E.J. Mellow Interview - Song of the Forever Rains ~ JeanBookNerd

Photo Content from E.J. Mellow

E.J. Mellow is an award-winning and best selling author of five novels. She grew up in a household of artists, surrounded by three sisters who were often found traipsing through the small grove of trees near their home. There they morphed into wolves and wild horses, escaping capture from many foe. Today, E.J. has taken her imagination to the page where readers have said her "lyrical, vibrant, and imaginative" writing sweeps them into "stunning worlds". She is also the co-founder of She Is Booked, a literary themed fundraising organization that supports women’s charities.

Residing in Colorado, E.J. is working on the release of her newest dark fantasy novel, Song of the Forever Rains, out from Montlake Romance July 1st, 2021

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08GC3WWQF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Montlake (July 1, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 1, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English

Praise for SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS

“A spellbinding read…A dark, lyrical fantasy that merges vast worldbuilding with the best of romance tropes.” —Kirkus Reviews

“It’s so easy to lose yourself in Mellow’s evocative and engaging prose. Song of the Forever Rains blends excellent world building, wonderful character dynamics, and slow burn romance. I’m already looking forward to the sequel.” —Charlie N. Holmberg, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

“A story so immersive, it will haunt you long after the last page.” —Staci Hart, bestselling author

Why is storytelling so important for all of us?
For empathy. With the rapid globalization of the world, it’s created large pockets of misunderstandings, which can ultimately lead to fear and possible violence. By telling our stories, sharing them, I believe we can open up more paths of learned conversations and healing.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Nothing can ever beat an excited reader taking time to reach out and tell me how much they love one of my books. The fact that my characters or worlds or story, which have filled up my heart and mind for so long, can do the same for another is extremely rewarding.

What are some of your current and future projects that you can share with us?
I’m gearing up for the release of the second standalone book in my Mousai Series, Dance of a Burning Sea. It releases this October and follows the middle sister, Niya, who holds the hypnotic and spellbinding gift of dance. It also follows a certain notorious pirate who I loved exploring.

Can you tell us when you started SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS, how that came about?
At a high level, my three sisters inspired me to write this series. We are incredibly close and, in fact, each book is dedicated to one of them. The way we can fight and make up in the same breath, as well as how loyal and supportive they have been my whole life had me wanting to write a story about sisterhood for a while. At a more myopic level, I had been waiting to write a book about magic and things not being as they seem for an even longer while. A book that was both dark and incredibly bright. The concept that you could spin a tale that had merciless stops along a reader’s journey, mixed in with things that sparkled and shined, tricked and trapped, all leading up to a happily ever after fascinated me. I wanted to make up my own fairytale of sorts, except this story would not be fit for a child’s bedtime but for an adults.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
Readers can expect to find beauty in between the brutal and love for characters who believe they aren’t deserving. I wanted to write a story about how complex the concept of “good” vs “evil” can be and how a hero’s journey might just have to be through deadly deeds.

I hope for readers to walk away after reading feeling like they just experienced an epic bedtime story. I want adults to have their imagination and love of make-believe reawakened. And I want them to be hungry for more of this world, for I certainly am hungry to keep writing in it.

What part of your characters did you enjoy writing the most?
Hands down the sisterhood dynamic. My relationship with my sisters is so much fun to experience, so it was a joy to pull this inspiration into SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS.

Did you learn anything from writing SONG OF THE FOREVER RAINS and what was it?
Darius and his history with his stepfather was a particularly delicate and nuanced experience to write about. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but to tell a story about an individual who has gone through what he had and to build his character arc into one that was hopeful was a challenge and pulled at my heartstrings the entire way. With the help of my editor, sensitivity readers, and talking with friends who have lived through similar situations helped me tell Darius’s story in a way that I hope respects as well as resonates with readers who might relate.

Tell me about a favorite event of your childhood.
I’m one of four girls and grew up in a household of artists. Being around such creativity as a young child definitely shaped my identity and need for imagination and storytelling, whether visually or with words.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Travel to another country. The perspective of experiencing another culture I believe is priceless.

Best date you've ever had?
The first date with my husband. I didn’t believe in love at first conversation until that moment.

What was the first job you had?
Babysitting. But if we are talking “official” first job where taxes were taken out, I was a lifeguard and those were some of the best summers of my life.

Which incident in your life that totally changed the way you think today?
Becoming a mother. Every worry or stress or thing I thought was important before, seems to have become a spec of a concern after having my son. Every day he puts so much into perspective for me just by looking at his smiling face.

Which would you choose, true love with a guarantee of a heart break or have never loved before?
True love with a guarantee of heart break. As the saying goes, ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’. I believe this. Though heartbreak is a hard experience, there is so much learned from hindsight. And to experience love is beautiful.

From the award-winning author of the Dreamland series comes a new dark romantic fantasy about a young woman finding hope in her powers of destruction.

The Thief Kingdom is a place hidden within the world of Aadlior. Many whisper of its existence, but few have found this place, where magic and pleasure abound. There, the mysterious Thief King reigns supreme with the help of the Mousai, a trio of revered and feared sorceresses.

Larkyra Bassette may be the youngest of the Mousai, but when she sings her voice has the power to slay monsters. When it’s discovered the Duke of Lachlan is siphoning a poisonous drug from the Thief Kingdom and using it to abuse his tenants, Larkyra is offered her first solo mission to stop the duke. Eager to prove herself, Larkyra accepts by posing as the duke’s potential bride. But her plans grow complicated when she finds herself drawn to Lord Darius Mekenna, Lachlan’s rightful heir. Soon she suspects Darius has his own motivations for ridding Lachlan of the corrupt duke. Larkyra and Darius must learn to trust each other if there is to be any hope of saving the people of Lachlan—and themselves.

Welcome to the world of Aadilor, where lords and ladies can be murderers and thieves, and the most alluring notes are often the deadliest. Dare to listen?

You can purchase Song of the Forever Rains at the following Retailers: