Meet Emily Eve: The Creative Architect Behind BLACKTHORN
Every book has a story behind the story. Today, I’m sitting down with Emily Eve, the mind behind BLACKTHORN, to talk about the inspiration, the writing process, and the journey of bringing this book to life.
From her biggest challenges to her proudest moments, this interview is packed with snacks to nibble on. For readers and aspiring writers alike!
Let’s dive in!
1. Tell us a little about yourself.
Hey! My name is Emily Eve. I’m a stay-at-home mom (SAHM) to three little gremlins – two girls, aged 4 and 2, and a little boy, who is 15 months old.
I spend my days chasing after them and our zoo (we have two dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, and two cats, Rio and Pippa). Our house is noisy and chaotic and full of life and I love it!
I was born and raised in Massachusetts in the US, and met my husband in college (where I studied business). We lived in Austin, Texas for five years before recently moving back north to New Hampshire.
Somewhere between all this chaos, I managed to complete my debut story BLACKTHORN.
2. Wow! Pitch your book in one or two sentences.
BLACKTHORN is a fast-paced fantasy adventure about a stabby rebel FMC (female main character) who is forced to work alongside the son of her enemy (a nerdy, golden-retriever MMC (male main character)), in order to save rebel lives. Early reviews say that it's an easy read that gives off Throne of Glass vibes!
3. So, which readers would love this book?
Anyone who likes to read a fast-paced adventure that’s filled with twists and turns would like this!
Including those who enjoy the fantasy worlds created by Sarah J. Maas (or so my readers have been saying – I’m flattered to even be THOUGHT of in any context relating to SJM!).
And although fantasy lovers may enjoy the story, I’ve also gotten feedback that the world-building is approachable enough that it would be a good introduction to fantasy as well – so even if you prefer to read romance or other genres, you may still enjoy BLACKTHORN!
4. Lovely, now, let’s get a little personal. What’s the story behind your story?
Before I became a SAHM, I worked in Human Resources and I LOVED hosting new hire orientation. One of my favorite parts was learning more about my new hires (specifically using icebreakers).
My favorite question to ask was – “If you could have any super power in the world, what would it be and why?”
If anyone asked me, my answer would be to be able to communicate/read/write/speak/understand every language in the world. My why? So I could spy on people!
That’s where the idea of BLACKTHORN began – I wanted to write about someone who woke up one day with the sudden ability to understand conversations they previously weren’t privy to. I loved reading fantasy, so I knew I wanted it to be set in a fantasy world, and decided that my FMC would be a member of a rebellion dedicated to dethroning the evil king.
Bonnie, my FMC in BLACKTHORN, suffered a head injury when she was younger, which meant that she was unable to read, write, or understand any language other than the common tongue. She didn’t allow it to hold her back – she still became a badass assassin – but she definitely found aspects of being in the rebellion trickier because of her head injury.
After another head injury years later (spoiler alert!!!), she suddenly discovers that she can access written communications and languages that were previously unavailable to her – and that puts her on a new journey of self-reflection and self-discovery!
5. And do you love this Indie publishing journey? How has the ride been for you?
Absolutely amazing! I’ve been very, very blessed to have found myself so supported by not only other authors in the indie space but also by my wonderful ARC readers – a few of which I still message pretty frequently! Everyone has been super kind and welcoming.
I LOVE using Threads to connect to others and so I’ve been focusing my energy there (and on Instagram). I’ve met some pretty cool indie authors there, and so many are open with their advice on how to navigate the space. It's been wonderful to learn from them!
On Instagram, I have several chats going with other indie authors – sharing marketing advice, our wins, our losses, etc. It’s made the writing process a lot less lonely!
6. Ummm… Have some secrets for aspiring indie authors? What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you?
Be prepared to market your story! Like really, really market it – it takes a lot of time to make sure your story gets in front of the right eyes!
It could be as simple as just making sure you have a presence on social media – I personally spend most of my day interacting with others on Threads, where I’ve found the most traction. Whenever someone asks for book recommendations (and if they’re okay with self-recs) I slide in there and give BLACKTHORN a shout-out!
