Between the Pages: An Interview with Carissa Broadbent
The New York Times bestselling fantasy author discusses The Lion and the Deathless Dark, her writing process, self-publishing, and the future of fantasy romance
New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent has established herself as one of the most influential voices in contemporary fantasy. Through the Crowns of Nyaxia series and The War of Lost Hearts, she has captivated readers with immersive dark magical worlds, passionate romances, and exceptional characters whose complexity and depth bring her stories to life.
I had the opportunity to speak with Carissa about her upcoming novel, The Lion and the Deathless Dark, the lessons she learned from beginning her career as an independent author, how motherhood has influenced her writing, her creative process, and her perspective on the ever-evolving fantasy romance genre.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.
Congratulations on The Lion & the Deathless Dark! This is your third and final duology in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. What can readers expect from the Bloodborn duet?
I’ve been so excited to write this duet for such a long time! The Bloodborn duet follows Kyrene, a human bounty hunter bearing a blessed sword, as she makes a deal from Septimus, a notoriously morally grey vampire prince, for an especially dangerous job: to slay gods.
Readers of the other Nyaxia books will recognize Septimus, who has had quite the shady reputation as an antagonist to our other protagonists, but I’ve been excited to write his story since he first appeared on the page in The Serpent and the Wings of Night, six books ago! Everyone is the hero of their own story. This one is especially dark, action-packed, and bloody. I had tons of fun writing it.
I can imagine how bittersweet it must be to conclude a beloved series. What emotions have you been feeling as you bring this chapter of Crowns of Nyaxia to a close?
I’m currently writing the epic finale of the series, and I have to say, at this point, I’ve mostly been feeling intimidated more than anything else! I’m sure the big emotions of saying goodbye to such a sprawling series will hit me later – after all, this series completely changed my life.
But for now, I’m very focused on the task of making sure I’m wrapping up an epic series into the satisfying conclusions readers deserve. (No pressure, right?) I’m also very pregnant currently with my second child, so it’s been a little rough to get into the headspace for such a sprawling book while also fighting pregnancy brain! Nevertheless, I’m also having a ton of fun writing it.
In addition to the release of your upcoming book, you’re also expecting the arrival of your second child--congratulations! How has motherhood influenced your relationship with writing? Has it changed the way you approach characters and storytelling?
Thank you! When I think about how much my life has changed over the course of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, motherhood is a big part of that. I wrote Serpent in 2022 and then had my first son in 2023, shortly after self-publishing The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King and Slaying the Vampire Conqueror. So by the time I wrap up the series, it will be eight books and two children later!
Many of the main ways that motherhood has affected my writing are logistical. I used to work roughly 7 to 7 most days, but of course that’s impossible now with small children, so I needed to learn how to be ruthlessly efficient with a much shorter 4-6 hour workday (and a lot less sleep!). But, I also think motherhood has made me a more empathetic writer and made me think about certain characters and plotlines differently – and, I like to think, made them stronger.
While I have written very few literal parents in my books, a lot of my characters have become outlets for questions I’ve struggled with in motherhood, and what it means to try to love and protect truly innocent people in a world that often seems very dark. Motherhood has made me think about that in a much more visceral way, but I think it’s a struggle that many people, parents or not, are feeling right now.
You have published a Crowns of Nyaxia book every year since 2022. I’d love to know about your typical writing routine. What does a normal writing day look like for you, and how do you know when it’s time to take a break?
As I mentioned, I’m ruthless about my writing schedule because I’m naturally a very scattered, disorganized person. I realized that this was necessary as soon as I became a full time writer, and it’s only gotten more true after I had children. I write Monday through Friday and take weekends off, unless I’m in a deadline crunch, which is just part of the job. These days, my typical workday is 9:30-3. When I’m in the thick of drafting, I want between 3,000 to 5,000 words out of that day. It will be on the lower end if I’m earlier in a book, and more if I’m deeper into the draft and have lots of momentum. Beginnings are hard for me, and then I’ll fly through the second half! I exclusively draft on distraction-free writing devices like the BYOK, AlphaSmart Neo, or Boox Palma – never on a laptop, and usually leave it at home to avoid distractions.
That said, this is just when I’m in the thick of drafting, and lately there are more and more things that require my attention that are not just writing. It can take me a long time and several frustrating false starts to hammer out my outline and really find my stride. I always say that writing books never gets easier, per se, but you do get more self-aware about your process and your inevitable crash-outs. The book I’m working on now has been extremely difficult with a lot of false starts, but I’ve written something like a dozen books by now, so I know that’s just how it goes sometimes. I’m constantly re-evaluating my process and looking for ways to improve.
You first started as an independent author, selling your novels on Kindle Direct Publishing and Ingram Spark. What advantages or insights did you gain from beginning your publishing journey through the indie route?
I’m really passionate about self-publishing and I feel extremely grateful that I’ve gotten the opportunity to build my career that way. I’ve managed to hang onto many independent elements of my career even now, and I likely always will. The thing I’m most grateful for with this path is that indie publishing allowed me to build a readership at a slow and steady pace and really understand my books and the readership that enjoys them.
