Bewitching Book Tours: What inspired you to become an author?
Jennifer Silverwood: This may sound cliché, but Winona Ryder’s “Jo” from Little Women. There was something about Jo that I recognized even at a young age, that same creative drive and need I felt kinship with. Her quote in the movie always stands out to me: “I gave myself up to it, longing for transformation.”
Jo March didn’t just make me a more voracious reader, she made me want to become an author.
BBT: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
JS: In Bound Beauty, Vynasha comes so close to finally finding the home she has always craved, before everything she thought she believed comes crashing around her. In the end she realizes she must fight for what she wants. I hope readers are encouraged not to give up, no matter how dark or bleak things become.
BBT: If this book is part of a series…what is the next book? Any details you can share?
JS: I’m currently working on the fourth and final book in the series: Heartless Beauty. Without giving away too many spoilers, I can promise all the angst and feels while Vynasha denies her feelings for Grendel. The sequel also promises almost nonstop action and an epic clash between rival queens. I hope you’ll come along for the ride with me!
BBT: What books are in your to read pile?
JS: An embarrassing amount, if I’m honest. I’ve been slowly working my way (again) through Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and am currently in the middle of Winter’s Heart. Also literally in my bedside pile are Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, Chasing Stardust by Erica Lucke Dean, and Salt & Broom by Sharon Lynn Fisher.
BBT: What books/authors have influenced your life?
JS: Anything written by L.M. Montgomery, but especially Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon. Other authors who profoundly shaped my love of storytelling are Robin McKinley, Robert Jordan, and the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien.
BBT: Who designed the cover of your latest book?
JS: The amazing team at Qamber Designs, and more specifically the talented Najla Qamber. She has designed every single one of my covers (even the recovers) since the beginning. Being able to trust your cover designer is such a gift and I wouldn’t trade her friendship for the world.
BBT: Do you have any advice for other writers?
JS: Don’t give up. Don’t stop writing when it gets hard, or when you feel like a failure, or when life seems to press its weight too heavily. Keep going because you love it, because it gives you joy. If it doesn’t bring you joy, take a step back and ask the hard questions. At the end of the day, your love for the craft and art of storytelling will keep you going, no matter what data numbers or the world will tell you.
BBT: Do you have a song or playlist (book soundtrack) that you think represents this book?
JS: I actually have a Spotify playlist I made while working on this series. Every time I sit down to work on Heartless Beauty, I put this music on and it helps put me right in the mood for Vynasha’s story. Here’s the link for anyone who would like to listen while they read along: https://tinyurl.com/wyldertalesplaylist
BBT: When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
JS: I read constantly, every chance I get. But when I’m not reading, I practice piano, always on a quest to improvement and playing all the songs I love. My guilty pleasure hobby, however, is playing video games. My favorites are the Dragon Age series, Skyrim, Diablo 3, and Divinity 2.
BBT: What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?
JS: Like I mentioned above, I’m currently writing Heartless Beauty, which is scheduled to come out on March 31st. And I’m also writing the fourth in my Borderlands Saga series: Annwyn Park set to come out January 13th. You can follow my blog and newsletter over at my website: http://jennifersilverwood.com
Thanks so much and happy reading, friends!
Excerpt
IN A FORGOTTEN CASTLE IN WYLDERLAND…
Alone with Grendel, the man she had been tempted to love, the prince she loathed, Vynasha didn’t want to wake up. Let her sleep for a thousand years like the cursed princess, Morana. Let these walls crumble, the rose garden spread throughout the keep with thorns and vines to keep the world out forever.
“I know you are awake, Ashes.”
Vynasha opened her eyes. The prince stood before the hearth, his back to her. He hadn’t changed clothes since she had last seen him. Yet his faintly luminous skin had dimmed from bronze to the dull gray she remembered. “What happened?” she asked.
“A fever in your sleep. Odym says it was the runes.” Grendel’s shoulders hunched as he hung his head. “I should not have come, I know this. But I…” he twisted to face her. “Forgive me, Vynasha, but I cannot stay away from you any longer. I could feel your pain through the bond, yet there was nothing I could do to stop her,” he growled. “Do not ask me to leave you again, I beg of you.”
Vynasha should have been disgusted, but she was coming to accept the fact that Odym had been right. No matter how she truly felt, they needed each other. And she could not deny the way his words danced about her mind and breathed life back into her limbs.
“I wish I could tell you I was different,” he continued, “before my mother cursed me. But the truth is, I was always a monster.” Grendel drew his shoulders back and lifted his chin, pushing away from the fireplace mantel. He shook his head and held his hands before him, palms upturned. “I never wanted to be my father. I shall not make his mistakes, and so I will be honest with you, Ash. No more secrets.”
She shuddered and desperately wished she could bathe, could banish dreams of Nymwe and be rid of the prince. The dread she felt before only grew as Grendel paused, clenching his fists as though steeling himself for words he could not take back.
“I owe you everything, so much more than you know. When you willingly accepted the curse, you took some of the monster into you. I have not been forced to change into a beast ever since. It has given me time to remember myself in your absence, who I was and who I hope to be.”
Vynasha ground her sharp teeth. So they not only shared a bond with his spirit, but she had taken part of his beast? That they were forced to share something she had learned to take pride in made her ill.
Whatever he saw in her face must have pained him, enough for him to turn away. “Forgive me. I shall go. I should have never hoped…” He shook his head, dispelling whatever he might have said as he took two more steps to the door.
She traced the tip of her tongue on her lip, tasting the blood she spilled to forget. His hand was on the doorknob when she said, “Wait.” The strength behind her command surprised her and caused the prince to freeze in place.
Vynasha lifted her hand with surprising ease. “Stay?”
We need each other.
His graying skin flickered to golden life as he turned with hope burning in his violet eyes. “Always.”
At his word, his promise, Vynasha released the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Even then, a small corner of her mind railed against her actions, at the feelings she couldn’t seem to control. It must Grendel’s influence, his feelings trickling through their bond.
This is wrong.
Still, she couldn’t deny how the persistent itch beneath her skin abated with him beside her, holding her hand. It shouldn’t have mattered. Truly, she hated how easily she gave in to these feelings. She could never tell him. Grendel had bound her life to his. Even if she were to leave, to beg the wylderfolk to take her back into their home, she would never be rid of him. And the longer she remained in the prince’s castle, the less she wanted to be free.
1 comments:
Hey Roxanne, thank you so much for all you've done to help me me spread the word about Bound Beauty! It's always a blast to collaborate with you and I love that we're still blogging and writing a decade later💜💜💜
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