Furyborn meets A Curse So Dark and Lonely in this courtly feminist fantasy from Grace and Fury author Tracy Banghart.
We chat with author Tracy Banghart about her latest release, A Season of Sinister Dreams, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Tracy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m the author of several YA fantasies, including the Grace and Fury series and A Season of Sinister Dreams. I’m a bit of a nomad—I grew up in Maryland, and have lived in Canada, Italy, the UK, Hawaii, and several states along the East Coast. I love to bake, knit, and drink tea…so I’m basically a grandma. Lol. My summer project is building a huge Lego city with my son.
With half of 2021 now behind us, how’s 2021 been for you so far?
2021 has been much like 2020 for me, except with more hope. My son finished a full year of virtual learning, my husband and I got our vaccinations (hooray!), and we’ve been able to visit with family for the first time in a year, which is such a relief. It’s been a challenging time for me creatively, but I feel very fortunate to be celebrating a book release! And I do have a few more little surprises on the way. I’m enjoying the small steps we’ve taken back to normalcy.
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!
There’s this picture book called Miss Suzy about a little gray squirrel with a house in an oak tree. I used to read that all the time – lately, I’ve been reading it to my daughter! The book that made me want to be a writer was Beauty by Robin McKinley. I remember reading it in eighth grade and having that lightbulb moment of “I want to tell stories like this.” As for a book I can’t stop thinking about, I’d say The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani. It’s so gorgeously written, I’ve completely invested in the characters, and it ends on a brutal cliffhanger! I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I’ve known I wanted to be an author since I was a kid. I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, from the time I was first learning to write. I think it was Stephen King who called writing “magic”…in that you put words on a page and they create images in other people’s minds. It’s such an incredible form of alchemy.
Your latest novel, A Season of Sinister Dreams, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magical girls, dead prince, mayhem.
What can readers expect?
Lots of dark, mysterious visions, a giant golden wolf, BFFs who would die for each other, royal intrigue, and a lot of magic.
Where did the inspiration for A Season of Sinister Dreams come from?
I started writing A SEASON OF SINISTER DREAMS years ago. I was on vacation with my family, and I was struggling with my writing…it looked like my dreams of being published might not come true. I was looking for a way to process my grief and feel hope and joy in my writing again. I decided to write a traditional fantasy just for myself, inspired by the books of Robin McKinley that I’d loved as a teenager, and by my dog, Scrabble, who was big and yellow and looked so at home in the wilds of Northern Ontario, where we were staying. The book changed and grew over the years. But at its heart, it’s always been a story about managing grief, the hope that those who leave us are never really gone, and what it takes to be at peace with yourself and what you can offer the world. The irony, for a book about grief, is that a week before its release, I had to say goodbye to Scrabble, my inspiration and constant companion for almost 15 years. And now, as his book goes out into the world, I find myself hoping, as ever, that those we love stay with us, and that I’ll see him again someday.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
When I was writing the first draft, I went through one of the biggest bouts of writer’s block I’ve ever had. I knew something sad had to happen, but I didn’t want to write it. So I kept procrastinating and putting it off. To this day, that chapter always makes me cry when I read it. I’m so proud of how it turned out. Another challenge came later, in the revision stage. I knew it wasn’t quite working, but I couldn’t figure out what it needed – until I had a chat with my editor. The original version of the story only had one point of view character. Adding Annalise’s perspective made all the difference…and her chapters ended up being so fun to write.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing Annalise’s point of view. Because she came to the story after the framework was already there, I could really relax and have fun with her voice. She’s such an interesting character to me – I’d never really written any morally gray or “villain” POVs before hers. Another thing I really loved exploring was the friendship between Evra and Tamsin. They’re best friends and have each other’s backs no matter what. I loved how protective Tamsin was of Evra and how she stuck with her through the worst of times. I love them both so much. #friendshipgoals
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Best: It’s not advice per se, but Nanowrimo really helped me when I was first starting to write seriously. I found it really, really helpful to have that motivation to push through the first draft. I don’t really like drafting all that much – revising is my favorite part. So learning to get out of my own way and just get words down for that first draft really helped.
Worst: That you have to write every day to be a “real” writer.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on another YA fantasy at the moment, and I’ve got a fun non-YA project coming down the pike that I can’t talk about quite yet. Hopefully I’ll be able share more details soon!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Thorn and The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani are amazing. I also loved The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee and Gita Trelease’s duology, All That Glitters and Everything That Burns.
