Tempest in a Teapot is officially out! You can check it out on the “my books” page to order from your preferred store. I never expected my debut to be a whimsical fantasy, let alone a fantasy romcom. And yet now that I’ve started writing whimsical fantasy, I can’t get enough of it. While I have plenty of darker stories planned for down the road, whimsical fantasy is something I think I will keep coming back to. It’s been a fun journey reaching this point after my years of writing serious historical fiction and dark fantasy.
In a way, Tempest in a Teapot and the series as a whole is my love letter to the writing industry and romance genre (and tea too of course) wrapped up with a whimsical bow. I used to edit a lot of romance across the gamut, although fantasy and historical romance are my personal favorites. Like Charlotte I know how it feels to be an aspiring writer who is just finding her writing voice while feeling the odds are against her. And like Mary, I also know how it feels to work in the industry and feel jaded by it in a way that makes you prone to imposter syndrome. I also love the Victorian period and all the great literature we got from it.
But this isn’t a series that takes any of that too seriously. I think us writers forget to not take ourselves and our writing too seriously sometimes. We’re all always learning and evolving with each story we write. I think it’s best to learn to give ourselves a little more grace and less pressure. Writing a wacky story lets me poke fun at all the intricacies of being a writer as well as popular romance tropes. Part of why I love magic is that it lets me twist the world as needed to better suit the story and modern sensibilities. The magic lets me do the unexpected, things you wouldn’t see in stories like Bridgerton. Which brings me to my next point…
My favorite thing about whimsical fantasy is the ability to make plot points or scenes that I couldn’t get away with in a more serious or even historically accurate story. I mean the whole premise in Tempest of a love match chosen by a magical teapot is utterly ridiculous and that’s exactly why I loved writing it. Doing the unexpected adds to the humor but also frees me up to endless possibilities that would be out of place in my other more serious works in progress. It is so much fun to sit down and go “Okay, what would readers expect to happen next?” and then throw something absolutely ridiculous into that scene.
Whimsical stories also make it easier to fit in the unusual leads that I love to write. Breaking the mold with silly whimsy makes it easier to add in traits that aren’t considered classically attractive or romantic in the love interest, but that I find more realistic and charming. Martin Steepe is a perfect example of this. He is a forgetful, socially awkward tea seller who loves tea so much that he uses it to find a fiancee. Yet despite his flaws, he loves earnestly and will do anything for those he loves.
I also write more serious stories as well, but right now I’m enjoying getting my wackier ideas out there.