We chat with debut author Kate Golden about A Dawn of Onyx, which is the beginning of an addictive, trope-tastic romantasy series!
Hi, Kate! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Thank you for having me.
Sure—I’m from California, I’m obsessed with my dog, baking recipes that are too advanced for me, puzzles, and whatever book is currently on my nightstand. I love will they/won’t they TV shows, moody playlists and bed with excessive pillows.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I had always loved stories. Growing up I’d play a lot of imaginary games, read constantly, and even tea-stain maps of made up, far off lands (if you don’t know what this means, you probably had a lot more friends in middle school than I did.) I took that love of storytelling and worldbuilding and pursued a career in film and television, but didn’t realize how much I loved writing the stories myself until I wrote A Dawn of Onyx a year ago!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I think it was The Magic Treehouse Series!
- The one that made you want to become an author: I never would have written A Dawn of Onyx had it not been for A Court of Thorns and Roses.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I never stop thinking about Outlander. Never.
Your debut novel, A Dawn of Onyx, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fantasy captive romance, spicy page-turner
What can readers expect?
A Dawn of Onyx is a New Adult enemies to lovers fantasy romance novel in the vein of A Court of Thorns and Roses, the Plated Prisoner series, or Kingdom of the Wicked. It’s definitely a bit spicy, but the first book is focused more on the toe-curling slow burn, while the rest of the trilogy will kick that spice up a notch (or three.)
The book follows a young woman who offers herself up to a wicked king in order to save her family. She’s stolen away from the only world she’s ever known, and finds herself locked in the king’s gothic keep as his castle healer. While imprisoned, she finds an unexpected ally in a fellow prisoner, but not everything about the stranger is exactly as it seems…
As far as what readers can expect, I’d say if they have ever googled “fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, with both spice and plot,” this might be the book for them. It’s for fans of Fourth Wing or Serpents & The Wings of Night who are currently suffering from terrible book-hangovers, or fans of the following tropes: heroines coming into their powers, caretaker scenes, morally grey men, found family, forced proximity, and our favorite, “Who did this to you?”
Where did the inspiration for A Dawn of Onyx come from?
It’s a funny story— I had always loved fantasy, and romance too, but never together. I’d read Game of Thrones and then The Hating Game and back and forth and so on… Then I discovered A Court of Thorns and Roses and fell into a whole new world of “Romantasy.” I was on vacation with my now-husband about a year later, and had brought a handful of Romantasy books, all of which I just could not get into. After I whined about it over dinner for way too long, he encouraged me to try to write one for myself. Though I’d never written anything before, I told myself nobody would read it but me, so I didn’t feel any pressure. The first draft was atrocious, I’m sure, but by then I had already fallen in love with writing.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I absolultey loved writing Arwen & Kane’s banter and flirting. Those two are just so obsessed with each other, it was like the dialogue wrote itself. I loved writing Arwen and Mari’s friendship, and describing the entire Onyx kingdom. I wanted to live in that world forever!
This is your debut novel! Can you tell us what your publishing journey was like?
I had initially chosen to self-publish the book because I have another full time job, and thought it might be easier and less time consuming than finding an agent and an editor. I was absolutely, categorically wrong about that. Self-publishing was an enormous amount of work! Once the book came out in December of 2022, I was lucky enough to have a few traditional publishing houses reach out to me, and I realized I needed a literary agent. Taylor and Sam at Root helped me find my dream editor in Kristine Swartz at Berkley, and she made the writing of the next two books in series so, so much easier (and the stories that much stronger!)
What’s next for you?
Well, I’ve finished book two, A Promise of Peridot, which comes out on April 9th 2024, and now I’m writing book 3, which will be released fall of 2024.
Book two has some new kingdoms, each with their own unique landscape and culture, which were so much fun to explore. Of course lots and lots of tension, some necessary groveling, jealousy, pining—all the good stuff. Book three has even more spice, and more danger… The best way to put it would be a raising of the stakes across the board to end the trilogy.
After that… I’m not sure yet! I have a handful of spin offs that I’d like to begin thinking about more concretely. And a new contemporary fantasy series that’s just beginning to solidify in my mind, too.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Yes! If you like Romantasy I think you’d love A Discovery of Witches. It doesn’t get recommended nearly enough. Contemporary romance I always say The Hating Game, People We Meet on Vacation and The Roommate. More in the literary fiction space (but still romantic) I like to suggest The Time Traveler’s Wife. I just loved that book. Ok I’m going to stop there before I write an essay’s worth of suggestions!
