1 Author, 7 Questions: R. M. Gray

Nightweaver is the pirate fantasy you never knew you needed, but trust me, once you dive in, you will not emerge until that final page is turned and you realize you need book two in your hands immediately! We sat down with author R.M. Gray to talk all about her writing process, her glorious characters, and maybe we even get a sneak peek at book two…?

What was your initial inspiration for Nightweaver?

When I was six years old, I snuck into my older brother’s room, hid under his bed, and watched Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time. My parents refused to let me see it in theaters because they thought the cursed pirates would scare me (they did), so the old hide-under-the-bed-to-watch-movies-I’m-not-supposed-to-watch trick was my last resort, and to this day, I still have a crick in my neck. But it was totally worth it, and from then on, I became so obsessed with pirates that I’ve written very few stories since that don’t include them in some shape or form.

Over the course of a few midnight premieres in which I dressed up in full pirate regalia to herald the release of new Pirates of the Caribbean installments, I never stopped dreaming about a world where pirates could live alongside the supernatural—a fantasy where swashbuckling heroines, vampire-like beings, mythical creatures, and gruesome monsters might coexist. So, when I challenged myself to write a first chapter where the main character loses someone important to them (rip), that world came to life through the eyes of Aster Oberon, and Nightweaver was born.

Can you describe your writing process? Are you more of a pre-plotter or do you let the plot develop as you write?

Both—she said sobbing over mountains of notes that no longer make sense and a trash bin full of deleted scenes, dead darlings, and plot-points that never saw the light of day.

The planning phase of my writing process is my favorite part because the sky is the limit! I always have my ending working upfront, but while I know exactly where I’m going, I don’t always know how I’m going to get there. I give myself an outline to follow—beats I know I want to hit, scenes I’d love to write—but the plot inevitably develops in ways I can’t predict, characters act out, and it’s usually in those moments where I’m like, “this is not what I intended to happen here” that things typically fall into place. So, as much as I try to stick to my outline, I love to chase rabbits and see where those plot bunnies take me.

We need to talk about the Oberon family, because I love them all so much and because it’s a little unusual for YA books to feature such large families! What was it like working with such a large family, and thus such a large cast of characters?

Oh my goodness, thank you! And I agree, it’s not something I see a lot of in YA. I come from a big family, whom I love very much, and in a lot of ways, the dynamics between my siblings and me inspired quite a bit of the camaraderie—and feuds—between the Oberon kids. Of course, I don’t come from a family of pirates (thanks a lot, Mom and Dad), but the trust between the Oberon family and the strong bond they share is something I connect with on a deep level, and I wanted to explore how those relationships play out in the midst of grief, change, and the general chaos of growing up.

No family is perfect, and each member of the Oberon family deals with their circumstances in different ways. As it is in real life, it wasn’t always easy juggling those personalities, and it was definitely a challenge to pop into each of their heads and see the world from their perspective. But every day I get to bring a member of the Oberon family onto the page is a good day, because they’re some of my favorite characters I get to write. Maybe it’s because they feel like home to me. Or maybe I just enjoy creating a little family mayhem now and then.

On that note, my siblings still try to figure out which aspects of each character were based on them, but I’ll never tell.

Of course we need to talk about the romance in Nightweaver! Because who doesn’t love love? But also, more importantly, the enemies-to-perhaps-forbidden-lovers with a hint of a love triangle is so so good! What was it like developing Aster and Will’s flirtation?

I love love, especially when it’s complicated, and the tension between Aster and Will is one of my favorite aspects of the story. They meet under less-than-favorable conditions, but from the start, Will is nothing like the bloodthirsty Nightweavers Aster has come to fear. He’s tender and kind, and Aster finds it increasingly difficult to hate him—and she really really wants to hate him. Of course, romancing of any sort between Nightweavers and humans is forbidden, so while they develop a tentative bond of trust and Aster’s feelings for Will begin to bloom, their every interaction is built on secrets and lies, which leads to some heavy yearning. And I’m all about the yearning.

Okay, toughest question yet: who’s your favorite character?! Or, if you can’t name a favorite, who was the easiest character to write, and who was the hardest?

Henry was both the easiest and the hardest character to write, and I think that’s part of what makes him my favorite. From the earliest conception of Nightweaver, I knew I wanted Henry to play a major role in Aster’s story, but that he had an equally important story to tell. He and Aster are, in a lot of ways, two sides of the same coin, but while we have an intimate understanding of Aster’s hatred for Nightweavers, Henry’s hatred for pirates marks him as a villain. Giving the reader a reason to root for him was a challenge, but it was so satisfying to peel back the curtain and show both him and Aster that they’re not as different as they might have thought. The vulnerability between them and the deep bond of friendship they develop as a result shapes both characters in ways that we’re only just beginning to see, and I’m so excited about where both of their stories are headed.

What are some books you’ve been reading recently or would recommend?

I’m currently devouring Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber, and lately I’ve found myself craving apples like I never have before. But, I just finished reading an early copy of Dream by the Shadows by Logan Karlie, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the Shadow Bringer, who, in my opinion, is the tragic, brooding Kylo-Ren coded book boyfriend I’ve so desperately needed. If you love gothic fantasy, dream-like worlds, and plot twists that make you throw your book across the room, you NEED to read Dream by the Shadows.

What are you working on now? Any exciting ideas you can share?

I’m currently working on Nightweaver’s sequel, and it takes everything within me not to scream about it from the rooftops! I have to fight the urge to post out-of-context spoilers (like this one shot from Princess Diaries 2 that lives in my head rent free!!!) on Instagram on a daily basis. What I can tell you is that you can expect lots of pining looks from across the room, some new friends—and foes—that I can’t wait to introduce, and a gut-wrenching goodbye from which I’ll never recover.