Inside the Making of The Drowned Queen

 

Every debut novel has a story behind it but some journeys stand out for their creativity, determination, and raw honesty. In this author interview, we explore the mind behind a compelling new fantasy release 'The Drowned Queen' by Elspeth Gregorsdóttir diving into the writing process, world-building techniques, and the realities of self-publishing.

From crafting an entire language to building a novel in short bursts between a demanding full-time career, this conversation offers an unfiltered look at what it truly takes to bring a book to life. Whether you're an aspiring writer, a fantasy reader, or simply curious about the creative process, this Q&A reveals both the challenges and the magic behind storytelling. 

When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career as an author?

Always. Since I learned how to write in kindergarten, I was always writing stories and drawing comics. My first finished work was called Springtime with Caesar.

I took my mom’s Polaroid camera and followed my dog around the backyard, snapping photo after photo of him sniffing tulips and trudging around the flower beds. I pasted them to colorful pieces of construction paper and told the story of his day, bound it together with a Christmas ribbon, and gave it to my mom for Mother’s Day.

 

What inspired you to write your debut novel, and how did the initial idea take shape?

 It started as an itch I needed to scratch. I had just voraciously devoured Fourth Wing, then A Court of Thorns and Roses, then Throne of Glass—but I wanted more, and I just didn’t have the patience to search forums and take chances on recommendations that might not have been what I was looking for (specifically a non-toxic, zero red flag version of Rhys who acted and spoke like a normal, adult person—even though that character only has two chapters in book 1).

 So I wrote the book that I wanted to read. And once I had written the first draft, I realized that this might be something that others would enjoy reading as well.

 

How long did it take you to complete the manuscript of the book?

 From the first word to the release date (May 1, 2026), it took me just under a year.

 

What were some of the key challenges you faced while writing your debut novel, and how did you overcome them?

 The main challenge was that I have a full-time, emotionally demanding career. I wrote the book in short pockets of time between tasks through the day; I illustrated the drop caps while I wound down for bed.

 The next challenge was money. We didn’t have anything extra for me to throw at an editor, a cover artist, an illustrator, a cartographer, a formatter, or a marketer. So, I learned how to do it all myself—on an old 60 gig iPad, no less. Most of it came quickly, as right-brained tasks always had for me. But the formatting… I wanted to rip my hair out. I have a newfound appreciation for all the work that goes into publishing a book.

 

Did the manuscript undergo any significant changes during the editing and revision process? If so, could you elaborate?

 The bones were always there—girl endures suffering, she finds her prince, the mating bond ruins everything. But as the story grew past the rough draft, my free will kicked in and I created a language, a magic system, a cosmic threat. It just kept getting bigger and bigger because I constantly asked why, how, and where? Once I could finally answer every single question, creating a world that characters moved through instead of just a story I was telling, it became what it is now.

 

What aspects of the publishing process surprised you the most as a first-time author?

 There are just so many things that go on behind the scenes that I had no idea about. I had never heard of ARC’s before. I didn’t know that formatting was more than just uploading a Google doc to Amazon.

 I didn’t realize that cover art isn’t just an image, but multiple variations for each medium. 3500x5000 for ebook, 3500x3500 for audio book, 5.75x9.231 for paperback, 9.5x22.679 for hardback. Having someone create each one of the cover arts would’ve cost me $500 or more for something that I was envisioning.

 

Could you share insights into your writing routine and creative process?

 This might sound weird, but I don’t necessarily know what happens between point A and point B until I start writing it. Words come out of me in involuntary strings, and sometimes I am surprised by how chapters unfold. For instance, in Chapter 26 when she visits her father’s grave, the FMC has a pretty huge revelation that ties all the way back to Chapters 1 and 2. I did not plan that. I had zero notions of connecting the meanings that way until it came out of me.

 And as soon as I finished that passage, I minimized the document and just sat at my desk and cried. These characters and their stories do not feel wholly mine all the time. I’m just the one who gets to tell them.

 Another thing I do is I curate little playlists for each chapter that feels like the mood I’m trying to convey. For instance, the last chapter of the book was just “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer on repeat.

How do you manage or overcome writer’s block during the writing journey?

 If I’m ever too stuck to write—which doesn’t happen too often due to me not even knowing what words will come out, as mentioned above—I do a writing exercise where I imagine a scene being told by a character who isn’t in the scene. How would Alezae narrate Aevra’s stars collapsing? What would Elidra think of the first honey cake rendezvous?

