Author Spotlight: Kalyn Josephson



July 5, 2019

We are pleased to feature author Kalyn Josephson and her debut YA novel, THE STORM CROW (Sourcebooks Fire July 9, 2019), described as ERAGON meets AND I DARKEN.


cover art © Tran Nguyen  

Enter to win a copy below!

Tell us about yourself and how you came to write for teens.

Hi all! I’m Kalyn and I write Young Adult fantasy books with lots of banter and animal companions. I work as a technical writer by day, and do most my book writing in the evenings. I started writing YA after reading DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor, which inspired me to try my hand at writing my own YA fantasy back in college.

Congrats on your debut YA novel, THE STORM CROW. Tell us about it and what inspired you?

Thank you! THE STORM CROW is about a princess who ignites a rebellion to bring back the magical, elemental crows of her people. So kind of like ERAGON, but with crows! The book was inspired by a story I read about a little girl who fed her neighborhood crows. Her neighbors called her The Crow Queen and that title really stuck with me, leading to a story about a kingdom whose entire way of life was based around these magical crows.



Are you a pantser or plotter?

Definitely, a plotter, though not down to every word and action in a scene. I like to frame scenes out before I write them so doing so is more a matter of connecting the dots. I also like to know the basic overarching plot before I start writing, and I always have to know how the book will end.

Was your road to publication long and winding, short and sweet, or something in between? 

Long and winding for sure. I wrote and queried three books prior to THE STORM CROW, which met with increasing degrees of success, including a couple R&Rs that didn’t pan out, but overall I received a lot of rejections across several years. THE STORM CROW also underwent a lot of heavy revisions throughout the different stages.

What projects are you working now?

Right now I’m working on the sequel to THE STORM CROW and a new WIP that’s Maggie Stiefvater’s THE SCORPIO RACES meets the TV show PEAKY BLINDERS. More animal magic!

What advice would you give your younger self? Is that the same advice you'd give to aspiring authors?

Publishing isn’t a race. It’s a slow process through and through, and you’re not a failure if you don’t success the first, third, or whatever number time. If you love writing, keep going. Which is the same advice I’d give to aspiring authors.

What is one thing most people don't know about you?

Even though both my day jobs are in writing, I also have a degree in Biology.

Where can people find you online?

You can find me on Twitter (@kalynjosephson), Instagram (@kalynmjosephson), or through my website at kalynjosephson.com.



Kalyn Josephson is a fantasy writer living the California Bay Area. She loves books, cats, books with cats, and making up other worlds to live in for a while. THE STORM CROW is her debut novel.

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Comments

  1. This looks like a great read! Congrats on the book, and best of luck on your current projects.

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  2. I love the cover of this one!

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  3. I've had this book on my TBR since I first read about it. Animal magic is so much fun to find in books.

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  4. I had to search Google for "pantser author slang." --I expect magical, elemental crows make for an interesting story!

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  5. Great sounding book, dark and magical. I'd love to have a copy. Thanks!

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  6. This book sounds great! I've been seeing it around quite a bit and can't wait to read it. Best wishes!

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  7. I'm so excited for The Storm Crow. The plot sounds so good and I really like the cover!

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  8. Fantastic cover. Thanks for the chance.

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