By day, R.K. Ashwick herds cats in the animation industry. By night, she writes, bakes, and herds her literal cat around her living room. She lives with her husband (and said cat) in California.

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rkashwick.com

Q&A

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

The idea for Stray Spirit came from an active brainstorming session- I knew I wanted to write something for Nanowrimo, but I didn't know what. So I threw together three things I was interested in- bards, caves, and spirit possession- and went from there.

A Rival Most Vial came to me when the phrase "rival potion shops" fell into my head. (And subsequently never left.)

Why did you add drawings to The Stray Spirit?

I wanted to give the book a fairy tale vibe, and because I self-published, I had the freedom to select the artist and the scenes that were drawn. Was it more expensive? Sure. Was it worth it? Yes.

For A Rival Most Vial: why potion shops?

Because my nerdy little D&D heart loves them. I'm obsessed with the hidden lives of NPCs in D&D campaigns, and A Rival Most Vial is absolutely a tribute to that.

And finally: what's next?

Keep an eye out for two more books in the Lutesong Series, three books and two novellas in the Side Quest Row series, and a stand-alone tentatively titled The Bread Witch!