Most people know me for The Serpent and the Wings of Night, which was my “viral” book (and I’m incredibly grateful for it!). But self-publishing allowed me the space to slowly build my career before I wrote Serpent, through the War of Lost Hearts trilogy and several unsuccessful (bad!) books before that. It’s a very different career trajectory than I would have had in traditional publishing, and while I don’t believe that one path is any “better” than the other, I’m grateful I started off the way I did for my personal path and working style.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to self-publish?
Two big pieces of advice. One, in the vein of what I wrote above, do not expect overnight success. While they can happen, they’re rare! Most of your favorite indie authors have several releases that you’ve never heard of before their breakout. To me, one of the greatest benefits of an indie career is the ability to build an audience slowly (while in traditional publishing, this can be more difficult, since publishers put significant weight on “sales track”). Take advantage of this freedom.
My second piece of advice is to make sure you really deeply understand who you’re writing for and specifically why they will capital-L LOVE your book. It was the greatest turning point in my career when I really started to understand this, and it resulted in both much stronger books and much better marketing.
The Crowns of Nyaxia series is structured as three duologies. What unique challenges and opportunities come with writing duologies compared to a longer series with multiple installments?
I will be the first to admit that this series structure is a little chaotic! Over the years, I’ve realized that it can be a little confusing to readers. But creatively, as an author, I’ve really enjoyed writing in this format. I absolutely love a duology, partly because the midpoint is always very important to me in any story, and writing a duology is basically writing to and from the midpoint of a story’s overall arc.
I also love that this structure allowed me the best of both worlds: I can build a sprawling epic that spans all six books – plus the two standalones – while also exploring lots of smaller individual arcs within each duology. I wanted to create a huge world with tons of possibility, and this series structure has allowed me to explore all corners of it.
Who have been your biggest literary influences and inspirations, both as an author in general and specifically for the Crowns of Nyaxia series?
The books that got me into fantasy as a young reader were Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones and the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I think to this day, you probably can see echoes of those inspirations in my work! Later in life, I now try to read across many different genres, not just fantasy. I think there’s always something to learn from every book, even ones that are very different from the ones I write myself – thrillers can teach you pacing, for instance. (This is why I really roll my eyes at writers who degenerate other genres. It’s totally fine if something isn’t your personal cup of tea as a reader, but I think there is always something to learn as an artist from books even far outside your personal taste!)
As an adult, I was especially inspired by Madeline Miller’s books. She’s just such an incredible wordsmith and I feel like I learn something new from her books every time I re-read them.
You recently took the main stage at this year’s BookCon and had the opportunity to speak with fellow fantasy authors Victoria Aveyard, Rachel Gillig, and Scarlett St. Clair. Since you all share similar experiences navigating the publishing world and finding success, how important is it to have supportive relationships with other authors in your genre?
I was so honored to share the stage with such talented authors! It’s surreal that I’ve been able to participate in panels with so many incredible storytellers over the years, including people I’ve admired since early in my career. I think in this business, it’s crucial to maintain positive relationships with your colleagues.
I really appreciated the openness and sense of community in the self-publishing world when I was first getting started, and though I was honestly a bit nervous to enter the traditional publishing world, I’m so grateful for the incredibly helpful and welcoming authors who helped me get acclimated to the new realm of traditional publishing. I strongly believe that we are not each other’s competition. Every author will have ups and downs in their career, and anyone who believes this is a “line goes up forever” business will have a rude awakening.
The best way that we can weather uncertainty and pivot as needed is by remaining open and supportive to each other and learning from each other.
Over the past few years, social media has played a major role in the rise of the romantasy genre, helping readers discover and connect with your books. What do you think the future holds for romantasy, and where do you see the genre heading next?
I think that romantasy has been around for a long time, just under different names. The reader appetite for it has been there for many years before the term was coined. I don’t see that going away anytime soon. That said, I do think that after the recent explosion of mainstream popularity, we’re going to see the genre evolve in interesting ways.
A lot of readers who fell in love with the genre when it hit the most visible peak of its popularity will be looking branch out into different variations of it, maybe by exploring new settings or twists on the stories they originally fell in love with. I have a feeling that some really exciting stories will come out of this next phase, and I’m eager as a reader to dive in!
I also had the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Lion and the Deathless Dark, and it completely captivated me. Kyrene and Septimus are unforgettable characters who have stayed with me long after I turned the final page. The story is gripping from beginning to end—I couldn’t put the book down! I can't wait for fans of the Crowns of Nyaxia series to read this latest installment. If my experience is any indication, the wait will have been well worth it.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark is available for pre-order now.
The novel will be released on August 4th.
For more updates, head over to Carissa’s instagram and website.
A huge thank you to Carissa for taking the time to speak with me and share her insights, and to Cassidy at Tor Publishing Group for making this opportunity possible. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to discuss The Lion and the Deathless Dark and learn more about Carissa’s writing journey <3
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Great questions. The answers were good pointers for any writers.