We chat with author Stacey McEwan about her new novel Chasm, which is the thrilling and highly anticipated sequel to the bestselling romantasy, Ledge.
Hi, Stacey! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a thirty-three year old Australian living on the Gold Coast. I wake up everyday grateful for cheese and I drink an unhealthy amount of black tea. I have a husband, two kids, a dog, a stack of student loans and a tendency to stay up far too late. I’ve been a primary school teacher for eleven years now and I still haven’t figured out children. I write and I read and I make lots of videos about writing and reading on tiktok and Instagram. I love both Taylor Swift and WWII fiction and I don’t know how that could be.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
This is a funny story actually. I wrote poetry when I was a teenager, but I don’t think I actually considered writing as a career choice until I had an English assessment in high school. We had to rewrite the ending of the Great Gatsby. I decided to use this as an opportunity to be very snide. There was a boy in my class who had completely lead me on and then ghosted me. He became the victim of the infamous hit and run scene in my retelling. Gatsby was revered rather than shot. I got an A.
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!
- Deltora Quest – Emily Rodda
- After You’d Gone – Maggie O’Farrell
- Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson
Chasm is the sequel to your debut novel Ledge and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Intriguing, revealing, conflicting, spicy, distressing.
What can readers expect?
After Ledge, who can expect a very conflicted and angsty Dawsyn. We pick up right where we left off, and Dawsyn is facing imminent death in Terrsaw. She’s also warring with new power, grief, betrayal, and the ever-oppressive responsibility she feels towards the people left on the Ledge. Expect revelations, back-stories and Terrsaw legends that shed some light on the history on the Terrsaw and Glacia.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love my three darlings: Baltisse, Salem and Esra, and I got to touch on each of their back stories in Chasm. Specifically, Baltisse is a favourite of mine, and she features in almost every chapter of Chasm.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced whilst writing the sequel?
I was eager to write the sequel, and it was already mapped out in my head, so the writing was smooth sailing for the most part. Editing was another story. I struggled to make peace with scenes that I had to lay to waste. I always find culling to be the hardest part of completing a book, but sometimes things need not be said so soon.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on the edits for book 3 in the trilogy, whilst simultaneously drafting the first book in a new romantasy series, in a world very different from Terrsaw.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
The Bridge Kingdom series, the Plated Prisoner series, The Prison Healer series, and The Branded series. All of these have similar themes and vibes, and all were great reads.
