As you know I love finding out more about the author behind books that interest me. Today I get to share an interview with Melissa Blair, the author of The Halfling Saga. The second book, A Shadow Crown, released earlier this month and I have my stop for the tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. Keep on reading to find out more about this book and author!
A Shadow Crown (The Halfling Saga #2) by Melissa Blair
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publishing Date: May 9, 2023
The highly anticipated second installment of the fantasy saga that took BookTok by storm sees Keera navigate political scheming, backstabbing, and her own grief as she moves against the cruel king that holds her kingdom hostage.
To the kingdom, Keera is the king’s Blade, his most feared and trusted spy and assassin. But in the shadows, she works with Prince Killian and his Shadow—the dark, brooding Fae, Riven, who sets her blood on fire. Together, they plot to topple the crown that sits upon the king’s head.
A secret can only survive as long as its conspirators, and when nothing is as it seems, all are in danger. Keera swore she would never open her heart again after a loss she barely survived. But she will soon find she has more to lose than she ever imagined . . .
Book Links
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Author Interview
How was writing A Shadow Crown different than writing A Broken Blade?
This book was such a struggle in every way A Broken Blade was so easy. There is so much happening in this book that is different from all the other chapters of Keera’s story. I had originally planned four books in the series plus a prequel, so A Shadow Crown is truly a middle act—and I tend to like middle acts least. As a writer, as a reader, they have always been difficult for me.
Not only that, but the events in this book happen on a much more compressed timeline than the rest of the books in the series. A Broken Blade and the others take place over months, if not years, while A Shadow Crown takes place only over a few weeks. It created many challenges that I wasn’t anticipating, but looking back I learned so much more writing this book than I did writing the first, so I’d call that a win.
What has been the favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
The friends made along the way. Ever since my mystery launch, I have made so many connections with readers and friends on TikTok, so many authors and other people in the industry who are all so brilliant and filled with amazing talent and perspective. I’m so grateful that this little idea I had during the pandemic transformed into so many open doors and windows—it has absolutely changed my life.
If you were a character in A Shadow Crown, what kind of character would you be?
I guess that depends if I lived in the kingdom or not. I don’t think I would have survived very long in the kingdom, but if I got to live in the Faelinth I would probably be the character who is constantly reading and learning about everything she could about magic. That’s probably why we meet a character like that in A Shadow Crown.
Describe A Shadow Crown in five words or less.
Action-packed, page-turning betrayal.
What is your favorite quote from A Shadow Crown?
I can’t choose between my two favorites so I’ll give you both. One is Keera defending herself to Killian early in the book.
A blade is a weapon that must be wielded. The king no longer wields me.
I think it shows Keera’s growth from the first book but also highlights that this huge part of her identity, even though she hated it, is no longer there. Now she has to build that missing chunk of herself out and that is a scary thing to do.
The second is when Keera is talking about Nikolai.
Never be sorry for asking about the dead, Keera. Our thoughts are what keep them with us, what keep them alive.
Keera has not allowed herself to care for many people in her life and many of them are gone. This quote is part of the lesson that Keera is slowly learning about grief, that sometimes the more you try to suppress it the more of a burden it becomes.
What do you hope readers take away from your story?
I hope readers close the book for a hunger for the next one, but also an interest to pick up more fiction with anti-colonial themes.
Could you give us 5 random facts about A Shadow Crown (think the story, writing, publishing, anything that comes to mind)?
- I rewrote this book completely three times
- The book has two soup references to satiate the demand from fans of A Broken Blade
- Originally different characters were meant to die…
- I wrote most of this book between the hours of 11pm and 4am
- Readers should pay attention to the colors of things…
Tour Schedule
If this interview has you curious about what others are saying about A Shadow Crown, click here for the full schedule. There are some amazing bloggers and bookstagrammers talking about this book!
About the Author
Melissa (she/her/kwe) is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry living in Turtle Island. She splits her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg in Ottawa, Canada. She has a graduate degree in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, loves movies, and hates spoons. Melissa has a BookTok account where she discusses her favorite kinds of books including Indigenous and queer fiction, feminist literature, and non-fiction. A Broken Blade is her first novel.
Author Links
Once again, reading this interview with Melissa has me wanting to pick up these books in the near future. If you could choose to interview an author, who would you choose?
