Lucy A. McLaren

Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Trudie Skies, author of Sand Dancer and recently released sequel Fire Walker – both great books I’d highly recommend to any fan of YA fantasy!

And, without further ado, it’s over to the interview…

Hi Trudie! So, first of all – tell me a little bit about yourself!

Hi! I’m Tru, I’m a thirty-something British author from the North East of England! I’ve been reading and writing fantasy my entire life in between playing fantasy video games. You could say I live in my own fantasy world, but alas, England is a real place.

Can you give us a brief outline of the plot for Sand Dancer (spoiler-free, of course)?  

Sand Dancer is the tale of Mina, a teenager from a poor village who discovers that she possesses fire magic. Problem is, Fire Walkers, as they’re known, aren’t exactly welcome in her world and were outlawed hundreds of years ago by the king because who wants dangerous people running around blasting fire everywhere? After witnessing the death of her father for also possessing the fire magic, Mina goes on the run and vows to take revenge against the man responsible for her father’s death.

Adopted by a noble family with a soft spot for Fire Walkers, Mina disguises herself as a boy and convinces her new family to enter her into the fabled Academy to find her father’s killer. But unbeknownst to her, the killer is none other than the crown prince! Mina has a choice; to claim the revenge she seeks, but at the cost of her new friends and family.

Where can we get our hands on the book?

You can find ebook and paperback copies of Sand Dancer from most online bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IndieBound! The ebook version is also available on Kobo, Apple, and Google.

(Side note: you can find content warnings for the book here).

What made you want to write a YA Fantasy story?

Reading lots of other YA fantasy stories definitely inspired me! Many of my favourite authors have written amazing YA fantasy books, including Alwyn Hamilton, Hafsah Faizal, Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, Sarah J Maas, and Tamora Pierce. Whilst I love adult fantasy too, there’s something magical about YA that I’ll always hold dear.

YA fantasy tales are largely about hope, about overcoming deadly odds in order to make the world a better place. They’re often full of energy and diversity, and that’s what I love about YA books and why I wanted to write one.

What was your inspiration for Mina, your stubborn, headstrong main character?

I’m a big fan of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall series of books, and as a teen myself, I was obsessed with Alanna from The Song of the Lioness quartet. I used to run around with toy swords and pretend to be a knight!

Alanna disguises herself as a boy in order to train as a knight and then becomes entangled in royal plots to overthrow the kingdom and must protect her dear friend, the prince. She’s a stubborn and tomboyish character who definitely inspired Mina! Whilst Mina does not fall in love with the prince of Sand Dancer’s world, there’s a George Cooper-inspired ragamuffin in the sequel who I hope readers will love as much as I do.

What about Prince Ravel? (Who, I must admit, was one of those characters I just loved to hate.)

I wanted to write a YA fantasy where the main character doesn’t fall in love with the creepy bad guy who just happens to be the handsome prince. Both Mina and Ravel hold a mutual hatred for each other, though as the series goes on, I hope to show a different side to Ravel, and to reveal the reasons why he hates Fire Walkers.

I’m afraid my dislike of princes carries on to the sequels!

The Kingdom of Sandair really stands out to me as something quite unique amongst other YA Fantasy stories out there. Did you imagine this desert-based kingdom first, or did it form after you’d started writing the story?

The first concept for Sand Dancer was a lot more generic; a female warrior is kidnapped by a foreign kingdom and falls in love with the king. Completely different from the story I have now! As I worked on Mina’s background, the world of Sandair took shape, and I realised I needed an origin story which became Sand Dancer, and then that first concept was replaced altogether.

The Kingdom of Sandair evolved over multiple drafts. The first few drafts were always about Mina witnessing her father’s death and seeking revenge against the prince, but it didn’t have the fire magic which is so integral to the series now. That appeared in later drafts when I realised my fantasy story needed a bit more fantasy, and now I couldn’t imagine this world without the Fire Walkers.

Coming up with the blood bonding and magic system of Sandair was a lot more fun. These ideas came to me when drinking tea and eating scones in a local café. Nothing gets the ideas flowing quite like discussing blood rituals in a public place.

Sand Dancer is part of a series. Can you give us a hint about what’s next for Mina and co in the upcoming sequel, Fire Walker? (Even a tiny one?!)

In the sequel, the Fire Walkers have won their freedom, but not for long. A foreign nation from the north isn’t too pleased with these fire-types running around and they put pressure on Sandair to imprison them once more. Their diplomatic visit ends in disaster, however, which triggers war between the two kingdoms – and the Fire Walkers are blamed.

Not wanting to stand by and let Fire Walkers be imprisoned and abused again, Mina becomes their greatest advocate by stepping into the shoes of a Fire Walker High Priestess. Whilst she’s ordered to prepare her Fire Walkers for war, she goes on a quest to clear their name and unite their kingdoms to prevent the battles to come.

But can she convince these foreigners to leave the Fire Walkers alone and make peace?

What got you into writing? What do you enjoy most about it?

I’ve always enjoyed writing and tinkering with words, and I think that’s what I enjoy most about it; the tinkering. When the real world feels dull and dreary, what can be more fun than creating your own world and playing around with your imagination? Writing can be tough, too, but there’s a lot of joy to be found in writing your own worlds and exploring them.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

When not creating my own worlds, I love exploring others! Reading is a given, I’d hope. I’m also a big gaming fan. I’ve been playing video games since the 8-bit days of the NES and Master System. I even studied game design at University and helped make a few mobile games of my own! If I wasn’t writing, I’d definitely be playing more games.

What’s your favourite book from childhood? Has it influenced you as a writer?

I’ve already mentioned Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet, but really, I devoured everything by Pierce, and I suspect she is responsible for many writing careers! It’s thanks to her that we have so many amazing YA fantasy books out there which feature strong female characters and feminist themes, which I hope to include in all my stories.

Thank you for your time!

Thank you for having me!

You can find Trudie online at:

• Twitter: @TrudieSkies
• Pinterest: TrudieSkies
• Goodreads: Trudie Skies

If you’re an author and would like to be interviewed, please get in touch with me on Twitter.