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August Reading Wrap Up & September Plans

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It’s been a while since I posted a wrap up, huh? I’m not going to promise that this is my great blogging comeback or anything, because we all know how those have gone in the past. But I’m finding myself with a little more free time lately and a whole lot of motivation for various different projects of mine, so I thought I would write up a post about how I’ve been doing.

What happened in August

August was another incredibly busy month for me. Lockdown restrictions are completely gone here in the UK (for how long? Who can tell.) and so a lot of our friends are keen to meet up. I’m still being very cautious about meet ups and big groups of people, but I received my second vaccine at the beginning of the month so I’m starting to feel a bit more confident about everything.

My second dose (of the Pfizer variety) gave me more symptoms than the first dose did. Previously I only had a sore arm, and I think that was more from the kettlebell workout I had done than the jab. The second dose knocked me out about 24 hours later for an entire evening. But I had a long bath and slept a lot, and the next day I felt absolutely fine again. Not too bad, really!

A friend had a meet up in London one Saturday, and while I haaaated travelling by tube (only for a few stops, thankfully), it wasn’t too bad. The bar was nice, ish, but it didn’t really offer anything new. And the power went out a couple of times and the music was far too loud and it blew the speakers. It was nice to see a few people though!

A week later another friend had her wedding in Kent, which was lovely. I didn’t take many photos but I’m hoping their photographer captured at least a couple of decent ones of me and Quill. I had a lot of fun that evening dancing and exploring the massive grounds of the venue.

And then on the Bank Holiday, we travelled down to Longleat Safari Park and saw some animals! It was super busy and everyone there was quite annoying and weren’t able to follow directions, but we managed to distance ourselves from them for most of it and we didn’t miss any of the animals!

All in all, it was a pretty great month.

Books I Read in August

I’m slowly getting back on track with my reading after I completely (well, not completely, just mostly) dropped the ball after work became really busy. I read twelve books in August, so I’m almost back up to my average of 15! Speaking of averages, my average rating was a whopping 3.11 (it’s high for me, trust me) and I enjoyed pretty much every book I read. Here are some of the highlights from August!

 

★★★★

Allegedly was dark, thrilling, and everything I wanted from my first Tiffany D Jackson read.

★★★★

I picked this up from an Air BnB I was staying at in July and I absolutely adored it. The relationship between the two women was wonderful to read about. It turned out to be very timely considering the situation in Afghanistan at the moment too.

★★★★

The final book in one of my favourite series! It felt a little weird to read this one due to the turn it took in the middle, but I enjoyed reading about Pip nonetheless.

Plans Going Forward

September is going to be a great month, I already know it!

Firstly, I’m taking part in two readathons in September: the Magical Readathon, and the Bookoplathon. I’ve created a TBR for both of them with some books that I can mix and match, and I am HYPED.

I’m going away to the Lake District mid-month and I’ll be staying up there for a week. I’m planning on climbing Scafell Pike and Helvellyn, and we’re going to be doing some ghyll scrambling too. It’ll be a very adventurous holiday so I’ll probably need a break afterwards. I can’t wait!

Otherwise, not much is happening, which is probably good as I’ll need some time to myself after all the walking I’ll be doing and the reading I need to get done. What are your plans for September?

Want more? Check out some of my Booktube videos from August!

Debut Author Interview: Amy McCaw, Mina and the Undead

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Today we have Amy McCaw on the blog to talk about her debut novel, Mina and the Undead! I read Mina last month and I had an absolute blast with it. It’s full of murder (always a good thing… in fiction), haunted houses, and local myths and legends, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s hunting for their next vampire fix!

About Mina and the Undead

New Orleans Fang Fest, 1995.
Mina’s having a summer to die for.

17-year-old Mina, from England, arrives in New Orleans to visit her estranged sister, Libby. After growing up in Whitby, the town that inspired Dracula, Mina loves nothing more than a creepy horror movie. She can’t wait to explore the city’s darkest secrets – vampire tours, seedy bars, spooky cemeteries, disturbing local myths…

And it gets even better when Mina lands a part-time job at a horror movie mansion and meets Jared, Libby’s gorgeous housemate, co-worker and fellow horror enthusiast.

