She is scared, she is emotional and she acts on impulse. Women in fantasy books specifically aren’t allowed to be emotional. She’s never really focused on herselfĪs I rewrote, I realised that she’s an anxious character and I wanted her to feel realistic. She grew up in a home where she was the protector. We really have to look at her as she’s never experienced anything like this. It’s who she is so that was very much an easy thing for me to figure out, but for Sapphire, her background is so complex. Sapphire is by far the most complex character for me. How did you go about bringing these characters to life? You get a fantasy plot that has the typical tie-backs to fantasy books and it doesn’t centre around somebody’s coming out. There’s no coming out, there’s no homophobia or anything like that, and it’s just very normal. You look at it and you’re like ‘Is this my future?’ As I got older, and the sapphic genre began to grow, I decided that I wanted to write a book that centres around a normal fantasy story. I went to look for a book with people like me and every single one that I found, there were three, were so sad. But, I decided I was gonna go buy a book and I was going to hide it. I grew up in a really religious household. I wasn’t allowed to have any kind of queer literature in my home. I remember when I was 16 or 17 and I was becoming comfortable with who I was. When I was growing up, there weren’t books like this that existed. So, how did The Shattered Lands come to be? With her life in jeopardy and the kingdom on the line, Sapphire must choose between besting or befriending Ashes before it’s too late.Īs The Shattered Lands hits shelves, we sat down with the book’s creator to learn more about her creative style, how characters Sapphire and Ashes came to light, and what else she has in store for fans. As the pair get to know each other, Sapphire realises there’s a deep darkness brewing in Ashes.

Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, she sees her - the unnamed girl from her visions.

Readers follow the unfolding adventure of Sapphire, an unsuspecting kingdom heiress, who finds herself in the unknown land of Eriobis surrounded by magic and secrets. In her new book, Nation sets up a mystical world of intrigue, mystery and lesbian romance. Her journey from the bustling United States to London, however, compares little to her exciting rise as a debut writer.

It’s Brenna Nation’s first time in Europe and she’s taking in the scene.

The shattered lands brenna nation