Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Elly Blake (The Forest King’s Daughter)!
Meet the Author: Elly Blake
Elly Blake is the NYT bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga and the Thirstwood series. After earning a BA in English literature, she held a series of seemingly random jobs including project manager, customs clerk, graphic designer, reporter for a local business magazine, and library assistant. She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her teacher husband, gamer kids, and two adorable rescue dogs.
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About the Book: The Forest King’s Daughter
Once upon a time, among the bloodred trees of Thirstwood, a young forest princess became friends with a lonely boy from underground. He gifted her an amber ring, a worthless trinket—
or so he thought—because no sooner did he slide it onto her finger than the queen of the underground and the forest king declared war.
Years later, Cassia is a crucial force in her father’s army, wielding her ring of light that can blind and disorient hundreds of enemies at a time. Then battle-hardened Zeru abducts her, planning to steal the ring back to fix his costly childhood mistake. Exhausted, terrified, and more than a little mistrusting, Cassia is forced to travel with Zeru to a place they both believed only existed in storybooks, one where their childhood friendship slowly rekindles into something much more. But it’s only a matter of time before the war they’ve escaped comes for them, and a hidden threat to forest and underground folk alike grows in the shadows.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I started writing The Forest King’s Daughter in November of 2020. After the Frostblood Saga, I had written one more book as well as a proposal, but neither had sold. My aim at the time was to find the joy of writing again. I knew I wanted to write a series set in an enchanted forest, and I’d spent months reading fairy tales. The core of the story is from all the fairy tales I ingested during 2020, which I think you can tell from some of the whimsical elements!
YABC: Is your main character like you?
Yes, Cassia has aspects of my personality, including curiosity, sensitivity, high empathy, and her need for approval. It’s kind of terrifying to admit that because if people don’t like those aspects of her, it will feel personal!
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
When the extensions on my deadlines run out. Lol
But more seriously, I am lucky to have a wonderful editorial team at LBYR. Usually, I do two rounds of developmental edits, a round (or more) of line edits, and then the book goes to copyedits. By that time, I am usually quite burnt out. I’m never totally satisfied, but by that point, I know I’ve done my absolute best.
YABC: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I was 14 when my friends and I got into reading category romance novels, and we talked about writing books ourselves. That dream stayed with me. I tried my hand at writing a romance novel in my 20s, but I never finished. (It was really, really bad.) I didn’t start writing seriously until my mid to late thirties when I joined Toronto Romance Writers and began taking workshops to learn as much as I could about the craft and business of writing.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I think I channel my inner eighteen-year-old when I’m making certain choices in my writing, but mostly my voice is just my voice, and I don’t know how to write any other way.
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
I love to write dialogue. I once wrote a “talking heads” chapter that was 6,000 words long. (It was heavily edited later. Lol) I also love to write chemistry and romance. Sparks, banter, tension! Those scenes are the most fun!
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
I struggle with villains. When I write a first draft, I often don’t have enough nuance in my characters, and that includes my villains. It’s easy to write a villain who is just plain bad, but it’s harder to dig into why the villain thinks she is doing the right thing. As the adage says, the villain is the hero of his own story.
YABC: What word do you have trouble overusing?
I overuse so many words! “Just” is a big one. I also love describing the moon, so I overuse words like “pale” and “silvery,” and need to cut those out later.
YABC: If your character could meet a character from another book, who would it be?
Hmm, I think Cassia’s older sister, Thea (the main character in the second book, The Cursed Queen’s Daughter) would get along well with Ruby from the Frostblood Saga. They’re both feisty and plain-speaking and don’t mind a good fight.
YABC: What is your favorite reading space?
I love to read in bed, snuggled up with a dog with sunlight streaming in from my window—or even better on a rainy, gray day.
YABC: How do you plan to celebrate the launch of your book?
The launch for The Forest King’s Daughter will be at a lovely indie bookstore called River Bookshop in Amherstburg, Ontario. River Bookshop is in a beautiful, restored building built in 1885. There will be pre-order goodies with purchase of the book, and I hope to have some delicious, themed cookies as well!
YABC: What hobbies do you enjoy?
Walking dogs. Petting dogs. Looking at rescue dogs online. Recently, I’ve started volunteering at events for a local rescue organization called Second Chance Animal Rescue Windsor & Essex, and I just love it. I also used to love drawing, but I have neglected that hobby. I hope to go back to it. Oh, and I love shopping at a décor store called HomeSense, where I have bought far too many throw pillows. I live an exciting life!
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m editing the second book in the Thirstwood trilogy: The Cursed Queen’s Daughter. The main character is Cassia’s older sister, Thea, who is thrust into a different world and a situation she can’t kill her way out of. So frustrating for her! She is also quite annoyed by her helpless attraction to a shadowy stranger who definitely can’t be trusted. Hades and Persephone vibes are heavy in this one, and it’s been one of my favourite stories to write!
Title: The Forest King’s Daughter
Author: Elly Blake
Cover artist: Micaela Alcaino
Release Date: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Young Adult
Age Range: 14 up
