We are SO excited to have had the opportunity to sit down for a Q&A with bestselling fantasy romance author, Carissa Broadbent!
If you grew up as a twi-hard or a The Vampire Diaries enthusiast, you are guaranteed to adore Carissa’s heart-pounding and delicious fantasy world, Nyaxia, filled with morally-corrupt vampires, badass women, political intrigue and betrayal.
Keep reading to learn more about Carissa’s plan for the Crown of Nyaxia series, her writing process, and more!
1. The QBD team and your readership absolutely adore the decadent and deadly world of Nyaxia, do you have an estimation of how many more novels will be set in this world?
Yes! The Crowns of Nyaxia is a planned six book series. Each set of two books is focused on a different vampire house – so books 1 and 2 followed the House of Night, books 3 and 4 followd the House of Shadow, and books 5 and 6 will follow the House of Blood. The overall epic plot of the series spans all six books.
2. You are the queen of a fiery and epic enemies-to-lovers romance trope, what are your favourite writing techniques to implement to bring this passion to life (e.g. dialogue, dual POVs, the setting, etc.).
There are some tactical decisions I made with the format of the series to this end – for example, in each duology, the first book is single POV from the perspective of the FMC and the second book is dual POV split between the couple. I did this because as a reader I really enjoy getting to know the MMC alongside the FMC – and because as a writer, I love the freedom to withhold information from the reader and use it for gut-wrenching twists!
However, the most important element to writing a good romance, for me, is the theme of the book. I try to make each couple different reflections of each other through the lens of the book’s theme, and then I can explore that theme through their relationship.
3. All of your female protagonists are unique, complex and badass. What inspiration do you draw from to create such fascinating characters?
I love exploring different aspects of strength in my heroines. The women I know in my own life are so strong and badass in so many different ways. It feels reductive to focus on any one type of strength over the others. So with each FMC I create, I try to explore a different type of strength. Oraya’s strength, for example, is very different than Mische’s. But both are equally valuable and admirable.
4. Over the years. you have released an incredible catalogue of novels, how have you progressed and changed as an author from when you first started till now?
Gosh, what a big question! There are a lot of changes that come along with writing going from my hobby to my full-time job, but honestly, it has surprised me more what hasn’t changed. For example, even though I’ve now written twelve books, I still go through the exact same self-doubt in the process every single time.
The only difference is that now I have the perspective to know that I feel this way every time, and that it isn’t necessarily a reflection on the book. The biggest evolutions to my process come from having the self-awareness of having witnessed myself go through it so many times before!
5. Do you have a specific writing process that you follow?
I am highly routine driven, which is how I managed to keep my production up while I still had my very demanding day job. It meant that recovering my productivity after I had my baby was pretty challenging! These days, I work Monday through Friday, unless I’m on a tight deadline, in which case I will work weekends as well. I work at the same coffee shop in the same seat every day! I exclusively draft on distraction-free writing devices that do nothing but type.
My favorite is the AlphaSmart Neo 2, a very old device once used in schools, but I’m looking forward to trying out the Pomera DM250 as well.
6. A cheeky question… Is there a chance we will see another Crowns Of Nyaxia novel with Raihn and Oraya as the main protagonists again?
Raihn and Oraya won’t be the main POV characters again, but they’re still extremely important to the world and the plot! They will absolutely be turning up again!
7. What actors would your dream cast if there were to be a film adaptation of “The Serpent And The Wings Of Night” and why is Henry Cavill perfect to play Raihn? 😉
I don’t usually have strong specific “casts” for my characters. Raihn and Oraya are the two exceptions! I am never one to turn down Henry Cavill in any role, but I honestly always imagined Raihn to be a Jason Momoa type. For Oraya I was inspired by Krysten Ritter’s vibes. But generally I keep an open mind for “fan casting!”
8. If there was a theme song for the book, what would it be?
Every book has a song, or a few songs, that I really connect to while I’m writing it. For Serpent, it was Trouble by Valerie Broussard; for Ashes, it was No Saint by Lauren Jenkins; for Songbird, it was Guilty as Sin by Taylor Swift; and for The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk, it was Inkpot Gods by The Amazing Devil.
9. Are you reading anything at the moment?
I’ve just picked up Jade City by Fonda Lee and I’m excited because I hear fantastic things about the trilogy!
10. Are there any new releases you are excited about for 2025?
I’m very excited for Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff!
We are so grateful to the wonderful Carissa for taking the time to chat with us!
Her new decadent and explosive romance novel filled with sizzling chemistry, vengeful gods, and betrayal is available in-store or online now! Pick up your copy of “Slaying The Vampire Conqueror” here.
Follow Carissa and her amazing writing journey on socials here:
