We chat with author Laura R. Samotin about The Lure of Their Graves, which is the heart-wrenching sequel to The Sins on Their Bones and forces Dimitri and Vasily to confront old ghosts and a new threat: political enemies-turned-suitors, all coveting Dimitri’s throne and his hand in marriage.
Hi, Laura! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! It’s awesome to be here! I’m a professor of war studies by day and an author by night, and I spend most of my free time being a full-time servant to my two enormous (and spoiled) ragdoll cats, traveling and exploring new restaurants with my husband, and trying in vain to tackle my ever-growing TBR. My fun party fact about myself is that I am a former tuberculosis patient, which gives me a lot of sympathy for any fantasy character in a pre-1900s setting. You don’t want TB.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I always wanted to be a writer. I insisted to everyone around me when I was a kid that I would be a published author when I grew up (take that, doubters, I did it!!). When my parents were cleaning out their basement a few years ago they found the first “book” I wrote, which was called The Rat and the Mouse. It was the epic 30-page long story of Mattameto, the mouse commander, and his battle with Cluny, the rat commander. On page 2, Mattameto guts Cluny during a duel and he bleeds out on the forest floor—but not before gasping “Mattameto, we’re brothers…”. Mattameto spends the remaining 28 pages having an existential crisis about war, politics, life, and fratricide. I wrote this when I was 8 years old and bound it in a pink and blue tie-dye construction paper cover. I have no idea why my parents didn’t immediately assume something was deeply wrong with me, but I’m grateful they just rolled with my author “career” and kept encouraging me to write (probably increasingly disturbing) stories.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Redwall by Brian Jacques
- The one that made you want to become an author: Eragon by Christopher Paolini
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat
The Lure of Their Graves is the second installment in your Cursed Crown series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Wrenching, hopeful, gilded, bloody, tender.
For those who haven’t picked up The Sins on Their Bones, what can readers expect?
SINS is the story of two ex-husbands on opposite sides of a civil war, fighting over the same throne, with a very daring (and very handsome) spymaster caught in the crossfire. I pitch it as Six of Crows all grown up meets Captive Prince—if you’re down for found family, political intrigue, lots of tension, an abundance of heat, and a very healthy dose of hurt/comfort, this one’s for you. I wrote it for anyone who loves fanfiction tropes and wishes there were more of them in books.
And for those who have, what’s to come in the sequel?
More hurt, more heartbreak, more hope, more healing. It’s the sequel, so I felt like I had to go twice as hard. I don’t want to give anything away, but for those of you who read book 1 – think about the worst thing that could happen to Dimitri and Vasily, and know that I absolutely went there. I love my readers—I had to.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
There are four new characters in this book that play crucial roles in Dimitri and Vasily’s story. I loved getting to explore new friends and political opponents, and expand the world by bringing in more of the continent-wide political challenges that Dimitri and Novo-Svitsevo faced. Book one was intimate in scale but high stakes for the characters; I wanted book two to feel just as high-stakes, but set against a larger backdrop.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
This was the first sequel I’ve ever written, and I think the biggest challenge I faced was telling a story that I hoped would thrill and satisfy fans of the first book, while also bending the arc of the overall story to fit the duology format. I want SINS fans to be excited to dive into the world of Novo-Svitsevo again, and I want newcomers to the duology to feel like reading both books back-to-back provides a satisfying and complete reading experience. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without help from my author friends and my amazing editor Amanda—relying on my writing support network (a bunch of talented people a lot more practiced at this than me) helped me feel confident that I was doing the story justice.
What’s next for you?
I have four more books coming out in the next two years, and a few more books hoping to make it into the publishing pipeline. I have two on my slate for 2026…
For fans of dark academia, add THE WAY IT HAUNTED THEM to Goodreads—it’s coming out from Titan Books on June 3, 2026. It’s about a young man grappling with his boyfriend’s sudden death by seeking to finish his research on demons—but strange occurrences at the mysterious research institute run by an enigmatic young archivist make him question his own sanity, and ultimately his own role in his boyfriend’s death. It’s perfect if you love T. Kingfisher, Tori Bovalino, Olivie Blake, or Sunyi Dean.
For fans of paranormal romance, check out THE SHADOWS HAVE TEETH, the first in a duology that I’ve co-written with my best friend Ben Alderson, coming from Angry Robot in September 2026. It’s a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in modern-day Oxford, in which star-crossed vampires linked by a tragic history must decide if vengeance is more important than the twisted love story they’ve inked in blood. If you loved Saltburn and Interview with the Vampire, we hope you’ll love this series.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I fell hard and fast for the Dark Shores series by Danielle Jensen, which will be complete in August—this series is absolute perfection and I refuse to say more on the grounds of spoilers, but Marcus and the 37th will always have my heart. Just pick it up. Do it now. I’m not going to explain why, just trust me. I also can’t wait for the world to get its hands on SAVAGE BLOOMS by S.T. Gibson, which is a dark and twisted erotic dream of a fairytale. THE MAIDEN AND HER MONSTER by Maddie Martinez is a spectacular political fantasy inspired by Jewish folklore. HAZELTHORN is a creepy, twisted, and absolutely, shatteringly perfect YA horror by C.G. Drews. LORD OF RUIN is the second book in K.M. Enright’s Age of Blood series, and it’s searingly hot with heart-stopping intrigue. AN ARCANE INHERITANCE by Kamilah Cole is a twisty dark academia that packs a huge, compelling punch and will never leave my head. (There are so many more. I have very talented friends, and I can’t possibly list all the amazing books I’ve read this year alone, but do check all of these out!)
