| He rides a seablood, a steed of salt and spray, born to challenge the tides. Six years ago, the wrong brother survived, and nothing will ever convince Rafi Tetrani otherwise. But he is done running from his past, and from the truth. As civil war threatens Ceridwen’s tenuous rule in Soldonia, Rafi vows to fight the usurper sitting on the imperial throne of Nadaar, even if it means shouldering his brother’s responsibilities as the empire’s lost heir. The stolen shipload of magical warhorses offers just the edge he needs. But the steeds have been demanded in ransom by the emperor’s ruthless assassin, and if Rafi hopes to raise a band of riders, he must first outwit his brother’s murderer. Yet when his best efforts end in disaster, and an audacious raid sparks an empire-wide manhunt, even forging an unexpected alliance might not be enough to help Rafi turn the tides, let alone outrace the wave of destruction intent on sweeping them all away. |  |
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy
Release Date: November 21, 2023
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Interview with Gillian
#1. How long did it take to finish writing this book?
I am a fairly slow writer. I tend to spend more time on the first draft than some other writers, which means that I tend to then spend less time on revisions and wind up with fewer drafts at the end of the day. This book was a particularly complex and challenging undertaking, from the breadth of the overall story to the intricacy required to weave together everything that was happening in the three main characters’ storylines, to the scale of the climax that feels like a non-stop roller coaster rider, so it took me about two years to complete. Some books just need to be written slow and steady, and I’m thankful for readers who were willing to wait for this next installment!
I am a fairly slow writer. I tend to spend more time on the first draft than some other writers, which means that I tend to then spend less time on revisions and wind up with fewer drafts at the end of the day. This book was a particularly complex and challenging undertaking, from the breadth of the overall story to the intricacy required to weave together everything that was happening in the three main characters’ storylines, to the scale of the climax that feels like a non-stop roller coaster rider, so it took me about two years to complete. Some books just need to be written slow and steady, and I’m thankful for readers who were willing to wait for this next installment!
#2. What drew you to write in this particular genre?
I have been a fan of epic fantasy for most of my life, so when I started writing, those were the stories that had been steeped into me for years. I love stories that invites me into new and fantastic worlds, filled with unlikely heroes and heroines who battle the odds and don’t give up, even when everything seems lost. I love stories that value honor and courage and sacrifice. Stories that honor the juxtaposition of great beauty and sorrow that we see in our world that’s still aching for restoration. Stories that make your heart ache and soar in turn. You can find those types of stories in a variety of genres, but the ones that have spoken to me the most tend to be epic fantasy. I wanted to write that type of story for a young adult audience and in a young adult style. So The Fireborn Epic series in particular tells an epic fantasy story that remains character-driven, action-packed, and fast-paced.
I have been a fan of epic fantasy for most of my life, so when I started writing, those were the stories that had been steeped into me for years. I love stories that invites me into new and fantastic worlds, filled with unlikely heroes and heroines who battle the odds and don’t give up, even when everything seems lost. I love stories that value honor and courage and sacrifice. Stories that honor the juxtaposition of great beauty and sorrow that we see in our world that’s still aching for restoration. Stories that make your heart ache and soar in turn. You can find those types of stories in a variety of genres, but the ones that have spoken to me the most tend to be epic fantasy. I wanted to write that type of story for a young adult audience and in a young adult style. So The Fireborn Epic series in particular tells an epic fantasy story that remains character-driven, action-packed, and fast-paced.
#3. Do you have favorite character(s) in this book?
I love all of my main characters equally and for different reasons. But I particularly enjoyed getting to explore Rafi’s perspective a little more deeply in this book. He has a quirky personality with a self-deprecating sense of humor, and we get to learn a little more of his backstory which gives us a better understanding of what makes him tick. One of the most influential relationships he’s had in his life was with his older brother, Delmar. I’m always a sucker for brother stories, and this one was particularly interesting for me to explore because Rafi is the second born and tends to idolize his older brother. As a second born myself with an older sibling who is one of my best friends and who I’ve always looked up to, I enjoyed getting to lean into the perspective a bit and also help Rafi to come to the point where he could appreciate and value his strengths, as well as his brother’s.