But the perfect summer bliss is broken when, while exploring the mansion, Mina stumbles upon the body of a girl with puncture marks on her neck, clutching a lock of hair that suspiciously resembles Libby’s… Someone is replicating New Orleans’ most brutal supernatural killings. Mina must discover the truth and prove her sister’s innocence before she becomes the victim of another myth. – Goodreads

About the Author

Amy McCaw is a YA writer and blogger. She’s the author of Mina and the Undead, a YA murder mystery set in 1995 New Orleans.

Her main interests are books, movies and the macabre, and her debut novel has elements of all of these. If Amy’s not at a book event or reading, she can usually be found scribbling away in her writing room, surrounded by movie memorabilia and an out-of-control signed books collection. Unsurprisingly, she’s a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and has gone to conventions to meet James Marsters more times than she cares to admit.

Amy also loves travelling and has a particular affinity for America. She’s visited 29 states, 13 Man Vs Food restaurants and many bookish locations, including the cities where Twilight, Interview with a Vampire and Vampire Diaries were set.

If you want to talk with Amy about books or 90s movies, you can find her on Twitter. – Website

The Interview

1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be a published author?

Thank you! To be honest, it still feels quite surreal – especially because bookshops aren’t open when the book comes out. I’ve wanted to be an author for so long and publication day is almost here. I’m really proud and excited that I’ve managed to do it!

2. How long did it take you to write Mina and the Undead from start to finish?

I had the idea when I visited New Orleans in 2012. I knew the main ingredients of vampires, myths and murders but I couldn’t figure out how to fit it all together. It fell into place in late 2016 and I’d finished writing the first draft by spring 2018.

3. Why did you decide to set the book in the 90s? 

When I was plotting and researching the book, I realised that 1995 tied in to the plot really well. It’s the year the Interview with the Vampire movie came out (in the UK) and is just after the deadliest year in the history of New Orleans. I decided to go with it and filled the book with 80s and 90s pop-cultural references, as well as playing on the obsession with vampires at that time.

4. Mina and the Undead is your first published book, but is it the first book you wrote?

No, I’ve written quite a few others: a couple of unfinished ones, one that will never see the light of day and a few that weren’t too bad. The most recent ones got better each time, until I wrote a YA dystopian that I thought might actually get published. Then I wrote Mina and the Undead, and I really believed that this was the one.  

5. Are you a plotter or pantser? 

A bit of both! My best ideas usually come to me as I’m writing, but I always have a rough plan of where the plot will go. It doesn’t mean I’ll stick to it though. I find that it takes me a while to get into a new project and then I do stretches of writing and plotting in between.

6. Did anything about the publishing or writing process surprise you? 

I started blogging a few years ago and I know quite a few authors, so there weren’t too many surprises. There were things I knew, such as how slowly the publishing industry can move, that didn’t truly sink in until I experienced them.

7. What do you hope readers will take away from Mina and the Undead? 

I poured everything I enjoy into this book: from vampires and murder mysteries, to history and creepy locations. I hope this book will end up in the hands of readers with interests as quirky as mine and that they’ll find it a fun, twisty read.

8. What are your writing plans for 2021 (and beyond)? 

I’m hoping to write a sequel to Mina and the Undead, but I’m currently working on a standalone in a similar dark vein.

9. What are some of your favourite vampire books, movies, or other media? 

I have so many favourites! Buffy the Vampire Slayer has always been my favourite TV show. Everything just came together: the witty dialogue, found family, inventive storylines and brilliant cast. I also love The Vampire Diaries and True Blood (mainly the TV shows but the books too). My favourite vampire movie is definitely The Lost Boys, which is such an entertaining, creepy watch with everything I love about vampires crammed into it. One of the first vampire books I read was Interview with the Vampire, so that book has always been quite a special one for me. 

10. You’ve visited a lot of bookish locations, are there any others you’d like to visit when we’re allowed to travel again?

That’s a really good question! I’d love to go back to Bath (the home of Jane Austen), Haworth (the Brontës) and Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare). Top of my list is Prague. I’ve been desperate to go there ever since I first read Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

11. Who do you like to dress up as at Halloween?

I love visiting scary places at Halloween, like immersive horror experiences, but I haven’t dressed up properly for a while. I have bought a vampire costume to wear for my launch so that will probably get a second outing this Halloween. It’s just a shame that I haven’t perfected how to talk in fangs…

Thank you so much, Amy, for taking the time to answer my questions! I was actually really hoping for a sequel to Mina, so this made me happy. As did your love of The Vampire Diaries!

