Ilana C. Myer Takes Us On A Beautiful Fire Dance

I truly admire a stand alone tale.

That’s why I loved Last Song Before Night by Ilana C. Myer. It had the magical ability of capturing an entire story within its pages. But it was more than that, obviously. Myer was able to create believable characters thrust into a world of political intrigue unlike anything I have seen before. The worldbuilding was marvelous just like the book’s prose. I was eager to read more from her.

When I saw the cover to Fire Dance, it brought back all of those wonderful worlds from the first book. I was also happy to see the author writing another stand alone, one that takes her main character’s storyline and pushes it forward a bit. The result? Another captivating tale.

Kirkus gave it a starred review, high praise. “[Myers’s] world opens like a flower, revealing fresh landscapes both beautiful and dreadful… Worth waiting for.” One of my other favorite authors in recent years, The Traitor Baru Cormorant‘s Seth Dickinson, had this to say: “Fire Dance sings of the atrocities of kings, the conspiracy of sorcerers, and the silk poison of palace intrigue — and of a few desperate, hopeful, infinitely complicated people who struggle forward under the weight. A triumph of insight and humanity.” He is spot on.

I decided to send Myers an interview and I’m happy she accepted. Great information below! And if you haven’t read Last Song Before Night, what are you waiting for?

Hope you enjoy!

Unbound Worlds: Fire Dance is in fine bookstores tomorrow. First, tell Unbound Worlds about the world you introduced in Last Song Before Night?

Ilana C. Myer: Last Song Before Night introduces a world where poets hold political power. The Court Poet is the most powerful person at court, more so than the king. But it is the poets detached from court, the young artists out to prove themselves, who set out to discover the heart of their power—the enchantments of poets lost centuries ago.

Of course what they are truly setting out to discover, whether or not they know it, is themselves.

UW: With Fire Dance, you made a choice in writing a stand alone, one that works alongside Last Song Before Night. Do you think it is important to read the first book before this new one?

ICM: They are very different stories. Fire Dance unfolds on a larger scale, cutting between dramatically different settings, and hinges on a political crisis. It has a proper beginning, so readers who start there should get the hang of things fairly quickly.

What readers will gain from reading Last Song Before Night first is an understanding of how the characters have changed, as they grow into new roles. That’s one element that was important to me—that the characters must develop and change from one book to the next. Readers who have been there from the start will be in for a few surprises.

UW: Lin is a marvelous character, complex and rich. How did her creation and evolution come about? What characteristics drive her?

ICM: Thank you, Shawn! Lin’s character is in some ways the heart of the novel. That is a change from Last Song Before Night, where she shares the stage equally with the male protagonist, Darien.

In Last Song, Lin is striving to become a poet in a world where all the societal forces are against women doing that. At every step, she is fighting not only her culture’s norms, but genuine trauma and depression as well. She is turned inward, toward her own demons.

In Fire Dance Lin’s role is reversed—suddenly she has power over the men who held her back. At the same time, she finds out she is dying as a result of an enchantment…one which is gradually taking her over. I like to talk about how this book is a dance between two settings—the glittering court and the grey Academy Isle; but there is also that internal dance, for Lin, between her desires, and the cold reality that her life is ending.

UW: So many reviewers comment on how beautiful your prose is. I agree with that. Most authors share they are strong at certain aspects of writing’s craft. What do you consider your strongest attribute as a writer?

ICM: You are very kind. Language is important to me. I don’t write with the intent to make the language call attention to itself, but I believe it is one of the most fundamental of a writer’s building materials. We’re making something from nothing, and what is that something? Only the words on the page.

When you’re creating a world, as in fantasy, language matters all the more. This is an idea instilled in me very young, when I read Ursula Le Guin’s landmark essay, “From Elfland to Poughkeepsie.”

Another focus of my work is character. While these books are filled with enchantments, djinn, political intrigue, and battles, it all comes back to the human heart. Our desires, our struggles, what we’re capable of.

To that end, the characters are my focus—exploring their complexities. Even the characters who are not complex people are swept up in events that test them to the marrow.

UW: What is in the works for Ilana C. Myer next? A new novel? Any short story work? Titles? Do tell!

ICM: I’m now at work on the sequel to Fire Dance, which will end the trilogy. I’m excited about this book, which has surprised me at every turn so far. But that’s been true every time, and why this work has meaning. I get to surprise myself.

Fire Dance by Ilana C. Myer is in fine bookstores now!