E.G. Radcliff IS A PART-TIME pooka and native of the Unseelie Court. She collects acorns, glass beads, and pretty rocks, and the crows outside her house know her as She Who Has Bread.
Her Coming of Áed fantasy series is crafted in the dead of night after offering sacrifices of almonds and red wine to the writing-block deities.
You can reach her by scrying bowl, carrier pigeon, or @egradcliff on social media.
CONNECT WITH E.G.
Welcome to SPFM, E.G.! Since we already have your bio, describe yourself in three words.
Perplex, overdrive, rose
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Summarize your book, The Wild Court, using one gif.
I chose this because this theme of royalty and fire threads through the entire series, not just book one.
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If you could recommend three self-published books, which would you choose and why?
- Stephen Black’s Skelly’s Square and A New Jerusalem. Rock solid writing, great character development, and a fantastic fantasy story
- J.G. McLeod’s Abalone – any book that has my stomach in knots the whole time is doing some serious emotional heavy lifting
- Cym Aros Trail Markers – again, a very emotional book with a north-star MC who made me want to be a better person
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What is your favorite part, and your least favorite part of self-publishing?
I don’t think my answer will differ much from many indies. I love being able to set my own timelines, follow my own schedules, and be in control of my own editing, design, and release choices.
One of the most relentless challenges is marketing, of course. Publishing houses have broader marketing resources for the authors whose books they publish, but indie authors shoulder that responsibility on their own, or, as I do, with a partner. It’s frustrating at times that indie books can be overlooked or ignored by skeptical readers. The assumption that only books that are ‘worthy’ get traditionally published means readers are missing out on some truly exceptional stories. Readers have every reason to explore the many excellent offerings by indie authors. Great stories, well-told… that may have never seen the light of day had the author not self-published.
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What’s the first story you ever wrote?
When I was maybe five years old, I was struck by inspiration while lying in a snowbank, and penned ‘Meecy Avenue and the Silly Street Slime.’ Honestly, it’s gold.
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What’s your process for creating fully fleshed out characters?
I often have an idea for a dynamic between characters before I’m fully certain who each character is. This is great because it gets tension/stakes/conflict/motivation fundamentally baked into the characters. From there, I like to imagine what the character looks like–what they choose to wear, how they carry themselves, what facial expression is the one they present to the world. Then I start figuring out why they carry themselves this way, and that often leads into backstory. The backstory informs who the character becomes which adds more detail. Rinse and repeat. Finally, toss them in with some other characters and see what they do!
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What’s your writing ritual/routine like?
It varies a lot. Sometimes music, sometimes not. Often something to drink, but never food. Sometimes people around me, sometimes alone. Rarely in the morning; exhausted vibes only. Sleep when dead.
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If you could go back in time, what’s one thing you would tell your younger self?
You know nothing, Jon Snow
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If you were to write a spin-off about a side character, which would you pick and what would it be about?
Probably Erin from The Wild Court. She has a whole life behind her that doesn’t get fully unpacked, and her travels, culture, and family would be really fun to explore.
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How do you celebrate when you finish your book?
Reveling in the crisis of not having a book to work on, drowning in the resulting existentialism, champagne.
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Tell us what lies ahead for you.
Death comes for all of us eventually. Before that, though? I have a large-scale fantasy epic in the works.
About The Wild Court (The Coming of Áed #1)
What perils await on the other side of the veil?
In the seventh year of Áed’s reign, night descends on the autumn festival. But a time of revelry turns into one of fiery destruction—as fae pour across the veil and the Gut becomes a battlefield in an otherworldly war.
Determined to protect his kingdom and the people he loves, Áed finds himself catapulted into a realm as unfamiliar as it is dangerous, where magic is king and wild courts vie for supremacy.
While the faerie Queen’s missing consort holds the key to life and death, tenuous alliances raise questions about Áed’s connection to the mysterious Bone court. His survival hinges on cunning as much as illusion.
On a mission like no other, only one thing is certain: no one will survive unscathed.
