Author Interview with Ennis Rook Bashe of “A Scheme of Sorcery”
Hello readers! I got the chance to interview author, Ennis Rook Bashe about their novel “A Scheme of Sorcery”, the overall writing process, and navigating the writing world. I hope you all enjoy the interview!
Palace squire Edwynne Dovecote has discovered her life is a lie. She wasn’t born into the nobility- she’s a daughter of the North, an inhospitable country where people worship a mysterious goddess. Even if it puts her at odds with her adopted family, she’s determined to explore her heritage, as long as no one finds out who she truly is.
But Sariva al-Beroth, an ambitious Northern girl who’s started working for the queen, is sick of rude outsiders gawking at her culture. She refuses to be in the same room as Edwynne, let alone share ancestral secrets.
Then the queen falls under a curse, and only Sariva and Edwynne can rescue her. To save their country, they’ll have to survive a ruined underground castle infested with ghosts, a fascist uprising prepared to sway public opinion with mind-control magic… and each other.
Q&A Time!
Hello Ennis! Thank you for stopping by the blog. First off, tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m a lesbian cat dad, cane user, and social work graduate student from New York who writes romance novels, poetry, and the occasional song. Some fun facts about me are that I’m currently in two tabletop roleplaying game campaigns and that I can recite the prologue to Beowulf in Old English. My website/portfolio is at: https://www.ennisrookbashe.com/
Congrats on your debut novel! What inspired you to write Scheme of Sorcery?
The first part of my inspiration was reading a lot of old fantasy and realizing how often women were pitted against each other, even in works by female authors. So many books set up the dichotomy of the boring girl cowed by social norms who did embroidery, wore dresses, and went along with her arranged marriage, versus the cool girl in pants who knew how to wield a sword and smash the patriarchy. I thought it would be fun to queer things up as a classic butch-femme dynamic and have the two types of girls find common ground- and even fall in love.
As a Jewish person, I grew up in an area where Jews were very common and accepted. When I got to college, it really surprised me how many people in activist movements were uneasy about having Jewish comrades. It seemed worthwhile to raise consciousness about an underrepresented experience- while creating a fun, action-packed upper YA with makeouts and magic.
You’ve written many poetry pieces before. What was it like to tackle a full-length novel compared to poetry composition?
I love poetry, but my background is actually in longer work- I first won NaNoWriMo in middle school, and I’ve always known that I wanted to write a novel. My first published works, from Torquere Press and Less Than Three Press (both now tragically closed,) were all longer novellas. That being said, I wouldn’t deny that novels are different, and absolutely harder. If writing and revising a poem is like taking a walk around the block, then a novella is like a 5k, but a novel is like running the New York City Marathon.
Did you have any favorite parts of creating Scheme of Sorcery? What was challenging about writing this novel?
I often tell people that I’ve been writing this book since the Obama era, because I have. At first I wanted to capture the hope for a better world that I saw around me and write something that could invigorate people. Of course, what happened made me wonder: if things are going to be awful anyway, what’s the point of hoping? But when I saw the solidarity and mutual aid that took place in my community after the 2016 elections, and the ways people gathered together to pray, sing, and reassure each other, even if all they could do was provide a shoulder to cry on, I realized how truly vital it was to keep hope alive even in the darkest of times. I had the opportunity to take a lot of what everyone was feeling and struggling with and channel it through my work, and I’m so grateful that I had my writing to turn to during such a challenging time.
Scheme of Sorcery is an exciting fantasy romance. What are three other fantasy romance novels you read and recommend to other readers?
I read so widely, this question was a little tough- but I managed!
The Changeling by Juniper Butterworth, which is a pseudonym for Sharon J. Gochenour, is one of my favorite romances ever. When I was writing my polyamorous romance Rescued By The Married Monster Hunters, one of my goals was to write something just as loving and gentle as this one. It has all my favorite things: throuples, faeries, goblins, and a woman who doesn’t trust anyone learning how to love again.
Midsummer Nights by T.J. Land, the first book in the Bad Fairies series, is a cute and sexy take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream- specifically Puck and Oberon, my favorite unofficial Shakespeare couple. As a Shakespeare nerd, of course I adored the clever little nods to the original canon.
Finally, I really enjoyed Feed by Aveda Vice, which is a paranormal romance about two queer monsters who meet on a hookup app (for monsters.) When they see each other in person, they realize that they’re co-workers who hate each other, but that they’re still very attracted to each other. I loved how the physical intimacy showed so much about the characters’ personalities and emotional needs, plus I think it’s the first book I’ve seen where multiple sets of pronouns were used for the same character in the same scene. It’s so cool when authors are confident enough to play with language like that.
All these books are queer and by indie and/or small press authors, so you should totally read them if you like supporting small LGBT creators!
What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Lately, it’s been finding enough time to write! I’m always most productive during my commute on the subway, but with everything remote now, I’m still trying to figure out what works for me.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
If you’re constantly worried about what Book Twitter is going to say about your manuscript once it releases, it’s harder to be in the moment and express yourself authentically. Get a hobby you can do with your phone on airplane mode and find writer friends who can support you in real life. It’s more important to take care of yourself than to participate in internet arguments. The most important thing any writer can do is to, as the kids say, touch some grass.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Some advice I would give to my younger self and to other young writers- is “Stop comparing your career to others.” It’s easy to look at people on Twitter and say “That person has an agent, that person’s book went to auction; what’s wrong with me?” But the truth is that not everyone’s first manuscript gets published. Not everyone has the same amount of time and energy to dedicate to writing. And success looks different for everyone. Roanna Sylver, a self-published author whose work I really admire, recently had a reader contact them to say “Hey, I loved your book so much, I got a tattoo based on it.” My friend Saint Gibson, a fellow small press author, just posted about an artisanal scented candle inspired by her Dracula retelling Dowry of Blood. How cool is that?
Do you have any other projects in the works?
I’m always working on multiple things. Of course my main priority is graduate school, but I’m about 40k into a book about queer people and talking cats attending magic college. I had the chance to workshop parts of it in a Francesca Lia Block Litreactor class this summer, and the reception I got has helped me feel optimistic about the finished project. I’m also working on a sequel to my polyamorous romance novella Rescued by the Married Monster Hunters, which will feature another hot disabled monster entering into an unexpected relationship and discovering what love is.
About The Author
Ennis Rook Bashe is a disabled queer badass from the New York area, whose writing centers around themes of hope and community.
Find Ennis on social media and their website for more upcoming books at:
Tumblr: kayla-bird.tumblr.com
Twitter: @EnnisRookBashe
Newsletter: https://tinyletter.com/rookthebird
Website: https://ennisrook.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ennisrook/
Thanks again to Ennis for taking the time for a Q&A session and stopping by the blog! Be sure to add the fantasy romance, A Scheme of Sorcery, to your reading list!
