SHIP OF THE STOLEN PRINCESS

AUTHOR Q&A

How did you come up with the idea for Ship of the Stolen Princess?

This sounds so silly, and kind of wishy-washy, but this idea came to me so strangely. If you’ve ever seen Twilight, you’ll remember the scene where the ‘bad’ vampires appear during the Cullen’s baseball game. They come striding out of the mist in slow motion looking all cool and mysterious - well this story came to me in the same way. I was in bed one night trying to fall asleep, and I literally saw in my mind this crew of female pirates walking out of the mist. Their faces were blurred, I had no idea who they were - but I needed to find out! I started thinking more about it the next day, and the story was born from there.

How long did it take to write the book?

So I originally began this book back in 2018, and I drafted most of it during the NaNoWriMo of that year. I finished editing it during 2020 - and then it just sat on my computer for a long time after that. Fast forward to the end of 2023, and I finally opened up the manuscript again and decided to publish it. I finished polishing it up at the end of 2023/ start of 2024 and then it was finished. As far as books go, from start to finish this one took me 5ish years, but that was with a huge break in between.

Do you have any favourite scenes?

I really love all of the quieter scenes with Cresseida and the Swabbies in the kitchen. Those are always such small moments in the overall story, but are filled with such love, humour and tenderness that they were really nice to write. I think my favourite scene in the book overall is the party scene (with the fireflies and dancing).

What was the most difficult thing about writing the book?

Honestly, without giving spoilers - the ending. I had the ending in mind before I ever started writing this book, but once I got to know these characters - and fell in love with them - the ending was extra hard to write. If you’ve read it, you’ll know why.

Is Etharia inspired by the real world?

Yes and no. I took inspiration from real-world countries, towns, and peoples - but everyone and everything in Etharia are entirely fictional.

Who is your favourite character to write in this book?

Again, this came as a surprise, but the answer to this is probably Adrien. I didn’t realise how funny he was going to be, and he brings a lightness to any scene that was such a pleasure to write. I often found myself laughing at his lines during my editing and proofreading. I’m also a big fan of Kit. He has my heart.

Do you have an ending in mind for the trilogy already?

Yes I do. The pathway there is still a little murky in places, but I know where this series is going . I know where every single character will end up, who lives and who dies, and I even know what the final chapter will be.

No spoilers - but what can we expect from Book 2?

Book 2 will pick up almost instantly from where this one leaves off, with the characters trying to process the final events in Ship of the Stolen Princess and where they should go from here. I will say that the second book takes us to a brand new location, and introduces us to some new characters that I can’t wait to have on the page.