From the award-winning author of the Dreamland series comes a new dark romantic fantasy about a young woman finding hope in her powers of destruction.
We had the pleasure of chatting with author E. J. Mellow about Song of the Forever Rains, which is the first standalone installment in the Mousai series, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!.
Hi, EJ! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m one of four girls and grew up in a household of artists. Being around such creativity as a young child definitely shaped my identity and need for imagination and storytelling, whether visually or with words. And while I always wrote, I got my degree in advertising and graphic design. Currently I split my time writing books with working as a creative director. I now live in Colorado and this past March we welcomed our first child into our little family.
As we near the halfway mark of 2021, how has your year been so far?
I’ve been on maternity leave since March, and while the past few months have been filled with a lot of sleepless nights and physically healing, spending that uninterrupted time with my son and husband has definitely helped 2021 be a pretty amazing year so far.
Also, preparing for the release of Song of the Forever Rains for this coming July has been an exciting time. Especially after working on it for three plus years!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell — It was the first book I read that had a female protagonist in an adventure setting and I was hooked.
Circe by Madeline Miller — Her writing is so incredible it hurt to read. How can one human be so gifted with words?
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I truly fell in love with writing when I was in high school and took an English elective class called ‘Classic Fairytales and Fiction’. I immediately got swept away with the fantasy aspect found in a lot of old fairytales as well as how dark they were. Learning about all the different beats, story arcs and symbolism needed to create a good tale blew my teenage brain and I knew then I wanted to write my own worlds.
Song of the Forever Rains is out July 1st 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Mischievous. Magical. Dark. Romantic. Playful.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect to find beauty in between the brutal and love for characters who believe they aren’t deserving. I wanted to write a story about how complex the concept of “good” vs “evil” can be and how a hero’s journey might just have to be through deadly deeds.
While the world of Aadilor definitely sparkles, there are dark parts, deplorable parts. There are situations and people who terrify, our heroine, Larkyra, included. I hope for readers to walk away after reading feeling like they just soared through a richly imagined painting, filled with details in every inch, hungry for more of this world. I certainly am hungry to keep writing in it.
What was the inspiration behind Song of the Forever Rains?
At a high level, my three sisters inspired me to write this series. We are incredibly close and, in fact, each book is dedicated to one of them. The way we can fight and make up in the same breath, as well as how loyal and supportive they have been my whole life had me wanting to write a story about sisterhood for a while.
At a more myopic level, I had been waiting to write a book about magic and things not being as they seem for an even longer while. A book that was both dark and incredibly bright, all inspired by those classic fairytales I mentioned earlier. The concept that you could spin a tale that had merciless stops along a reader’s journey, mixed in with things that sparkled and shined, tricked and trapped, all leading up to a happily ever after fascinated me. I wanted to make up my own fairytale of sorts, except this story would not be fit for a child’s bedtime but for an adults.
Were there any favourite moments you enjoyed bringing to the page and exploring?
I loved writing about the Thief Kingdom. With all of its contradictions and curving allies, it’s hodgepodge masked citizens and clever magic. I was so excited to explore this realm. It’s a brutal place, but also extremely beautiful. I felt like if I were a kid who stumbled upon this caved world, I would have been both terrified and unable to explore every shadowy corner.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
Darius and his history with his stepfather was a particularly delicate and nuanced experience to write about. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but to tell a story about an individual who has gone through what he had and to build his character arc into one that was hopeful was a challenge and pulled at my heartstrings the entire way. With the help of my editor, sensitivity readers, and talking with friends who have lived through similar situations helped me tell Darius’s story in a way that I hope respects as well as resonates with readers who might relate.
What’s next for you?
I’m gearing up for the release of the second standalone book in my Mousai Series, Dance of a Burning Sea. It releases this October and follows the middle sister, Niya, who holds the hypnotic and spellbinding gift of dance. It also follows a certain notorious pirate who I loved exploring.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
A few I have read recently and loved are….
- Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
- The Gift by Patrick O’Leary
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
