Erin A. Craig is the author of House of Roots and Ruin. House of Roots and Ruin follows The Thaumas sisters who are scattered across Arcannia. The novel explores different characters but is set in the same world as Erin’s previous book House of Salt and Sorrows. YEM was able to speak with Erin about fascinations with ghosts, the writing process, and writing for a young adult audience.

Young Entertainment Mag: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Erin A. Craig: There was never one big defining moment that I can look back and say “Aha!” to. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved playing around with stories. I’ve got a trunk of old notebooks and scribbled scraps of paper full of the most purple prose and terrible plot twists you’ve ever seen! I didn’t think writing would be something I would pursue as a career until I was on maternity leave with my daughter. I’d been an operatic stage manager and was on hiatus since newborns and sopranos don’t mix terribly well! There was one story I’d been kicking around since my college days and one afternoon, I decided I was going to polish it up and try to turn it into a book. That project has since been shelved, but its journey set me down the path to writing what would turn into HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS, finding my agent, and getting to share my stories with the world.

YEM: What was the inspiration for House of Roots and Ruin?

Erin: I had such a marvelous time hanging out in the land I’d created with HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS, I knew I wasn’t quite ready to be done with it. When I started daydreaming of ideas and possible plots, I always gravitated back to Verity, the youngest of the Thaumas sisters. I wanted to explore what she’d be like as a young woman and see how all of her childhood experiences colored the way she now saw the world.

YEM: Ghosts are a part of your book. Are ghosts something that you have had a fascination with?

Erin: Absolutely! I think I checked out every possible book on hauntings and supernatural events from our school library as a kid! I loved the Time Life “Mysteries of the Unknown” series.

YEM: Do you know your ending when writing a series, or do you write as you go?

Erin: I’m a heavy plotter so I usually know the scene I’m headed for as I write each book. With HORAR, I knew the exact sentence I was going to end on. My agent and editor both gently suggested we tack the epilogue on after the final chapter to help soften some blows! When I wrote HOUSE OF SALT AND SORROWS, I didn’t expect it to become a series, so it was fun to figure out how to incorporate ideas of the first book while keeping both as standalones. I like to think they’re more companions than a true series. We get to glimpse little moments of each sister’s life and their plots can be wholly their own.

YEM: What does your writing process look like?

Erin: I’m very much an early bird. I’m usually up by five and in my chair shortly after. I write until it’s time to wake my daughter up for school and then can get another few hours done mid-morning. I always try to have my next book in mind, so I usually spend part of the afternoon researching what’s next on deck.

YEM: Is there a line or quote in House of Roots and Ruin that is your favorite?

Erin: My very favorite line is a major spoiler so I’ll say my second– “You can say you want to bring down the stars, but you’ll never understand how their fires will burn until you do.”

YEM: Is writing thriller-fantasies your favorite genre?

Erin: It is! I think it’s important to read and write what you love and I’ve always been drawn to the spookier side of life. I love mashing up horror and mysteries with fantasy. They’re exciting worlds to write and (hopefully!) for readers to live in!

YEM: What do you hope your readers take away from reading your books?

Erin: A deep, abiding fear of bathtubs and an incurable case of the shivers!

YEM: Do you have any advice for anyone who wants to be an author?

Erin: When I first started writing, I always thought you had to wait to be inspired. The mood had to be just so, the words had to be waiting to fall off the pen. Now I’ve realized that writing is just like any skill set—it becomes easier to do with regular practice. Your imagination is a muscle and it grows the more you use it. But! There are ways to trick yourself into feeling inspired! I build instrumental playlists for each of my projects and listen to them in the same order so that when I hear that first song, my mind knows it’s time to get to work. You can also dedicate certain candles for specific books—I will never smell coconut cream cake and not think of HOUSE OF ROOTS AND RUIN! Build up little rituals to help sink and ground yourself into writing time and I promise, the words will come!

YEM: What is your favorite part of writing for a young adult audience?

Erin: I love how big and immediate emotions are when writing from young adults’ point of views. Every beat can feel so grand and vast and important, because it is. THIS is the boy I will love with all my heart. THIS is the dance that could change my life. THESE are the wild steps I need to take to make sure my sisters’ deaths are avenged!

YEM: Who is an author that has inspired you?

Erin: Reading Robin McKinley’s BEAUTY opened up a whole new world for Tiny Middle School Erin. I was obsessed with fairytales as a kid and read picture books well past the point where I should have moved on to harder, wordier books. But I found I just couldn’t give up on those stories.

There was something so comforting about their familiar tales, their predictable happy ends. Then, one afternoon, a librarian handed me a copy of BEAUTY and it was like fireworks had been set off in my mind. Here was the story I loved, but expanded with nuance and backstories, character agency and inner turmoil. It was the first retelling I’d read and I’ve never really recovered from it.

YEM: What do you have planned in the future for your books?

Erin: I have a new young adult standalone coming out next year called THE THIRTEENTH CHILD. It’s a retelling of the Grimm Brother’s “Godfather Death” and features a young woman living out a life chosen for her by the gods and all the ways she tries to seize control. I’m also writing my first adult book which will be out in early 2025, A LAND SO WIDE. It’s set in a remote village off the coast of Labrador, and is full of eerie atmosphere, terrible folklore, and a forest full of dark mysteries.