We chat with debut author Lisa Tirreno about Prince of Fortune, which is a swoony debut young adult romantic fantasy following a magical young prince and a noble seer who fall in love in the midst of war and intrigue.
Hi, Lisa! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! Hello, my name’s Lisa Tirreno and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I like museums, I make a lot of handicrafts and cakes, and I have a flock of backyard chickens. Some of them lay blue eggs.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember; my grandparents would keep me entertained with them. I wanted to be a writer from the time I learnt to write.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I learnt to read on Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree series, following the words as they were read to me, over and over.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Ooooh this is a tough one. I don’t think it was one book that made me want that, since I was so young, but I do remember writing a 22-chapter sequel to Roald Dahl’s The Witches in primary school during our weekly creative writing sessions.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. It’s not just that I love the two main characters and their relationship, it’s also that the island it’s set on and all the people that live there seem so real, it feels a bit like I’ve popped over for a visit whenever I reread it. It’s all very timeless and atmospheric and immersive.
Your debut novel, Prince of Fortune, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Oh, dear. Being concise is not one of my skills lol. How about “good boys trying their best”.
What can readers expect?
Adventure and romance! Stolen kisses at balls, villains who are sure they’re right, murder scarecrows, creepy forests, sword fights, spies, political manoeuvring, forgotten magic, and the horrors of small talk. There’s also a lot of descriptions of food. I always want to know about the food.
Where did the inspiration for Prince of Fortune come from?
Not to sound clichéd, but it was a dream—a really vivid one I had had, of two teenage boys chasing each other around a night market. One was cheeky and impish and looked a lot more like he belonged there than the other one. That one was a bit out of his depth, but also shyly thrilled to be there, and to have the other one’s attention. They became Lord Aubrey Ainsley and Edmund, the Prince of Fortune.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really love my supporting cast. A few of them surprised me. Aubrey has three older brothers and I hadn’t meant for them to have so much page-time but they were just too fun to write; particularly the one that Aubrey gets along with the least. Making a charming ray of sunshine bicker cheekily with a moody, uptight rule-follower turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Like most writers, I had written a variety of terrible (and mostly unfinished) manuscripts over the years, but then I wrote Prince of Fortune and went “ah, finally” and started entering it in pitching competitions and cold querying it to agents. My agent is quite well known for being a quick responder and also for requesting a lot of manuscripts so when I saw the email asking for the full thing, I was trying very hard not to get my hopes up, but then he emailed again asking to organise a call and I had to go hide in my bedroom for a bit, because that really only means one thing, with an agent. I spent most of that phone call freaking out, to be honest.
Going on submission to editors was also an emotional rollercoaster. So many of the editors had worked on books I had absolutely loved, and knowing they were reading my story just seemed so strange and surreal. When the book sold and I spoke to my editor, it felt very much like we were on the same page, which was such a relief.
What’s next for you?
I’ve been working on a few things! Just at the moment I’m trying to finish another YA novel set in a fantasy version of the 1930s. It’s about an heiress whose industrialist father is found dead in the ancient sacred grove in their woods, and a priestess sworn to serve a goddess that hasn’t been seen in thousands of years.
So far there’s crossdressing nightclubs and fast cars and an aviatrix with a purple biplane, and everything might change completely between now and my next draft, so don’t hold me to it!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I’ve just caught up on the last few installments of the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells; I’d been saving them as comfort food and decided the lead-up to publication day was a good enough time to crack those open.
I’ve also been loving so many of the books by my fellow 2024 debuts. Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell and Voyage of the Damned by Frances White have been stand-out favourites, and I’m about to crack open Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, who’s a local author to me. I can’t wait.
As for what else I’m desperate to get my hands on, Erin Cotter has a new book out early next year, A Traitorous Heart, which has an absolutely lush cover and a delicious-sounding premise; and I am also hanging out for the final book in the Dark Rise trilogy by CS Pacat, but a date for that hasn’t even been announced yet. I am sitting here parched for it, after how the last book ended. Send help.
