We chat with debut author Crystal Seitz about Inheritance of Scars, which is a gorgeous dark fantasy debut that follows a teen who accidentally awakens an imprisoned draugr and must follow him into a deadly magical forest to rescue her grandmother.
Hi, Crystal! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. I’m Crystal Seitz and I write dark and romantic young adult fantasies. A viking at heart, I battle Crohn’s disease and raid libraries for all the books on Norse mythology I can find. I love folklore, history, and all things creative. When I’m not writing, I can be found doing archery, drawing, or binge-watching Game of Thrones.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was raised on stories. Both my grandmother and dad read to me all the time, and my dad is also a writer, so it was only fitting to dedicate my debut to them. Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved telling stories. I got my start writing Sailor Moon short stories instead of vocab homework. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Cashman, collected them in a binder she gave me at the end of the year (which I still have!). I knew ever since then I wanted to write my own book one day.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Honestly I think it was probably Make Way for Ducklings or Clifford the Big Red Dog.
- The one that made you want to become an author: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. This was one of the books I read when I was going through my diagnosis journey with Crohn’s disease and it enraptured me. Ember really cemented my love of YA fantasy and made me want to write my own!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Definitely Sadie by Courtney Summers. This is probably my all time favorite book, one I’ve reread many times, and has profoundly impacted me. I love Summers’ writing and how real and raw her stories are.
Your debut novel, Inheritance of Scars, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark, deadly, romantic, haunting, healing.
What can readers expect?
A romantic and bloodsoaked tale as beautiful as it is brutal. My novel is a fantasy that’s grounded in our world, but is full of hidden monsters and ancient magic. There’s a blood oath, long-buried family secrets, and an enemies-to-lovers forbidden romance. At its heart, Inheritance of Scars examines complex family relationships and belief systems, and how we can choose our own legacy.
Where did the inspiration for Inheritance of Scars come from?
This is actually a bit of a funny story. The first spark of the idea came to me years ago while I was watching What We Do In The Shadows, which I love but is nothing at all like my book. However, it made me want to explore vampirism and chronic illness together since I hadn’t seen that done before. Inheritance of Scars also draws from Norse mythology and history—two things I’m extremely passionate about—but explores them through a contemporary fantasy lens.
On a more personal note, I really wanted to write a fierce, determined heroine who has Crohn’s disease but isn’t defined by her disability. My grief from losing my grandmother also inspired so much of this story, as well as my complicated relationship with my father when I was a teenager.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are so many! I have to admit though, Skaga was one of my favorite characters to write, and getting to tell her story within Inheritance of Scars was probably one of the things I enjoyed most. Originally, I envisioned her story as a separate prequel, but my brilliant editor Sarah suggested weaving her story into Astrid’s instead. While I was writing it, it felt so right, like this was always the story I was trying to tell all these years.
Skaga’s story takes place in the distant past, and I loved exploring how a character with chronic illness would be treated in Viking times, and what she would have to do in order to survive. Drawing parallels between her experience and Astrid’s in the present day was really fun to show how much things have changed—and how much they haven’t.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
A long one! I pursued publication for nearly nine years before finally selling this novel. It was nine years filled with excitement, close calls, crushing disappointments, and heartbreak, but I never gave up. I kept writing, in large part because of the amazing community of writers I’m lucky enough to know. Frustrated by years of failure, I decided to write the book that only I could write. Inheritance of Scars became the book of my heart. I poured so much of myself and everything I love into its pages. From the first lightning strike of the idea, Astrid and her story have consumed me since 2019.
Yes, you read that right! It took me four years of working tirelessly on this story before it finally sold. Even in the face of countless rejections and rewrites, I believed in this book fiercely. If I hadn’t, I can safely say it never would have made it onto shelves. The story has changed wildly over the years—it’s been rewritten more times than I can count and also underwent two intensive mentorship programs (thank you to Tashie Bhuiyan, Skyla Arndt, and Alex Brown!). But the heart of the story has always remained the same.
Working on Inheritance of Scars for so long has not only taught me a lot about writing and revising, but also about myself.
What’s next for you?
I’m hard at work on my next YA dark romantasy, Beast Becomes Her, which explores feminine rage and toxic masculinity through the lens of Berserkers in Norse mythology. Similar to how Inheritance of Scars is a fresh take on vampires, Beast Becomes Her does the same for werewolves! I’m really excited for it to be on shelves in Spring 2026.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Honestly, I haven’t read as much as I’ve wanted to since I’ve been so busy with deadlines and promoting my debut, but I did love Bride by Ali Hazelwood, A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, and Us in Ruins by Rachel Moore. Some books I’m really looking forward to reading are Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones, and I am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew!