Interested in more 2021 Debuts? Check out my Debut Showcase feature, in which I talk about a tonne of authors with debut books coming out in 2021. While you’re here, perhaps consider taking part in the Debut Author Challenge? There are giveaways, readathons, read-ins, and more!

Debut Author Interview: Sam Taylor, We Are the Fire

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For We Are the Fire’s release day, we have Sam Taylor on the blog to talk about her debut, her preferred elemental powers, and her writing journey!

About We Are the Fire

In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana―both taken from their homeland at a young age―only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.

Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.

When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves. – Goodreads | Content Warnings

About the Author

Photo credit: Tamara McMurdie

Sam Taylor grew up in Arizona’s desert and now lives among Connecticut’s trees. She writes fantasy novels for teenagers, and magic is always at the heart of her stories. (What world isn’t better with a bit of magic?)

For her writing, Sam has won the Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature and twice received the Young Adult Romance Writers of America Rosemary Award. She’s worked as a proofreader, copywriter, and instructor of university writing courses before deciding to write her own books.​

We Are the Fire is her debut novel.​

When she’s not writing, Sam spends her time being mom to the world’s cutest boys, whirling through dance workouts, and baking too many cakes. She does not possess fire magic, but does have one fire-colored cat. ​

– Website

The Interview

1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be a published author?

It’s still a bit surreal, since this is a dream I’ve chased for years. Sometimes I have to slow down and remind myself that I did it, I’m getting a book published, I’m getting this book published–the one that I didn’t want to give up on.

2. Can you describe We Are the Fire in three words?

Fierce, Alchemical, Revolution

3. We Are the Fire is your first published book, but is it the first book you wrote?

WAtF is the third book I’d queried. I loved my first two projects, but this story captured my passion and energy in a way the others hadn’t. So I kept trying and trying to find a home for this story until it found its champion with Swoon Reads.

4. How did the concept for We Are the Fire come to you?

I was angry and wanted to watch something burn! My day job at the time was run by some corrupt people. I felt powerless to fix the situation, and often wasn’t even sure what were the right choices. I wanted a story with fire magic, to vent out my frustrations. I wanted a story where the right decisions weren’t always clear, because sometimes they aren’t. I wanted a story with unlikely allies coming together–something that got me through my own struggle. Above all, I wanted a story that ended with hope. 

5. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Planster! I always outline before drafting, but as I begin writing and acquaint myself more with the characters and their world, I always uncover new ideas. And I give myself the freedom to explore those ideas, because they always lead to a much better book. (For WAtF, the wily Imperial Alchemist Rootare didn’t come to me about halfway through the first draft!) 

6. Did anything about the writing or publishing process surprise you?

When I was still querying and searching for an agent and a book deal, lots of authors further along in their journey would say, “Enjoy your time writing without a contract! Enjoy the time being free to focus solely on your craft and storytelling.” That’s never what anyone in the query trenches wants to hear, but… those authors weren’t wrong. It’s a whole different game juggling deadlines, book promotion, administrative tasks (there is so much behind-the-scenes work to being an author! Don’t even get me started on author taxes) along with writing. So really, when a writer isn’t beholden yet to anyone but themself, embrace that opportunity to focus on craft and the sheer pleasure of storytelling.

7. Aside from the obvious laptop, what is your must have item for when you’re writing? 

Headphones! I must listen to music while writing. It helps me find the right tone for the book, and drowns out any distracting background noise.

8. What are your writing plans for 2021?I’m at work on three other projects currently–two MG, one YA. All magical. Hoping at least one of them can be ready to send out to editors soon!

9. Finally, if you could wield the power of one of the elements, which element would you choose?

There’s only one answer for me: 

????

Thanks so much Sam, and I can’t wait to see what you come out with next!

Interested in more 2021 Debuts? Check out my Debut Showcase feature, in which I talk about a tonne of authors with debut books coming out in 2021. While you’re here, perhaps consider taking part in the Debut Author Challenge? There are giveaways, readathons, read-ins, and more!

