Pen Friends ~ Please welcome YA Author Victoria McCombs talking about her new novel, WOODS OF SILVER AND LIGHT, publishing journey, writing dreams, and so much more! I’m thrilled to have Victoria here with us today.

SP: Hi Victoria! Thanks for joining us! Before we get into book stuff, we’d LOVE to know a bit about you and your writing journey!

My writing journey has been an adventure! My dad is an author, so he would read over my stories growing up and always told me they were good. Looking back, I’m grateful he didn’t point out all their flaws. But somehow along the way I grew in my craft until my debut released last year! Now I have two books published and three more going through edits with publishers to prepare for the world!

SP: WOODS OF SILVER AND LIGHT just released this February 2021 by Parliament House Press, it’s the second book in the Storyteller’s Series. Please add on Goodreads and check out her other books! Here’s the blurb:

Ronin’s son is dead, and Maid Marion is gone.

But a sorceress banished to the Woods can bring his son back if he and his Silver Raiders are willing to do something for her first.

She finds there’s nothing Ronin Hood won’t do for his son…

Anika finds herself drawn to the mystery of the Woods and the thieves who live within, but the cost of associating with the Silver Raiders becomes higher than she’s willing to pay. The darkness of the Woods seeps into the Raider’s hearts, blurring the lines between hero and villain, until Anika’s fight for freedom turns into a fight to survive the magic of the trees that should have never been awoken.

This isn’t the tale of Robin Hood you remember.

SP: How long did it take you to write WOODS and how did this story come about? Where do you get your ideas?

This is the fastest book I’ve completed, at two months total. I was so excited to write about Anika and the trouble she could get in to. As I did, I realized Robin Hood could fit in well to her story as someone who works against what she fights for: him stealing from the rich and her trying to get the people to be self-sustaining, and how that would look if they were brought together.

SP: Are there any characters that surprised you along the way?

Christopher surprised me. He was meant to be the support for Anika, but he turned into someone who could somehow challenge her and support her at the same time, while coming with a few secrets of his own. But Elenora! That girl surprised me, and will hopefully surprise the readers as well. 

SP: What is your favorite fairy tale or classical story? Is it one you’ve already written as a retelling or something different?

Cinderella is just so magical. When I was little I wrote a retelling of it (dragons were involved) but now I stick to slightly less popular tales, so I’ll leave that glorious story alone.

SP: What has been the hardest thing about being a writer during 2020-2021 with covid and lockdowns? What’s the best thing about being a writer in this time?

I’m not shy about recommending that people pick up my book, but during this time I’m hesitant to ask people for anything because we are all dealing with so much, lost jobs being a popular struggle. I’m eager for the world to recover so buying books becomes less of a luxury and more of a norm. But I think we are all eager for connection, now more than ever, and I’ve made so many new friends during this period!

SP: Any writing tip you’d like to share?

Write active characters who make decisions and fight hard for what they believe in! If you can write active sentences to go along with active characters, you’ll have an exciting book.

A few fun questions. Is Victoria a…

Plotter/pantster? Plotter for sure!

Last book you read? Ruin and Rising to prepare for the Shadow and Bone trilogy

Current dream vacation spot? Colorado mountains

Current favorite K-Drama? (I rarely watch tv so I don’t know any!)

Would you rather be a professional: Marine Biologist? Spy? Opera Singer? Brain Surgeon? OR? A spy would be the coolest thing ever

Favorite childhood book? The Boxcar Children series

Thanks so much for your time Victoria! Wishing you all the best on your newest book!