After the gasp-inducing cliffhanger ending of The Frozen Crown, the exciting conclusion to the epic story of Askia—a warrior, witch, and queen-to-be—as she confronts the monster that stole her throne…and is holding her prisoner to steal her magic.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Greta Kelly about The Seventh Queen, along with inspiration, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Greta! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m Greta Kelly, author of adult fantasy novels: THE FROZEN CROWN and THE SEVENTH QUEEN. When I’m not reading or writing, you can probably find me watching Critical Role, knitting something terribly misshapen or cooking with an overly-helpful kid or two. I currently live in Wisconsin with my husband EJ and our daughters, Lorelei and Nadia, who are doing their level-best to take over the world.
As the year draws to a close, how has 2021 been for you?
This year has been utter madness! Not only did I publish two books this year, but my youngest, Nadia was born in January (the day after THE FROZEN CROWN debuted!) Nedless to say, I’ve had my hands full figuring out how to fit writing as a career in between diaper changes and nap times… don’t ask me when I showered last. But I still can’t believe the year is almost over. As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
It really wasn’t until High School. I had a tight-knit group of really creative friends and we were absolutely obsessed with the Aborhsen series by Garth Nix and Harry Potter and we all just had to start writing stories of our own. It’s a passion that I haven’t been able to shake.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
First Book: GONE WITH THE WIND. Sounds odd, and it is, but I was very dyslexic as a child and so reading was a huge struggle for me. I vividly remember the summer before sixth grade thinking that there was no way I was going to middle school being the kid that couldn’t read. So I grabbed the biggest book I could find, and it was GONE WITH THE WIND. And I hated every word. But I got through it.
Book that made you become an author: There are many, many books that made me want to become an author, but one of my favorites among them was THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J Maas. I speed read that book on my phone at work and by the time I got to the end, I just remember thinging, what am I waiting for?
Book I Can’t Stop Thinking About: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness. Witchy fall vibes. Academia. Magic. Romance. Need I go on?
Your new novel, The Seventh Queen, which is the sequel to The Frozen Crown, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Warrior witch gets her revenge.
What can readers expect?
THE SEVENTH QUEEN picks up right after the…intense… ending of THE FROZEN CROWN. Askia is surrounded by enemies, and with her own magic all but useless, she knows there is no rescue coming. But Askia’s no damsel in distress. She’ll save her own damned self, or die trying. Either way, Radovan is going down.
Where did the inspiration for The Seventh Queen come from?
I dedicated this book to my daughters, not only because I love them, but because they are the ones who inspired me most. Unsurprisingly, I’ve been thinking a lot about the world they’re inheriting and the messages they’re receiving about who and what they are allowed to be. Pretty or strong, smart or funny. Always or never and. Then it hit me—what an opportunity I had with this book because there are so many female characters. Through characters like Askia and Ozura and Qaden you see women who are strong and intelligent, firecly loyal and extremely flawed. But they are never just one thing.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Lets see here… While writing this book, I moved three times, changed careers, and had two babies within about twelve months. Oh, and that whole COVID thing. My husband likes to joke that I run our schedules like a German train station. It makes me laugh, but he’s not wrong. When life gets crazy find a routine and cling to it with all your strength.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further in the final book?
Qaden took my completely by surprise. She is such a complex character because she is not one of the good guys—she’s the captain of Radovan’s guard. But she and Askia are so alike in so many ways. And so figuring out what led her to Radovan’s side—and what’s keeping her there—really deepened the story as a whole and made it so much more three dimensional. I love her so much… I mean, she needs a hug, but I love her.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Worst: Don’t use adverbs. I think I read that in Stephen King’s ON WRITING years and years ago, and I followed it like gospel because… Stephen King. Is is surprising that I have an overwritten 800-page behemoth of a first novel gathering dust on my shelf? Nah. Sometimes a person just smiles sadly.
Best: Learn to plot things out ahead of time. A lot of writers worry that outlining their story will take away all those magical moments of inspiration, but it doesn’t. An outline is just a guidepost. You can always veer away from it. And lets face it, inspiration and passion for a project always wavers somewhere in the middle. That’s where the true value of an outline shines. It’s the crutch you lean on until you find your writerly feet again.
What’s next for you?
I am at work on something completely new. I can’t say much about it just yet, but I’m really, really excited for it. Stay tuned!
Lastly, what have your favourite reads of 2021 been?
There are so many amazing books out this year! Two of my favorites are AMONG THEIVES by MJ Kuhn and HALL OF SMOKE by H.M. Long. Give me morally grey characters or a warrior fighting gods any day.
