The Newfoundland Herald catches up with local author Candace Osmond to chat about her most recent published novel A Kingdom of Iron & Wine
Number one international and USA Today Bestselling Author Candace Osmond captivates her readers once again with her most recent book release, marking her 24th published novel, A Kingdom of Iron & Wine. Osmond is best known for her Dark Tides Series including 2018 novel The Devil’s Heart.
Born in North York, Osmond has Newfoundland roots and grew up on Fogo Island. Influenced by creativity as far back as she can remember, the established author spent a large portion of her childhood drawing, writing, and painting. “While it’s definitely a beautiful place to live, there’s not a lot to do, especially with no other kids around who were my age,” she shared in a one-on-one interview with The Newfoundland Herald.
A Writer at Heart
“I often found myself sitting on a rock, staring out at the sea as I dreamed of mermaids or other fantastical creatures. Some days, I’d see how far I could venture into the woods and discover giant burrows or small caves to crawl into.” The young writer had no limits to her imagination, and once a high school graduate she received acceptance letters to three different universities for creative writing. For fear of never making a career out of it she chose to study interior design instead, but continued to play around with the idea of writing a book.
Osmond kept a handwritten plot in a journal and placed it aside, only to pull it out years later and have it become the reason her love for writing was re-ignited. The journal becoming the inspiration behind leaving the design world and diving head first into the world of freelance writing.
“Getting paid to write for others while I worked on my own book? Yes, please! I finished the book, naively self-published it, and then got to work on my next book. I never really looked back, never gave the first title much thought or care,” she shared.
From creative writing classes and learning the ropes of the industry, to publishing short stories, trilogies, and novellas, Osmond’s love for writing was well reflected in her work. Today, Osmond has published over 20 books, hitting international bestselling lists including USA Today bestselling author, and even adding award-winning screenwriter to her long list of accomplishments.
With years of knowledge and experience now under her belt, Osmond dusted off that original journal entry manuscript during the pandemic. Reforming and rewriting her first self-published work, she turned it into the book she had always wanted but lacked the proper skills to produce so many years ago.
The finished product landed us here, covering the official release of A Kingdom of Iron & Wine in its final form.
Mythical Existence
The title A Kingdom of Iron & Wine comes from the duology found throughout the novel, and will continue to flow throughout The Ironworld Series. The main character, Avery Quinn, is human. She stumbles upon a hidden mythical existence of fae, vampires, and shape-shifters.
“She straddles the line of both worlds; the tempting magic–like the alluring aroma of wine. And the harsh reality of the mortal realm–full of buildings and weapons of metal,” Osmond explained.
“I’ve never written a book or series with such a huge cast of characters. That was the most challenging part of this project, making sure they all have epic backstories, but also that those backstories connect to one another and mean something to the overall plot and future of the series. Most of all, I hope my readers find a character they can relate to. We’re always looking for ourselves in things; books, TV, movies, etc. And I think I represent many walks of life in this book/series. There’s really something for everyone.”
This most recent release is similar to Osmond’s previous work in the sense that it’s in her chosen genre, fantasy romance, and is based in a Canadian setting, this one being Halifax. Twice as long as her usual novels, it holds a tremendous amount of thought, detail and adventure to keep readers hooked to the massive cast of characters, and a plot woven together with the past, present, and future.
“I’ve always been drawn to fantasy and the paranormal, mostly because the possibilities are endless,” Osmond explained.
“I have a huge imagination, I’m always thinking and dreaming of plots, themes, and magic systems. The smallest thing could ignite a massive idea. For example, I once saw an old ship-in-a-bottle at a thrift store, and it sparked the idea for a time travel fantasy about Newfoundland pirates that became six books.”
Fantastic Tale of Magic
A Kingdom of Iron & Wine embraces the magical world of fantasy and throws us into the fantastic tale following Avery Quinn and her crew of misfit friends as she uncovers a secret society of werewolves selling fae blood to vampires on the black market. The epic and unexpected plot is balanced with romance as Quinn falls for Cillian, a vampire, as she navigates a hidden mythical world and uncovers all of its dark secrets.
“Newfoundland has such a fantastical history of pirates, Vikings, and ghosts. The province is a breeding ground for Fantasy ideas, and I hope to bring as many as I can to life.”
Purchase your kindle edition of A Kingdom of Iron & Wine and all of Osmond’s books on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited!