We had the pleasure of chatting with debut author Jessica Rubinkowski who delivers the thrilling first book in an epic Russian folklore–inspired fantasy duology filled with page-turning romance, tragedy, magic, and monsters. The Bright and the Pale is perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sara Raasch, so we talk about the new release, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Jessica! Tell our readers a bit about yourself!
Hello everyone! Essentially, I was probably the weird horse girl obsessed with fantasy books in your grade school. I grew up on a farm in central Illinois in a village of five hundred people. We raised horses, chickens, ducks, geese, the occasional goat, but rural Illinois isn’t rife with entertainment, so I spent a lot of my time daydreaming and making up imaginary games from my two younger sisters, which then turned into writing as I got older. I still live in Central Illinois, but traded the farm animals for three dogs, three cats, and two kids.
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!
- First book I ever read: Are You My Mother by P. D Eastman.
- Book that made me want to be an author: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and this poor book hasn’t gotten away from me yet.
- Book I can’t stop thinking about: The Last Herald Mage by Mercedes Lackey. I spent too much of my tweens pretending to live in that book to ever forget it.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
My parents kept the first “story” I ever wrote, which was in second grade about a Thanksgiving turkey that didn’t want to be cooked, so it ran away to a magical portal beneath a bunk bed. From there, I continued to write stories whenever I could for school assignments from a mystery about a missing carousel horse in fourth grade, to my first novel I completed my junior year of high school.
Your debut novel, The Bright and the Pale, is out March 2nd 2021! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Girl travels to haunted mountain.
Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect?
Valeria, my main character, agrees to lead a team of murders and thieves to the bowels of the mountain responsible for killing her entire family in order to win her best friend, Alik’s freedom. You can expect questionable motives from all characters, a friends to lovers romance, and once they reach the mountain, a descent into dark, cramped quarters where something hunts the group in the deep.
What was the inspiration behind this novel?
The thing that most inspired this book was the Dyatlov Pass Incident. The event took place in the Ural Mountains of Russia where nine experienced hikers died under bizarre circumstances. Some believed the very mountain they hiked was to blame. Its name, Kholat Syakhl, roughly translates to Dead Mountain. I started to consider what would have to be going on for a mountain to take lives and, what if, the mountain took an entire village? What if no one knew how or why? From there, I delved into Slavic folklore, learning all I could to bring the atmosphere to life and make a world where something like this might be possible.
Is there a character or scene that you really enjoyed writing?
My most favourite scene I wrote is at the end, and if I said exactly what, it would be a huge spoiler! Suffice it to say, I love high emotional moments that are a mix of sadness and anger. They feel powerful to me and I always enjoy writing them. In terms of character, besides Valeria, I absolutely adored writing Chinua. She is determined, fierce, and viciously loyal and loving to her family. She will always have a special place in my heart
What challenges did you face while writing and how did you overcome them?
The biggest obstacle I faced while writing was actually my own mental health. I diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, Type 2 and ADHD while drafting and editing this novel. I struggled with finding balance and discovering how to manage it. I had suffered from the time I was seventeen and never realized what was going on until my official diagnosis. While taking medication did help a lot in evening out my mental state, I still had my highs and lows, and figuring out how to be creative and on a deadline while also struggling mentally was really tough. It isn’t something I talk about often, but I feel like it is important for people to understand what goes on behind the curtain, so to speak, because knowing someone who also struggled when I was a teen might have made a difference in how I approached my own mental health.
What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I have been trying to get published since I was eighteen! So, it has been a twelve-year journey to get to this point. I wrote five novels before I wrote THE BRIGHT & THE PALE. I think I likely have over three hundred rejections in queries alone. I found my first agent with my fifth novel, but we ended up not working out and parted ways. I wrote THE BRIGHT & THE PALE next and found my current agent. After a round of edits with her, we went on submission and I believe I sold it in about a month. From there, I worked with my editor at Quill Tree Books since 2018 to find the heart of my story and make it shine. It has been a long process, but I would be lying if I said I regretted any step in the journey.
What’s next for you?
After the sequel to THE BRIGHT & THE PALE (which I can’t disclose the title of yet!), I intend to finish up a new young adult stand-alone, and also have a couple of adult projects in the works.
Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I usually read several books at a time (I’m going to blame my ADHD for that). My current reads are:
- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
- Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (I’m very behind the times on this one)
- A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth
- Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica Olsen
- We Are the Fire by Sam Taylor
Recent books I read that I absolutely recommend would be A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown, Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone, and The Cursebreaker Series by Brigid Kemmerer
