Tessa Barbosa | A Cursed Girl and a Deadly Magical Competition

1–What is the title of your latest release?

THE MOONLIGHT BLADE

2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? 

A cursed girl enters a deadly magical competition to rescue her mother.

3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? 

The book is set in a fantasy world, but it draws a lot of inspiration from Vancouver, Canada, where I grew up. If you know the city, you might recognize the mountains, the ocean, the cool summers, and the tree lined streets. Of course, there’s still a lot of imagination layered on top.

4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? 

Absolutely! She might not talk very much, but she would be a very good listener.

5–What are three words that describe your hero?

Determined, confused, loving.

6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? 

I’d drafted a few novels before this point but hadn’t had a lot of experience editing. Editing is a skill on its own, and it took many rounds, for me to figure it out. Now, I actually enjoy the process.

7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?

I edit when I’m done, because my ideas for where the book is going tend to change while I’m writing the first draft, even if I start with an outline.

8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?

Do I have to pick just one? I’m a big fan of a fancy donut. Something not too sweet, but with unexpected flavor combinations.

9–Describe your writing space/office! 

I wish I had an office, but I am currently working from a small desk in the corner of a bedroom. I like to stand when I write, so I’ve got my computer and extra screen lifted. In my dreams, I have bookshelves and a whiteboard to brainstorm ideas.

10–Who is an author you admire? 

There are too many to mention, but here are a few! I admire Roshani Chokshi’s lyrical writing style. I admire the way Sabaa Tahir writes books that are action packed but emotionally devastating.

11–Is there a book that changed your life?

Guy Gavriel Kay’s The Fionavar Tapestry, taught me everything about bittersweet endings, and how you can win and lose in the same breath. It really changed the way I thought about stories.

12–Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)

It was an email actually! I had to read it three times over to realize that it wasn’t a rejection, because I had received so many of those over the years. I submitted it directly to Entangled, so my next thought was that I really need an agent. It was a scramble to find one, because I’d been querying an entirely different book at the time.

13–What’s your favorite genre to read?  

Fantasy and romance come in for a tie. That’s probably why I write a mix of both.

14–What’s your favorite movie?

I don’t really have a favorite, but the movie I’ve watched the most times in my life is The Princess Bride.

15–What is your favorite season?

Summer! It’s usually such a short season here in Vancouver, so I’ll soak up whatever sun I can get for as long as I can.

16–How do you like to celebrate your birthday?

The perfect day would be to take time off work, and just do whatever I felt like: go to the fancy ice cream shop I haven’t tried yet, get a new haircut, and meet up with some friends for dinner.

17–What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?

My daughter introduced me to this podcast that is so relaxing to listen to. If you have trouble falling asleep, check out Nothing Much Happens.

18–What’s your favorite type of cuisine?

All of them? I’m not a picky eater and I enjoy trying new things.

19–What do you do when you have free time?

Watch K-dramas and C-dramas. I can’t stop.

20–What can readers expect from you next? 

I have a few things in the works, but I can’t talk about them yet. Just expect more fantasy, and more romance. Hopefully more in The Moonlight Blade world too.

MOONLIGHT BLADE by Tessa Barbosa

I promised my mother I would never come to Bato-Ko…and yet here I am.

Narra Jal is one of the cursed, cast aside her whole life, considered unlucky. But with her mother’s life on the line, she will return to the city where she was born to face the trials: a grueling, bloodthirsty series of challenges designed to weed out the weak, the greedy, and the foolish. Trials to select the next ruler of Tigang.

Narra has nothing. No weapons. No training. No magic. No real chance of leaving with her life. Just her fierce grit and a refusal to accept the destiny she’s been handed. Even the intense, dark-eyed Guardian she feels a strangely electric connection with cannot help her. Narra is on her own. But she’ll show everyone what the unlucky can do.

Let the bloodbath begin.

Young Adult Fantasy [Entangled: Teen, On Sale: March 21, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781649373366 / ]