Q&A with Lily Crozier

  

 

 

Lily Crozier is the author of the new novel Vow of Eternal Night. She lives in Sydney, Australia. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Vow of Eternal Night, and how did you create your character Clara?

 

A: Vow of Eternal Night was ultimately the vampire book I’d always wanted to read.

 

While I was working as a bookseller, I always kept an eye out for a gothic, historical vampire romance but never found quite the right fit. Historical vampires with traditional lore tended to be found in horror, while romantic vampires were either found in high fantasy settings and lost our lore, or were set in modern-day paranormal settings.

 

A few years ago I lamented all this to my sister and wondered aloud why there wasn’t something like a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a vampire as the beast, and suddenly had my idea!

 

Clara was the very first part of the story to come to me. I knew straight away that the book would be in first person, and that her name would be Clara (named after Clara in The Nutcracker, mostly because I’d always wanted to name a character Clara!).

 

I started by writing vignettes in her perspective about her home and her hatred for the vampire who destroyed it, and quickly built a sense for her character.  

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Clara and your character Raleigh?

 

A: Depends on what point in their relationship we’re looking at! Throughout the book they go from enemies (she hates him, he hates her father), to reluctant allies, to lovers, with Clara being the more reluctant of the two.

 

Clara gets exasperated by Raleigh, so there’s a fair amount of playful bickering between them! But by the end of the book they’re both very protective of each other, and both are equally prepared to risk themselves to save the other.

 

I’d also say Black Cat x Golden Retriever sums it up pretty nicely! (Raleigh being the golden retriever).

 

Q: The author Olivia O’Flynn called the novel a “deliciously undead twist on a classic fairytale...” What do you think of that description?

 

A: It’s pretty accurate! My goal with Vow of Eternal Night was to write a Beauty and the Beast retelling with a vampire in the role of the beast, so a deliciously undead twist is right on the money!

 

In the end VoEN leans towards being more of a loose retelling, drawing from multiple versions of the story as it’s been told over time (including Psyche and Eros), but at its heart it will always be inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

 

Q: How did you create the world in which the story is set?

 

A: I knew right away that I wanted Vow of Eternal Night to be set around Austria or Germany. At the very start I wrote with Austria in mind as the setting—with Raleigh as a lesser noble—but the more I researched and got a better sense for Raleigh’s role in society I knew Rostenburg had to become a principality with Raleigh as sovereign.  

 

I ended up setting Rostenburg in the mountains between what is now Upper Austria and Bavaria, which also meant it fell under the domain of the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburgs.

 

For the most part Rostenburg draws culturally from the regions around it, but I’ve sprinkled hints throughout the book to suggest it was a little more culturally independent before their sovereign disappeared for 300 years (Raleigh’s non-German name is one of them!).

 

Orlfen itself is inspired in part by Lus-la-Croix-Haute in France, which is also a village surrounded by mountains, although there’s neither a castle on the mountain nor a vampire prince!

 

The city of Triz is inspired by a mix of Zurich, Salzburg and a town in France I visited as a child that’s covered in cobbles and steep stairways, but I don’t remember what it was called!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m still keeping the details fairly close to my chest for now, but it’ll ideally be a trilogy, this time set in an entirely different world. It’s still romantasy, but the stakes are higher, there’s a lot more magic, and the world is inspired by the late 1800s/early 1900s. I’ve also dialled the pining up by several magnitudes!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: As you read Vow of Eternal Night you may notice occasional mentions of the empire’s stance on vampires. These are historical Easter eggs and actually based on fact!

 

Most people think Bram Stoker created the vampire as we know it when he wrote Dracula, but modern European vampire folklore actually originated much earlier.

 

In the early-to-mid-18th century, there was a surge in strange happenings attributed to vampires around Germany, Austria, and Hungary, and they were generally believed to be real. In fact, one of the books I read while researching for Vow of Eternal Night was actually written in this era!

 

In the end Empress Maria-Theresa officially declared vampires not to exist, and outlawed vampire hunting.

 

Later, Lord Byron—in the same contest that gave us Frankenstein—based his vampire story on this folklore, which in turn led to Polidori’s The Vampyre, and so on until Stoker wrote Dracula at the end of the 19th century.  

