Twins imbued with incredible magic and near-immortality will do anything to keep their family safe—even if it tears the siblings apart—in the first book of a mythic epic fantasy from the New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Rory Power about her latest book release In A Garden Burning Gold, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Rory! Thanks for joining us again! We last spoke in 2019, so other than that rigmarole we continue to deal with, what have you been up to in the last three years?
Thank you so much for having me back! I’ve been writing, reading, watching a lot of TV, and doing battle with my cat, Scallion, who joined the household in 2020 and has been making it her own ever since.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I grew up in a house full of books, which taught me to love reading from a young age, and as is the case for a lot of writers, that really left a mark on me. I think I started writing stories down when I was five or six!
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!
Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques! … Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques! (Is it cheating if I use the same one twice? Don’t answer that.) And Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.
Your new novel, In a Garden Burning Gold, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I think I’ll go with: family, betrayal, intricacy, politics, and growth.
What can readers expect?
You can expect a new kind of voice from me as compared to my young adult work, a sprawling world to get lost in, and a quartet of siblings who love and hate each other in equal amounts.
Where did the inspiration for In a Garden Burning Gold come from?
I drew a lot of my inspiration from my family’s history in Greece. We’re from the northwest, and the history there, particularly during the 15th-19th centuries, is unique – the area was able to stay fairly distinct even under Ottoman rule. I took a lot of that and worked it into the world that Garden inhabits.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
This is the longest thing I’ve ever written (except the sequel, which I just finished drafting a few weeks ago!) and the biggest challenge for me was keeping track of all the moving pieces over a larger work. I had to get a lot better at taking notes and marking down important phrases or pieces of information.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Chrysanthi, the youngest of the four siblings – I’m a youngest sibling myself, so I relished any opportunity to really give her a chance to shine. And she’ll have a lot more time to do that in the sequel!
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
I think the worst advice I’ve gotten was when someone told me not to write every day, but that’s just because I’ve found that writing every day works for me. That advice would probably be very good advice for someone else! And I think that’s kind of the best advice I’ve ever gotten: trust your gut, and know that what works for you might not always be what works for other people.
What’s next for you?
The sequel to In a Garden Burning Gold will be out in the next year, and I’ll also be diving back into young adult! More to come soon!
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
Loved Rosiee Thor’s Fire Becomes Her, and Liz Parker’s In the Shadow Garden (all Garden titles are good titles).
