We chat with author Emily Thiede about This Cursed Light, which is the sequel to This Vicious Grace and sees Dante and Alessa face their most daunting challenge yet when the Gods demand they prove their worth by choosing the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity, once and for all.
Hi, Emily! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Of course! I’m a former teacher turned full time author, a DIY home improvement aficionado who knows how to wield a table saw, a rescue kitten foster-parent, the mother of two girls, and I absolutely love to write, read, and watch stories featuring messy characters who banter, bicker, and fall in love while trying to save the world.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember a time where I didn’t love reading, and I’ve always told myself stories before bed to fall asleep, but I didn’t attempt to write a novel until after my second child was born. After a childhood swiping sci-fi/fantasy novels and anthologies from my father’s bookshelves and rewatching every classic RomCom and 90’s disaster movie a dozen times, my imagination was blooming with high-stakes danger, witty banter, swoony romance, and fantastical worlds, so when I finally worked up the courage to draft a novel of my own, it only made sense to combine all of my favorite elements from the media I love best.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I know it wasn’t the first, but I vividly remember reading and rereading DRAGONSONG, by Anne McCaffrey, at least a dozen times.
- The one that made you want to become an author: THIS SAVAGE SONG by V.E. Schwab. I read it soon after attempting my first full draft of a novel, and her prose and mastery of craft inspired me to push myself and my storytelling to new heights.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: REVELLE, by Lyssa Mia Smith. A vividly immersive moulin rouge-inspired historical fantasy with humor and romance, I love it!
This Cursed Light is the follow-up to This Vicious Grace and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Swoony, high-stakes, banter, heart, adventure
What can readers expect from the sequel?
Readers can look forward to more of everything they loved in This Vicious Grace—romance, found family, banter, tension, humor, and angst—plus some mysterious new characters, plot twists, a heart-pounding battle, and a dramatic finale to Alessa and Dante’s story.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I adore the entire cast of characters in This Vicious Grace, and the sequel allowed me to introduce rivals and potential romantic interests for a few of them, plus I got to further develop all of their relationships with each other. Some major players from the first book may finally get what they deserve (make of that what you will!) while others get a chance at redemption, and they all must band together in order to survive along the way.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing the sequel? How did you overcome them?
When This Vicious Grace first sold to publishers, I intended to begin working on the sequel immediately, but it was March of 202, and as you can imagine, those plans were derailed pretty quickly. My children ended up doing virtual school from my living room for the next 18 months and I had to navigate my first publishing contract, the emotional rollercoaster of releasing a debut novel, and drafting the sequel, all while my entire family was attempting to learn and work from the same crowded space. While it took a bit longer than I intended, with many sleepless nights along the way, I’m really proud of the final book and I hope readers love it as much as I do.
What’s next for you?
It’s all up in the air at the moment! This Cursed Light is my last book under contract, but I’m developing a few new romantic fantasy ideas that I’m very excited about, and I hope I get to share them with readers in the near future.
Lastly, are there any 2024 releases that you are looking forward to that our readers should look out for?
So many! I’ve been lucky to get advanced copies of THE DIVIDING SKY by Jill Tew, which is a deliciously romantic near-future sci-fi, TO GAZE UPON WICKED GODS by Molly X. Chang, an atmospheric, exciting, and fierce YA fantasy, plus there are a number of books I haven’t got my hands on yet but I hope to, like IF I STOPPED HAUNTING YOU by Colby Wilkens, and A FRAGILE ENCHANTMENT by Allison Saft.
