve's Changeling books? Why not click on the Scribble City Central Bookshelf and buy them right now? 

Next week: Ellen Renner does battle with J for Jabberwock.  Have your vorpal swords at the ready! See you then....