To help me with Instagram/graphics I signed up for The Word Weavership from Sams Creative Cure – the templates that she’s curated really helped make marketing easier and I highly recommend it!
I’m new to TikTok but I’ve been using CapCut to make short, funny videos – even if your story isn’t a comedy (BLACKTHORN has its moments but I wouldn’t classify it as a romcom HAHA) you can still use comedy to attract new readers! Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone.
7. That’s lots of marketing. Which scene or character really stuck with you?
BRONWYN.
BRONWYN, BRONWYN, BRONWYN.
My favorite character is Bronwyn, an elderly witch who lives in a cute little white-brick cottage in the middle of a meadow in a somewhat magical forest. She’s violent and sassy and always speaks her mind and I simply love her.
I think my favorite interaction in the book is between her and Bonnie, where Bronwyn offers her a bowl of soup (right after the two of them had come to a disagreement). The conversation goes like this:
Bonnie sat at the table, Freddie taking the chair next to her. While Freddie dove in enthusiastically, Bonnie paused, studying the bread critically. She moved the spoon around her bowl, looking to see any foreign objects. She sniffed it.
“You don’t seriously think it’s poisoned, do you?” Freddie asked, his tone tinged with a hint of anger.
“The old crone hates me,” Bonnie said with a shrug, and deemed the food safe. She ate a spoonful of the stew and gave a small moan as the flavors washed over her tongue.
Freddie’s eyebrows raised, his cheeks flushing a soft shade of pink. Bonnie didn’t notice, too busy devouring every morsel.
“This is fantastic,” Bonnie told Bronwyn. “Thank you. The seasoning is wonderful.”
“That’ll be the poison,” Bronwyn replied with a wink.
Freddie coughed as he choked on a piece of bread. Bonnie smirked at the old woman before she thumped him on the back. He waved her off, his eyes streaming. Bronwyn cackled.
It just makes me giggle when I read it.
8. Made me giggle too. Hahaha. What part of this book gave you the hardest time?
I find that I work very well under pressure and I use that to my advantage – so what that means (to me) is to set a specific word count goal in a defined space of time and try hard to meet that (ex. 7,000 words in 7 days).
I’m a combination of a pantser and a plotter, so while I know WHERE my characters have to go to reach certain milestones in the book, HOW they get there is unplanned. Sometimes it’s daunting, but it also leads to a lot of creativity!
I would say that the dreaded middle of the story is what caught me up while writing BLACKTHORN – the part where Bonnie and Freddie (the MMC) make it to Stoneforge, one of the rebel hideouts. Committing to a word goal and knowing where they had to get to in order for the story to progress helped me get past the hurdle in a specific amount of time!
9. It’s quite some planning. What’s one weird or unexpected thing you Googled while writing this book?
There are a lot of animal friends in BLACKTHORN so I did some research on different forest animal sounds and behaviors! A lot of research in the same area is being applied for BLACKTHORN II as well, so that’s been fun!
10. Ohkayzz, and where can readers find you and your book?
Ha. BLACKTHORN is available at:
My Linktree is probably best as I try to keep it updated with the latest links: https://linktr.ee/emilyevewrites
My username is the same on most things:
- Instagram - @authoremilyeve
- Threads - @authoremilyeve
- TikTok - @authoremilyeve
Website (horribly outdated, my apologies) - www.emilyevewrites.com
If the book sounds like your kind of read, be sure to check it out! Support indie authors by grabbing a copy and leaving a review!
PS… What’s your go-to writing snack or ritual?
Ooo! I’m a beverage goblin so I probably have a water bottle, a Red Gatorade Zero, and/or a Sprite with me. What snack I have depends on the day, but I often grab a handful of Hershey Kisses to help motivate me.
I write on my Freewrite (an electronic typewriter that helps limit distractions, because BOYYY do I get distracted on the internet). So I have that with me, and I blast music from Howard Shore (the composer for the Lord of the Rings movies) and Klaus Badelt (the composer for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) to help get in the mood for writing fantasy.
And that’s a wrap.
Want to see more indie author stories? Stay tuned for more interviews…
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