I love all of my main characters equally and for different reasons. But I particularly enjoyed getting to explore Rafi’s perspective a little more deeply in this book. He has a quirky personality with a self-deprecating sense of humor, and we get to learn a little more of his backstory which gives us a better understanding of what makes him tick. One of the most influential relationships he’s had in his life was with his older brother, Delmar. I’m always a sucker for brother stories, and this one was particularly interesting for me to explore because Rafi is the second born and tends to idolize his older brother. As a second born myself with an older sibling who is one of my best friends and who I’ve always looked up to, I enjoyed getting to lean into the perspective a bit and also help Rafi to come to the point where he could appreciate and value his strengths, as well as his brother’s.
#4. What do you hope your readers will take away with them when they read this book?
I rarely have a very succinct takeaway in mind for readers when they read my books. For me, it’s more about the experience of the story and how I hope they feel afterwards. I hope that they will be inspired, encouraged, and challenged by the journeys that the characters go on and the questions that those journeys raise. I hope that the relationships in the book—the friendships and the mentorships and the sibling relationships too—will mean something to them and encourage them to build into the people in their own lives. I hope that they will seek to embody the heart and the hope and the endurance in the face of overwhelming odds that they see in this story, and that most of all, they will know that they are not alone.
I rarely have a very succinct takeaway in mind for readers when they read my books. For me, it’s more about the experience of the story and how I hope they feel afterwards. I hope that they will be inspired, encouraged, and challenged by the journeys that the characters go on and the questions that those journeys raise. I hope that the relationships in the book—the friendships and the mentorships and the sibling relationships too—will mean something to them and encourage them to build into the people in their own lives. I hope that they will seek to embody the heart and the hope and the endurance in the face of overwhelming odds that they see in this story, and that most of all, they will know that they are not alone.
#5. How did you name your characters?
When I’m developing a character, I don’t typically start with the name. I start by trying to figure out what type of person they are, what their personality and quirks are, what role they play in the story, what culture or background they come from. Once I have a sense for that, I’ll visit baby name websites. I particularly like the ones where you can search based on a specific letter of the alphabet or on cultural origins, and then because I write fantasy, sometimes I start with a name and then mess with it a bit. Maybe I like the sound of a specific name but it doesn’t quite fit my world. So I might try tweaking the name to see if I can make it work. It is a process, but it’s fun! And then I love developing naming patterns for the different cultures in my storyworld. So, Ceridwen comes from a culture that honors warriors and remembers their names in songs and tales. So their names tends to be a bit longer and more rhythmic, and instead of a family name, they use a form of patrynomic and matrynomic naming systems, which means they go by their given name along with the name of either their father or mother. So Ceridwen goes by either Ceridwen tal Desmond (the name of her father) or Ceridwen tor Nimid (the name of her mother). In contrast, Rafi lives among the three Que tribes which tend to stick with shorter one syllable or, at most, two syllable names. They track ancestral lines in different ways, but typically the tribe they came from is more important than a familial name. So, they’ll be known as Umut of the Hanonque or Nef of the Mahque, that sort of thing. It’s those sorts of fun, nerdy things that I particularly enjoy developing as a fantasy author.
When I’m developing a character, I don’t typically start with the name. I start by trying to figure out what type of person they are, what their personality and quirks are, what role they play in the story, what culture or background they come from. Once I have a sense for that, I’ll visit baby name websites. I particularly like the ones where you can search based on a specific letter of the alphabet or on cultural origins, and then because I write fantasy, sometimes I start with a name and then mess with it a bit. Maybe I like the sound of a specific name but it doesn’t quite fit my world. So I might try tweaking the name to see if I can make it work. It is a process, but it’s fun! And then I love developing naming patterns for the different cultures in my storyworld. So, Ceridwen comes from a culture that honors warriors and remembers their names in songs and tales. So their names tends to be a bit longer and more rhythmic, and instead of a family name, they use a form of patrynomic and matrynomic naming systems, which means they go by their given name along with the name of either their father or mother. So Ceridwen goes by either Ceridwen tal Desmond (the name of her father) or Ceridwen tor Nimid (the name of her mother). In contrast, Rafi lives among the three Que tribes which tend to stick with shorter one syllable or, at most, two syllable names. They track ancestral lines in different ways, but typically the tribe they came from is more important than a familial name. So, they’ll be known as Umut of the Hanonque or Nef of the Mahque, that sort of thing. It’s those sorts of fun, nerdy things that I particularly enjoy developing as a fantasy author.
