When picking up a Rebecca Ross novel, you can be guaranteed to enter a world of pure beauty with epic fantasy elements. Her first novel, The Queen’s Rising (2018) thrust this Georgia-raised beauty into the hands and hearts of the young adult world, taking the reader for a fantastic ride into the world of Valenia and its system of patrons. Its followup The Queen’ Resistance concluded the duology and solidified Ross’s position in the ever evolving publishing world.
Her latest novel, Sisters of Sword and Song, once again provides a beautiful landscape into which the reader may dive, taking on inspiration from civilisations of old with its fantastical narrative and Greco-Roman influences. Releasing this June, Ross took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Nerd Daily contributor Tasha Leigh.
Thank you so much for sitting down to answer my questions today. So first off, how would you describe your work to readers who haven’t come across your work before?
Thank you so much for having me! For readers who may be new to my stories, here are a few things you can expect from me: I write fantasy books, and themes that often emerge in my writing are sisterhood, found families and family secrets, education, love interests who are intellectual and gentle hearted (even if they are a bit grouchy at times), music and art, a hint of mystery, redemption, and enemies to friends (and sometimes to lovers). I love worldbuilding, so when you pick up one of my books, be prepared, because I want to wholly transport you and all of your senses. My writing bends to a literary style—I love words and imagery. That often means my stories are character driven and have a slow burning plot, but I also love to catch you by surprise.
Your debut novel, The Queen’s Rising, came out in 2018 to rave reviews. What inspired this tale of fallen lords and sinister schemes?
The book was inspired by a vision of Brienna. I have never had a character appear to me so vividly, and so when I saw her sitting in a library, worrying that she would not master her passion by the summer solstice, she instantly caught my attention. And I had no idea what this “passion” was she spoke of. That led me on a quest to build the world of the five passions—art, music, dramatic, wit, knowledge—which eventually led me to the fallen lords and the imposter king and restoring the rightful queen to the throne.
The Queen’s Resistance followed in 2019 and completed the duology. Can readers expect any further adventures into the world of Brienna and her disgraced patron?
I’m happy with how things wrapped up at the end of The Queen’s Resistance. For now, the series stands a duology, and I do not have plans to return to this world (although I never say never).
Your novels always have prominent themes about strong women and finding one’s inner strength. What draws you to these?
I write the things I want to read. And I love to read the stories of women—their struggles, triumphs, decisions. How they leave a mark on the world. I think our strength comes in many different ways, and I hope that inspires the people who pick up my books.
In Sisters of Sword and Song, your third novel due out late June 2020, you tell the tale of two sisters with vastly different strengths. What prompted this dichotomy in protagonists?
I always love to see women as warriors, dressed in armor and highly skilled when it comes to fighting and strategy. That largely inspired Halcyon. But I also love heroines who are quieter, introspective, clever and brave. That inspired Evadne. I’ve always wanted to write a book about sisters of unique strengths, and to show these heroines supporting and sharpening each other.
The Sisters of Sword and Song has a very Greco-Roman feel to it and I am wondering what sort of research this required?
Quite a bit. I heavily utilized several books, one that featured hoplite armor and weapons and phalanx fighting techniques. Another that delved into life during Ancient Greece, where I gleaned information about clothing, architecture, weather, food. I also read and savoured a book that featured fragments of Sappho’s poetry. Lastly, I watched a few YouTube videos that featured olive groves and an ancient olive press that is still in use today. I couldn’t fund a trip to Greece, but these videos gave me visual glimpses that were very helpful.
Sisters revolves around the idea of finding relics to save an imperilled monarch, while also being about the relationships made and lost by Halcyon and Evadne as they attempt to perform this seemingly impossible task. When initially drafting the story, were the relationships always intended to form such a massive part of the underpinning narrative?
Yes. I’ve always been drawn to character driven stories. As a reader, I will often forget the inner workings of a plot long after I read a book, but if the characters and their relationships are well drawn and rich, I will remember them vividly, even years after reading about them. I read for those character relationships, and so I strive to make them important and prominent in my writing.
