Editor’s Note: This exchange is part of a series of brief interviews with emerging writers of recent or forthcoming books. If you enjoyed it, please visit other interviews in the I’ve Got Questions feature.
- What’s the title of your book? Fiction? Nonfiction? Poetry? Who is the publisher and what’s the publication date?
Desulti is fiction. It was published in September 2024 by Black Rose Writing.
- In a couple of sentences, what’s the book about?
“Bad-ass epic feminist fantasy.” It’s about a woman who has the courage to confront the corrosive effects of bigotry. A powerful exploration of women’s rights and the fight for independence
- What’s the book’s genre (for fiction and nonfiction) or primary style (for poetry)?
It’s high fantasy.
- What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about the book so far?
Our books emphasize emotions and relationships more than many fantasy novels, so when I read the following in the review by Reedsy Discover, I knew the reviewer really got the story: “Tove is an incredibly charismatic character who is a joy to follow through her trials and tribulations and the romance that builds between her and another Desulti is one of the sweetest and most natural relationships that I have read in recent years.”
- What book or books is yours comparable to or a cross between? [Is your book like Moby Dick or maybe it’s more like Frankenstein meets Peter Pan?]
Two that have similar themes that I read recently are She Who Became the Sun by Shelly Parker-Chan and The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
- Why this book? Why now?
We write the Spirit Song: Rebels Rising series together. The series tells the story of how a peaceful people learn to fight back against imperial oppressors. This is the second book in the series. The prequel books focus on individual characters who are pivotal to putting everything in place for the rebellion that erupts in the Spirit Song main series.
- Other than writing this book, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
Ross: I managed a center while a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We hosted software in our data center which was used by faculty and students all over the world. It was really like running a million-dollar business. It was the most stressful job I ever had. The reason for my white hair. But I loved the technical challenges and the many unique people who passed through my life.
Deb: My current job is the best job I’ve ever had, which makes retiring bittersweet. I’m a public health nurse consultant with the state of Wisconsin and I help local public health nurses keep their communities healthy. But the job that suited me best was a nutrition professor at a community college. The kids were often first-generation college students. They worked so hard and appreciated anything I could do to help them succeed.
- What do you want readers to take away from the book?
There are several themes: It’s important to stand up to people who would diminish you because of the circumstances of your birth. The power of storytelling to expand your idea of what’s possible and to build community. Oppressed people finding they have more in common with each other than with the forces that oppress them.
- What food and/or music do you associate with the book?
Food, music and dancing are central to the story because of the way they can bring people together. Beer for sure, because taverns play a role in all of the books (and we often write at our local brewery). Festivals as celebration of community are also integral to the stories, which include music, storytelling and food. We describe an Alle’oss boar stew (which Deb has made a passable version of) and “handpies”, which we really need to make. While I write, I hear the music as Irish or Bluegrass. The music usually involves instruments you can carry with you, such as bodhrains, lutes and fiddles.
- What book(s) are you reading currently?
Ross: I have several books going, but I’ve just finished one of the best books I’ve read in a long time; We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker.
Deb: The book I most enjoyed recently was Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher.
Learn more about Ross and Deb on their website.
Follow Ross and Deb on Facebook.
Buy the book from the publisher (Black Rose Writing), Amazon, or Bookshop.org.