More from Gillian
One of my favorite things about writing epic fantasy is not actually what you might expect. It’s not the fantastical elements, although I absolutely love creating worlds filled with magical warhorses, sosswyrm tangles, and stone-eye tigers who can paralyze their prey with a glance. It’s not the intensity of the action or the world altering stakes, although there’s nothing quite so thrilling as throwing your characters into a do-or-die situation, and the pulse-pounding, breathtaking, heart-aching battle sequences that follow.
Instead, one of my favorite things about writing such wild and epic stories is the opportunity to ground them in very real, very human characters, with very real, very human emotions, and in the complexity of those characters’ relationships with others. Mentor relationships, deeply loyal friendships, and especially sibling relationships.
I am the second-born of five siblings, and I love and admire each of my siblings. Each one encourages and inspires and awes me in his or her own unique way. But growing up, if you had told me that my older sister had hung the moon, I would have believed you. She was two and a half years older than me—and yes, that half year mattered to both of us, though for opposite reasons; she because it meant she was that much older, me because it meant we were that much closer. Somehow, everything she touched seemed golden, and I wanted to be a part of it too.
She was a force of nature—a foaming ocean tide—and I was caught up in her wake.
She took up horseback riding, and so did I. She picked up books, and I had to read them too, even if it meant sitting beside her in the car with my own book open on my lap, surreptitiously reading hers over her shoulder. (Needless to say, that drove her crazy, and older siblings everywhere can probably commiserate.)
She dove into creative writing, and out of nowhere, I developed a passion for the written word. But always, within her, there was this spark of imagination and creativity that I felt I could only ever aspire to. Whatever I did, she had done first and better.
And I could only hope to one day achieve her level of greatness.
Rafi, one of the main characters in Of Sea and Smoke, also has an older sibling, a brother he has always looked up to. While Rafi and his relationship with his brother is not based on my relationship with my older sister—we’re all four of us wildly different people—there were some aspects of my experience as a second-born that I was able to draw upon. Rafi admires his brother’s strength and confidence. His assurance and rightness. His nobility and leadership. By the time we enter the story, his older brother is no longer around, but Rafi has spent his whole life setting his brother up on a pedestal and then trying to measure up to that ideal.
Is it any wonder, then, that he has always found himself wanting?
Now, Rafi finds himself having to step into the role that should have been his brother’s, and the only way he can contemplate facing that challenge is by stamping out the things he looks down upon in himself—many of them, the things that make him himself—and trying to be his brother instead.
Growing up, I can’t tell you how many times I looked at my older sister and wished that I could be more like her and less like myself. More confident. More brilliant. More vibrant. More her. But it wasn’t until my older sister’s interests began to drift into new additional avenues, while mine stayed mostly the same (horses, books, writing), that I finally began to grow into myself. To recognize my strengths, my unique skills, the things that only I bring to the table, and to acknowledge that even when they are different from hers, they are still good.
These days, my older sister and I are best friends. She was the first person I trusted to read Of Sea and Smoke before it went out into the world. I still look up to her in so many ways, and yes, I think I’ll always feel a bit like she hung the moon. But I have grown to appreciate the beauty of what I can learn from my sister’s strengths, while also recognizing the value of my own. And without revealing any spoilers, I think I can safely say that part of Rafi’s journey in Of Sea and Smoke wraps around learning that too, all while he’s raising a band of rebel fighters, trying to outwit an infamous assassin, and plotting to overthrow the empire’s oppressive rule.
Wild, epic stories, grounded in real, human experiences, and honestly, can reading get any more fun than that?
I hope you enjoy the ride!
Gillian Bronte Adams
Instead, one of my favorite things about writing such wild and epic stories is the opportunity to ground them in very real, very human characters, with very real, very human emotions, and in the complexity of those characters’ relationships with others. Mentor relationships, deeply loyal friendships, and especially sibling relationships.
