Emily Morrison

Get to know Rebecca Camm with these 21 questions!

1 – How are you? What did you have for breakfast this morning?

A – I’m alright! Nervous and excited for the release of Liars and Light in a week.

For breakfast, I had an English muffin with crunchy peanut butter and a tea 😊

2 – Tell us what your debut novel, Liars and Light is about?

A – Okay, so when I started answering this question I was basically rewriting the blurb and then I was thinking what’s the point in that? You probably want something a little different?

To start, there’s magic, friendship, found family, mystery, rebellion, romance, banter, violence, and a touch of spice.

But, deep down, Liars and Light is ultimately an introduction to a larger story. It follows two women who I’d consider to come from privileged positions in life and explores how they interact with a prejudiced world. You’ve got Nora who is so indoctrinated that she struggles to see anything beyond what she is told to see and then you have Evelyn who is more understanding of what is happening but is working through her own issues.

3 – The magic system is really unique, particularly Evelyn’s healing magic, it’s got to be my favourite part. Where did you come up with the idea for the magic and different races?

A – I took inspiration from fantasy aspects that are just well known, like elemental magic, elves/alvs, conjuring which is basically witchcraft, and shifting between human and animals. I mainly just picked different aspects that I liked and played around with creating the different races, making sure they weren’t overpowered but at the same time had some fun magical abilities.

As for the healing magic of the Lys Alvs, I’ve always felt the ability to heal others needed to have more at stake and making them absorb an injury then heal themselves sort adds more to their character. Suddenly questions popped into my head around why someone would choose to do it if healing caused them excruciating pain, and it also made me think about whether it was ethical for the Lys Alvs to be expected to do it at all.

Ultimately, I tried to create the magic and races something that wasn’t just a power but shaped the characters personalities, but not in the usual ‘character turns into a fish so loves the sea’ style and more of making the characters have to their paths like whether a Lys Alv chooses to become a healer or not, and what that means for their character development.

4 – Did you draw inspiration from other stories and art forms for your story?

A – I read a lot of fantasy, so the magical aspect of my book was somewhat inspired from what I read, just with my spin. Other than that, the real world was my inspiration. I feel like both Nora and Evelyn come from some sort of privilege because of their race, and I wanted to write about how they navigate the world and what they do with that said privilege.

5 – Speaking of privilege. Politics, specifically corruption, feature strongly in both Liars and Light and Alta, with prejudice and segregation being big issues. What do you hope readers will take away from seeing real-world issues in a fictional setting?

A – I tried to write this from the perspective of characters that I could relate to in the sense of how they may see the world. As I’ve gotten older and learned more about the world, my viewpoints have changed on things. The more I learn from other communities the more my eyes have been opened. What I hope readers take away from Liars and Light is the need to see the world from others’ perspectives, that changing your viewpoints and building your resilience is hard, but it is so vital.

The events of Liars and Light might seem extreme but it many ways they aren’t. Nora is like so many people, my past self included, that believe the world is fine as it is, and as soon as someone points out an issue the knee jerk reaction is to get defensive. I hope people see from this series is that people wanting their basic needs met is not an attack. No one is asking for perfection, that mistakes will be made, but it’s important to continue to grow, to learn and to listen to others, especially communities that are often ignored and pushed to the side.

6 – What was it that made you decide to start writing your own fantasy story?

A – I’ve always wanted to write a book and a version of this story has been in my head for years. My best friend has read about a million versions of Liars and Light!

7 – Did you know you wanted to publish it from the beginning?

A – At first I was writing it just to get it out of my head. It took years before it got to where it is today and it was only in the last year or so that I actively pursued the process of publishing.

8 – So, Liars and Light is the first book in the Valmenessian chronicles. Was it always the plan for this to be a series? Or did it evolve that way once you started writing?

A – It has always been a series. I always knew writing Liars and Light that it would be an introduction to a bigger story.

9 – The story mostly follows two main characters, Evelyn and Nora, will we see more character pov’s in the next book?

A – You might… I don’t want to give away spoilers hahaha

10 – Was there a character who you found more difficult to get right? And if so, how did you handle that?

A – Any character that is not a straight white person I found not so much difficult but needing more time and care. I did a lot of research and work in trying to do all my characters justice. The hard part is I don’t know what I don’t know, if that makes sense. So even things like hair, which may seem simple involved research because I wanted to use the right descriptive terms. Even beyond physical descriptions, I think it’s important to have characters behave in a believable way.