Book Review: The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna

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On the blog today, we have one of the first stops on the blog tour for The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna! This was one of my most anticipated books of 2021, partly because of the cover, partly because it’s a debut, and partly because it sounded so freakin’ good, so I’m hyped to be on the tour. You can check out the rest of the tour here and show other bloggers and The Gilded Ones some love.

Book Review

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I was so sad to see The Gilded Ones be pushed back to 2021 last year because I’ve been excited for it ever since I heard the announcement. A warrior girl whose blood runs gold, who joins an army of similar girls? Yes please! But it’s ok, the book is coming out now.

The first third of The Gilded Ones was pretty much five star worthy for me. There was a tonne of action, some awfully violent and harrowing scenes (tw for torture and death), and the start of what promised to be a lovely female friendship.

The middle of the book is where the story started to drag for me. There were suddenly a tonne of characters that I didn’t really care for, a romance that was pretty much just instalove, and some strange time jumps too. None of these were major issues for me, but I was surprised at the turn the book took because of the impressively strong first part.

I think it would have been better for the author to have spent longer developing all the relationships in this book rather than continuing the action, at least in part. When these girls were in danger, I just didn’t particularly care, because we weren’t given enough time to get to know them anyway.

BUT, The Gilded Ones picks up again in the final part of the book. The action all comes together, and the strong world building that has been present throughout really starts to rear its head. The ending made me incredibly excited for the sequel, and I was also left wondering how the heck I am going to recap this book because so much was happening.

I do think the final showdown could have gone on for a bit longer, but otherwise I’m so happy with where this went (aside from the instalove… eck).

I can’t wait to read more about these girls in the sequel, as I think their relationships are the most interesting parts of the book, along with Deka herself. I think if Forna ends up focusing on the relationships more in the sequel and really starts to build them up, I’m going to love it.

Also, there’s an animal companion?? Why didn’t anyone tell me!!

About the Author

Namina Forna is a young adult novelist based in Los Angeles, andthe author of the upcoming epic fantasy YA novelThe Gilded Ones. Originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, she moved to the US when she was nine and has been traveling back and forth ever since. Namina has an MFA in film andTV production from USC School of Cinematic Arts and a BA from Spelman College. She works as a screenwriter in LA and loves telling stories with fierce female leads. – Website | Twitter | Instagram

Buy the Book

Like the sound of The Gilded Ones? Here are some easily accessible links for you to purchase the book!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes and Noble | Bookshop.org | Book Depository | Indigo | IndieBound

Interested in more 2021 Debuts? Check out my Debut Showcase feature, in which I talk about a tonne of authors with debut books coming out in 2021. While you’re here, perhaps consider taking part in the Debut Author Challenge? There are giveaways, readathons, read-ins, and more!

Debut Author Interview: Crystal Maldonado, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

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We’ve got the lovely Crystal Maldonado on the blog today to talk all about her debut book, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega and her writing and publishing process! I’ve already read the book and my review should be going up next week (migraine-depending), and I can’t wait for you all to meet Charlie!

About Fat Chance, Charlie Vega

Charlie Vega is a lot of things. Smart. Funny. Artistic. Ambitious. Fat.

People sometimes have a problem with that last one. Especially her mom. Charlie wants a good relationship with her body, but it’s hard, and her mom leaving a billion weight loss shakes on her dresser doesn’t help. The world and everyone in it have ideas about what she should look like: thinner, lighter, slimmer-faced, straighter-haired. Be smaller. Be whiter. Be quieter.

But there’s one person who’s always in Charlie’s corner: her best friend Amelia. Slim. Popular. Athletic. Totally dope. So when Charlie starts a tentative relationship with cute classmate Brian, the first worthwhile guy to notice her, everything is perfect until she learns one thing–he asked Amelia out first. So is she his second choice or what? Does he even really see her? UGHHH. Everything is now officially a MESS.

About the author

Crystal Maldonado is a young adult author with a lot of feelings. Her work has been published in the Hartford Courant, Buzzfeed, and Latina Magazine.

By day, she is a social media manager working in higher ed, and by night, a writer who loves Beyoncé, shopping, spending too much time on her phone, and being extra.