 

You obviously don’t need to know any of that to enjoy Vow of Eternal Night—it’s meant to be an escapist vampire romance!—but if anyone knows a bit about the era going in, you may notice some little hints I’ve sprinkled in to show how that affected the people of Rostenburg.  

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Clara Rhodes

  

Photo by Megan Jeffery

 

Clara Rhodes is the author of the new novel The Bone Dagger. She is also a nurse. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Bone Dagger, and how did you create your character Helaina?

 

A: The Bone Dagger came from a deep love for fantasy books that helped me navigate a very intense time of grief. I lost both my siblings to suicide, the most recent being in 2024.

 

Fantasy books were a wonderful space for me to connect with characters who overcame unimaginable hardship and I wanted to create my own story that gave readers that same mental escape and hope to get past difficult times in their everyday life.

 

My main character, Helaina, was inspired by my own gritty journey through grief. She is by no means a direct reflection of myself but her dilemma of whether to stay stagnant and do nothing, or fight back against those that cost her so much was a parallel to my own decision.

 

Whether to take hold of the power she was cursed with, or stay stuck in her self-loathing was a very deliberate choice. I think she is relatable in her weakness, and admirable in the strength she discovers.

 

I also couldn’t help but make her a healer in some way, due to my own nursing background. I wanted to include some minor medical elements in my fantasy world because of my love for my career as a nurse. 

 

Q: I'm so sorry about the loss of your siblings...

 

How did you create the world in which the story is set?

 

A: The world came from a few different inspirations. Specifically, Elkron came from my love for A Court of Thorns and Roses and the trials that took place under the mountain. I loved the idea of a fortress/stronghold being located underground, so I knew I wanted a bulk of the story to take place in a labyrinth of caves.

 

The magic system between gods and mortals was strongly influenced by Greek mythology.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Yes! The last chapter has remained the same since the beginning. I knew I wanted this story to be written as a duology, so the ending to book one was very important. And I really wanted book one to go out with a bang. I wanted the readers to cheer for our female main character, but also be left wondering if her fate is decided, or will she change it?

 

I did know early on that I wanted Helaina to find peace in her loss in a small way. So her trial towards the end remains one of my favorite scenes. That scene I edited multiple times to get it exactly right.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: Amongst the many themes, I think my main take away for the series is that love came first. Before grief and heartache, there was love, even when it's very hard to remember.

 

I want readers to enjoy the lore and adventure my story offers, but most importantly I want it to send a message of hope, that one day when healing can set in, grief fades if you let it.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Currently, working on the best possible version of Book 2 of The Out of Darkness Series is top priority. I am also about halfway complete with another fantasy book that deals in dreams and those with the power to manipulate our imaginations.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I think those that enjoyed The Bone Dagger’s world building and magic will be pleased with the direction Book 2 takes. There are unexpected twists, and it delivers high on romance and action just like The Bone Dagger. I am very excited to share it next year, July 2027!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Katherine Marie

  

 

 

Katherine Marie is the author of the new book High Five Your Spirit Guides. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Q: What inspired you to write High Five Your Spirit Guides?

 

A: High Five Your Spirit Guides came about through a series of small synchronicities and moments of intuition.

 

If someone had asked me even a year ago if I would be promoting a book I wrote and published about spirit guides and higher connection, I would have thought they were talking crazy. I come from a technology background where things are very fact-based, so embracing my spiritual side was a challenge.

 

When I started to see beyond mere coincidences and question whether there was more going on in a spiritual sense, I looked for books and didn’t find anything quite right. I wanted something very straightforward, yet thorough, and finally, I worked with my spirit guides and wrote the book I wished I had at the beginning.

 

Q: You write, “This isn’t a book that demands belief. This is a book that asks for openness.” Can you say more about that?

 

A: I put “This isn’t a book that demands belief. This is a book that asks for openness” in the introduction because I wanted to start the book by letting readers know it’s okay to be skeptical and to question intuition, guidance, and spiritual connection. I personally have doubts at times.

 

The way to work past the doubt is to set it aside and be open to the possibilities. Trust what you are feeling rather than dismiss it. Analyze the signs you are seeing instead of explaining them away.

