Tropes:
fae, reverse portal travel, ancient magic, forbidden love, secrets revealed
What happens when a fae needs the help of a mortal? The unique timber of The Elderwood is the backbone of Lucy’s family legacy, and she always thought she’d follow in her brothers’ footsteps and join the family business. When an arranged marriage threatens to shatter her careful plans for her future, she flees to the mysterious, endangered Elderwood, determined to prove to everyone that she’s more than just a pawn who happens to be fae. She can’t save The Elderwood alone, though. Stranded in the mortal realm, Lucy must convince Micah to help her. Unfortunately, he’s mortal and could care less about her and her quest. Micah doesn’t believe in love or magic. Why should he when life dealt him this hand? But when Lucy discovers Micah is the key to everything, she must convince him to help her before it’s too late.
How long have you been writing?
- I’ve been writing since 2022. I have always been an avid reader and creating characters and new worlds has always come second nature to me. One day I just had this small little idea in my mind, and it kept growing and growing so I knew I had to chase after it. I had to see it through to find out what happened.
What gets you in the mood to write?
- To get in the mood to write I need lots of caffeine, comfortable pants, and a quiet space.
What is your creative ‘process?’
- I am generally a planner, so I dive deep into the story and figure out what makes my characters tick, find out what journey they will be on and why, and how they are able to grow and thrive. After writing notes on all of the major plot points, the big scenes I need to include and how my characters grow and change, I use my notes to start writing. More often than not things change as I learn more about my characters and how they interact with the world, but it just makes it more exciting to write.
Who do you look up to most in this profession and why?
There are so many amazing indie authors who have helped me along the way. I can honestly say there are a handful of incredible authors who have supported me in all stages of my career and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
What’s one of your most recent five star books? you’ve read?
- A Game of Love and Betrayal by Elayna R Gallea
What is the most surprising thing about being an author?
- I feel like so many of my author friends are very introverted, yet as we need to market and get our books out there, we have to call on a lot of extrovert skills! I call myself an extroverted introvert, so I can dabble in both, but it can be so exhausting trying to do it all after putting our heart and soul into just writing the book! I wasn’t expecting it.
What’s something unique about yourself or your writing?
- My stories all touch on levels of grief. I lost my father and my sister in my early 20s and the pain of losing such close family was very difficult for me. My characters all experience grief and have to deal with it in different ways because it is important to me to break the taboo cycle of avoiding the hard conversations surrounding loss and pain. More than that, it’s important for other people who go through it to see characters they can relate to.
What is your favorite candy?
Snickers
Finish this sentence: “When she reached forward towards the doorknob ….
she hesitated, fearing she would not be prepared for what was on the other side.
What is one of your exciting upcoming ideas/themes for a project you haven’t started?
I am SO excited about my next series which will include blood magic, an evil queen, characters dealing with grief, and light and dark magic. It is going to be phenomenal.
Who is one of your favorite heroines and why?
I’ll always come back to Ella in Ella Enchanted because she saved her own damn self.
Who is one of your favorite villains and why?
I love the Asteri in the Crescent City series because they make themselves so untouchable and strong, it’s fun to see true evil that no one dares to challenge. That is, until they are challenged, then it’s even better.
Read Cassie Swindon’s Fairy Tale Flip series starting with A Little Mermaid gender reversal here. Axton, the hottie merman saves Eribelle during a storm and has to live with the consequences of rescuing his kinds’ enemy. Signed hardcovers available at The Signed Bookshop.
