We chat with writer R. M. Gray about Nightweaver, which is a propulsive YA fantasy debut a few strong-willed heroine avenging her brother and discovering her future, excellent for followers of Adalyn Grace’s Belladonna and Lauren Roberts’s Powerless.
Hello, R.M.! Are you able to inform our readers a bit about your self?
Hello! My identify is Rebekah, however I write below the pen identify R.M. Grey. I reside in Texas with my husband and our two big canines, each of that are named after characters from Disney’s The Sword within the Stone. I accumulate lightsabers, watch manner an excessive amount of anime (kidding, you’ll be able to by no means watch an excessive amount of anime), and have a second diploma blackbelt in Taekwondo. However after I’m not watching baking reveals or trying to find the right cup of tea, I like to write down books about pirates, magic, thriller and all issues fantastical!
When did you first uncover your love for writing and tales?
A few of my earliest reminiscences are of my mother studying tales like Gulliver’s Travels and Nancy Drew mysteries to my siblings and me, however my dad is the explanation I’ve no self-control in a bookstore. As a child, my mother would say “go pick a e-book—only one!” Nevertheless, one all the time become 5 (or extra), and my dad would simply smile at my mother, shrug, and say, “you’ll be able to by no means have too many books!”
Once I was a youngster, I informed my dad and mom I wished to pursue a profession in writing. A couple of minutes later, my dad introduced a stack of books to my room—all on the subject of storytelling—and mentioned, “you wish to be a author? Learn these.”
So, I did. Thanks, mother and pop!
Fast lightning spherical! Inform us:
- The primary e-book you ever bear in mind studying: Dinosaurs Earlier than Darkish by Mary Pope Osborne. (Such a basic.)
- The one which made you wish to turn into an writer: The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine as a result of it jogs my memory of my sister, and it taught me to be courageous.
- The one which you can’t cease excited about: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson. I nonetheless learn the previous couple of pages after I must have an excellent cry!
Your debut novel, Nightweaver, is out now! In case you might solely describe it in 5 phrases, what would they be?
Thrilling, chilling, romantic, mysterious, and heart-wrenching.
What can readers anticipate?
Coronary heart-pounding battles, a fierce and decided FMC, elemental magic, vampire-like beings, a gothic manor setting, a masked love curiosity, a morally grey MMC, fairly daggers, sluggish burn forbidden romance, dancing with the enemy, and a tight-knit household of pirates that might cross oceans for one another.
The place did the inspiration for Nightweaver come from?
I’m an enormous Pirates of the Caribbean fan. I imply, who isn’t?
I’ve all the time been obsessive about pirates, and I wished to create a world that blends pirate lore with conventional fantasy components like pixies and unicorns, terrifying monsters, and vampire-like beings!
Had been there any moments or characters you actually loved writing or exploring?
I beloved writing Henry, Will’s youthful brother. When Aster and her household first arrive at Bludgrave Manor, Henry makes his hatred for pirates abundantly clear. With out spoiling an excessive amount of, Henry’s arc is pricey to my coronary heart, and it’s been thrilling—and a bit shocking—to see readers declare him as their favourite character.
Did you face any challenges while writing? How did you overcome them?
Once I began writing Nightweaver, I had simply shelved one other manuscript. I’d spent virtually a decade attempting to perform my dream of someday turning into a broadcast writer, and within the wake of rejection, I had began to ask myself, “can I actually do that? Ought to I even hold attempting?”
I informed myself that Nightweaver could be for me, and solely me. And with out the strain to write down what I felt others wished to learn, I used to be lastly capable of write the e-book I wished to learn.
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Now, that’s my largest piece of recommendation to aspiring authors: imagine in your self and the story you’re telling, and simply have enjoyable. In case you love what you do, others will too!
That is your debut novel! What was the highway to turning into a broadcast writer like for you?
A whirlwind! A couple of months after I self-published Nightweaver in 2023, I did an interview with my native information that by some means ended up on the google homepage of a literary agent from United Expertise Company in NYC. That agent reached out through e mail, and I assumed I used to be being scammed. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t!
It wasn’t too lengthy after I signed with that literary agent that my dream writer, Little, Brown Books for Younger Readers, pre-empted Nightweaver earlier than it might go to public sale. I nonetheless should pinch myself a number of instances a day to remind myself I’m not dreaming!
What’s subsequent for you?
Nightweaver’s sequel, Starchaser, hits the cabinets this November and I couldn’t be extra excited to share the devastating twists and heart-wrenching betrayals that lie forward within the subsequent chapter of Aster’s story.
Lastly, what books are you wanting ahead to selecting up this yr?
I’m going to faux my TBR isn’t completely overwhelming and attempt to simply record a number of! Some books I can’t wait to choose up embrace: A Kingdom So Crimson by Emmory Jarman, The Bombshell Devil’s Advocate by Nikkita Bell, Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic, and The Stolen Heir by Holly Black.
