Bryce and I first crossed paths in 2018 as part of the same online circle of authors. We’ve been fortunate enough to get to meet up in real life a few times now, and we realized that we were capable of having and maintaining both a professional relationship and a friendship. The initial conversation about working together revolved around the question of how we could use Bryce’s larger existing audience to help grow my audience. At the time, I had a project I was already working on, and we began to discuss a partnership.

We’re a bit unusual in that our partnership is more business than creative. Because I already had the bones of Shadows of Ivory established by the time he got involved, we agreed that I’d continue to be the driving creative force behind it and the entire series. Bryce contributed some world building and plot ideas, especially when I was running into sticky situations, and we edited the book together.

My favorite author is Guy Gavriel Kay, who I introduced Bryce to. Not only do I find his writing and style beautiful, I appreciate the emphasis on character and story over magic and the fantastical. Josiah Bancroft is another author high on my list; his creativity and writing continue to astonish me.

Oh man, this is tough. I’ve been told I have a lyrical style that is still easy to read.

I never considered anything else. Having self-published my first series, I know how viable self-publishing is and this is the career path I’ve chosen.

Not having to live within the submission/rejection cycle. Most authors will tell you the control that comes with self-publishing is paramount, and, yes, that’s true. But I know for me personally, the joy that comes with writing would decrease rapidly if I were trying to do this the traditional way.

There’s still a stigma attached to self-pubbed work. I think it seems diminished to us now, but the reality is that many authors and readers in the self-publishing world exist in a relatively small online bubble where self-publishing is celebrated and accepted. Outside of that bubble, it’s still there. So we miss out on the innate acceptance that comes with a traditional contract.

I entered the second iteration of SPFBO back in 2016, and now that I had another eligible first-in-series, I wanted to give it another shot! SPFBO 2 was how I met my initial core group of author friends, which has been incredibly important to me both professionally and personally.

Scream?

Indiana Jones meets Renaissance Italy

I started the first draft in the summer of 2019, and I knew from the start that I wanted to have an archaeologist grapple with the ethics of museums, preservation, conservation, the effects of colonialism on material culture, etc. One of the biggest evolutions came when I realized I wasn’t just telling the main character’s adventure story, but rather that I was gearing up to tackle questions about revolution, freedom, tyranny, and systems of government. The story definitely grew into something bigger, and I hope it feels relevant as a result.

Shadows is first in the series, which is called The Godforged Chronicles. It will be a trilogy.

The two primary PoVs in the first book are Eska de Caraval and Manon Barca. They are rivals in the field of archaeology, heads of their family companies, and possess decidedly different methods and reasons for doing the work. Eska is an academic who conducts both personal and sponsored research. While some of her discoveries may end up on an auction block, she’s in it for the knowledge and the preservation of history and culture. Manon, on the other hand, inherited her father’s treasure-seeking ways and is in it for money and recognition.

Because the world reflects the Italian city states and Europe at the time of the Renaissance, I went for a bit of a mash up between French and Italian names. In terms of specifics, I don’t remember choosing Eska or Manon, but I do know that I never write a character until they have a name–and the names almost never change.

The magic revolves around those known as Carriers, who possess the ability to wield elements–namely fire and water. Thanks to a dynasty of cruel, tyrannical Carrier kings and queens that came to an end 300 years before this story, Carriers occupy a tenuous place in society, equally as likely to be marginalized and scorned out of fear as they are to rise to any positions of influence, and as a result of this, their skills and abilities are seldom studied and poorly understood. The dead tyrants are suspected to have possessed the power to wield more than fire and water, but specifics are lost to history and the more extreme and fantastical stories are considered unreliable. Carrying is considered relatively rare and is not believed to be hereditary. Many who Carry choose to hide their ability; some can do no more, for example, than light a candle; and others may possess so little talent that they never fully realize they have any at all. Carrier abilities can be augmented by certain substances and devices, which are expensive, rare, and a closely guarded secret.

Is the archaeology real?

Sort of? I do have a MA in classical archaeology, but I’ve never been on a dig in my life. The techniques Eska uses are variations on things I picked up in my research, but a real archaeologist would probably raise an eyebrow.

The sequel to Shadows, which is called Legacy of Bronze, will be out in 2022. No precise date yet.