Dear reader, tonight with us is one of the Irish fae, inspiring poets and musicians for decades. She’s here to talk about unseen worlds and working with a touring rock band.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I’m not human, you see, so I can’t exactly give you warm and fuzzy tales of my idyllic “childhood.” I’m actually a leanhaun sídhe, or as you might call me, a “fairy mistress.” Like many fae, I exist because I am believed in, and the more powerful the belief, the more powerful I become. I was created out of a string of folk and fairy tales from Ireland, and I believe my true father was none other than the poet W.B. Yeats, who first gave me form in his 1892 book Irish Fairy and Folk Tales. I visited him more than once, though once he left for France he was out of my reach. In those days I couldn’t travel across the waters … but today it is different.

What do you do now?

My duties involve inspiring your poets – or, in the case of The Only Song Worth Singing, your rock musicians, driving their inherent creativity to heights of near (or total) insanity. What do I ask in return? So very little. Just a bit of life, taken bit by bit. It’s a fair exchange. It’s also why your poets die so young….

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Fae exist in a world “beyond the Veil,” sometimes considered “under the hills,” but in any case, a place separate from the human world. All fae can pass through … and a few humans, if they are particularly special. But when a human and a fae comingle and create a new … being, it can be distasteful to us. One such exists, and we’ve been keeping an eye on him his entire life. Then he – and his band – left to share their music in the New World, and the orders came down from the Seelie Court: Find him and decide if he’s allowed to live. What can I say, though? I got distracted and found his bandmate far more interesting.

What did you first think when you met Ciaran?

Oh, that he was perfect. All three of them in the band – Malachi, Ciaran, Patrick – had potential. But Ciaran had hunger. I sense that in a human, that ambition, that craving to be … more. That is a hole in a human that I can fill with my unique talents. I can make humans more. I can make them nearly fae. And it is difficult to pass up such a raw specimen as Ciaran who, as humans go, is also easy on the eyes. He promised me everything, in exchange for everything. And so I gave it to him.

What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

The fact that I might not be as infalliable and immortal as I think I am. That there are … bonds that I am unable to sever. Not that I won’t try, though. I have been collecting souls for decades. And so long as there are those that hunger, I will be there to add theirs to my bright collection.

What is the worst thing about humans?

That you all are so fragile, and live such short lives! I am barely getting started with those I share my love with before they fall apart, withering and sapped dry. I can only hope one day to find one who matches my ability to take, with an ability to give back. For who considers Sheerie in this equation? None!

Whom do you really hate?

Ugh, I really loathe my fellow fae, the one who calls herself Caitlin in this guise. She interferes with my plans and throws up roadblocks to accomplishing my goals – even in violation of the Seelie code. We are not supposed to interfere. We have goals, we Seelie and Unseelie, and are not meant to take sides against one another. I’ll make sure she’s reported to the higher-ups, and disciplined mightily. Exile should not be off the table for her misdeeds.

What’s your favourite drink, colour, and relaxing pastime?

Such curious questions you ask of a fae! For a drink: water of life, or as we call it, uisce beatha. Whiskey! It burns like the kiss of a fae going down, and warms the belly. As I am from what Malachai calls “The Green Place,” I won’t disagree there with color – green. Verdant, mossy, deep forest green. Like my eyes.

What does the future hold for you?

I can tell you that whatever happens in the book – the ending of which I will not reveal – I have at least one other adventure in the world, as a short story called “Rough Beast, Slouching” (good catch – it’s a nod to my father). In that, you can see what happens when I attach myself to a different set of musicians, with even darker consequences. That tale can be found currently in Soul Scream Antholozine #1. As for what happens to me after The Only Song Worth Singing, I can only say keep your seat belts fastened – the ride is not over yet.

Can you share a secret with us, which you’ve never told anyone else?

Hmm. I am not in the business of keeping secrets, exactly. But I will tell you that I rarely have only one musician I am inspiring at a time. Your favorite rock star – even one of longstanding veteran status – may be someone I have not tired with yet. Who I may be propping up and inspiring for many, many years. There may yet be pieces of me in your music collections … drifting through your ear-buds and head-phones, winding my way into your mind and taking just a little bit here, and there ….

Randee Dawn is the bestselling author of the funny pop culture fantasy novel Tune in Tomorrow. She has three novels out in 2025: The Only Song Worth Singing and Leave No Trace (ArcManor) and We Interrupt This Program (Solaris Nova). She is a veteran entertainment journalist for The LA Times, Variety and Today.com and lives in Brooklyn.

You can find Sheerie on the pages of The Only Song Worth Singing.

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