Hi, I’m the person behind Trials of Flame and Flood, and honestly, I’m still getting used to saying that.
I’m a Belgian author, a lifelong romance and fantasy lover, and someone who has always had a tendency to get far too invested in fictional characters (#scorpio). I’ve been making up stories in my head for as long as I can remember, but actually sitting down and writing an entire novel was a very different thing. There’s a rather large gap between thinking, “I have a great idea for a book,” and actually having a finished book sitting in front of you.
Trials of Flame and Flood started with a collection of ideas.
I was inspired by the worldbuilding and elemental magic of Avatar the last Airbender, but also by the character Jean Grey from X-men. From that basis, I added a shadow daddy in the mix (yes, I’m obsessed with Azriel and no, I’m not apologizing for it).
Somewhere along the way, those pieces started turning into an actual story, and before I quite knew what I was doing, I was building an entire world around them.
It Wasn't All Smooth Sailing.
Writing my debut was messy. There were moments when I was completely obsessed with it and could spend hours lost in Vaelthir, and there were also plenty of moments when I stared at my manuscript and wondered why I had voluntarily decided to do this to myself. I rewrote scenes more times than I can count at this point, changed things I had previously sworn I would never change, questioned whether certain characters were working, questioned whether the entire plot was working, and occasionally questioned whether I was working.
There’s something strangely vulnerable about putting a story out into the world when you’ve spent so long with it being entirely yours (and my poor editors). These characters have lived in my head for so long, and suddenly, other people get to meet them too, and I have absolutely no control over what they think of them.
It’s both a strange and an incredible feeling (still doesn’t fix my never-ending impostor syndrome though).
I started this book because I had a story I desperately wanted to tell. I had no idea how much work would come after that first idea, or how much I would learn about writing, publishing, and myself along the way. I certainly didn’t expect there to be quite so many spreadsheets and _final draft V78 I promise this is the last one.word involved.
But somehow, after all the drafts, edits, doubts, late nights, and moments of wondering whether I was ever actually going to finish the thing, Trials of Flame and Flood is real, and it belongs to me.
And now it gets to belong to you too.
Thank you for being here, for giving my characters a chance, and for stepping into Vaelthir with me. I hope you have as much fun getting lost there as I did.
Wallis Rae
If you’re ready to step into Vaelthir early, I’d love to have you on my ARC or Street team. Sign up below to receive an advance copy of Trials of Flame and Flood in exchange for an honest review. Your thoughts will help other readers find the story, and they’ll mean more to me than I can properly put into words (and yes, I will be refreshing my inbox nervously). Spots are limited, so grab yours today and be one of the very first to meet these characters. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them.
