FAQS
ABOUT THE BOOKS
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This is a great question as I have an extensive backlist at this point. It truly depends on what you’re looking for! Do you want a standalone or a series? Do you want a plot driven story or one driven by characters? (A caveat: most of my books are character driven and gravitate toward a literary style).
Here’s a little breakdown to help you decide where to start (and thank you for reading!):
Are you in the mood for…
*A cozy, lyrical, character-driven adult fantasy story inspired by Scotland with multiple POVs, two romances to fall in love with, and a slow-burning mystery at its core?
Read —> A RIVER ENCHANTED and it’s sequel, A FIRE ENDLESS
*A rivals-to-lovers saga set in an alternate fantastical WW1 setting where two journalists fall in love typing letters to each other on enchanted typewriters?
Read —> DIVINE RIVALS and it’s sequel, RUTHLESS VOWS
*A sweeping adult standalone featuring the gods first mentioned in DIVINE RIVALS, where an immortal goddess falls in love with an irreverent mortal lord and seeks to save him from an untimely death?
Read —> WILD REVERENCE, out on September 2, 2025!
*A plot driven standalone YA fantasy that features a cursed kingdom, nightmares that come to life, magicians who duel, hidden identities, enemies to lovers, daggers to the throat, and a revenge plot?
Read —> DREAMS LIE BENEATH
*An epic YA standalone fantasy centered on two sisters in a world inspired by Ancient Greece, told in a lyrical style with a cinnamon roll love interest?
Read —> SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG
*A character driven, girl power, YA political fantasy saga inspired by Renaissance France, in which a young woman with ancestral memories holds crucial information to restore the rightful queen upon the throne?
Read —> THE QUEEN’S RISING and it’s sequel, THE QUEEN’s RESISTANCE
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I love to utilize a name bank. I like Behind the Name the best, because it gives meanings of the names as well, and sometimes I try to link that to certain characters.
I also love the Nameberry website! Their lists are helpful when I have a vibe I’m going for but am not quite sure how to find a name to go along with it.
Sometimes I will play around with names in my journal if I’m trying to create my own. I also keep a running list of names I love and will refer back to it when I’m in the brainstorming stage. For instance, I had the name “Iris” saved for a while, and was just waiting for the right character to come along in my imagination and claim it!
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I love drafting more than revising, so I typically can write a first draft quickly. My fastest book (THE QUEEN’S RESISTANCE) was written just under 1 month, but I will say that book emerged quickly because 1) It was a sequel, so the characters and world was already established and 2) I wrote an entire 120K word companion novel before realizing I didn’t like it. So I scrapped THAT ENTIRE BOOK and wrote THE QUEEN’S RESISTANCE in its place. I have never written another book so quickly.
Most of my past novels took 2-3 months to draft (if I had absolutely nothing else going on and I could hunker down and draft 12 hours a day, which I don’t recommend for health purposes). Those days, however, seem to be long gone as I am juggling many other tasks, which takes away from my drafting time and energy.
The book I’m currently writing? I’ve been drafting it since February. It’s now mid June, and I just hit 50k words. So it’s been a very slow drafting experience (but still good!).
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Virginia Allyn illustrated the maps for THE QUEEN’S RISING, THE QUEEN’S RESISTANCE, and DREAMS LIE BENEATH.
Kate O’Hara illustrated the map for SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
Nick Springer illustrated the map for A RIVER ENCHANTED and A FIRE ENDLESS.
Alas, the only books of mine that do not have a map are DIVINE RIVALS and RUTHLESS VOWS.
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This is such a tough question! I truly love them all. I also don’t publish a novel that I am not immensely proud of. All of them have required blood, sweat, tears, and my heart to write and publish.
When I look back over my published work, I can see little pieces of myself within each book. I can remember where I was in my life when I was working on them. So in many ways, I have seen myself grow throughout each novel.
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Well…this news was just announced! An adaptation of DIVINE RIVALS is in the works with Paramount Pictures.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/divine-rivals-movie-in-the-works-1236235901/
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All ARC requests must go through my marketing team (I have two wonderful marketing associates since I work with two different publishers!).
