What is the title of your latest release?
QUEEN OF SHADOW
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Ruler of wraiths. Healer of hearts. Trainer of warriors. The ancient world of the Celts comes alive in this epic mythological fantasy.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
QUEEN OF SHADOW is a retelling of Irish mythology, part of the Ulster Cycle in particular, so the setting was preordained two thousand plus years ago.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely! Scáthach is wise and witty, powerful and passionate. She’d be a lot of fun to drink with!
What are three words that describe your hero?
hot, haunted, honorable
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I had to do a lot of research for this book, so I learned many things. One thing that took a lot of hunting and researching in particular was finding what battle feats Scáthach trained Cuchulainn to master. I was also fascinated to delve into the symbolic drawings and body art of the Pictish peoples.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Both! Every night when I begin writing I pull up the manuscript about ten pages prior to where I left off the night before. As I reread, I revise, which puts me immediately back into the world and the story. So I literally revise every time I write. When I finish a manuscript, I set it aside for about one week and then begin at page one and do a full reread/revision before I submit it to my editor.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a pizza lover! I would eat it every day if I could!
Describe your writing space/office!
I own a home that was built in 1908 and is on the historic register. It is a beautiful, serene property. My home office is filled with floor to ceiling bookshelves I painted myself and a lot of gorgeous artwork. I’ve been walking and writing on a tread desk since 2008 – it’s amazing how much walking helps kickstart my imagination. I always light candles and scented oils, and my four scottie dogs are also always there “helping” me. So, lots of dog beds! The Maine coon “helps” sometimes as well but the dogs can annoy her so…
Who is an author you admire?
Martha Wells, Anne Bishop, Patricia Briggs, Cherie Dimaline, Granger, Octavia Butler, Kirsten Miller…
Is there a book that changed your life?
When I was thirteen I read DRAGONFLIGHT by Anne McCaffrey and I realized 1) a woman can write sci-fi, 2) a woman can star in sci-fi, 3) I was determined to write sci-fi too!
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I’d kind of accidentally fallen into being published by a small, local press in 2001 (I was introduced to the publisher by a friend of mine). Allowing that inexperienced, unprofessional “publisher” to print that book was a mistake, except that the book surprised me by winning several awards and getting some excellent reviews. Those awards and reviews got the attention of my first agent and within a week she had an offer from Berkley for the first three books in my Goddess Summoning Series. I was shocked that it happened so fast and thrilled that I was being published by one of the big 5!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I’ve always read cross genres, but science fiction/fantasy written by brilliant women will always be my favorite.
What’s your favorite movie?
My comfort watch is the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
What is your favorite season?
spring
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
By taking a mini-vacay to Victoria BC with my awesome daughter!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I just finished Suzanne Palmer’s ODE TO THE HALF-BROKEN. It was wonderful!
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mediterranean
What do you do when you have free time?
I love to hike, work in my garden/yard, have bougie dinners with my girlfriends, hang out with my daughter, love on my horse, travel, read…
What can readers expect from you next?
In March 2027. BY BREATH, the first book in my new YA/NA series, The Call of Dark Water releases. It’s set at one of my favorite places in the world, Loch Chon, Scotland, at the entrance to the magickal Highlands, and it features my favorite Scottish fae, kelpies.
QUEEN OF SHADOW by P.C. Cast
From #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author P. C. Cast—a passionate and magical epic bringing alive Celtic legend, perfect for romantasy fans who love Sue Lynn Tan and Thea Guanzon and historical fantasy fans of Madeline Miller.
Step into the mystical world of the Isle of Skye in 200 BCE, where legends come to life, goddess and gods walk the mortal earth, and the Queen of Shadow holds court. But Scáthach is no ordinary queen. Daughter of the Underworld goddess Bēfionn, golden-haired Scáthach is not just a brilliant trainer of warriors, her divine mother has gifted her with the ability to pass between the living world and the Underworld and has granted her dominion over shadows.
Scáthach dedicates her life to training the most talented warriors from across the ancient world at Dunscaith Castle, her impenetrable fortress on the magical Isle of Skye. When Cuchulainn, the Hero of Ulster, son of the Irish god Lugh, arrives asking to become one of her students, Scáthach reluctantly agrees to train him—even though she has serious misgivings about his violent past and the mindless berserker who sleeps within him and whose rage, once awakened, has always been uncontrollable…until the Hero of Ulster meets the Queen of Shadow. Scáthach soon realizes Cuchulainn is much more than the brutal, emotionless warrior everyone expects him to be. And the Hero of Ulster begins to believe he might take control of and even change his foretold fate.
As their growing attraction deepens, Cuchulainn’s father, the God of Light, forces him to retrieve a weapon that will seal Cuchulainn’s fate and forever take him away from the Queen of Shadow. But when Scáthach joins him on the quest through the most dangerous and disturbing parts of the Underworld, Scáthach discovers that her fate may lie in the Underworld and, perhaps, she might be able to forge a future for herself and Cuchulainn by tricking death herself….
Fantasy Epic | Romance Fantasy [ William Morrow, On Sale: August 4, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780063295025 / eISBN: 9780063295049 ]
Buy QUEEN OF SHADOW: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About P.C. Cast
PC was born in the Midwest, and, after her tour in the USAF, she taught high school for 15 years before retiring to write full time. PC is a member of the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Oklahoma Book Award, YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Booksellers’ Best, and many, many more. Ms. Cast is an experienced teacher and talented speaker who lives in Oregon near her fabulous daughter, her adorable pack of dogs, her crazy Maine Coon, and a bunch of horses.
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