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An Interview with Virginia Author Emily Thiede

"For many years I thought about writing a book but I was scared off by the stereotype of a lonely, isolated writer and the (incorrect) impression that they somehow all knew the entire plot of a story before they sat down to put words on the page. In truth, writing is often a collaborative process between authors, critique partners, and editors, and many writers (like me!) often start writing with little more than an idea and we figure the rest out as we go.." -Emily Thiede






BL: If your main characters lived in Charlottesville, what neighborhood would they live in? Or would they live in the suburbs?

ET: I love this question! If Alessa and Dante lived in Charlottesville, Dante would definitely pretend he wanted to live out in the country, far from all human contact, but they’d actually pick a neighborhood like Belmont, because Alessa has had enough of isolation and they could walk to restaurants, coffee shops, farmer’s

markets, from there and be deeply connected to their friends and community.


A photo during a bright and sunny time of the front door of Bluebird + Co, a bookstore and clothing shop, noted by a sign below the shop name which reads "Books - Clothing - Gifts." The shop itself is a light and bright blue vinyl, and the center of the photo features a screen door with a yellow wood frame.

BL: Tell us about one of your go-to local bookstores?

ET: I adore Bluebird Books in Crozet, VA. It's such a great store and they’ve created a truly wonderful community of readers and authors here in central Virginia--highly recommend! 

BL: We LOVE Bluebird! I'm already looking forward to Crozet BookFest 2026.


BL: What restores your creative spirit?

ET: I'm convinced that everything we create is born from some magical alchemy of our personal lived experiences and the art that we’re exposed to, so when my well is empty, I know it’s time to put down the bucket (laptop) and refill it by consuming as much art as I can: Movies, TV shows, books, plays, musicals, etc. I never know what will spark an idea!


BL: Is there anything that you like to share with aspiring authors who are navigating the publishing process or just struggling to even get through their first draft?

ET: Be receptive to constructive feedback while you’re writing and revising, even when it stings, but resist the urge to read reviews once the book is published and no longer changeable. Don’t be too precious about your work, but don’t torment yourself either.


BL: What are you working on right now?

ET: I’m probably not supposed to give too much away since it hasn’t been announced yet, but I’ll give a few clues for any readers who want to play detective. The idea for my next project was inspired by a combination of one 90s cult classic live action Disney musical featuring a young actor who went on to play both a superhero and a serial killer, and a trilogy within a larger book series that many people assume is fantasy but is actually science fiction, featuring flying creatures, big and small… A thousand bonus points to anyone who actually figures out both of those clues!

A photo of the corner of Emily's library, which is a room with ample lighting. There is her big armchair to the left, and a desk to the right. The window curtains are a light teal, and her corner office appears to be all windows from this angle, with a background of thick greenery from her backyard trees.

BL: What's your writing set up like? Do you write from home? The library? A local shop?

ET: I usually write from home, in a big armchair in my library, but when I find myself getting distracted by chores or my adorable cats, I like to go to a local coffee shop or the “magical” Wegmans, which has a strange inexplicable force that somehow makes writing easier. I can’t explain it, but it works!


BL: If you had to be a fonte, what type of power would you choose for yourself?

ET: Such a hard question, and it depends on when I answer, because Josef’s ability to cool anything down would be so tempting in a hot Virginia summer, but the ability to control wind offers potential for learning to fly and that would be really fun.


BL: If you could be a finestra or a fonte, which would you pick?

ET: A fonte, absolutely! They get to live relatively normal lives with magical powers, while the Finestra faces so much pressure, high expectations, and isolation.


BL: What 2026 releases are you looking forward to?

ET: I’m going to cheat on this question and shout out two recent 2025 releases instead because they just arrived and I’m really enjoying them: An Ocean Apart by Jill Tew, which is a YA dystopian romance that feels like the Capital from the Hunger Games meets The Bachelor on a cruise ship, and Gilded in Vengeance by Lyssa Mia Smith, a deliciously dark YA romantasy about a girl hellbent on infiltrating a magical society to get revenge on the friend who betrayed her.



The cover of the book "An Ocean Apart."

