Ask the Author: Carissa Broadbent
Answered Questions (19)
Carissa Broadbent
I LOVE a good slow burn! The magic of storytelling for me comes in writing characters. For me, the key to writing a good romance is understanding precisely why these two people like each other, let alone might love each other. Usually, I try to place these characters on opposite sides of a theme and force them to re-examine a core belief through each other. The first seeds of a romance come from them seeing glimpses of that in the other person. It's usually something that has nothing to do with lust or attraction (though that's also very fun to write). For example, Tisaanah is someone so committed to her goal that she will do anything for it, even morally questionable things, while Max no longer believes there's any morally pure choice so he does nothing at all. The seeds of their friendship, and later their romance, come from Tisaanah admiring Max's commitment to making the moral choice and Max admiring Tisaanah's commitment to taking action on behalf of her cause. (That, and stupid jokes. So many stupid jokes.)
Carissa Broadbent
Thank you so much for the kind words and thank you for reading!! I can't share a release date for book 3 yet as now there are a few different factors that will affect the release date that are outside of my control, but I hope the wait won't be too brutally painful and I'll share news as soon as I have it.
Carissa Broadbent
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King does not end on a cliffhanger! The series is six books total but a main arc comes to completion in book 2 (even though the overall plot will continue). :)
Carissa Broadbent
I'm so happy you loved it! The Ashes and the Star Cursed King is coming in April and I hope you love it just as much!
Carissa Broadbent
Yes! The Crowns of Nyaxia books are in the works as audiobooks, with a release date coming soon. :)
Carissa Broadbent
Yes! It's in the works and should be out in a few months. Release date TBA!
Carissa Broadbent
Hi! Thank you so much! To be honest, I didn't really think anyone had read Rosira and Araich's books, haha! I unpublished A Palace Fractured and A Crown in Shadows because they're very early books of mine and, to be frank, they're just not up to the standards I feel my readers deserve.
I would like to revamp and rerelease them one day, but it would require total rewrites, so that's been hard to prioritize among many other books.
So, the short (unsatisfying ;) ) answer is "maybe one day, but no immediate plans right now."
I would like to revamp and rerelease them one day, but it would require total rewrites, so that's been hard to prioritize among many other books.
So, the short (unsatisfying ;) ) answer is "maybe one day, but no immediate plans right now."
Carissa Broadbent
Aw, thank you so much! I am so happy you loved it!
To be honest, TSatWoN was a bit stressful to write! I had just finished Mother of Death and Dawn, the grand finale of my last trilogy, and I was so scared of venturing into a whole new world. I was really afraid that readers would only love my last world + characters, and I wouldn't be able to
That said, I think at the same time it was that freedom that made the book the most fun. I had limitless possibility with it because it was a brand new world, and a blank slate. The book is a little self-indulgent because I was letting myself do whatever I wanted!
That, or Oraya's voice. She's so different than Tisaanah, my last protagonist -- her voice was so so fun to write.
To be honest, TSatWoN was a bit stressful to write! I had just finished Mother of Death and Dawn, the grand finale of my last trilogy, and I was so scared of venturing into a whole new world. I was really afraid that readers would only love my last world + characters, and I wouldn't be able to
That said, I think at the same time it was that freedom that made the book the most fun. I had limitless possibility with it because it was a brand new world, and a blank slate. The book is a little self-indulgent because I was letting myself do whatever I wanted!
That, or Oraya's voice. She's so different than Tisaanah, my last protagonist -- her voice was so so fun to write.
Carissa Broadbent
I'm so happy that you loved the book, thank you!
The scheduled release date is currently March 15 for book two. I was hoping to move that up, but I'm currently pregnant with my first child and was totally not expecting how sick I would be for the first four months of pregnancy! It has really set me behind schedule, so an early release is sadly not going to happen.
Still, I'm typing furiously to get this book out and in your hands in the spring!
The scheduled release date is currently March 15 for book two. I was hoping to move that up, but I'm currently pregnant with my first child and was totally not expecting how sick I would be for the first four months of pregnancy! It has really set me behind schedule, so an early release is sadly not going to happen.
Still, I'm typing furiously to get this book out and in your hands in the spring!
Carissa Broadbent
I get this ask a lot! I found saying the names is a lot easier than trying to type them out phonetically, so I have a pronunciation guide pinned in my saved stories over on Instagram! I'll do a proper written pronunciation guide and include it in book 2 though since I know quite a few folks have asked for this.
Carissa Broadbent
Kind of! The Crowns of Nyaxia series will be 6 books total, broken up into three duologies:
The Nightborn Duet, which follows the House of Night,
The Shadowborn Duet, which follows the House of Shadow,
and the Bloodborn Duet, which follows the House of Blood.
While the primary lead characters will shift with each of these duets, the main plot spans all six books and core characters will continue to be really important through the series! (So, Oraya and Raihn will definitely continue to turn up beyond the Nightborn Duet.)
