We chat with author A.K. Mulford about A Sky of Emerald Stars, which is the sequel to A River of Golden Bones and continues following wolf-shifter Calla’s journey and explores a new story—Sadie’s—as kingdoms clash with war on the horizon and pack politics threaten to disrupt what Calla and Grae have built, both for themselves, and Aotreas.
Hi, A.K.! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m a non-binary, neurodivergent, bestselling fantasy author and lover of epic storytelling, animal fun facts, D&D, and queer kissing books. I’m a US and NZ citizen and I now live in sunny Queensland, Australia with my family writing magical worlds and loveable characters.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Some of my earliest memories are walking home from the library with a stack full of books so tall I struggled to see over them. My mom, who used to work at an independent bookstore, was a complete enabler of my obsession with storytelling and always thought I would become an author, long before I had the courage to actually pursue it. I honestly struggle to remember a time when I wasn’t filling notebooks with stories. I still have my first full length book I wrote in 6th grade by hand across three notebooks. I thank my brother for forcing me to keep it when I was moving overseas even after I adamantly told him I was going to be a scientist, not an author. (He told me to just indulge him and keep them anyway and now they sit in my office next to all my published books!)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Animorphs (The Invasion)
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Hobbit
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Night Circus
A Sky of Emerald Stars is the sequel to A River of Golden Bones and it’s out December 24th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic, Adventure, Found Family, and Romance
For those who haven’t picked up A River of Golden Bones yet, what can they expect?
A River of Golden Bones is set around a wolf-shifter named Calla who is the secret twin of a cursed princess. It follows their journey to save their twin from an evil sorceress while falling in love with their fated mate and discovering their gender identity along the way.
And for those who have, what’s to come in A Sky of Emerald Stars?
A Sky of Emerald Stars splits the story into two epic adventures, one following Calla as they struggle to build allies for the upcoming war and fight for their gender to be respected amongst the rigid Wolf society. The other POV follows grumpy warrior, Sadie, as she and her best friend are roped into a quest to the floating mountains of Taigos, and a scorned former lover of hers re-emerges with new secrets of his own.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I had a lot of fun writing two very distinct characters and adventures within the same book. Calla is earnest and full-hearted and trying their best to be a ruler for their people whereas Sadie is a grumpy, black cat energy character who would rather stab someone than have a serious conversation.
Did you face any challenges with the sequel? How did you overcome them?
I wanted to make sure that both Calla and Sadie’s storyline had a chance to shine so balancing the pacing to expand the world and keep readers turning the page was a challenge of puzzling both of their adventures together.
Can you give our readers a little tease for the third installment?
We’re going dark side in Book 3! Get ready for spicy, sapphic goodness, three point of view characters, and an epic conclusion to this adventure.
What’s next for you?
Some very exciting, top-secret things are in the works for the future and all I can say is this: dark sapphic fantasy.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
I had the chance to read an advanced copy of Immortal by Sue Lynn Tan which comes out in January and it was so fantastic so I’m really looking forward to grabbing a copy for my shelf. Tasha Suri just announced a new book coming out in 2025 and I loved the Burning Kingdoms books so I’m very excited for that. I also can’t wait for Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. (Okay, I really need to stop, I could probably go on for another fifty books!)