Now Sisters of Sword and Song is a standalone novel rather than a part of a series, a decision that seems increasingly rare in the world of fantasy. Was it always intended to be a single book?
Yes. This book was always intended to be a standalone. And while it can be a challenge to develop a vast fantasy world and complete satisfying character arcs and a plot in one book, it can be done, and I do think it is refreshing for readers. As an author, I also enjoyed working on this book knowing that it was strong enough to stand on its own.
You have a history of working with the written word, obtaining a degree in English and previously working as a librarian. How do you feel this background has assisted your journey to published author?
My background has indeed supported my writing endeavours. I initially chose to study English in college because I loved reading and writing, and I could not envision myself doing anything else. I soaked in literature classes and creative writing groups, and I still have my books from those classes, with all of my notes scrawled in the margins. I still reflect on some of the discussions I had in those academic days. As a girl, I dreamt of publishing a book someday, because books were my first love and made such an impact on my life. And when you carry a dream for years and years, you eventually get brave and desperate enough to turn it into reality.
Can you give us some insight into your drafting process?
I keep a brainstorming journal, where I frequently write down ideas. Most of these ideas are only passing fancies, and nothing more comes from them. But every now and then, I’ll have two ideas strike together and make fire. Sometimes, I will be so excited by the characters that unexpectedly arrive onto my journal pages that I will begin to write immediately, and the story starts to unfold before me in an exciting, almost magical way. Sometimes, a story will need time to simmer—weeks, months, maybe even years—before it’s ready to be written. I’m a discovery writer; I rarely plot things. But it’s important for me to know where I’m starting, and to know where I want to end. It’s how I get from start to finish that I have to learn, which makes drafting exhilarating (and sometimes scary and frustrating) for me. I tend to draft very quickly once I have characters, place and the initial plot sketched in my mind. The fastest book I have ever drafted was The Queen’s Resistance, which only took me 28 days to write. Granted, I already had the characters and the world established, so I could move faster than if I was building a story from the ground up. And the revisions for it were intense (my revisions typically involve heavy rewrites), but I remember those 28 days as a whirlwind, where I let the words pour out and I didn’t hesitate or try to edit them as I went (which can deter many writers from reaching the end).
In this current world state of isolation, how has your book release prep changed?
It has definitely changed things. I originally planned to have a mini-tour, but that of course got cancelled due to the pandemic. Which is sad, because meeting readers is one of the best things about being an author. But social media has been a great tool during this time. Readers who live out of state and around the world can now be present for a virtual launch, which is great!
Can readers expect to see you anywhere in the near future?
I will be having some virtual events! My book launch, which was originally scheduled to be at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia has now moved to an Instagram Live, which will be on Saturday June 27 at 4 PM. I will also be joining Lori M. Lee for the release of her YA Fantasy, Forest of Souls, on Tuesday July 23 at 7 PM. I will also be having an Instagram live with Isabel Ibañez the week of release, so readers can definitely find me online.
And last question for a bit of fun, if you could see any of your novels brought to the screen, what format would you hope they take? (eg. Feature film, limited series, short form etc) Who would you love to see in each role?
Ooh, let’s see. It would be very exciting to see one of my books adapted into a series on Netflix or Hulu. As far as casting characters…I honestly don’t align actresses and actors with my characters very often. Every now and then, I might. I do love Daisy Ridley, and I could see her being a fantastic Brienna from The Queen’s Rising. But I also would love to see up and coming actors and actresses fill the roles.
QUICKFIRE ROUND
- Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction!
- Plotter or pantser? Pantser. I rarely plot things out.
- Favourite bookish trope? Enemies to lovers.
- Least favourite bookish trope? The chosen one.
- Coffee or tea? Coffee.
- Pizza or pasta? Pizza.
- Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Beach holiday.
- Convention crowds or smaller signings? Hmm. Both are great for different reasons, but I do love a smaller signing.
- Sunny or rainy? Rainy.
- If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? Scotland.
- Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and music.
- If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Melina Marchetta, Nic Stone, Naomi Novik, Isabel Ibañ, Alison Croggon.