The Nightborn Duet, which follows the House of Night,
The Shadowborn Duet, which follows the House of Shadow,
and the Bloodborn Duet, which follows the House of Blood.
While the primary lead characters will shift with each of these duets, the main plot spans all six books and core characters will continue to be really important through the series! (So, Oraya and Raihn will definitely continue to turn up beyond the Nightborn Duet.)
Carissa Broadbent
Thank you so much, I'm so glad you loved it and so appreciate your kind words!!
There were so many different factors that went into that decision... I've always been interested in entrepreneurship, so indie publishing really attracted me on that front. I love being able to have full control over my output, books, packaging, marketing, and career. My day job was in marketing and I went to school for graphic design, so I also felt like I had the skillset to leverage in an indie career (plus, those things are fun to me, so I wanted to be able to play with them!).
The financials of indie publishing are also very different than trad, and they've been very kind to me. Because I take home all of my royalties (after the retailer cut OFC!), I make a comfortable full-time living from my books, and I feel like it would have been a lot harder to do that as a mid-list author if I was trad.
If the right trad deal came along, I would definitely be open to being hybrid. I think that in today's landscape, there is more opportunity than ever for authors to explore different business models and ways of shaping their careers. Overall, I really love being indie!
Good luck on your authoring journey! No matter which route you go, it's a wild and fun ride!!
There were so many different factors that went into that decision... I've always been interested in entrepreneurship, so indie publishing really attracted me on that front. I love being able to have full control over my output, books, packaging, marketing, and career. My day job was in marketing and I went to school for graphic design, so I also felt like I had the skillset to leverage in an indie career (plus, those things are fun to me, so I wanted to be able to play with them!).
The financials of indie publishing are also very different than trad, and they've been very kind to me. Because I take home all of my royalties (after the retailer cut OFC!), I make a comfortable full-time living from my books, and I feel like it would have been a lot harder to do that as a mid-list author if I was trad.
If the right trad deal came along, I would definitely be open to being hybrid. I think that in today's landscape, there is more opportunity than ever for authors to explore different business models and ways of shaping their careers. Overall, I really love being indie!
Good luck on your authoring journey! No matter which route you go, it's a wild and fun ride!!
Carissa Broadbent
Hahaha I get this question so often, I might have to consider it! I'm happy everyone loves Sammerin so much because he's just the best. Here's my main issue -- I feel like Sammerin earned his rest! He spent all of Children of Fallen Gods and especially Mother of Death and Dawn just absolutely desperate to go back home. It feels a little cruel to drag him out on another adventure after all of that, doesn't it? So if I did it, I'd have to make it worth it. ;) I'm not discounting the possibility! I do have a War of Lost Hearts spinoff planned, but Sammerin is not the main character.
Carissa Broadbent
Hi there! Apparently I'm quite late getting to this -- it looks like someone has already added it! :) I actually didn't realize that I could add Ashen Son to GR since it's not available on retailers!
I recommend reading Ashen Son after Daughter of No Worlds and before Children of Fallen Gods, but it's totally optional and also has no spoilers so it can be read in any order! I hope you enjoy it!
I recommend reading Ashen Son after Daughter of No Worlds and before Children of Fallen Gods, but it's totally optional and also has no spoilers so it can be read in any order! I hope you enjoy it!
Carissa Broadbent
Yes there absolutely will be! I have the art ready and I'm currently working on getting them produced, so expect them to be available within the next month or so. :)
Carissa Broadbent
I'm so glad you enjoyed Children of Fallen Gods! This is a great question. :)
The Valtain Preludes series is in the same world as the WoLH books, and follows what ultimately becomes the creation of the Orders many hundreds of years before Tisaanah and Max's time. However, they're in need of some TLC, so they're currently out of print and new editions will be relaunched in 2022.
Shrouds of Silver (of the Valtain Testaments), on the other hand, has been unavailable for years and is never coming back into print -- good reminder that I should find out if there's some way GoodReads can remove it!
The Valtain Preludes series is in the same world as the WoLH books, and follows what ultimately becomes the creation of the Orders many hundreds of years before Tisaanah and Max's time. However, they're in need of some TLC, so they're currently out of print and new editions will be relaunched in 2022.
Shrouds of Silver (of the Valtain Testaments), on the other hand, has been unavailable for years and is never coming back into print -- good reminder that I should find out if there's some way GoodReads can remove it!
Carissa Broadbent
It means so much to me that you enjoyed Daughter of No Worlds enough to want a hard copy! Thank you! Paperbacks are available right now on Amazon (and paperbacks for Children of Fallen Gods should be available on release day, too). I'm working on getting some sexy hardcover editions created too! Stay tuned, I'm hoping those will be available in a month or two.
Carissa Broadbent
Anything less than a 7 and I've brought grave dishonor upon myself and my ancestors.
Carissa Broadbent
Hello! There will be three books in the main series, plus Ashen Son, a prequel following Max's years in the Ryvenai War. Daughter of No Worlds is out now with Book 2, Children of Fallen Gods, coming in just a few weeks.
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