Unlike our world, in Liars and Light the magical races are where the differences are noted, but that doesn’t mean that people of varying communities don’t think, behave or look different, so I tried to be conscious of that and hopefully it shows. I am always open to learning more though!

11 – Alta is a prequel novella to Liars and Light, will there be more novellas set in this world at this stage?

A – Possibly. I haven’t really thought about it to be honest.

12 – What has been your favourite part of writing your own novel?

A – Working with and meeting so many amazing people in the book world. I love the friends that I’ve made along the way.

13 – What has been the most challenging part of the whole process?

A – Having confidence in myself and what I’m doing. So much comes back to whether I have the confidence to trust that my book has an audience and accept that some people won’t like it and that’s okay. Confidence is really key and I’m still learning to have it. I’m always second-guessing myself.

14 – Apart from confidence in your abilities, have you learned anything about yourself as a writer?

A – That I’m a night writer and that I laugh too much at my own jokes hahahahaha

15 – What advice do you have for other indie authors wanting to publish their stories?

A – Make friends with other indie authors and professionals in the indie space. A supportive community is so important.

16 – What authors inspire you to write?

A – All of them! I know that sounds ridiculous, but honestly, every author who has taken the leap and decided to pursue their passion inspires me and encourages me to keep going.

17 – If you could visit any fictional world which one would it be and why?

A – I’d love to visit the Nevernever from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. I loved the world she described and how the fairies were sneaky and always making deals. There’s something interesting about mostly selfish and harsh beings are compelled not to lie so they speak in half truths. I wouldn’t survive a day there but I think it would be cool.

18 – Let’s say you could have lunch with any of your characters, who would it be and why?

A – Probably Will, I feel like he would have the best conversation, plus he can be quite sarcastic when he wants to be which would be very entertaining.

19 – If you have one, what is your favourite quote and why?

A – I don’t have one! I probably should, but I don’t.

20– What’s the best advice you’ve received about writing?

A – That not everyone is going to like what you write and that’s okay. Focus on the people who do like it and continue to write for yourself and them.

21 – And finally, can you badly explain your book to those who haven’t read it yet?

A – A fantasy story of two women.

First there’s Nora who is sent with her best friend looking for someone with barely any lead or understanding of why she needs to find them beyond they shouldn’t have been able to leave the secret group of the Alta. On her journey she kills people, has messed up morals that often contradict, eats cake and flirts.

Then we have Evelyn who is a healer who doesn’t know what she wants from life whilst also having anxiety and being somewhat unsure in a lot of social situations. She constantly tries to do good whilst trying desperately to ignore things that makes her feel bad, so when bad things start happening around her she has to not only deal with that but also her feelings towards the new guy in town.

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Check out the Liars and Light summary below!

What if everything you thought you believed was a lie? Would you blame the person who told you those lies, or would the fault be all your own? After all, you were the one who chose to believe…

Nora is an Elementum but unlike the majority of her race, she can wield fire, water, and air magic with equal power. Having been sold to the king as a child, she is now bound to him by the shackle tattoos encircling her wrists, marking her as an Alta—a secret soldier. Commanded to find an Anima who disappeared with barely a trace, Nora works to solve the mystery, and finds herself in a city rife with rebellion. Desperate to serve her king, she delves into the lives of the faction, eager to uncover any information that would lead her to find the Anima.

Lys Alv. Healer. Sister. Daughter. Friend. Everything Evelyn has worked for is finally falling into place, but an uneasiness sits in her stomach. Two strangers come hurtling into her path and Evelyn begins to question what she truly wants from life. After an offer to join a rebellion against the king arises, she will have to choose whether to continue following the path laid out before her or start her own adventure.

In a magical world where unethical laws are shrouded in speeches of justice and safety, the king moves to gain more control of the people he promised to protect. A divide is forming, lines are being drawn, and two women find themselves at a crossroads.

With lingering grief and a rising threat, Evelyn must decide where her fate lies.

And Nora, first she needs the power to choose.

​Liars and Light is an adult fantasy novel. It contains cursing, sexual references, violence, physical assault, and other adult themes. Visit the author’s website for a list of content warnings.

A huge thank you to Rebecca for answering these questions and having some fun with me to celebrate the release of her debut book! Available from Amazon, BookDepository and Kindle Unlimited.