I had the pleasure of interviewing B.R. Myers, author of Rogue Princess. In it we meet Princess Delia, a young woman longing to save her country, but she’s not sure that it should come at the cost of her true love. On the other hand, Aidan is a simple thief who’s longing for something more, until he winds up crossing paths with a certain runaway princess. Together they’ll uncover a plot that goes much deeper than a marriage of convenience, and will hopefully survive long enough to fall in love. Add it to your TBR lists for sure!
You can find B.R on Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, along with at her website.
Hi B.R! Tell us a little about yourself!
I started writing ten years ago and went through two agents before I discovered Wattpad. I found success there and that gave me the confidence to send my manuscript to a local publisher. Butterflies Don’t Lie came out in 2014, and I’ve been writing ever since. Rogue Princess will be my eleventh published novel.
I live in one of the most beautiful places, Halifax Nova Scotia, where I work as a registered nurse. I believe bacon makes everything better. The first album I bought was Off the Wall by Michael Jackson, and my favorite food is an egg salad sandwich made by someone else.
When you started writing Rogue Princess, what character did you start writing first?
The notion of a gender swapped retelling appealed to me and right away I thought of Cinderella. I hadn’t intended to have a sci-fi angle to the story, but I clearly remember the ‘shoe fits’ scene coming to me fully developed, and I was intrigued.
The characters flowed from that one image; Princess Delia and her overwhelming responsibility to Astor, and Aidan, a silver tongued thief caught up in a destiny neither one of them saw coming.
From the beginning the story was always intended to be told in two voices. I wanted to showcase Princess Delia’s unwavering loyalty to the crown against Aidan’s crass, yet charming wit of a commoner who has little respect for royalty.
Princess Delia has so much weighing on her, how would she wind down after a long day?
She is so intense! No long walks in the moonlit royal gardens for this princess. Delia would prefer to blow off steam by sword fighting while flying a sky glider through Pirate’s Canyon.
Princess Shania was such a delightful character, full of insightful thoughts, but we didn’t get to see what she gets up to when she’s not with Delia. What kind of mischief would be getting into?
Despite her impish tendencies, Shania is a serious romantic, believing anything wonderful is possible, especially if it’s in honor of love. She thrives on indulgence and spends most evenings sneaking sweet cakes from the kitchen. Plus, I imagine she must have been trying to figure out a way to sneak into the visiting princess’ sleeping quarters.
What was your favourite part of the writing process while writing Rogue Princess?
Great question! With any writing project my favorite part is when I finish the first draft. Even though I know there are many revisions and editing still left to do, it’s so satisfying to bring all the threads of the story to completion for the first time.
I have to admit, I was definitely charmed by the space pirates in this story! What are some talents they have that readers might not get to see on the page?
Thank you! It’s hard to resist a man of the sea…or rather sky, in this case. The pirates might seem loutish and rough at first, but they are loyal to a fault. Spending all that time hunting for treasure can make the time grow long requiring impromptu entertainment. Naturally, a few on board have developed skills such as storytelling and singing.
The myth and lore that was in Rogue Princess was so enchanting. Could you tell us how that developed in your story?
The creation legend for Astor was the foundation of the story and therefore had to be beautiful and complex with a lot of depth. Originally the legend was revealed over several scenes as a sort of mystery, but after revisions I rewrote one pivotal moment between Delia and Aidan where the legend was told in its entirety in one scene. This gave the legend more weight and a greater sense of ceremony.
Are there any bits of story or characters that didn’t make it into the final version of Rogue Princess?
I rewrote the ending three times! The original ending featured the young boy, Tomas and a coin Princess Delia had originally given his father after their attempted attack. However, that version required a large passage of time and ended up slowing down the pace of novel. I also ended up deleting an epilogue that was several generations into the future.
When you start writing a new story, what are some comforts that you like to have to make the process flow more smoothly?
I like to map out a brief outline of eight sequences on paper (with lots of sticky notes), then I brainstorm as many attributes/faults I can about the protagonist and antagonist. Once it’s time to get the story on the laptop, I write the end of the chapter first, particularly a nice cliff-hanger or bit of suspense to keep the reader turning the page. I write faster if I know where the characters are supposed to end up. Of course, there’s always the exception when the characters decide to go off script. I also find chewing bubble gum and listening to movie soundtracks helps.
Do you have any reflections of the past 10 years that you will carry into this new decade?
With my writing, I only put energy into projects that give me energy back. And when one writer succeeds, we all succeed.
Finally, what are some of your favorite recent reads?
I just finished and ARC of The Con Code by Shana Silver which I really enjoyed. I’m currently reading the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which reminds me a lot of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (which I adored).