 Those will obviously never make it into the book, but it forces my brain to be creative outside of the main story enough that I become eager to continue where I left off.

Crafting such an immersive and imaginative world is a remarkable achievement. How did you approach world-building for this novel?

 To me, world-building is easiest when done simply by asking how? When I do that, the world builds itself for me, and I just write it down one answer at a time until the network of how’s form a well-rounded and believable system.

 

The constructed language, ElderTongue, is particularly compelling. Could you discuss its creation and role within the narrative?

 Language is the most important part of a culture’s identity. And it feels very intimate when someone speaks to you in their mother tongue, even if you have no idea what any of it means. It was very important to me to create a language for the Fae for both reader immersion and cultural authenticity.

 Eldertongue is not just some cool sounding words slapped together with a translation that means something just because I say it does. Eldertongue is very much a speakable language. I have an entire document that I reference when using Eldertongue that has all the root words and combination words. And the rules are quite simple:

 Everything starts with a root word, and the ending denotes whether it’s a noun, adjective, or verb.

 For instance, let’s use the root word Nad-. Add -ith for a noun—Nadith means hope/wish. Add -yn for a verb—Nadyn means to hope/to wish. Add -ïs for an adjective—Nadïs means hopeful. Add -ynth for a command—Nadynth means “Make a wish” or “Have faith.”

 And all of this is included in the back matter of Book 2, where the role of Eldertongue gains a lot more meaning.

 

The novel employs both Lyra’s perspective and a third-person narrative style. What influenced your decision to adopt this unique storytelling approach?

 I wanted to write the story through Aevra’s perspective to give the reader the most intimate experience of living her story alongside her. But I also want readers to get the full picture of the web they just stepped into. A world is only as rich as its characters, and deeper understanding of them cannot be achieved with only a first-person narrative.

 

The symbolism of sea glass as a medium for preserving memories is both distinctive and evocative. How did you conceptualize this element?

 The lyrical explanation for the sea glass motif would be that sea glass is broken by pride, softened by time, and returned by the tide. Much like our FMC.

 But the real answer is that I just think sea glass is really neat, and it fits perfectly in with the riverbank and fire magic. Unseeming relics are my favorite parts of any story, because it could be anything and it can mean anything.

 

Which characters do you feel most personally connected to, and what makes them significant to you as a writer?

Torian. His story—believe it or not—is the most tragic of all.

The 2006 Will Ferrell movie Stranger Than Fiction really affected me—a fourteen-year-old going through her formative years while learning the meat of the writing craft. I have always been a bleeding heart and “emotionally porous,” so it stuck with my subconscious that whatever I wrote might exist somewhere aside from just my head. And it makes me be as deliberate as possible when I am writing my characters.

The things that happen to Torian throughout the series—and the things he does because of them—are gut-wrenching to me. So I feel closest to him because he is always in the back of my mind, existing in some other metaphysical timeline that I control but can’t access.

I’ve been told that’s not real or possible. But what if…?

What can readers expect from the upcoming second book in the series?

The second book is the release of a held breath. Now that she is out of the Amber Vale, she has the room to grow and understand without the constant worry about being discovered.

I wrote Book 1 so that I could write Book 2. It is so rich in culture and beauty and legends that I could hardly wait to get started on it. And the MMC is like none I’ve read about before, so I am hopeful that the girls who disliked the first one will fall in love with the second.

 What advice would you offer to aspiring authors looking to publish their first book?

Do the leg work. I see so many new authors on forums asking why nobody has bought their book after they upload it to Amazon. Books do not make themselves known, no matter how wonderful or compelling they are. You have to be the one to show it to people.

I reached out personally to 250 book bloggers, engaged them in conversation, researched their posts to understand what they enjoy reading and how they approach the genre. Books are successful when people start talking to their friends about them. But those people cannot share the book if the book is not shared with them first.

What emerges from this conversation is a story that goes far beyond its central plot. This debut novel is not just about its characters or its romance, it’s about the depth of the world they inhabit, from its carefully constructed magic system to the intricacies of Eldertongue and the symbolism woven throughout.

At its heart, the Drowned Queen promises an emotional journey, one shaped by transformation, connection, and the consequences of forces larger than its characters can control. With its blend of intimate perspective and expansive storytelling, it invites readers to not only follow Aevra’s path, but to fully step into a world that feels lived-in and real.