We chat with author Maggie Rapier about Wolftamer, which is the aching and lush conclusion to the Magpie and the Wolf duology and sees Saoirse and Faolan’s quest for freedom turn into a battle for the fate of their entire world.
Hi, Maggie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m 31, Aquarius, and currently hyperfixated on D&D thanks to my husband and friends. I live in Alabama but travel as often as I can, speak fluent French, bake way too often, and have two precious cats with one brain cell shared between them.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was really young—like, 3-4 when I started reading on my own, and 5-6 when I wrote my first book (a tiny scrap of notebook paper stapled together, complete with doodles and lots of drama). And it never really went away. Fanfiction became my outlet throughout my teen years, and eventually that turned to writing longer stories on my own—but I’d always planned to be an author. I just didn’t know how.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Curious George
- The one that made you want to become an author: Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (lifelong obsession)
Wolftamer is the sequel to Soulgazer and it’s out August 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Angst. Drama. Passion. Adventure. Agony (sung in the Into the Woods refrain).
For those who haven’t picked up Soulgazer, what can readers expect?
A slow-burn romance wrapped in a marriage of convenience that vibes with the adventure of Sinbad and Pirates of the Caribbean mixed with the power imbalance and playful tension of Howl and Sophie in Howl’s Moving Castle. Outside of buzz terms though, they can expect a deep character study of an intensely lonely woman working through her trauma to reclaim her power (literal and metaphorical) alongside a charming, irritating, playful pirate determined to make her smile.
And for readers who have, what’s to come in Wolftamer?
Everything I built up between Saoirse and Faolan, I did my best to strip away in book 2. The power dynamic is flipped, the forced proximity is broken (for just a little while), and his entire identity and sense of self is challenged even as the external conflicts and political intrigue reach a boiling point. There is also a sea monster battle, which was SUPER fun to write.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I loved working with Kiara in this book! She’s a background character in Soulgazer, influencing the plot and giving orders while largely staying out of the narrative, but in this book I got to learn so much more about her and as I did so, her role in the story COMPLETELY changed. The song I kept coming back to for her arc? “Chasing Twisters” by Delta Rae.
Keeping in the family tree, I also loved getting deep in the weeds of Faolan’s character, history, nuanced emotions, pettiness, motivations, etc. He is someone who wants to be everyone’s bright, shining hero—this larger than life presence—and at the same time, bears wounds he’s never addressed and would rather allow to fester behind a mask than heal. So much of this book was me wrestling with him, challenging his thoughts about himself and his place in the world, his identity, etc. to get to the point at the end.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The wonderful thing about storytelling is the brainstorming sessions where a thousand ideas hit you all at once. The hard thing about it is knowing which ones to keep, which ones to save for another time, and which ones to prune along the way. There are a couple I was deeply attached to that I finally had to cut out in the final revision pass, like giving Maccus (the main villain) a Phantom of the Opera-esque obsession with Saoirse post-Soulgazer, or adding a very fun but ultimately senseless storyline where Faolan disguises himself as Saoirse’s mom to sneak into a palace. RIP.
What’s next for you?
Romance is my first love, and adventure my second, so I’m leaning further into that space while leaving the magic behind (for now). What I can say is that I’m dipping into my French background for this next project, and writing a world inspired by my favorite movie (and bi-awakening) of the 90s. Do with that information what you will.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I am SO excited to read To Dance with Death by my dear friend Brittney Arena which came out August 4th, and to venture further into the Greek mythology world of my youth with I, Medusa by Ayana Gray and Hekate by Nikita Gill. As for book I’ve read and loved this year, Gideon the Ninth has to be at the top of the list alongside Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain!
