A dragon without their rider is a tragedy. A rider without their dragon is dead.Welcome to the Fourth Wing.
Growing up, I've always loved reading fantasy, especially as an escape from reality. Last weekend I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite fantasy authors Rebecca Yarros discuss her latest book Onyx Storm - the fastest selling adult novel in 20 years as featured in the NYTimes. The Q&A event was held in Philadelphia, PA at The Miller Theater with moderator and author Xio Axelrod as hosted by Red Tower Books, Ensemble Arts Philly, and Books A Million.
It was incredible to hear Rebecca's thoughts on writing Onyx Storm as part of the third installment to her epic adult fantasy series after Fourth Wing (Book 1) and Iron Flame (Book 2). Without giving too much away, the books follow Violet Sorrengail, who enters Basgiath War College to become a dragon rider. It’s fast-paced with incredible world-building, witty dialogue, and strong character development. I also love the inclusivity and representation with an emphasis on those with chronic illness.
The best part of the evening was being surrounded by so many other people who love entering the world of dragon riders and epic adventures as much as I do, including my dear friend (and soon to be birthday girl), Amanda. The two of us "channeled" our inner Violet Sorrengail, adorned with silver-tipped hair, Empyrean-themed nails, flight leathers and dragon scales.
Of course, I had to complete the look with Sparrow and Wilde's back dragon relic tattoo.
Though as a doctor, I do wonder if I’d have ended up in the Healer’s Quadrant instead of the Rider's Quadrant…nahhh, I’d just manifest a mending signet (IYKYK). From sharing book cover art in line to receiving friendship bracelets from fans, it felt like the ultimate bonding experience (but much less dangerous than Threshing).
In addition to receiving a signed copy of Onyx Storm, we got to hear some non-spoilery spoilers for the upcoming books along with great writing advice for aspiring authors.
"You can't edit a blank page." - Rebecca Yarros
You have to start somewhere, whether that's writing as you go or plotting and planning ahead of time with a storyboard. As Rebecca explained, if you just write one page a day, by the end of the year you'll have a book. This is how she wrote her first novel. She also discussed her writing process including her next book, which will be a contemporary story, then taking the summer off to be with family before she returns to the fantasy genre.
Also for anyone who has read and finished Onyx Storm, if you're wondering where Broccoli is - Rebecca confirmed that he's with Drake in Cordyn!
With two more books left in the Empyrean series and unknown release dates, I'll be deep diving into theories and predictions with the Fantasy Fan Girls Podcast. The books themselves have so many layers and easter-eggs, from foreshadowing, symbolism, and relationship development to religious, political, and military commentary. My mind is still reeling from dissecting all the epigraphs, characters, timeline, context, and sentence structure but thankfully Variety's recent interview with Rebecca Yarros answered some of those questions many of us readers were left with in the cliffhanger. There's also mention of Amazon's plan to bring the books to the screen under Michael B Jordan's production company. Now I'm not sure which one I'm more excited for - the TV show or the fourth book.
So what are you waiting for? Get your leathers. We have dragons to ride!
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