 

High Five Your Spirit Guides introduces many concepts that may take some getting used to, and I want the reader to think about them rather than rely on blind faith.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The title High Five Your Spirit Guides came to me out of nowhere. I knew I was going to write a book about intuition, connection, and spirit guides, but hadn’t even written the first word when the image of high fiving my spirit team came to me.

 

I grew up playing sports, and this gesture really signifies connection and teamwork. It seemed the perfect way to convey the central theme of the book in an engaging way, and that is, you are not alone. You have support and a loving presence around you.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write this book, and what do you hope readers take away from it?

 

A: Writing High Five Your Spirit Guides was a complete 180 from anything I focused on in the past. It was part of a much larger spiritual awakening where I learned to trust the nudges and believe the signs are real.

 

As I went through the process of creating the book, my relationship with my spirit guides grew astronomically, and my ability to use my intuition became much stronger. There has been a significant shift in my life overall.

 

I hope that readers can use the book to help begin or to continue their own spiritual journey and awakening. These are challenging times, and many people feel isolated and lonely. My book can help with that by guiding the reader to the loving support system that has been with them all along.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have a couple of projects in the works and will release a second book early next year focusing on similar themes of intuition and connection.

 

My book High Five Your Spirit Guides is simply the beginning of what I hope will be a long, meaningful career sharing what I learn and spreading enlightenment where I can for many years to come.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Aug. 24

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Aug. 24, 1899: Jorge Luis Borges born.

Q&A with Kate Messner

  

Photo by Andy Duback

 

 

Kate Messner is the author of the new middle grade book History Smashers: The Space Race, the latest in her History Smashers series. She lives on Lake Champlain. 

 

Q: What inspired you to focus on the space race in your new History Smashers book?

A: History Smashers: The Space Race is the 14th title in our myth-busting history series, so I’ve been lucky enough to share these books with thousands of kids in their schools and libraries. Readers love to hear the stories behind my research, and they’re also full of ideas for what topics the series should tackle next.

 

The Space Race and the Cold War have both come up so many times in our Q&A sessions that I knew kids would be fascinated by this period in history, and the renewed fascination in space exploration surrounding the Artemis II Mission only makes that spark stronger.

 

Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?

A: When I’m doing research for the History Smashers series, I always lean heavily on primary source material, and fortunately there’s no shortage of that when it comes to the Space Race.

 

What surprised me most was information that came from some fairly recently declassified documents that revealed just how deeply German space scientists like Wernher von Braun were involved in Hitler’s Nazi government. 

 

When I’m dealing with more recent history in this series, I also love to interview current experts in the field. I visit lots of specialized research libraries and museums, and for this book, I was also able to tour NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and interview then-director Dr. Laurie Leshin, who was the first woman to lead JPL and shared some great insights about the role of failure in space exploration.

 

Q: What do you think Falynn Koch’s illustrations add to the book?

A: Falynn is an absolutely incredible comic artist, and I’m so lucky that I get to work with her on this series (along with Dylan Meconis, who illustrated the first three books and has been doing the covers since the series began). 

 

A lot of people don’t realize how much research goes into illustrating nonfiction books for kids, but Falynn is constantly checking reference photos and researching historical details to make sure the art is as accurate as the text.

 

She’s also brilliant when it comes to the humor of this series (like in the sidebar called “A Wee Problem” about the day Alan Shepard peed his spacesuit just before he became the first American in space.)

 

Q: What are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about the space race?

A: A lot of people don’t realize that after World War II, the United States imported Nazi rocket scientists to kickstart the American space program. (The US/Soviet Space Race actually began with a literal race through Germany to search out those scientists as the war ended!) 

 

And you know that famous moon landing photo? Most people who see it assume they’re looking at Neil Armstrong, who was the first person to walk on the moon. But it's actually his fellow astronaut, Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong was behind the camera taking the photo (though you can see him in the reflection on Aldrin’s helmet if you look carefully!).

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: The great thing about a series like History Smashers is that when kids fall in love with it, they absolutely fly through the books, so I’m always working on the next one.

 

I’m currently wrapping up edits for History Smashers: Wildfires, which comes out in 2027, and I just turned in my manuscript for History Smashers: Olympics, which comes out in 2028, just in time for the Summer Games in Los Angeles.

