We chat with author Jacqueline White about Souls In Ruin, which is a dark and riveting romantasy following a bastard princess caught up in the revenge of gods, the first book in a trilogy about survival, obsession, and the quiet fury of a woman who won’t be forgotten.
Hi, Jacqueline! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Jacqueline White, author of the SoulBound Trilogy! I write dark, immersive romantasy filled with morally complex characters, impossible choices, and the lengths people will go to survive. Souls in Ruin is my debut novel, and I’m beyond excited for readers to finally experience Mireille’s story.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved reading for as long as I can remember. As a kid, you’d rarely find me without a book in my hands. As I got older, I fell in love with poetry, especially in the way a series of words could hold so many different meanings depending on who was reading them. Poetry was really where I first discovered my love for writing.
Then, in high school, I started writing fanfiction and ended up building a pretty significant following, which was also where I discovered how much I loved writing romance. Eventually, though, school, friends, and life in general took priority, and I slowly drifted away from both reading and writing.
I’d spent most of my life being told that writing was something you did as a hobby, not something you pursued as a career. So, I went to college, focused on building a more traditional future, and barely picked up a book that wasn’t a textbook.
And then COVID happened. Like so many others, I found my way back to reading. Before long, I was writing again, and then writing more and more, until I realized just how much I’d missed it. In a lot of ways, it felt like rediscovering a part of myself I’d forgotten existed.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading:
I genuinely couldn’t tell you! I practically lived at the library as a kid and would come home carrying as many books as my little arms could manage. I do, however, remember the first book I was told I wasn’t allowed to read: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. Naturally, I snuck it home and read it under the covers with my flashlight. Sorry, Grandma! - The one that made you want to become an author:
Anathema by Keri Lake. It was my introduction to dark romantasy, and I remember finishing it and thinking, ‘ This is what I want to do with my life.’ It was one of those moments when something just clicked, and I suddenly knew exactly what kind of stories I wanted to tell. - The one that you can’t stop thinking about:
The Plated Prisoner series by Raven Kennedy. I think about those books at least twice a week. Absolutely god-tier for me. I will never shut up about them.
Your latest novel, Souls In Ruin, is out November 3rd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Resilience. Defiance. Devastation. Devotion. Rage.
What can readers expect?
Cruel gods, morally black men, psychological tension, and a heroine who refuses to let anyone but herself decide who she becomes.
At its heart, Souls in Ruin is a story about survival, particularly what it means to survive when everything, including your own sense of self, is being stripped away. Mireille is caught between two very different men, and the relationships she develops with them are as complicated as they are dangerous. There is obsession, cruelty, tenderness, and devotion, often tangled together in ways that aren’t comfortable.
It’s not a soft story, but then again, survival rarely is. And Souls in Ruin has teeth.
Where did the inspiration for Souls In Ruin come from?
I actually dreamt it!
I remember watching, almost like a fly on the wall, as a woman reached through the bars of her dungeon cell to hold the hand of the prisoner beside her. I didn’t know who they were, why they were imprisoned, or what had brought them to that moment. But there was something so hauntingly intimate about that small gesture that I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
It felt less like I’d dreamt up a story and more like I’d stumbled into one being told. And I knew I needed to tell it the way the woman in my dream would have wanted.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I absolutely loved writing Mireille’s moments of defiance, especially the small, seemingly insignificant ones. She’s not always in a position to fight back, and she certainly doesn’t always win, but she finds these little ways to remind herself that her will is still her own. I think there’s something incredibly powerful about that.
I also loved exploring the relationships between Mireille, Valen, and the prisoner beside her. They’re three deeply complicated characters, and each relationship challenges Mireille in a different way. I particularly enjoyed writing the moments when tenderness and cruelty become difficult to separate, when even the characters themselves aren’t entirely sure what they’re feeling or why.
Those contradictions are what make them so fascinating, albeit at times challenging, for me to write. I don’t particularly enjoy writing characters who are easy to understand. I like the messy ones.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges was making sure Mireille’s suffering never became the entirety of who she was.
I wanted her experiences to change her, because I think it would have been disingenuous if they didn’t. But I also wanted her to remain tender, stubborn, autonomous, angry, and full of contradictions. I didn’t want to write a heroine who was strong only because she could endure unimaginable things. I wanted to explore what strength looks like when someone is terrified, when they make mistakes, when they have no good choices left, when surviving is the only victory available to them.
And whenever I found myself getting too caught up in what was happening to Mireille, I tried to return to who she was beneath it all. Her thoughts, her desires, her anger, and the pieces of herself she refused to surrender. Because ultimately, I never wanted her story to be defined by what was done to her, but by what she chose to become afterward.
What’s next for you?
Oh, SO many things! The next few months are going to be wonderfully chaotic, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m currently working on the second book in the SoulBound Trilogy, and let’s just say Mireille’s story is far from over. If you thought the gods had already caused enough problems, well… they haven’t. Not even close.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?
My TBR is honestly getting a little out of hand! I’m really looking forward to The Sweetest Fiend by Raven Kennedy, the Heartstring Duet by Liv Zander, and The Stolen Crown by L.J. Andrews.
As for 2027, two of my most anticipated reads are Harbingers of War by Effy Misnick and Deception & Desires by Jeanette Rose and Alexis Rune. I have a feeling my emotional stability is going to be thoroughly tested, and frankly, I cannot wait.
