Fun fact: the foundation of those scenes and what happens in them never changed. Back then that amounted to the first draft of the prologue and chapter one. The idea for the climactic moment came to me while I was working out and I rushed home and wrote about 6,000 words in two days. I had the idea of two teens arranged to be married and not liking each other for a long time sitting in a folder on my computer. What was your writing experience like for this book? Was it an idea that suddenly came to you or did you plan this story out in stages? It’s a combination of my favorite tropes: mistaken identities, vigilantism action, and rivals-to-lovers romance set in an epic fantasy world filled with nine types of colorful magic. I’m so excited for my debut, CAST IN FIRELIGHT, which is a YA Fantasy Romance coming out Januwith Delacorte Press.

I’ve been writing since I was a teenager and have had the dream of being a published author for most of my life. Yes, of course! My name is Dana Swift and I grew up in Texas and went to the University of Texas at Austin where I double majored in English and Advertising.

You’ll definitely want to add this one to your TBR list! Dana, can you tell me a bit about yourself and about Cast in Firelight? It’s the first of a duology that is brimming with magic and two fiercely competitive love interests who much come together under secret identities to fight the criminal uprising that is attempting to take control of Adraa’s kingdom. My first interview for The Nerd Daily in 2021 is with Dana Swift, author of the upcoming debut fantasy novel, Cast in Firelight.

Dana swift books