We chat with author Ayana Gray about Beasts of War, which is the epic conclusion to her New York Times bestselling Beasts of Prey series and delivers a heart-pounding fantasy adventure filled with mythos, monsters, and mortal heroes who are astoundingly human.
Hi, Ayana! Welcome back! How have the past two years been for you since we last spoke?
Hi! The last two years have been a wild ride, but I wouldn’t change a thing!
With it being the new year, are you setting any goals or resolutions for 2024?
Ooh, I am! I’m continuing my goal of making sure I exercise every day, and I am resolved to do my best not to work on weekends this year as I continue to figure out work-life balance and healthy boundaries!
Quick lightning round! Tell us a book you can’t stop thinking about!
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow—that book makes me want to quit writing, it’s just so good!
Beasts of War is the epic conclusion to your Beasts of Prey series. If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Epic. Heartbreaking. Gruesome. Hopeful. Ancestral.
What can readers expect?
I’ve enjoyed upping the ante with each book in this series, and Beasts of War is no different. It’s a finale book, so the monsters are bigger and more dangerous, the emotions are running at an all-time high, and the stakes are, quite literally, world-ending.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing the conclusion? How did you overcome them?
I knew how I wanted this book to end, but I didn’t always know exactly how I’d get there. I plotted out a version of the story that didn’t work when it actually came time to draft, so I ended up rewriting a few times before I found my way. In the end, having a great (and patient!) editor to help me chip away until I found the heart of the story proved vital.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring one last time?
There is a particular scene (I can’t say much without spoilers), in which a character spends time with their grandparent. Writing that scene meant a lot to me as I drew a lot of inspiration from my own relationship with my grandfather, who passed away in 2012.
With this wrapping up your trilogy stemmed from your debut novel, what advice do you have for fellow writers embarking on such an epic adventure?
The best advice I can give to a debut author is: A) find your people and hold onto them, B) keep your eyes on your own paper (don’t get caught up in the comparison game!), and C) remember that the only thing you can control in publishing is the quality of your work, so put the majority of your efforts into telling the best story you can. When all else fails, that will carry you through.
What’s next for you?
I have a lot of exciting things happening in 2024! Some of it I can’t talk about just yet (I will be able to soon!), but what I can say is that I will be teaching, traveling, and of course writing new stories. I count myself so lucky for that.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
- So Let them Burn by Kamilah Cole
- Faebound by Saara el-Arifi
- The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo,
- Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heath Fawcett
- Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amélie Wen Zhao
