We chat with author Victoria S. Walsh about The Iron Hex, which is the first in a new trilogy, and a refreshing twist on a romantasy epic. It has witches struggling against a regime that has all but outlawed magic, a curvy potions witch in her thirties, and an enchanting twist on a reunion romance.
Hi, Victoria! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Absolutely! I’m Victoria S. Walsh, author of THE IRON HEX and a great many books to come in the future if I have my way! I’ve been OBSESSED with stories and genre fiction for my entire life. I was the kid with her nose stuck in a book, always, and my love of writing has persisted for decades.
Outside of books, I’m an avid gamer, MTG and D&D player and I have a penchant for collecting dresses. You may have seen me on social media as the girl who helps people love themselves with a pink closet full of beautiful gowns, too! I have a west highland terrier named Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I have an addiction to travel (lately, it’s been specifically to Scotland and Japan).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I genuinely do not have a living memory where I didn’t want to be an author and write stories, if I’m being honest.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: My mum and dad read me so many books before I could even read myself, and I can’t remember the first I EVER read…but I do remember reading the Magic Tree House series very early on! Then, the ones that REALLY stuck in my mind came a little later… fantasy books by Gail Carson Levine
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine changed something in my brain chemistry. I distinctly remember devouring the book about a girl dedicated to saving her sister and learning that she’s strong through that journey. To this day, I remember the feeling that it inspired in me. It was also the first time I read a book and realized that romance could be a part of something!! (it was very tame, but my little heart swooned when she ended up marrying the man she loved at the end)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I think I will never forget reading Nina from Six of Crows for the first time. I was in the midst of my self-love journey at that time and her being curvy and confident had a real tangible effect on me. It was one of the first times I’d EVER seen a character who wasn’t trying to shrink themselves on paper.
Your debut novel, The Iron Hex, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Whimsical. Secretive. Yearning. Magical. Loyal.
What can readers expect?
THE IRON HEX is about a potions witch with no memory of her past being torn from her comfortable life into danger by a man who has wanted her for a decade, to find a missing princess. The adventure, the quest they take, forces Eira to confront what she has lost alongside her missing memories and unlocks a power that she cannot even begin to understand. Then, on the other side of the continent, a lady knight must uncover the dark secrets around the evil empire that she swore an oath to.
That’s the pitch! But, at it’s core, THE IRON HEX is about making mistakes and learning from them. It’s about realizing that you did something bad, and knowing that you need to work to try and fix it. Readers will also experience powerful women who are powerful in different ways, which is so so important for me to show!
AND! The main character is plus sized!
Where did the inspiration for The Iron Hex come from?
I had the idea to write a cozy story about a potions witch with no memory which was my initial inspiration! Then, as I began to plan and write I realized that the plot just….wasn’t working? So I went on a long, long walk with my dog (I use walks to turn on a different part of my creative brain and I almost always work through it). By the end of the walk, I had figured out that I was trying to shove a non-cozy story into a cozy frame. It wasn’t cozy! It was epic! And then the rest of the story fell into place quite quickly!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s a scene early on in the book where Eira’s memory loss truly hits her, and she realizes all that she has lost as a result of it. It’s a very tender scene between the FMC and the love interest, and I think it gives the reader insight into who Eira is, and who she had to become after her memories were lost. I was interested in exploring the weight of societal pressures from family and other parties, and giving a character memory loss felt like an interesting way to do that. Who would you be without the social pressures around you, or the family history you have? For many, it’s whoever they always wanted to be, but couldn’t.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My worst, WORST writing trait is that I am full of ideas and I love to get distracted. At any given time I have a half dozen fully plotted books in my brain, and for a long time I zipped around writing 10k here and 10k there, struggling to lock in on one story. One day, I realized that I was the hurdle to my own success and I knew I needed to lock in, so I locked in on THE IRON HEX.
Truly, my biggest hurdle was myself, so I just had to be extremely real internally and force myself to focus.
What a stunning cover! Do you have any insight you can share about it?
Goodness, I look at the cover and still sometimes can’t believe it’s my book. Like, how lucky am I??? There’s an easter egg on the cover (or two!) that I can’t really talk about, but my insight is that we have been very intentional with planning not just this cover, but how the rest of the covers are going to progress as the trilogy does.
And! I’ve been very particular about the spine! If I get my way, want it to transform as well through the series!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Very slowly, and then all at once. Like I mentioned, my biggest struggle was having too many ideas. My OTHER struggle was deleting my work instead of editing. Most of my works from university are gone, never to be recovered, because I would delete pieces that I thought were bad (and I thought everything was bad).
But once I lock in I become determined. I finished TIH, decided I wanted to try for traditional publishing, and then started reaching out to agents. I had a small list I wanted to query first, and somehow landed my top pick! I was shocked, amazed, and so excited.
At this point, it was February of 2025 and I was leaving for Japan (for my honeymoon!) in about a month, so we worked together to edit my submission really quickly before I left. I went on submission in April 2025, took editor calls at 11:00pm Japan time and HONESTLY I kind of loved it? Not waiting at my phone and refreshing my emails for responses to the submission was so freeing. I’d wake up in Japan and see what happened and then went off and adventured!
At the end of April, we went to auction and I sold the trilogy! Dreams do come true!!
What’s next for you?
THE IRON OATH (Book 2 in THE IRON HEX trilogy) releases in May of 2027, so I’m currently in the editing process for that!
Outside of that, I have the first book in a new duology completely written! It’s in the hands of my agent right now, and I can’t say much but I’m very excited about it! It’s gothic, it’s got a love triangle, and I love the story!
Otherwise? I’m just going to keep writing and keep getting books out. I can see the pathway for my future, and it’s going to require a better wrist rest for all the typing I’ll be doing.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Dreams of Ruin by Josie Bullard is one I’m very excited for! She’s a friend, and I cannot WAIT to read her debut. There are honestly so many books coming out that I could write an entire essay with the ones I’ll be grabbing, though!
I finished up A Kiss of Crimson Ash a few weeks ago by Anuja Varghese and LOVED it!!
