TBR: Claire Winn

About the Author: Claire Winn

What would you like readers to know about you?

Hi! I’m an author and legal writer who cosplays, LARPs, and plays video games in my spare time. I wrote the Requiem Dark duology, which started with City of Shattered Light in 2021 and concludes with City of Vicious Night in May 2023 (though we also have a spinoff novella, One Last Midnight, coming this fall). I love writing vivid, fast-paced sci-fi and fantasy with fierce female leads and plenty of queer characters.

What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?

Ooh, lots. I have playlists that fit the vibes of certain scenes and character moments—the songs that encapsulate the energy I hope to bring to the page. When I’m working through the proseand more technical aspects, I tend to listen to more ambient and lower-key music.

I have a number of songs that really fit the Requiem Dark series—a few that stand out:

• Trouble’s Coming by Royal Blood (which I consider Riven’s theme)

• Takeover by Zardonic and the Qemists

• Blow by Eva Under Fire

• Dam Top (Borderlands 2 Soundtrack)

• Rather Die by Barns Courtney

• Prognosis by Blue Stahli

• Boys Wanna Be Her (Brooklyn Fire Retouch) by Peaches

• Hold Your Colour (Bi-Polar Remix) by Pendulum

• Capture by Daniel Deluxe

• Desperado by Rihanna

• Fire, Ready, Aim by Green Day

• Generate by Eric Prydz

Also, the game Cyberpunk 2077 dropped just after I’d finished final developmental edits for CoSL in 2020, so I listened to its soundtrack during the drafting process for the second book (try Kill the Messenger or Streetfighters).

What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?

The book that made me want to become an author was probably Eragon (which I read as a teen, even though I wouldn’t start writing in earnest until years later). This book was the first epic fantasy I ever read, and I was obsessed—it gave me the itch to create sprawling fantasy worlds. A few years later, Tithe by Holly Black was my gateway to darker and more mature sci-fi and fantasy, and I’d never read anything like it.

About the Book: City of Vicious Night

What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?

The first book, City of Shattered Light, was pitched as Guardians of the Galaxy meets Escape from New York. It’s a YA cyberpunk thriller, in which runaway heiress Asa must ally with gunslinging smuggler Riven and her crew to survive the galaxy's most dangerous city. When an A.I. monster locks down the city's circuits in pursuit of Asa, the crew must contend with underworld factions and bounty hunters to escape before the city goes dark forever.

The sequel, City of Vicious Night, raises the stakes and explores the city in greater depth, while intensifying character backstories and relationships. When a saboteur seeking personal vengeance against Riven and Asa begins turning other street gangs against the crew, their only hope of surviving another night in their outlaw city is to steal a crime-syndicate throne—but they soon discover a deeper conspiracy threatening their entire city.

What has been your inspiration for writing it?

The first book started with the idea of a runaway space-princess on a rickety transit ship, concealing her identity and the alien organ in her backpack. The story originally began there, and I was intrigued to find out who she was and where she came from. Riven was my concept for her complete opposite—a coarse space cowgirl inspired by Doc Holliday. The final major piece began with wondering what kind of damage a superhacker could wreak in a world where everything was connected and hackable. What if they were pursuing you? What if you couldn’t leave the city? The conflict sprang from there.

Then I wanted to play around with a gritty-and-glowing cyberpunk world, and kept dreaming up places and people that might exist in the city. I discovered the rest as I drafted—and it took a few drafts to really discover the characters—but I’m very happy with how it all turned out.

The second book felt like a natural conclusion to the threads I’d laid out in the first book. It brings Riven’s and Asa’s arcs to the place I’d always envisioned, and explores the arc I always wanted for Ty. It’s also some deeper world-building and self-indulgent action in a glittery, dangerous world where most of the people in power are queer women.

What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?

So many pieces of City of Vicious Night are conclusions to threads I placed in the first book. I loved writing the continuation of Ty’s story (and the grittiness of his character arc), the culmination of Riven & Asa’s romance, the complicated lore of Requiem, and more unhinged banter among the main team. This is even more of a found-family book than the first, since I had the chance to grow the relationships established in the first book and test the characters’ bonds through higher-stakes conflicts.

I really loved getting to explore Kaya more as a character, too. She was removed from the action for most of the first book, and in this book she’s truly a member of the team. There’s another unlikely team member in there, too 😊

Where can your book be purchased?

Wherever books are sold! Select stores will have it on shelves Tuesday, but it’ll be available in ebook and print online, and the audiobook will release in mid-July.

To the Future Writer:

What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?

Start writing for yourself first. Writing a book is a long, uncertain, and lonely path, and the only guaranteed fan you’ll ever have—and the one spending the most time with the story—is you. Plus, a story you’re passionate about will feel authentic, and it means there’s a greater chance it’ll find readers who love it.

Also, connect with other writers at a similar stage in the process, with similar goals. You’ll be able to hone your own editing and writing skills, cheer each other on, and share insights you’re learning about the craft and the industry. Writer friends are invaluable throughout the journey.

What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.

I have in-person launch events on Tuesday May 23rd at Schuler Books in Lansing, MI, and on Friday May 26th at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI. I’ll also be at Farmington Author & Book Festival on June 3rd. I’m currently working on coordinating potential out-of-state events, but we’ll see!

I do have a short spinoff novella One Last Midnight coming this fall as an ebook. It’s two new short stories that take place months after City of Vicious Night—one story is about bounty hunter Morphett getting her revenge (with the help of a reluctant ally), and the other is about Kaya wrapping up some loose threads from the duology’s aftermath. It’s a lot of fun, and I’m so glad I got to write it.

Where can we find you:

Twitter - @Atomic_Pixie

Instagram - @clairewinnauthor

Facebook - @clairewinnauthor

Website – clairewinn.com

Others – TikTok - @clairewinnauthor

What’s on your TBR list?

Current read – Little Thieves by Margaret Owen

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn—a preorder that I somehow haven’t gotten around to yet!

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – loved Mexican Gothic, and this Mexico City-based urban fantasy/cyberpunk sounds all kinds of delightful.

This is How You Lose the Time War – it’s been on my e-reader forever, but I think Bigolas Dickolas has convinced me to read it (iykyk).

Jade War/Jade Legacy – really loved Jade City and need to finish the series!