She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and dog. Follow her everywhere @crystalwrote. – Author website

The Interview

1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be a published author?
Getting published during the pandemic has been exciting, rewarding, and a little exhausting! Being able to have this book published is truly a dream come true, so it’s been interesting to have those positive feelings juxtaposed with the stresses of the pandemic, which I know has been difficult on us all. That said, there have been some silver linings to debuting during this time, like being able to attend events from anywhere and meeting so many incredible authors on Twitter and over Zoom. I’m appreciating everything as it comes and enjoying all of the big and small moments. I’m also very much looking forward to being able to celebrate the book — and meet readers! — in person when it’s safe.

2. What inspired you to write Fat Chance, Charlie Vega?
The inspiration for FAT CHANCE, CHARLIE VEGA came from my own high school experience, my journey to self-acceptance, and my love story with my now-husband. Like Charlie, I grew up in a town where I felt like I really didn’t fit in: I was a Puerto Rican girl surrounded by mostly white classmates, I was fat, I had a unique family dynamic, I wore glasses. It just felt like I wasn’t what the world viewed as “normal” in any way at all. There
were so few positive depictions of fat characters in media then, too. Though there are more now, it still feels like fat girls deserve more. I wanted to do what I could to change that and show that fat girls everywhere are worthy of a happily-ever-after.

3. What has been your most memorable moment of the publishing or writing process?
Holding the book in my hand has been so memorable! That might seem a little odd, but I swear I almost didn’t believe this was all happening until the real, final version was in front of me. This whole time, I’ve had so much fun that it felt like I was living in a dream and if someone pinched me I might wake up and realize it wasn’t real. But it is real! I also really loved the editing process for the book. I have a tough time with drafting, but being able to edit and revisit the characters and watch their story really take shape feels so satisfying.

4. Who would you want to play Charlie in a movie?
If this book became a film (and oh my God, that would be everything), then I would actually love to see some new actresses and actors on screen in the roles! It would be incredible to have my book help bring some otherwise lesser known young actors to prominence. One thing I know for sure is that I totally want to show up in the background of a scene as a teacher or hall monitor or something!

5. What was your favourite scene to write?
It’s hard to pick a favorite scene, but one of the most fun for me was Charlie’s birthday party! It ends up being such a pivotal night for her character.; she feels pretty, her friends are so loving, her crush joins her for the evening, her friends are great, and the future feels so full of hope and possibility.

6. What is a book you wish was around when you were a teenager?
I really wish I’d had “Puddin’” by Julie Murphy as a teen because I think I have a lot in common with Millie Michalchuk — fat, aspiring journalists, who are maybe a little too naive or sweet for our own good sometimes. I think I was more jaded than Millie, but I imagine if I’d read that and realized fat girls could just be happy with themselves, that would’ve felt really monumental.

7. What are your writing plans for 2021?
I’m currently working on a book about a different fat Puerto Rican girl who is obsessed with photography and Instagram — but she has trouble getting any followers. She takes her obsession to the next level when she decides to steal someone else’s photos and pretend to be them, which goes about as well as you can imagine. Super excited for everyone to read this one! It’s tentatively scheduled to come out in fall 2022. Fingers crossed I can share more soon!

8. What do you hope readers will take away from Fat Chance, Charlie Vega?
I really hope that readers finish this book feeling seen and validated. It can be pretty lonely to consume media but never quite see yourself reflected back at you. To me, if this book helps even one person feel worthy and understood, then I’ll have done exactly what I set out to do. I’d also love for Charlie and her story to start conversations on things like fatphobia and Latinx identity, and how there is no one right way to be fat or Puerto Rican. There’s only your way, and that’s completely valid!

Thank you so much, Crystal! I can’t wait to see you in the background of any future adaptation of Fat Chance, Charlie Vega.

Interested in more 2021 Debuts? Check out my Debut Showcase feature, in which I talk about a tonne of authors with debut books coming out in 2021. While you’re here, perhaps consider taking part in the Debut Author Challenge? There are giveaways, readathons, read-ins, and more!

Debut Author Interview: Emily Victoria, This Golden Flame

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Today I’m here interviewing the lovely Emily Victoria, author of the debut fantasy book This Golden Flame. I’m honoured and thrilled to have Emily on the blog today! I’ll be posting my review of This Golden Flame separately this week, otherwise this post would have turned out to be quite meaty.

Even better, This Golden Flame is out TODAY, so you can get your hands on it too!

