'Avoiding Tangles; Following the Rules'

 

“So many people think that if you're writing fantasy, it means you can just make everything up as you go. Want to add a dragon? Add a dragon! Want some magic? Throw it in. But the thing is, regardless of whether you're dealing with realism or fantasy, every world has rules.” – V. E. Schwab

 

 Born in July of 1987, Victoria Elizabeth Schwab is best known for her novels – 2013’s Vicious and 2020’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, nominated for a Locus Award as Best Fantasy.  The daughter of a British mom and “Beverly Hills” dad, she grew up on both the West Coast and in the Deep South, a lover of fairytales, folklore “and books that make me wonder if the world is really as it seems.”

 

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, she studied everything from Physics to Film to Art History and English and held a wide variety of jobs before turning to writing in the 20-teens. 

 

Her work has received critical acclaim, been translated into more than a dozen languages, and been optioned for TV and Film.  She said she loves working in many different genres and writing for all ages.   “I still get rejections - frequently - and my goal isn't to never fail, to never be turned down, but simply to succeed more often than I don't,” she said.   That having been said, her next novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil has been accepted for publication in 2025.

 

“I think a lot of writers are tempted to add complexity by over-complicating things, but always remember that most natural rules/laws are, at their core, simple. Start simple and build from there, or you risk getting yourself and your readers tangled.”