We chat with author Erica Ivy Rodgers about the swashbuckling YA fantasy debut Lady of Steel and Straw, which sees star-crossed lovers grapple with forbidden attraction and a growing army of ghostly dead. PLUS we have an audiobook excerpt for you to listen to at the end of the interview!
Hi, Erica! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me. I’m originally from the Pacific Northwest, but have lived in Nashville long enough now that it is home. I have been a copy editor, high school teacher, college professor, and Tolkien Scholar, and I LOVE the outdoors. Mountain biking and rock climbing make my heart happy. I also adore old lady hobbies, like quilting and crocheting.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have loved stories in every form as far back as I can remember. I found the joy of writing in my senior year of high school, but it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I realized being an author was something I might actually be able to accomplish.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The abridged classic version of Call of the Wild by Jack London.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge by Matthew Hubbard!
Your debut novel, Lady of Steel and Straw, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Swords. Scarecrows. Found family. Longing.
What can readers expect?
A fast-paced adventure with a unique herbal magic system. An army of wraiths. A flawed heroine out for vengeance. A MMC struggling with toxic shame and afraid of his own power. An enemies to lovers (or something) thread full of tension!
Where did the inspiration for Lady of Steel and Straw come from?
I took a bit of structure inspiration from The Three Musketeers, but the idea originated from an Imagine Dragons song! There’s a line in Bleeding Out that says,
“When your eyes are red
and emptiness is all you know
with the darkness fed
I will be your scarecrow”
I was on a road trip in 2013 (YES. That long ago.) when that song came on, and for hours all I could think was, “What if scarecrows really did wake up to fight the darkness??” By the time I reached my destination, I had the mythology for what would become Lady of Steel and Straw.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I absolutely ADORE my lavender scarecrow warrior, Worth, and my MMC, Captain Luc de Montaigne. Their layers feel so personal somehow—and both have more in common with me than the rest of the cast, though in different ways.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
LONG. Seriously. I started writing seriously in 2006. I got an agent in 2015. We submitted (and shelved) two novels before finally selling Lady of Steel and Straw to Peachtree in fall of 2022. I don’t think people realize how normal this story is. Most people who finally publish traditionally have a journey that looks more like this than the “overnight success” people like to talk about. I haven’t gone back and counted my rejection letters, because I think it would literally take me a week. But for all of those years, I worked so hard on craft. I cultivated relationships. I made friends I could not now live without. I supported bookstores and other authors and just. Kept. Going.
What’s next for you?
Lady of Steel and Straw is the first in my Waking Hearts Duology! Which means I’m in the thick of writing it’s sequel!! I love spending time with these characters and hope to give readers an ending that will stick with them for a long time in the very best way.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I have been thoroughly enjoying other debut books this year! The Poisons we Drink, by Bethany Baptiste is a world that is so unique and vivid! A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal is Peaky Blinders with vampires and it is both gorgeous and steamy. Just bought both Death’s Country by R.M. Romero and The Vanishing Station by Ana Ellickson, and I CANNOT wait to dive in.
