Reading with... Sara Raasch

photo: Joodie Photo
Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books. Not much has changed since then--her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. She's the author of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy, and her pirate fantasy, These Rebel Waves (HarperCollins), was released on August 7, 2018.
 
On your nightstand now:
 
I'm halfway through Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan (2019) which is grotesque and enchanting with this amazing Eastern European-inspired world. Up next, I'm so excited for the gritty women pirates in Seafire by Natalie C. Parker.
 
Favorite book when you were a child:
 
The Felicity: The American Girl series. The characterization in such short books enchanted me--and what pushed enchantment to obsession was the richness of this period. I let my love of colonial America influence the culture of These Rebel Waves. (I also will never stop begging American Girl to let me write a YA Felicity book.)
 
Your top five authors:
 
Sharon Shinn: Mystic and Rider showed me what can be done with immersive world building. CS Pacat is a close second--the Captive Prince trilogy set the standard for enemies-to-lovers. Seth Dickinson's The Traitor Baru Cormorant is gruesome and raw, and I am anxiously awaiting the sequel. Jasper Fforde will always have my heart for his way with satire--the Nursery Crimes series is a delightful mash-up of police crime and nursery rhymes. Finally, Rupi Kaur--that woman's way with imagery is at once humbling and inspiring.
 
Book you've faked reading:
 
Harry Potter. It's easier to fake having read it than to have to explain why I never read it. The reason? I was (still am) a hipster when it comes to popularity, so when Harry Potter rose to world domination, I chose not to read it. Which is not a good enough reason, I know--hence my fakery.
 
Book you're an evangelist for:
 
The Captive Prince trilogy. No author has captured (pun intended) the slow-burn romance like CS Pacat. If you see the books in hard copy, they're so short! How could she execute a slow romance in so little pages? But Pacat is a magician, and by the time you finish the first book, you will be smitten with Damen and even, yes, Laurent.
 
Book you've bought for the cover:
 
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge. The U.S. version is this rich navy-blue, and the detail on the mask is intricate. After buying it, I was thrilled to discover that Hardinge's writing matched the exterior.
 
Book you hid from your parents:
 
I got the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon when I was 11, convinced they were innocent Scottish romances. I didn't realize until I was well into the first one the sorts of scenes that populate these books. I had no idea how to tell my parents that I probably shouldn't have been reading them.
 
Book that changed your life:
 
I mentioned this already, but it's vital to who I am as an author: Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn. Without that book, I never would have begun exploring fantasy worlds. Picking it up in a Walmart book bin during high school was a complete moment of fate.
 
Favorite line from a book:
 
I have this quote tattooed: "To each his own magic." It's from Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy. I love the permission it gives in acknowledging that each of us has "magic" unique to who we are. No one magic fits everyone, and we shouldn't try to force our particular magic on others.
 
Five books you'll never part with:
 
I have a signed copy of CS Pacat's Captive Prince--she's an Australia-based author, and one of my friends snagged me a copy. My author copy of Snow Like Ashes is signed by the actress I fancast as my main character: Ksenia Solo. I have an ARC of Pacifica by Kristen Simmons that is the first time I saw my blurb on a cover--that Simmons is a dear friend made it so much sweeter! Winterspell by Claire Legrand brings up memories of my first signing: Legrand did the event with me, and seeing Winterspell reminds me of friends and snowy warmth. I also have an ARC of Variant by Robison Wells--it was the first ARC I ever got, and I love that it reminds me of those early, innocent days.
 
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
 
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is one of those scrumptious books where each sentence is a truffle of mastery. I flew through it the first time, simply because it is so delectable, but I would love to be able to go back and savor it more slowly.
 
Upcoming book you're excited about:

I adore Claire Legrand (I mentioned Winterspell above), and her next book, Sawkill Girls, comes out this October. It sounds like the type of brooding, romantic storyline she excels at, with lush characters I'm sure will shatter my heart.

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