Ask the Author: Emma C. Fox
Answered Questions (6)
Emma C. Fox
Hi Seager! My next novel, HEART OF STONE, is set to release from Owl's Nest Publishers early next year (2026). HEART OF STONE is the sequel to THE CARVER AND THE QUEEN. It's a YA historical fantasy set in Siberia and imperial St. Petersburg in 1840, and pulls on various Siberian legends and Russian folklore. Follow along on my Substack for updates! https://emmafoxauthor.substack.com/
Emma C. Fox
Amazon is the easiest way to purchase The Arrow and the Crown! Here's the link: https://amzn.to/4apXeMF
Emma C. Fox
Well, for me, it's the opposite problem so far: so many ideas, so little time! I think a lot of great stories share similar themes. But I do consciously look for fresh material, for example, lesser-known fairytales and folktales that haven't been retold yet in novel form.
Emma C. Fox
I'm currently working on a YA historical fantasy set in early-19th century Russia, just after the Napoleonic wars. I'm blending the historical world of tsars, landowners and serfs with elements from Russian folklore. I love the richness, wit and mystery of Russian fairytales, but they're not nearly as well known in the West as tales like "Cinderella" or "Snow White." I want to bring this fascinating time and place to life, with a fairytale-retelling twist.
Emma C. Fox
Stories come to me in a whole lot of ways. Sometimes I'll be trying to find a good book about a particular person or place in history, and there's just not that much out there. So I jot down a note to myself: here's a gap that needs filling. Other times, in reading or in travel, I'll come across some fascinating tidbit or location and realize, "There's a story here!" For instance, I recently learned that in ancient Ghana, blacksmiths were believed to hold magical powers, and their secrets were carefully guarded. What if a young smith accidentally let his family secrets slip, and was banished to the desert, or sold as a slave to work in the salt mines? How would he survive, and how would the 'magic' of his skills come into play? Stories are everywhere!
Emma C. Fox
There's something magical about taking the half-formed ideas banging around in my head, and fleshing them out with words into living, breathing characters. Then to share those characters and their world in stories, so that they step off the page and settle down in the imaginations of my readers...wow! It's such a joyous thing.
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