I had the amazing honor of interviewing the great Kiersten White, who has authored her 15th novel with The Guinevere Deception, which releases on November 5th. It’s a retelling of the Arthurian legend with a delectable twist: our dear Guinevere isn’t all that she seems. She’s not a princess, but a changeling, who was sent by Merlin to serve as a bodyguard to Arthur…but not everything is as it seems. It’s a tale of romance, adventure, and some serious thrills. Add this book to your TBR ASAP!
Could you tell us about yourself and about the premise of your new book, The Guinevere Deception?
Hi, I’m Kiersten. I like (avoiding) long walks on the beach (by staying inside reading and writing), romantic dinners (someone else prepared because my kids have food allergies so I end up making multiple dinners every night and it’s awful), and lists that include three items.
The Guinevere Deception is my fifteenth novel, and the start of the Camelot Rising trilogy. It centers around the new queen, brought to Camelot and married to a stranger. She has a secret: Guinevere is not a princess, but a changeling sent by Merlin to Camelot, where magic is now banished. Guinevere is there as a magical bodyguard to Arthur, but no one can know who she is—including Guinevere herself.
When you first started writing this retelling, was there anything particularly challenging about constructing the world or the characters?
Though I’ve done very faithful retellings with And I Darken and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein, I felt more freedom to use the original Arthurian legends and stories as a jumping-off point rather than a strict blueprint. I wanted a Camelot that was dreamy and magical, full of wonder and violence, justice and ambiguity, and longing. And I had artistic license for anachronistic storylines, since the original Arthurian legends are a mess. I did try to root it in fifth-century England, but the nice thing about fantasy is “and then MAGIC” lets you cheat quite a bit. So I built Camelot from the ground up and filled in all the details I wanted.
I would say my biggest challenge, though, was Arthur. He’s so straightforward, so noble, such an absolute good dude, that he was unlike any romantic interest I’ve ever written. I watched a ton of Chris Evans interviews to prepare. My job requires sacrifices like that, but I’m willing to put in the work for my readers.
You’re working on two series, are a super parent, and do book events. How do you handle your work/life balance? (Please tell me you’re secretly Wonder Woman!)
I am secretly Wonder Woman. The invisible jet makes carpooling way more efficient!
The truth is, sometimes I feel like I balance everything great, and sometimes I feel like my entire life is a disaster. And sometimes I feel both those things in the course of a single hour. In the end, I prioritize my family, but I also think there’s tremendous value in my children seeing that I work very hard, I’m ambitious, I have successes and failures, but I keep going and I always try to improve. That totally makes up for the fact that we’re having pancakes for dinner . . . again. Right?
What is something about The Guinevere Deception that you’re looking forward to seeing readers’ reactions to?
I have several of my favorite surprise reveals in this book. Obviously all of them are spoilers, but I’ve already been yelled at for something that happens in a clearing in the forest, and I’m not sorry. But please do tweet me with your ships.
Who were your favorite character(s) to write in the story?
Neither Mordred nor Dindrane were supposed to have large roles, but they were both so delicious every time they showed up, they changed their parts in the story. Dindrane, especially, was fun to write. I always love challenging the very tired trope that if two women occupy similar positions, they must necessarily be rivals and not friends. Dindrane is petty and a gossip and rude and also fiercely loyal and genuinely delightful, and I love every scene she’s in.
What is your favorite aspect of the writing process?
I love first drafting, chasing the story from scene to scene, absolutely lost in the telling of it. Books are made in revisions, but stories exist in their most intoxicating form during first drafts.
If you could go back in time and tell yourself ONE thing about the future, what would it be?
There’s a quote from a Snow Patrol song I love: “This isn’t everything you are.” It’s become my mantra. During bad times, even during good times, it’s so easy to fixate on whatever feels biggest or worst or most important that you let the rest of yourself sort of get lost to it. Whatever you’re feeling, feel it, but also know: this isn’t everything you are. That’s what I would give to my past self.
Do you have any secret WIP(s)? Could you tell us anything about them?
If I did, then it wouldn’t be secret. . . .
I’m currently working on an adult contemporary fantasy and an adult horror, as well as a middle-grade series with supernatural elements. As far as YA, I’m working on books two and three in the Camelot Rising trilogy, and I’m so excited for you to see where Guinevere goes next.
Are there any kernels of wisdom that an author passed on to you that you would like to pass on to aspiring writers?
If you stay in this industry long enough, everything good and everything bad will happen to you. In the end, the only thing you can control is the writing, so figure out why you write and what you love about it, and protect that at all costs.
Do you have any top reads for this year or of all time that you’d recommend to our readers?
I just finished Gideon the Ninth, an adult sci-fi fantasy by Tamsyn Muir, which was one of the most delightfully confusing reads I’ve ever had. I loved it. Big and brash and wildly fun.
