Every Tuesday, get to know a bit about the stories behind the books you love, and discover your next favourite novel.

Sabitha: Are you in the mood for a sword-and-sorcery fantasy? If so, you’re in luck—Erica Sebree is here to tell us about her novel, Wild Heart of the Storm! 

Erica: Wild Heart of the Storm begins with Ffion Ainsley, who leads a quiet life hidden away in the mortal realm. But when her dormant magic begins to manifest, her touch awakens a dead wolf. Drawing the attention of assassins, she narrowly escapes with the mysterious metalsmith who knows her true identity.

Wild Heart of the Storm is a celtic fantasy with a reluctant heroine, animal guardians, premonitory dreams, magic, and a bound protector. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s also the first volume of a five-book series. Book two, Wild Heart of the Crown, is also available.

Sabitha: It sounds dramatic! What sort of music that inspired you while you were writing it?

Erica: Soundtracks to epic big-screen fantasies, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings.

Sabitha: We have a lot of writers in our community. What’s your writing process?

Erica: I used the Snowflake Method to plan my book. The process involves writing a single sentence about your story, expanding it to a paragraph, then a page, and finally to four pages. After that, you move on to each of your characters, outlining their motivations, goals, conflicts, and epiphanies, before repeating the same process of expanding each of their story lines from one sentence to a full page. Finally, you outline every single scene of the book in a spreadsheet. It’s a long process, but I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to organize their thoughts.

Sabitha: How did you choose the title?

Erica: My mom took me to see Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken when I was young, and it stuck with me. The movie is about a woman who rides horses off of high-dives, until she’s blinded during one of her jumps. I love a character who doesn’t give up, even when (or especially when) people tell her something isn’t possible or can’t be done. Ffion is like that in many ways, and becomes even more determined in book two as she takes on her new role.

The title also represents Ffion’s magic:

Wild = earth magic

Heart = life magic

Storm = storm magic

Wild Heart = independence

Heart of the Storm = the final battle

Sabitha: Does the location the story takes place mean something to you or to the work?

Erica: I wanted the mortal realm to have defined seasons, so I designed it with the midwest in mind. She grows her own food and tends an apple orchard. As someone who grew up in Wisconsin, I can still remember how fresh-from-the-tree apples were so ripe they smelled of cider before you even took a bite.

Sabitha: Thanks for sharing your story and your process. We’re looking forward to reading! Where can the Night Beats community find you and your book?

Erica: You can get Wild Heart of the Storm and Wild Heart of the Crown on Amazon. I’m on Bookbub, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also find me on my website or subscribe to my newsletter.