Interview with author Taryn Knightly

Hi everyone! Please enjoy this interview by author Taryn Knightly!

First a little about her:

If you’re into stories with brooding immortals, ancient secrets, and a touch of danger, then Taryn Knightly is definitely an author to have on your radar. Her book Immortal Origins blends fantasy, mystery, and a little romance in a way that totally pulls you in from the first chapter. Taryn has a knack for world-building and creating characters that feel real—even if they’ve been alive for centuries. Whether you’re already a fan or just hearing her name for the first time, let’s take a closer look at the mind behind the magic.

If you want to join me on her ARC team sign ups are still open here!

https://booksirens.com/book/O446L3L/KGYY1FJ

Link to Immortal Origins over here:

Immortal Origins: Chronicles of the Immortal Trials Book 1

follow her on Instagram here:

https://instagram.com/tarynknightlyauthor

threads:

https://threads.com/tarynknightlyauthor

TikTok:

https://tiktok.com/tarynknightlyauthor

Enjoy the interview!

❤️Carrie

What first inspired you to become a writer, and how did your journey begin?

Answer: I’ve had a deep love for reading and writing all my life. Growing up, I always had a new book about a world or story I could get completely lost in. Writing came with my love for reading, usually private and in a journal I kept for myself, but there was something about the feeling when I put words to a page that I’ve never felt doing anything else. Fast forward and my husband encouraged me one day to think about what I wanted for my future and told me to do whatever I wanted to do. I realized I’d gotten so used to the industry I was in, and it was so fast paced that I didn’t have time to notice how much it wasn’t where I should be. With his love and support, he pushed me to go for what I really want and I took the time to really reflect on what that was. I started reading again and my love for reading and writing was reignited, and a story formed inside my head that I needed to get out.

How do you approach world-building, and what helps you keep fictional settings vivid and consistent?

Answer: I take a lot of inspiration from our real world. I wanted a big world, with characters of all types and a world that seemed like it could follow so many different stories. I want a world with diverse ecosystems and societies, as much as our world is. From there, the possibilities feel open to endless imagination. Some things I keep, some I don’t. I throw anything in my notes to see how I can work it into the story and world, if it fits, I try to think of how to make it as unique as possible. Especially if it’s something that has been seen before. I planned the series before starting the first book, so it helps to have a direction and overall plot that I know to stick to, and from there I can have fun with it and fill it in with whatever sparks my creativity. 

What themes do you find yourself returning to in your writing, whether consciously or not?

Answer: Power. I would say I write about it in various ways. This is my first attempt at a true manuscript and it’s been such an enjoyable experience because I’m forming an entirely new relationship with writing that I never anticipated. 

Are there any books or authors that have deeply influenced your style or storytelling approach?

Harry Potter. It was my favorite series as a kid. I read it fourteen times in a row when I first read it, and I’ve been chasing the feeling it gave me in every book series since. As a huge fantasy fan, I love a good, long series that I can read over and over again, and not only does it not get boring, it gets better with each re-read. My goal is to emulate that same feeling with this series, and hopefully create something that people will love as much as I loved the books that inspired me growing up. 

How do you engage with your readers, and has their feedback ever influenced your work?

Answer: It absolutely has! I went into beta with this manuscript with the clear intention of taking their advice to heart. I try to engage with my readers as much as I can and apply the things they ask for, while staying as true to my artistic vision as possible. I know a lot of romantasy readers wished there had been more romance between the fmc and mmc and while I want the main focus of the series to be the overall plot and the journey of all our main cast as the romance is very much a subplot for the first book. So, I’m writing a novella from the mmc’s pov to post for free on Wattpad that readers who enjoy more romance with their fantasy will have a version that they can enjoy even more. All of this with the idea to have a fantasy and romantasy reading order that I think people will love. 

What drew you to write romantasy, and what do you love most about blending romance and fantasy?

Answer: I love a well built and fun fantasy world. I grew up in the 2000-2010’s era when fantasy was becoming much more popular in YA. This was the era of Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Divergent, Percy Jackson, and so many more YA classics. I loved the adventure, big worlds, complex problems, and just all around magical feel that some of these books had. This was the era of fantasy with romance sidolots, I’m a firm believer we were robbed of the greatest enemies to lovers story never to exist with Katara and Zuko. I think every good fantasy should have a romance, because in all these adventures, the characters are what make the story good. They’re the fabric of the story, but the love is the heart. And every fantasy story needs heart. My books, will always have a blend of the two.

What kind of magical systems or fantastical elements excite you most to write about, and how do they shape your love stories?

Answer: The magic system itself has been a really fun one to flesh out. I wanted a magic system that was almost living and breathing but everything all at once. It’s an elemental based magic system, however the magic is the fabric of their entire universe, so that really gives me a lot of exploration to come up with interesting powers. The first book is so much about introducing the reader to this world and the plot that’s going to happen over five books, while still standing on its own, that I could only show the tip of the magic system and what it’ll be capable of. I’m very much excited to dive deeper into it with readers. I wouldn’t say my magic system does influence the love story. The magic in this world has so much more to do with the individual and their own personal journey with it, it’s about self discovery to come into their full power. 

What advice would you give to writers trying to craft a romance that feels just as epic as the fantasy world around it?

This is only my debut, so by no means am I an expert, but I try to take inspiration from my own life. I ask myself, when have I seen displays of true love and what did it look like? For me, I usually refer to my husband. There are more than a few moments in this book inspired by real life events I’ve shared with him. Such as a scene where the fmc and mmc fall asleep holding hands that I hold special to my heart because it’s how my husband and I ended our first date. I think it’s the little things like that, sweet moments as small as being comfortable enough to fall asleep next to each other without meaning to, that can often hold as much weight as the clipable quotes and declarations of love we get from stories. It’s the little and big ways you can show their love and I think those little moments really stand out. 

If your main couple were dropped into our modern world for a day, what would their ideal date look like?

Ambrose is a woman who has no issue embracing her beauty and sexuality. So, for her it would probably be something like an art gallery with the night ending on a quiet rooftop bar that had a great view of the city. 

What’s one piece of fantasy gear or magical item from your books that you wish you could own in real life?

 

Without spoiling because they’ll come later in the series, I’ll prick from the spoiled proof ones. I’d definitely like the amulet that allows the wearer to control time, or the golden chariot that can take you anywhere you want to go.