Thank you so much Claire for the interview. I loved To Reclaim A Kingdom and can’t wait for Book 2.

Interview

What was your inspiration for To Reclaim A Kingdom?

My love of historical fiction and fantasy books inspired me. I wanted to write about strong but flawed characters, while also crafting a fast-paced adventure with plot twists, magical realism, and high stakes choices.

What was your process for writing your debut novel?

I started writing To Reclaim A Kingdom when my youngest was three months old because she was a good sleeper and I was bored while she napped, so I began writing. I didn’t really plot the book out. Each scene unfolded from the next organically, which led me to adopt the mantra ‘trust the magic’. As I wrote the book, I edited each scene, so my first draft was pretty decent. After I read through it, I could see where I needed to add scenes and expand on scenes. 

How did you choose which character to have as a focus of your story?

I knew I wanted to write about an FMC that is deeply flawed, real, and is not necessarily easy to like, but who grows throughout the series. I also wanted my MMC to be the opposite of my FMC. Brielle desires nothing more than to be Queen and rule her kingdom and is very confident in herself and her beliefs, whereas Henri does not want to be King and has an engrained fear that he is not worthy. Both characters complement each other and challenge each other in different ways. Their dynamic was very interesting to explore. 

How did your main character develop over the course of brainstorming to actually writing the novel?

Brielle is a strong FMC, but she is not a warrior and she doesn’t know how to fight. I think that’s what sets her apart from other strong FMC’s is that her strength comes from her convictions, her belief in herself, and her determination to obtain what she believes is her birthright. Henri is not your typical prince either; he actively resists his birthright. It surprised and frustrated me as the author just how resistant he was, despite everything happening around him. Another surprise was that I anticipated a love story to develop between Brielle and Henri, which it does, but then another character suddenly showed up on the page to challenge things and hint at a potential love triangle.

What was your process for character and world building?

The characters developed quite naturally. The world building was difficult because the story of the Red Wood series didn’t allow me to explore too much of the Red Wood in Book 1 because if I did, it would give spoilers away from the ending of Book 1 and from the plot of Book 2. However, I think there is just enough in Book 1 for readers to become intrigued and want to learn more in Book 2.

How would you describe To Reclaim A Kingdom in five words?

Fast-paced, adventure, romance, magic, cliffhanger.

Did you have a favourite moment to write?

There is a little spicy scene in To Reclaim A Kingdom that I like to call the ‘river scene’ which was very enjoyable to write. In the book, I wrote it from Brielle’s POV. But I have a bonus scene available to readers who join my mailing list which is the same scene but written from Citric’s POV. 

What was your favourite book growing up?

That is so hard! Probably Peter Pan and Dinotopia, though I also loved the classics like Jane Austen. 

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

My favourite genres would be fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian romance. But I also enjoy historical fiction.