Jade Presley and her publisher wanted a rich romantasy featuring an empowered female lead who faces incredible challenges, and hence "The Never List" was born.
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
The original idea for "The Never List" came to me after chatting with my publisher about the vibes of my next project. We wanted a rich romantasy with a heavy dose of steam and an empowered female lead who still faces incredible challenges. I played with several ideas but couldn’t stop thinking about a royal event where every woman on the continent wants a chance to be selected as the four princes’ mate…except my main character. She’s against the royal authority for so many valid reasons, but she ends up being selected and must navigate a dangerous set of circumstances to stay alive. The plot exploded from there, and I dove headfirst into writing it.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
For me, Reading Rainbow means reading diversely, promoting those books, and offering tons of support to the authors. It’s so important to read LGBTQ centered stories, as well as supporting and encouraging LGBTQ and diverse authors. A few books on the top of my TBR (the treats I’ll reward myself with once I hit this deadline lol) are "And They Lived" by Steven Salvatore, "How We End" by LM Juniper, and "Stone Heart" by Katee Robert.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
It’s incredibly important because there isn’t one type of reader. Humans come in variety and so should the characters in the stories we use to escape reality. There needs to be representation on the page so every reader can pick up any book and find pieces of themselves in the characters they’re cheering for. Highlighting diverse characters with different backgrounds, cultures, preferences, and beyond can also educate a reader who may not have interacted with someone like that in their daily lives. Giving them a new perspective can help people be more open-minded and encourage them to seek out more diverse stories and education. In the end, proper representation in all art forms should just be a given, but it also brings awareness, education, and enlightenment to an audience who may not have sought it out on their own.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"The Never List" is a why choose romantasy with four god-princes vying for the heart of one female main character who wants nothing to do with the royals. I love the why choose genre (fantasy in particular) because there’s something so empowering about having the focus be solely on the female lead. Especially one who is sex forward and independent. I love exploring the complex relationship dynamics that occur when you have four love-interests and the safety that comes from knowing she won’t have to choose one in the end, she can have them all. It’s a wonderful place to dive deeper into female identifying peoples’ needs and desires, and my main character Rylee had plenty to say on that when she started talking me into writing her story.
What can fans expect from your book?
You can expect a fiery female lead, four unique princes with superpowers who will do anything for her, secrets and betrayal, a dash of feminine rage, and a whole lot of spice.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
I’m currently writing the sequel to "The Never List" and really enjoying digging deeper into the world of Lumathyst and the characters there!
