Jacqueline White is the author of the new novel Souls in Ruin, the first in a series.
Q: What inspired you to write Souls in Ruin, and how did you create your character Mireille?
A: Souls in Ruin actually came to me in a dream!
I remember watching, almost like a fly on the wall, as a woman reached through the bars of her dungeon cell to hold the hand of the prisoner beside her. I didn't know who either of them were, why they were imprisoned, or what had brought them to that moment, but there was something so hauntingly intimate about it that I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Mireille really grew from that single moment. I knew I wanted to write a heroine whose strength wasn't measured by how much power she possessed or how easily she could overcome her circumstances, but by her determination to hold on to herself when everything around her was trying to strip that away.
I also wanted her to feel heartbreakingly human. She's stubborn, compassionate, angry, occasionally naive, and sometimes makes decisions that aren't necessarily in her best interest. She isn't always brave, although she outwardly shows it, and she certainly doesn't always make the right choices.
But I think that's what makes her compelling. Her strength doesn't come from being fearless or unbreakable. It comes from the fact that, even when she's terrified, even when she feels completely defeated, she still refuses to surrender her humanity.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between your characters Mireille and Valen?
A: Complicated. And that's probably the understatement of the century!
Mireille and Valen's relationship is built on a deeply unequal balance of power. He's a being who has spent all of existence taking whatever he wants, and she's a woman whose entire life has been shaped by the choices other people have made for her.
Neither of them enjoys being defied, which, as you can imagine, makes for a rather volatile combination.
What I love most about their dynamic is the constant struggle between control and defiance. Valen is accustomed to obedience, and Mireille, despite everything she's endured, refuses to give him the satisfaction of complete submission.
But their relationship is also deeply psychological. There's an uncomfortable intimacy that develops between them, and their interactions often blur the lines between hatred, obsession, desire, and a bond neither of them fully understands.
I never wanted to make their relationship easy to categorize, nor did I want to excuse Valen's cruelty simply because he becomes fascinated by the woman he's using for revenge.
I wanted readers to sit with that discomfort and explore the contradictions of two characters who are, in many ways, incredibly similar in terms of their desire to be loved.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: I wanted a title that captured the emotional heart of the story without necessarily revealing what happens within it.
To me, Souls in Ruin represents what remains of a person when everything they once knew has been taken from them. It's about the destruction of identity, the loss of innocence, and the ways suffering can fundamentally change someone.
But I also think there's something beautiful about the word “ruin.” We tend to associate it with destruction, something broken beyond repair, but ruins have history. They were once something whole. And even in their destruction, part of it still remains.
That's really what Mireille's story is about to me. Not what it means to break, but what it means to exist afterward. Whether the pieces of who you once were are worth reclaiming, or whether you can become something entirely different.
And, of course, the title has a few other meanings within the story, but I'll let readers discover those for themselves!
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: More than anything, I hope readers understand that strength doesn't always look the way we've been told to recognize it.
Sometimes strength is fighting back. Sometimes it's refusing to kneel. But sometimes it's just making it through another day when every part of you wants to give up.
I think there's a tendency, especially in fantasy, to equate a strong heroine with someone who is physically powerful, fiercely independent, or capable of overcoming every obstacle thrown her way. And while I love those heroines, I wanted to explore a kind of strength that exists in vulnerability, in compassion, and in the decision to keep going.
Mireille doesn't always win. Sometimes she makes choices she regrets. Sometimes survival requires things of her that she never imagined herself capable of. But none of that makes her weak. In fact, I think that makes her more beautiful in her humanity.
Ultimately, I hope readers walk away knowing that what happens to us doesn't have to define who we are. That tenderness can coexist with rage, that vulnerability isn't the opposite of strength, and that even when the world tries to take everything from you, your will can still be your own.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Oh, a few things! I'm currently working on the second book in the SoulBound Trilogy, and I'm so excited to share what comes next for Mireille and her gods. If Souls in Ruin was about surviving, book two is about what happens afterward, and what it means to reclaim yourself.
I'm also working on something a little more... chaotic.
That's all I'll say for now, but there will be more details to come! I have a feeling readers are going to have a lot of fun, and, of course, devastation with this one.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Only that I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has given Mireille and her story a chance.
When I first started writing Souls in Ruin, I had no idea where it would take me. I just knew there was a story I desperately wanted to tell, and I hoped that someone out there might want to read it.
Seeing readers connect with Mireille, defend her, cry for her, and occasionally threaten me over the things I've put her through (understandably!) has been one of the most surreal and rewarding experiences of my life.
So, thank you for embracing this beautifully dark, devastating world I've created. There's so much more to come, and I cannot wait to ruin you all a little more.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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