On this edition of Fan Fiction Friday I get to introduce the delightful June Harding. I’ve also had the pleasure of arc-reading all three books in her debut trilogy and hopelessly fell in love with all the characters, the story, and the gritty, messy love story of it all so my first question is:
1). Describe your trilogy in 5 words or less for anyone thinking of delving into your books for the first time?
J). Sexy, dark, fantasy, romance, uncomfortable
2). Being your debut novel’s what would you say you are most proud of having completed the trilogy and it’s out in the world?
J). I definitely didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I started writing a trilogy. Knowing now the copious amounts of work it takes to publish a single book, I’m not sure I could ever do it again. Ignorance was a key factor for these books! But I’m so glad I was able to finish it all, and I’m definitely proud of myself for pushing through.
3). Is there anything about the whole process of self-publishing you really disliked? Did anything surprise you about the process?
J). I never intended to self publish these books actually. I was only going to submit them to publishers and if they didn’t get picked up, of well. But then by the end I’d really fallen in love with the world and the characters, and I wanted to share them with people. The whole self publishing journey has been a steep learning curve. I couldn’t find a single comprehensive video or instruction list of what to do when. When do you need the covers by? When do you put your book up for pre-order? How do you get your book onto sites like Goodreads? I cried so many times trying to publish these books, but I got there, and I’m glad I did.
4). How long have you been writing?
J). I started writing when I was a kid. I loved making up stories. All that took a backseat when I grew up, and I only recently got back into it.
5). What inspired you to get into writing?
J). BookTok! I was reading all the top book recommendations, and thought, “I can do this.” I wanted to write the kind of books that I wanted to read, and there was no kink-fantasy out there at the time.
6). What gave you the idea for the topic?
J). The Gold series initially started off as an entirely different book. I think there were about 4-5 POVs, and written very Game Of Thrones like, very high-fantasy. By the time I got to the middle of book two, I knew whose story I wanted to tell, and that was Reyah’s. She was the easiest to write, and I just knew where her head was at. So everyone else got stripped down, and I re-wrote the entire thing from her standpoint. I think it helps to enrich the world as well, there is a whole story of how the four Kings came to unite, there is so much more to the relationship between Yates and Burke, and I think that lends to enrich the Gold Series.
7). Did you have to research any aspects of the book?
J).Mostly army stuff, rankings, uniforms, and armor.
8). What does the writing process look like for you?
J). My writing process changes from book to book. I didn’t plot a damn thing for the Gold Series, I just wrote what made me happy. But I did find it difficult to wrap things up the way I wanted at the end. “Know your ending” is such sage advice. All I knew was that I wanted to see Reyah with the crown on her head at the end
9). The dynamics of the main characters are so unique in their complexity. Love is so fluid for the FMC, I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but was that intentional with her?
J). Very intentional. I wanted her to have her great love story, but it was never going to be with Kaspian. The lack of emotion and love that she gave him was all very intentional. This is why I used “uncomfortable” as one of the words to describe the book, I wanted the ready to be on the fence about things, and not know who to root for.
10).It was such a refreshing and interesting approach to have all these different representations of relationships from traditional to purely sexual to same-sex, polyamory, and beautifully written as well. Is having these different viewpoints, and representations important to you?
J). Yes! All these different lifestyles are massively important to me. I don’t believe in rigid sexualities. I live a life style where people around me are free and fluid without an ounce of judgment, and it’s incredible. Reyah’s journey also helped me explore my own feelings about polyamory, and how loving two people at once isn’t always easy, but it can be truly beautiful.
11).Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to take that leap and write their first novel?
J). Just write. Write and write and write. Something will strike you and then you’ll get swept up in it. But also READ! A Lot. When I’m writing fantasy, I’m ready fantasy. If I’m writing a romcom, I’m reading a romcom. It helps keep me in that headspace and can spawn new ideas for your own story.
12). We want the inside scoop, so what’s next for you?
J). Well the cat is out of the bag now, but my queer romcom, Two Best Men will be available next month! I started it as an exercise to see if I could wrap my brain around writing modern fiction after having written 3 fantasy novels, and ended up falling in love with my two main characters.
Thank you so much for joining us today June and I’m happy to report I get to ARC read her new book Two Best Men before its release so keep an eye out for a future review post. You can find All three books in the Gold Trilogy on Amazon. You can also stalk, follow, and like June on TikTok and Instagram @junehardingauthor.
Till Next time,
Love, an enlightened and open-minded Magnolia xx
Rustic Magnolia 