I am the second-born of five siblings, and I love and admire each of my siblings. Each one encourages and inspires and awes me in his or her own unique way. But growing up, if you had told me that my older sister had hung the moon, I would have believed you. She was two and a half years older than me—and yes, that half year mattered to both of us, though for opposite reasons; she because it meant she was that much older, me because it meant we were that much closer. Somehow, everything she touched seemed golden, and I wanted to be a part of it too.
She was a force of nature—a foaming ocean tide—and I was caught up in her wake.
She took up horseback riding, and so did I. She picked up books, and I had to read them too, even if it meant sitting beside her in the car with my own book open on my lap, surreptitiously reading hers over her shoulder. (Needless to say, that drove her crazy, and older siblings everywhere can probably commiserate.)
She dove into creative writing, and out of nowhere, I developed a passion for the written word. But always, within her, there was this spark of imagination and creativity that I felt I could only ever aspire to. Whatever I did, she had done first and better.
And I could only hope to one day achieve her level of greatness.
Rafi, one of the main characters in Of Sea and Smoke, also has an older sibling, a brother he has always looked up to. While Rafi and his relationship with his brother is not based on my relationship with my older sister—we’re all four of us wildly different people—there were some aspects of my experience as a second-born that I was able to draw upon. Rafi admires his brother’s strength and confidence. His assurance and rightness. His nobility and leadership. By the time we enter the story, his older brother is no longer around, but Rafi has spent his whole life setting his brother up on a pedestal and then trying to measure up to that ideal.
Is it any wonder, then, that he has always found himself wanting?
Now, Rafi finds himself having to step into the role that should have been his brother’s, and the only way he can contemplate facing that challenge is by stamping out the things he looks down upon in himself—many of them, the things that make him himself—and trying to be his brother instead.
Growing up, I can’t tell you how many times I looked at my older sister and wished that I could be more like her and less like myself. More confident. More brilliant. More vibrant. More her. But it wasn’t until my older sister’s interests began to drift into new additional avenues, while mine stayed mostly the same (horses, books, writing), that I finally began to grow into myself. To recognize my strengths, my unique skills, the things that only I bring to the table, and to acknowledge that even when they are different from hers, they are still good.
These days, my older sister and I are best friends. She was the first person I trusted to read Of Sea and Smoke before it went out into the world. I still look up to her in so many ways, and yes, I think I’ll always feel a bit like she hung the moon. But I have grown to appreciate the beauty of what I can learn from my sister’s strengths, while also recognizing the value of my own. And without revealing any spoilers, I think I can safely say that part of Rafi’s journey in Of Sea and Smoke wraps around learning that too, all while he’s raising a band of rebel fighters, trying to outwit an infamous assassin, and plotting to overthrow the empire’s oppressive rule.
Wild, epic stories, grounded in real, human experiences, and honestly, can reading get any more fun than that?
I hope you enjoy the ride!
Gillian Bronte Adams
 Gillian Bronte Adams | Gillian Bronte Adams writes epic fantasy novels, including the award- winning Of Fire and Ash and The Songkeeper Chronicles. She loves strong coffee, desert hikes, and trying out new soup recipes on crisp fall nights. Her favorite books are the ones that make your heart ache and soar in turn. When she’s not creating vibrant new worlds or dreaming up stories that ring with the echoes of eternity, she can be found off chasing sunsets with her horse, or her dog, Took. |
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Gillian is giving away the grand prize of
a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card and hardcover copy of the book!!
a $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card and hardcover copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
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By The Book, December 14 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, December 14
Fiction Book Lover, December 15 (Author Interview)
Through the Fire Blogs, December 3 (Author Interview)
Labor Not in Vain, December 3
Texas Book-aholic, December 4
Artistic Nobody, December 5 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, December 6
Guild Master, December 7 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 8
Blossoms and Blessings, December 9 (Author Interview)
Blogging With Carol, December 10
Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 11 (Author Interview)
Simple Harvest Reads, December 12 (Guest Review from Mindy)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 13 (Author Interview)
By The Book, December 14 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, December 14
Fiction Book Lover, December 15 (Author Interview)
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