About This Golden Flame

Orphaned and forced to serve her country’s ruling group of scribes, Karis wants nothing more than to find her brother, long ago shipped away. But family bonds don’t matter to the Scriptorium, whose sole focus is unlocking the magic of an ancient automaton army.

In her search for her brother, Karis does the seemingly impossible—she awakens a hidden automaton. Intelligent, with a conscience of his own, Alix has no idea why he was made. Or why his father—their nation’s greatest traitor—once tried to destroy the automatons.

Suddenly, the Scriptorium isn’t just trying to control Karis; it’s hunting her. Together with Alix, Karis must find her brother…and the secret that’s held her country in its power for centuries. – Goodreads

About the Author

Emily Victoria is a Canadian prairie girl who writes young adult science fiction and fantasy. When not word-smithing, she likes walking her over-excitable dog, drinking far too much tea, and crocheting things she no longer has the space to store. – Author Website

Interview Questions

1. Congratulations! How does it feel to be a debut author?
Thank you! It feels so wonderful to be a debut author. Getting to be a writer and to have my book published has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and it’s truly so amazing to realize that dream.

2. Tell us about the moment you found out you had a book deal.
It’s funny. The original offer actually came the day before a large conference I was attending for work, and I remember Rebecca, my agent, calling me on the phone during the lunch break in the middle of this noisy conference room so that we could talk about it, because that was my only free time.

And, of course, we also nudged the other editors who had it. Inkyard Press also ended up taking the book to their acquisitions meeting. For that one I was actually at home when Rebecca called again letting me know that they wanted to make an offer too. We ultimately decided to go with the Inkyard
offer and as soon as we did, I texted all of my family and I just had the most wonderful calls and texts come in from all of them.

3. Describe This Golden Flame in three words.
Friendship, mystery, automatons.

4. Are you a plotter or pantser?
I am absolutely a plotter. I love outlining and I’m also a very visual person, so I’ll grab a stack of cue cards and just go at it. I usually lay the cards out on a table so that I can see the entire structure of the novel in one look. I also like that format because then I can easily shift scenes and plot points wherever I need to.

5. How long did the process of writing This Golden Flame take from your initial idea to final edits?
I don’t remember the exact timeline, but I want to say that it took me about 4-5 months to write the book and then 4-5 months to edit it with Rebecca. Then, of course, it sold to Inkyard and I had to do many more edits. I’m not entirely sure how long that process took because there were some large gaps between the different editing stages, but needless to say, it took quite some time to get it to the fully polished version that is now the final book.

6. How did you come up with the magic system? Did it take a lot of planning?
I knew very early on that I wanted a rune-based magic system called the Script. I don’t remember how I came up with the initial idea, only that I wanted to do it. And it definitely took a lot of planning. A lot of the plot, and even a lot of the character development, relies on the Script to work. But it didn’t all come at once. With every draft I did, I had to expand the magic system as the world of the book and the characters expanded around it.

7. This Golden Flame is (currently) a standalone, but do you have more planned for this world?
Not at the moment. Though I did a short story from the POV of a side character for my preorder campaign and that was a lot of fun, so I would definitely be open to writing more stories like that.

8. Apart from the magic system, people are very excited for the aro-ace rep in this book. Do you have a book that you remember deeply connecting with?
I’m so glad that people are excited! This Golden Flame was really the book that I needed when I was younger, because I can’t remember ever seeing my identity reflected on the pages of the books I read. That being said, I do remember deeply connecting with Daine from Tamora Pierce’s Wild Magic. Unlike her, I could not talk to animals, but I definitely wanted to.

9. What do you hope readers with get or take away from This Golden Flame?
This story is really about losing yourself and finding yourself. Both Karis and Alix deal with loss in different ways: Karis because she has lost her brother, Alix because he has lost basically everything. But they find each other, and through that they find ways to hope. So I guess I want readers to find that hope too, those persistent flames that flicker despite the darkness that might be around us at times.

Thank you so much for coming on the blog, Emily! I wish you a wonderful release day.

Interested in more 2021 Debuts? Check out my Debut Showcase feature, in which I talk about a tonne of authors with debut books coming out in 2021. While you’re here, perhaps consider taking part in the Debut Author Challenge? There are giveaways, readathons, read-ins, and more!

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