Guest Author Interview with E.P. Stavs

I recently had the privilege to interview multi-genre author E.P. Stavs, author of The Shendri series, R.I.P. Viola Winkle, and Split Therapy. I hope you enjoy the Q&A! -AJ

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Hi, Erin. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to interview you today. Can you introduce yourself and your book(s) to our readers?

Hi! My name’s Erin, aka E.P. Stavs, and I primarily write YA fantasy and fantasy romance. My completed series, The Shendri, is lighthearted fantasy with a side of romance geared toward older teens. Definitely NOT traditional epic fantasy so much as fun romps that aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty from time to time. 

Would you like to talk a little about your writing process?

Every book starts with a vague idea that pops into my head at random. From there, I usually try to sketch out a rough outline (and I mean ROUGH), develop my characters basic personalities (they always evolve once the writing begins), and start cultivating the perfect WIP playlist. Music is a huge influence in almost every book, and many a short story has developed from a single song playing on repeat. Once those things are in place, I start writing and see what happens. 

I’ve read The Marked Princess, which is the first book in your YA fantasy series. The concept of the Shendri Warriors was very cool. Could you explain a little bit about them and what your inspiration was?

The desire to write animal companions who fight alongside you actually stems from playing World of Warcraft. I played a hunter, and had some really cool pets that went into battle with me. The celestial aspect comes from a love of Selkie lore and celestial maidens. The Secret of Roan Inish and the older manga series, Ayashi No Ceres by Yuu Watase, both have a heavy influence when it comes to the stolen robes. The warrior aspect just kind of spun out from there.

Each of your Shendri Warriors have a different spirit animal. Which was your favorite to write and why?

Oh man. That’s a tough one. If you simply asked which was my favorite, I’d probably say Kella, the hellcat. She’s so sassy and unapologetically badass. As far as writing goes, however, I’d have to go with Suzu (aka Suzaku, the phoenix). Of all the celestial beast and host pairings throughout the series, she and Lily work together the most in The Searching Songbird. I love their chill, rational relationship, as well as the gentle teasing Suzu does in regards to Draven. She’s not as strong a fighter as Kella, but she holds her own and adds some new, magical abilities to the mix in both books 2 and 4.

I know fairy tale retellings are a big trend right now, but I think your latest release, R.I.P. Viola Winkle, is the first I’ve seen featuring the Rip Van Winkle story (I love that you picked a less popular tale). What made you decide to choose that one?

Every now and then my husband and I will hang out at the table at night listening to Nemo’s Dreamscapes on YouTube with a couple drinks and a candle burning and come up with ridiculous story ideas and titles that I record in my phone’s notepad for shits and giggles. It was during one of those sessions that I mentioned wanting to write a fairytale retelling, so I started listing ones I liked that weren’t overly done. When I mentioned Rip Van Winkle, my husband said I could call it R.I.P. Van Winkle, and I was like yes! Only R.I.P. Viola Winkle, because I prefer writing female leads. It was a while before I actually got around to coming up with a plot, but I knew in that instant I’d write it. 

Aside from your fantasy works, you’ve written Split Therapy, which is a psychological thriller. Do you find it difficult to switch between the two genres?

Writing wise? Nope. I love it. It’s so refreshing to write something completely different every now and then.

Marketing wise? The worst. Honestly, I don’t even try to market Split Therapy any more, because it’s just so different from my other works. Now I mostly get my genre hopping urges out through short stories, some of which are published in The Crow’s Quill, others in anthologies. 

Do you have any upcoming releases you’d like to talk about?

I currently have three WIPS, with a fourth fighting to take over. Been feeling a bit burned out lately, and going from WIP to WIP as the mood strikes helps me find the joy again. That also means it’s unlikely I’ll have anything finished and ready for publication soon.

Catherine, in Boots (Puss in Boots x Twelfth Night) is the closest to being finished, and that one’s sitting at about 30% completed. I WILL put something out in 2023, however. It’s just a matter of what and when that I’m not sure of yet. 

Besides being a writer, what do you like to do in your spare time?

I love to read, take walks, play old Nintendo games, draw / work on comp art, do puzzles with my 5 year old, play Trouble with my 8 year old, anything active, and I’m currently learning how to skateboard. I’ve also done a lot of cosplay and costume / prop making in the past, but lately I haven’t really had the time. I may get back into it, though, now that conventions are becoming a thing again.

Do you have any parting thoughts you’d like to share?

Thanks so much for the interview!

If anyone’s interested in checking out my work, they can find it all at epstavs.com.

And if anyone’s in the Seattle area, I’ll be at GeekGirlCon on Sat, Nov 5th slinging books and swag. If you find yourself there, be sure to stop by and say hi!

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Thank you to Erin for taking time for this interview! Her books can be found on Amazon.com.