 

I also have a new novel coming in February – a Broadway ghost story called Keep the Ghost Light On. It’s about three kids who break into a shuttered Broadway theater to rehearse their own play and find it haunted by the ghost of an angry showgirl who follows one of them home.

 

It’s written partly in musical theater scenes, directed by the ghost, and readers will be able to listen to the songs online as they read. The first one is already available at bit.ly/ktglo.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I think you’ve got everything covered – thanks so much for the conversation!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Ricardo Santa Cruz

  

Photo by Mary Sasso

 

 

Ricardo Santa Cruz is the author of the new children's picture book The Boy and His Higher Self. He also has written the picture book My First Day of School. He is an entrepreneur, and he lives in Xala, Mexico.

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Boy and His Higher Self?

 

A: Honestly, I never set out to write a children’s book. This story came to life in the most unexpected way. My mentor at the time had given me an open-ended writing exercise — no rules, no format, just an invitation to explore and get to know my true self more deeply.

 

One evening, I sat down, and the words simply poured out of me. Thirty minutes later, the book was written. It wasn’t planned or plotted — it was felt. Looking back, I believe it came through me rather than from me.

 

That experience alone taught me something profound: when you’re connected to your higher self, creativity flows in ways you never imagined possible.

 

Q: What do you think Yuko Kondo’s illustrations add to the story?

 

A: Yuko’s illustrations are nothing short of magical. The higher self is an abstract, deeply personal concept — even adults struggle to grasp it. What Yuko managed to do was give it a face, a warmth, and a presence that children can immediately feel and relate to.

 

His art doesn’t just decorate the story — it completes it. When a child looks at those pages, they don’t need to intellectually understand what the higher self is. They feel it. And that feeling is everything.

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between the boy and his higher self?

 

A: It mirrors what most of us experience in real life. In the beginning, the boy feels alone — disconnected from something he can’t quite name but somehow senses is there. That quiet inner voice feels distant, even foreign.

 

But as he begins to slow down, listen, and tune inward, he discovers something remarkable: his higher self was never gone. It had been with him all along, patiently waiting.

 

That relationship becomes the ultimate friendship — one built on trust, guidance, and unconditional care. The higher self isn’t a judge or a critic. It’s the wisest, most loving part of who we are, always pointing us toward our best path.

 

Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?

 

A: I want every child who reads this book to walk away knowing one simple but life-changing truth: that voice inside of you is real. Don’t ignore it. Don’t let the noise of the world drown it out. Nurture it. Pay attention to it every single day.

 

Because no matter how lost or alone you might feel at any point in your life, your higher self is always there — always in your corner, always guiding you home. You are never truly alone. If children can hold onto that truth, it will serve them for the rest of their lives.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m putting the finishing touches on my first adult book, and I’m genuinely excited and a little vulnerable about it. It’s a deeply personal story about reaching what the world would call the pinnacle of success — and realizing it wasn’t enough.

 

At the height of my career, I had built companies, developed world-class real estate projects, and achieved financial freedom. And yet something was profoundly missing. Through years of inner work, I came to understand that my life had been running on an invisible program — beliefs, patterns, and conditioning I had never chosen consciously.

 

The book is about the journey of seeing that program clearly for the first time, breaking free from it, and discovering what real fulfillment actually feels like. It’s the book I wish someone had handed me earlier on in my life.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: For most of my life, I defined myself by my achievements. I built a healthcare company at 25, pivoted into luxury real estate development, and poured everything I had into building things of significance.

 

But in chasing success, I lost touch with the most important thing — myself. It took years of dedicated inner work with a mentor I deeply trust to find my way back.

 

Writing these children’s books has been both joyful and meaningful. I believe that the messages in these stories — about self-worth, inner guidance, and knowing you are never alone — are things every child needs to hear.

 

And what makes this even more special is that every single dollar from the sale of these books goes directly to charity, supporting programs that help underprivileged children build self-esteem, confidence, and a strong sense of who they are.

 

Success taught me a lot. But coming home to myself taught me everything.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. This Q&A was prepared in collaboration with Ricardo Santa Cruz. Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of three book sets, each featuring both The Boy and His Higher Self and My First Day of School.  

Aug. 21

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Aug. 21, 1937: Robert Stone born.