Today, I have the privilege of sharing my mini interview with US TODAY bestselling author Sarah K.L. Wilson. Wilson is a YA Fantasy author, who’s extensive catalogue includes books about dragons, fae, and everything in between. Her Fae Hunter series made my list of Truly Underrated Books and I highly recommend checking it out while you wait for her next release.
Speaking of, if you don’t follow my bookstagram, you might not know that I’m taking part in the Battle of the Bookstagrams hosted by Book of Matches Media and Sarah K.L. Wilson to promote her Vote With Your Pre-Order initiative to decide her next release. On the table are three very different, but equally amazing new fantasy series starters: Fly With The Arrow, Phoenix Heart, and Heart of Shadow. You can find details and previews for each of the series by clicking here. The first book to 500 pre-orders will be released first!
I am team Fly With The Arrow, which is an enemies to lovers Bluebeard fae reimagining. Our team gets rewarded for reaching certain milestones, so get those pre-orders in before the end of February! I even have a giveaway on Instagram for some amazing swag and Amazon $$ (plus you get 20 extra entries if you pre-order!).
Check out my interview below:
What inspired you to put the release order in the hands of your readers?
I’ve tried a lot of new ideas in my books lately – some are pure adventure fantasy, some are deeply romantic and some are highly unique. I hoped that readers might get excited to partner with me in making the books a success if I offered them a chance to choose which they wanted most.
Obviously, I’m a bit biased toward Fly With the Arrow. You don’t have to say which, but is there one book you’re secretly rooting for?
Yes, there is. 😉 I’ve wanted one of them to be chosen from the start – but then I accidentally fell in love with the other two as well and now it’s going to be hard to wait to publish those.
Having three books ready to release in one year seems daunting to say the least. What is your writing process like? Do you keep a strict schedule or are you more go-with-the-flow?
I’m a discovery writer, which means the story comes to me as I write, so it’s hard to plan precisely, but I do have daily word count goals that I try to reach and with that I’m able to plan at least roughly for each book. Both Fly With the Arrow and Heart of Shadow ended up being longer than I’d planned for and that did throw me for a loop!
I flew through the first chapter of Fly With the Arrow and I’m already loving Izolda. What are your favorite qualities about her?
I adore how Izolda is a practical girl in a crazy world. Insane things happen to her and she just takes it all in stride, looking for reasonable ways to deal with it. I really liked that about her both because I think it’s endearing and also because I like seeing how the crazy fae characters contrast with her sensibility.
We’ve yet to meet Bluebeard, but what can you tell us about him?
Bluebeard is a man on a mission. While his exact purpose is opaque for most of the book – he actually has a very good reason for doing what he must. As one of the immortal Wittenbrand (a fae-like race) he has access to magic and a cat-like grace. Bluebeard is one of my favorite fictional characters. I think of him a lot like a wild cat in how he reacts to things. He charmed my critique partner and I hope he’ll charm readers, too.
Thank you so much Sarah K.L. Wilson for taking the time to answer my questions and also to Book of Matches media of involving me in the Battle of the Bookstagrams. Keep an eye out for Fly With the Arrow, Heart of Shadow, and Phoenix Heart coming soon!