"...a YA dystopian romance that feels like the Capital from the Hunger Games meets The Bachelor on a cruise ship..." -ET



The cover of the book "Gilded in Vengeance"

"...a deliciously dark YA romantasy about a girl hellbent on infiltrating a magical society to get revenge on the friend who betrayed her..." -ET



BL: What was the biggest change you made between the first draft of This Vicious Grace and what was published?

ET: The entire ending! A certain character’s fate wasn’t decided until the very last minute when a writer friend talked me into setting up for a sequel, plus the Fontes were originally smaller background characters and I rewrote them to become a real team that readers have come to know and love.


BL: Tell us about your favorites! Authors, music, food, animals, anything.

A photo of a chocolatier's shop with "CHOCOLATE" written in large block lights above the counter.

ET: Authors: I could never choose! I'm a total mood reader and it changes by the day, but I love romance, sci-fi, and fantasy with banter, humor, and high stakes.

Treats: Gearhart’s chocolate—yummm!


A photo of Emily's cats sitting in two silver baskets which are a part of a three tier set.






Animal: Cats, especially my adorable duo, Wulf and Minnie.

Movies: I’m a sucker for 90s/early 00s movies where a motley crew of misfits defeats a big bad while bickering, bantering, and sometimes kissing like Armageddon, Independence Day, etc.


BL: Tell us about your origin story. Did you start writing as a child? What intrigued you about writing? Was this story one that you expected to share?

ET: Somewhere out there is a very embarrassing Saved by the Bell self-insert fanfic I co-wrote with two middle school besties, but after that, I didn’t do much writing for a while until my mom challenged me to attempt NaNoWriMo in 2015. One month and 60,000 words later I was hooked. I began taking classes at Writer House, a Charlottesville nonprofit, applied for mentorships, and dug into the craft. A few years later, after my first few manuscripts failed to get a literary agent, I was feeling pretty defeated and I decided to write something just for me, to rediscover my love of writing. I fell in love with that book and to my astonishment, I got an offer from a fabulous literary agent within a few weeks of sending it out. After years of getting so close yet falling short, This Vicious Grace was my unicorn book where everything finally fell into place.


BL: What's your go-to drink?

ET: I love a crisp New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and I’m slightly obsessed with Recess seltzers. I like to add a splash of Liber and Co raspberry syrup and use a fancy glass for a bubbly afternoon mocktail when I need a little afternoon treat to motivate myself through a few more hours of writing


Emily Thiede, author of THIS VICIOUS GRACE, holding her debut novel and the sequel, THIS CURSED LIGHT, while on the Amalfi coast.

BL: Was This Vicious Grace always set amidst the landscape of lemon trees that we find in the published edition? Can you tell us more about your inspiration for this setting?

ET: From the start, I knew it was going to be set on an island, but the trend in fantasy at the time was moody and snowy settings and I just wasn’t feeling that. I wasn’t sure if readers would go for a dark-ish fantasy set on a colorful, Mediterranean island but I hadn’t been able to travel for a few years and was yearning to return to the Amalfi coast.




A photo from a market stand featuring fresh lemons with large green leaves and oranges for sale for 3 euros.

When I met up with an old friend visiting from Italy, we sat on the beach for hours brainstorming how this fictional island might look, feel, and smell. It was like taking a vacation in my imagination and I loved “spending time there” while I wrote This Vicious Grace and This Cursed Light, which expands the world to include a Venice-inspired island as well.



Emily Thiede is the author of The Last Finestra duology which includes her 2023 debut, THIS VICIOUS GRACE, and the sequel, THIS CURSED LIGHT. A former public school teacher, she serves as Vice Chair of the board for Writer House, a Virginia-based writing nonprofit, and has mentored aspiring writers through the Pitch Wars mentorship program. Emily enjoys fostering rescue kittens and getting lost in the woods of central Virginia, where she lives with her family. You can follow along with her upcoming projects and events via her Instagram.

This interview with a Virginia author was conducted via email correspondence in anticipation of Emily's attendance at our book club. We will be discussing her book THIS VICIOUS GRACE at Fountain Bookstore on December 5th, 2025 at 6pm. RSVP is free and required to attend. If you are an author interested in being interviewed, please begin by filling out our form.


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