Author Interview: Taylor J. LaRue

Get the inside scoop on ‘Steelborn’!

Taylor J. LaRue is the author of our August Adult ‘One Last Heist’ featured book: Steelborn. Read on to get the inside scoop from inspiration to favourite scenes and more!

Steelborn has such a striking title! What does the word “Steelborn” mean to you, and how did you know it was the right title for the book?

For a long time, the book was untitled. I think that, like character names, book titles feel very permanent, and I held off on naming it because I understood that the reality of this industry is that they might try to change it. So I think there was a sense of fear, I didn’t want to name it all for someone to tell me I can’t have that name as that would crush me! When I was working on it in college, I would always turn it in untitled and the teachers would be like, you know you will one day have to title this?! So for a long time it was untitled, and then it was The Blacksmith’s Daughter for a while. But now, it’s tied to Steelborn lore. It wasn’t until I unlocked the secret of Etellinian’s steel that I really felt like I had unlocked the heart of this story. That lore is based on a very real mystery behind a viking sword called the Ulfberht sword, but I recommend not researching it until you finish the book! It’s rooted in the lore of the Steelborn and the steel god, which is inherently tied to Reya’s character.

What was the very first spark of inspiration for this story?

Everything began with Reya. I came up with the idea in high school, and it’s beautiful because so many of the flashbacks in the book are reminiscent of some of my earlier imaginings for the saga; especially Reya in the forge with her father. I tend to write chronologically, and I think when you’re young and you’re trying to figure out what you’re doing, you just tell yourself a story from beginning to end. So, she started off much younger in her childhood, but when it came to actually writing it, I didn’t want to start right in her traumatic past, and so there are flashbacks in the book that are true to my original dreaming up of it and Reya’s childhood on the mountain. And I liked the idea that she wanted to be something. She had a goal, a trade, that she wanted to take on.

If you had to describe Steelborn using three words, what would they be?

I hope it feels cinematic. I say that because I tend to see things like a movie in my head, so I hope it feels that way to others. I hope it feels nostalgic. I hope that it feels like the first time you read a YA book in high school that made you fall in love with reading, and this is the adult version for you. And I hope it feels fast-paced! So cinematic, nostalgic, and fast-paced!

The world of Steelborn has such a strong identity. What was your favourite part of building its world?

I had a lot of fun with the seascapes and the pirate elements of the book. I have this book called The Ship, and it’s filled with hundreds of illustrations of ships from throughout the years, and so I found building what the Acadia looked like and spending time out on the sea just amazing!

If you could spend one day inside the world of Steelborn, where would you go, and where would you absolutely avoid?

The red row in Port Tallulah would be fun, but I would say that’s a very dangerous part of town. Unless you are Reya, maybe don’t go there! And again I loved the seascapes and the ocean setting, so I would love to spend a day on the Acadia. Or honestly, just roaming around Edris. When I studied abroad, I travelled a lot, and so the city Reya calls home ended up being inspired by so many different places that I’ve been to. But, I did spend a weekend in Scotland alone, and I roamed the streets of Edinburgh, I stopped and wrote in cafés, and I just soaked up so much inspiration that I do think that city in particular heavily inspired Edris. Keeping with the Steelborn theme with steel roof tops, I really wanted it to feel like a place that could feel like Reya’s identity.

The book is incredibly atmospheric! Did you have any particular music, films, artwork, or other media influencing the mood while you wrote?

So I use Pinterest and music. Though, Pinterest is starting to get a bit hard to navigate, with all the ads and AI material, so it’s not currently quite the well of inspiration it once was for me. But in its early days, for sure! I love creating mood boards for stories and so many of my stories begin with them. Obviously, I start with other things too — one of my favourite things is to just open my notes app and start documenting, and then I’ll make a mood board and look for matching vibes. It’s almost like when you’re trying to design a room for your house! You’re not looking for specifics, you’re looking for aesthetics and tones. Steelborn is very midnight blue and silver, and I kind of think of it like making a story board for film. And then I love Daniel Pemberton’s soundtrack for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword by Guy Ritchie. It’s one of my favourite films, and I would say Guy Ritchie is just a big hero in general to me. I love his storytelling, it’s so good, you feel like you can’t even go to the bathroom because you know you’ll miss something! I always try to embody that speed, and I wanted Steelborn to feel that same way. And that soundtrack in particular, when I listen to it, I can hear Steelborn in it. I do have a whole playlist linked on my Instagram, and you can listen to it along with reading!

What was the biggest challenge you faced while writing Steelborn, and how did you work through it?

I would say the biggest challenge for me was probably the middle. There’s even a phrase for it for writers, it’s called the murky middle! It’s hard to get right, and I think part of the difficulty there is that it is inherently part of the book’s structure. This is a quest, and that involves getting from one place to the next. You have to respect the map for the world you’ve built, you have to respect its rules, and you have to create the feeling of the passing of time for the reader. That was really important for me as, you know, we’re not flying across the continent on dragon back! We’re not getting there in like two seconds, it needed to have that feel of a quest, that feel of a heist, and that feeling of travel. But of course, when you’re travelling, you have to try and find a way to make that interesting. There’s always a natural flag, that’s part of that type of quest and heist structure. But for me, the challenge when working through it with my editor was trying to find ways to make sure it stayed high stakes and intense. And of course, there’s essential character develop that has to happen there, so trying to weave that all together was a challenge.

If you could give your younger self one piece of writing advice, what would it be?

I would say, don’t get so caught up in the idea of perfection that you never allow yourself to write badly. I’m a real perfectionist, and I feel like that held me back for a really long time. As creatives, I think experimentation is really important, and if you don’t allow yourself to write garbage, you’re never going to let yourself write something really great. You learn and you get better as you go. Whenever I meet an author and they sign my book, I always get them to write some writing advice in there, so I now have an amazing collection of books where their authors have written nuggets of wisdom that they have learned over the years. But there was one particular piece of advice that said to allow yourself to write garbage. You can’t edit a blank page, you have to put something on there, but that can be a really hard bump to get over, especially for over-thinkers like me!

Is there anything you can tell us about the sequel?

Expect more adventure, expect more spice, and expect new danger.

What is your favourite thing about the FairyLoot Exclusive Edition of Steelborn?

You cannot ask me that! You cannot ask me to choose! But okay… it has to be the cover, if you force me! I was really pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous the title going down the side is. I didn’t expect that, but it’s *chef’s kiss*! And getting to work with Charlie Bowater! When I was a bookseller, I think the first piece of art I saw of hers was Margaret Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns, and thought the style of the art was just so captivating and beautiful! I remember thinking that it would be so incredible to see her do Reya one day, but I thought I’d never get that chance. So then when you guys said you’re going to have Charlie do the cover, I was like, you’re joking?! That was really a dream come true! That was baby writer Taylor’s goal! All the artists we worked with were incredible, but Charlie was someone I had been following for a really long time, and seeing Reya rendered in her unique style was so moving and incredibly emotional; I cried so many times!