For any upcoming HarperCollins titles (which will be adult fantasy) please contact Deanna Bailey:
Deanna.Bailey@harpercollins.com
For any upcoming Macmillan titles (Young Adult and New Adult titles like WILD REVERENCE) please contact Daisy Glasgow:
I also love giving away ARCs, so watch my social media or sign up for my newsletter.
ABOUT WRITING
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Write the story that is on your heart. Don’t write for anyone but yourself. And when you feel overwhelmed and discouraged, when doubt tells you that you are a terrible writer or you will never finish anything, remember to take it one word at a time and drown those doubts out. As Anne Lamott says, take it “bird by bird” (<–I highly recommend you read Anne’s book Bird by Bird if you are truly serious about writing). This is something she taught me, which has really stuck with me: At the end of the day, the most important thing is to simply get words on the page. And it’s good that it’s messy. A perfect first draft doesn’t exist! Writing is living; it breathes and weeps and leaves a trail of clutter. That’s what your second and third drafts are for, to clean and cut and add and sharpen and revise.
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Alas, I am so sorry that I cannot! I have a constant stack of books and manuscripts that I have to read, which eats into my writing time.
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The old fashioned way: I queried her and came up through her slush pile. This is why having a well crafted query is so important. Susan Dennard has amazing resources for aspiring writers on her website, and her newsletter is also fantastic! She was the one who taught me how to craft my query.
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I do most of my best writing first thing in the morning, in my pajamas, with a huge cup of coffee. I basically wake up, feed my dog, pour my coffee, and go straight to work until I’m so hungry I have to stop and fix something.
I rarely outline. I love to write by the seat of my pants, so I discover a majority of my plot and my characters as I go. I do, however, need to know where I’m starting, and have a rough idea of where I’m ending, or else my ideas will fizzle out and tangle and become convoluted.
I must listen to music while I write. I love epic soundtracks and scores. I shamelessly listen to certain songs on repeat.
I have copious amounts of journals, notebooks and stray papers. I like to write ideas, snippets of dialogue, emotional scenes, atmosphere and descriptions down by hand. I don’t know why, but I suppose it’s more intimate to write with my hand when it comes to certain things. But this means I accumulate A LOT of journals.
I also love to refuel my imagination with art, so I utilize Pinterest to find and keep things organized. And I typically always burn a candle when I write.
I don’t set goals for word count per day. I keep it as simple as I can–just sit down and write something. I’ve become very disciplined, and that helps with my productivity. Even so, there are some days when the words flow fast and furious and my fingers can hardly keep up with my mind. And some days, I struggle to write three words. I think the days when I really wrestle with it are the days when I try to “write perfectly” or when I try to write for someone else’s expectations. And that breaks down my creativity and confidence.
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I actually had an intense bout of writer’s block this past summer. For like, the ENTIRE summer. I would open a word document and stare at it for hours, unable to write anything. I had never experienced anything like this, and it really worried me.
I ended up breaking the ice by telling myself to write whatever came to mind that day. Whatever character, whatever setting, whatever conversation, whatever it was. Just something. And I found that I was liberated from my logical side, and I wrote random scenes. And maybe nothing ever comes out of those scenes, but I am very fond of some of them, and am still a bit surprised by the characters I found in that darkness.
So my advice is to simply let go and write one page of whatever comes to mind. And the more you write and release words, the more you are able to keep writing and keep releasing words.
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I actually did teach my first online writing course with The Writer’s Conservatory! My class is called: “Magical Echoes: Worldbuilding that Supports Character Arc” and it can be purchased in TWC’s library, along with many other incredible courses taught by other authors and people in the publishing industry!
The Writer’s Conservatory is a gem of a resource if you are an aspiring author who is serious and eager to hone and perfect your craft.
Here’s a link to my class on TWC’s website:
ABOUT REBECCA
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Enneagram: 4w3
Star Sign: Libra
Myers Brigg: INFJ
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Honestly? For as long as I can remember. I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t reading and writing stories.
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The University of Georgia. Go dawgs!
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Coffee. My dog, Sierra. Ben. And fresh journals* (I know, I know, those are four things! I am terrible at math). *Note: these are not ranked by importance.
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Ah, I have so so many! Here are two of my favorites:
“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.” -Saint Catherine of Sienna
“Just because you are soft does not mean you are not a force. Honey and wildfire are both the color gold.” -Victoria Erikson
