We chat with author Gretchen Powell Fox about Smoke and Scar, which sees brutal trials bring together a grieving fae warrior with shadow magic and a human knight out for revenge in the first novel in this epic romantasy trilogy, perfect for fans of Throne of Glass and The Serpent & the Wings of Night,
Hi, Gretchen! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello yourself! Absolutely — I’m Gretchen, a fantasy and romance author from Northern Virginia, as well as a soup dumpling aficionado, hair dye enthusiast, and mom of two.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
It feels like it was pretty much baked into me from the beginning. My father is an avid reader and really was instrumental in instilling a deep love of stories in me from a very young age. I was an absolute bookworm as a kid, and then went through bouts of rekindling my deep love of stories—and my desire to write my own just naturally grew out of that as I got older.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Your latest novel, Smoke and Scar, is out April 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
High stakes, slow burn romantasy
What can readers expect?
A fast-paced epic romantic fantasy that flips a lot of beloved genre tropes on their head. For example, she’s the centuries-old shadow-wielding fae, and he’s the morally white knight who she keeps saving. It’s also got exciting, action-packed trials and a super slow burn, enemies-to-very reluctant allies-to-lovers romance—with a promise that all that yearning will pay off in future books (I promise!)
Where did the inspiration for Smoke and Scar come from?
I am a voracious romantasy reader, and while I will always be up for reading about a powerful, brooding shadow daddy coming to the rescue of the human female main character, I couldn’t help but think about how fun it would be if those roles were reversed. I also just have a very deep love of epic fantasy, and really wanted to take the time to build out a world of my own, with its own history and lore and magic system. As I wrote, I drew inspiration from a wide variety of media—everything from The Lord of the Rings to contemporary romance books (the banter!) to Dungeons & Dragons campaigns to Marvel movies.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Both of the main characters, Elyria Lightbreaker and Cedric Thorne, were so interesting and enjoyable for me to write. Elyria is sassy and powerful and has so many thick layers of trauma to work through, and Cedric goes through some pretty major character growth over the course of the book, and so they were really fascinating to write for different reasons. I found Elyria really encompasses many qualities I wish I had, or that I aspire to, while Cedric, my overthinking king, is extremely relatable. That said, Smoke and Scar has a lot of really wonderful characters who end up coming together in a Fellowship of the Ring sort of found family, which made writing all of them a truly wonderful experience.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
There are always going to be certain scenes that feel more challenging for a number of reasons—there’s something missing from the scene, it’s emotional or high intensity, or even just with the pressure we put on ourselves to get certain moments “right.” For me, when it comes to running into challenges while writing, the only way really is through. Whether by leaping ahead with plans to return to the sticky moment, or if I just muscle my way through the scene, I know I’ve just got to keep going with the story, and eventually I know I can fill in or flesh out the scenes as needed later.
What’s next for you?
Smoke and Scar is the first book in a trilogy, and both of the other books in the series will also be released this year! Book two, Splintered Kingdom, is coming August 11th, and the third and final book, Shadow and Son, follows on October 20th!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Oh my goodness, my TBR is truly endless, but some particular books I’m looking forward to are Harvest Season by Brynne Weaver, Heir of Prophecy by Analeigh Sabrana, The Lion & the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent, and This Wretched Alchemy by Tina Mars. There are just so many awesome titles coming out this year!
