About the Author: Emily Thiede
What would you like readers to know about you?
Everything I write is a buffet of emotions. When you read This Vicious Grace and This Cursed Light you're going to swoon, laugh, cry, and probably bite your nails, because I believe that complicated, messy characters who can't help making inappropriate jokes or flirting with their enemies during a crisis make for the best stories. After the last page, I want readers to put down their book with the kind of heartfelt sigh that reaches your toes because you ran the emotional gauntlet and came out the other side... and then I want them to flip back to page one because they can't wait to do it again.
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
I don't know if it's my ADHD or not, but I can't listen to anything with lyrics when I'm writing or I'll end up typing the lyrics instead, so I either write in silence or listen to instrumental movie scores from action/adventure movies, usually those written by the legendary composer John Williams.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
Too many to count, but Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows and Victoria Schwab's This Savage Song absolutely influenced the kind of stories I want to tell, with carefully crafted prose, compelling worlds, and characters who feel real to readers. And though they're old now and don't always hold up to current reader expectations, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern and Talent Series were so formative for younger me that I still see their influences in everything I write.
About the Book: This Vicious Grace
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
This Vicious Grace is about Alessa, a girl who was chosen by the gods to protect her Amalfi-coast inspired island from a recurrent apocalyptic invasion, but to do so, she needs to touch a partner and magnify their magic. Unfortunately for her (and worse for them) her first three partners did not survive the attempt. When her people begin to turn against her, she recruits Dante, a very grumpy outcast and street fighter, to become her temporary bodyguard. But Dante has dark secrets of his own, and he might be the one person who can help her master her gift... or take her down once and for all.
It's swoony, high-stakes, and action-packed, but also full of humor and banter, with a cast of misfits who find friendship and become a found family as danger looms.
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
The seed was probably planted years ago when I became fascinated by the contrast between Rogue and Wolverine in the original X-Men movie: A reluctant friendship between a grumpy outcast who shuns society because of his powers that should be a gift but have ruined his life, and a lonely girl desperate for love and community with a power that's preventing her from having either. As a teen who had moved across state lines in high school and knew how it felt to be isolated and desperate for a friend, I loved how formed an unbreakable bond in a lonely world and I knew there was more to explore there, so years later I decided to see if I could play with that dynamic in a fantasy world inspired by my favorite place on earth, the colorful, gorgeous Amalfi coast of Italy.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
My favorite thing to write is always banter, especially in those early stages where the characters don't quite trust each other yet but are warming up despite themselves. In This Vicious Grace, my favorite example of this is when a drinking game of truth or dare leads to unexpected hilarity and tenderness.
Where can your book be purchased?
This Vicious Grace and This Cursed Light are a completed duology out now and both books are available everywhere books are sold. This Vicious Grace was a Barnes and Noble YA Bookclub selection and an Indie Next Pick so I'm very fortunate that it can be found in most Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores and at thousands of Independent bookstores nationwide, as well as online just about everywhere. And, if you're bilingual or international, they're also published in the UK and Commonwealth, with translations out or forthcoming in German, Italian, Romanian, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Turkish, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and French.
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Draft freely and without shame, as if no one will ever read it, then be willing to shift your mindset completely when it's time to revise, and seek out constructive critique and feedback that will push you to grow as a writer. Just like every great athlete needs coaches and trainers who critique their form and offer suggestions so they can improve, no author writes a perfect book the first time. Critique partners, agents, editors, etc, are there to give feedback, not because they want to hurt your feelings but because that's how you develop as a writer so you can make your stories as good as possible!
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
This Cursed Light was my last book under contract, so while I'm working on a few new ideas that I hope will be picked up for publication, the future of my publication journey remains a mystery for now! I actually just returned from a wonderful book convention called Love Y'All Bookfest in Atlanta, GA, though, and I will be moderating a panel at the Virginia Festival of the Book in March.
Where can we find you:
Twitter- @ektwrites
Instagram- @ektwrites
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ekthiede/
Website- www.ekthiede.com
Others- @ektwrites across platforms