1--What is the title of your latest release?
BLOOD BENEATH THE SNOW
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Revna is the only member of the royal family without magic. To save her best friends, she enters the competition to the death between her four older brothers for the throne. But when she’s kidnapped by a mysterious enemy general with the power to kill with a flick of his wrist, he declares he will train her to win. Because others want Revna on the throne for their own furtive reasons, and the question of who to trust is not as easy as it seems.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew from the beginning that I wanted the book to take place in a secondary fantasy world, but in the early renditions of the book it was a pretty vague kind of place! Once I decided on the main character’s name—Revna—I knew I wanted other character names to have a similar feel. I decided to stick with Nordic names, and that’s what sparked the idea of a wintery setting. The northern wastes specifically, where the front lines of the war in the book take place, was meant to depict the harsh extremes of the setting. I liked the idea of having a harsh backdrop that could also be beautiful in its own way. It pairs nicely with the conflict of the story that takes place there.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes, but she would scare me! Revna is a “stab first, ask questions later” kind of woman. But deep down, her biggest motivations are doing good and helping others—two things I also try to embody in my own life. She would likely be suspicious of me at first, but I think with time she would warm up to me!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Resilient, angry, and determined.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
This was actually the first book I ever completed! It looks much, much different now than when I finished the first draft (thankfully) but I love that I journeyed with this book while I learned how to hone my writing craft. One of the biggest things it taught me was the value of practicing writing as a skill. Rewriting the book over and over again was tedious and often became discouraging. But it improved with every draft and now, looking back, I’m so glad I didn’t give up on polishing this story to perfection.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
It depends! Most of the time, I wait until I’m done—especially for big picture changes that I decide on later in the book. If there’s something major, I change that will affect a lot of what’s written so far, I mark where I was when I decided to make the change and then continue writing and come back to make changes before that point later on. Occasionally though, if I get stuck on a scene, it’s most often because I made a misstep somewhere before. In that case, I usually can’t go on until I’ve at least re-plotted that section to figure out what it should look like!
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate is my weakness. The more chocolate something has, the better.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
We just recently moved, so I actually have an office now and it’s incredible! I have my bookshelves all along one wall and I invested in a standing desk, which has been life changing. Really though, I write in a lot of different places. In the living room, at the kitchen table, and at coffee shops.
10--Who is an author you admire?
I admire an endless number of authors. So many are kind and generous with their time and have extended such welcoming hands to me as a debut. I think especially of Nisha J. Tuli, Thea Guanzon, and Allison Saft as established authors who have gone out of their way to share their knowledge and time with me. But truly there are countless others!
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
There are so many, but the one that comes to mind first is The Hunger Games. I was in 7th grade when the first book came out, I believe. I remember reading it for the first time and not really getting it. When other people started to rave about it, I tried reading it again and finally understood exactly what about it was making such an impact on everyone around me. As a teenager, I read it for the intriguing plot and incredible characters. Now though, I understand just how revolutionary that book was and how much the Suzanne Collins truly said within the pages. Thinking about The Hunger Games inspires me to be both the best writer I can be and to say what matters and is most important through my work. It changed my life when I read it as a teenager, and it continues to change my life today.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
When I got the news that an editor wanted to meet with me, I’d been on submission with this book for over a year. It had been a long twelve months of rejections and silence. By this point, I was fairly convinced that the book wasn’t going anywhere. But my agent asked to hop on a call with me and shared the news that an editor had read the book and loved it and now she wanted to chat with me! I tried really hard not to get my hopes up, because a call doesn’t always mean an offer. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was it.
Sure enough, I hopped on the call the next day and the editor I spoke with understood my book in a way I thought only me and my agent ever would. She saw all the way through to the heart of the story and her enthusiasm was infectious. That was on a Friday, and by the time the call was over I knew this moment I’d dreamed of for so long was actually happening. By Monday morning, I received the official offer for the book. There’s a saying that publishing is incredibly slow until suddenly it isn’t. I can confirm that sentiment is absolutely true!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love fantasy! Especially when it has romance of some kind in it. I’ll never turn down a good science fiction novel either though.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. It’s enemies to lovers at its finest and the symbolism in the filmmaking is truly incredible too.
15--What is your favorite season?
I really love autumn! I’m a sweater girlie.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I don’t really do anything huge. I like to have a small gathering with friends where we chat and eat cake, go on a date with my spouse, and visit my local bookstore to spend way too much money there!
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Arcane! It’s got the best kind of sci-fi/fantasy worldbuilding and is so character driven. Plus, every character is queer. What’s not to love!
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I tend to cycle between a few, but my favorites are Thai and Mexican!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Like most writers, I love reading! I also enjoy playing the occasional video game, like Horizon: Zero Dawn or Jedi: Fallen Order. Spending time with my four-year-old and spouse is also high on my list, as is playing with our two kittens!
20--What can readers expect from you next?
Up next from me is the sequel to Blood Beneath the Snow! The second, and last, book in this series is currently occupying every part of my mind. I hope to have more projects in the works soon too!
Blood & Souls Duology
A heart-pounding romantasy following a rebellious princess who must compete to the death against her siblings for the crown to ensure justice, while fighting her feelings for her country's most powerful enemy by debut author Alexandra Kennington.
Revna is no stranger to struggle. As the only member of the royal family without a magical ability, she is seen as an embarrassing mistake to her kingdom and a blight on her family tree. Luckily, Revna has found family in other outcasts in her kingdom. But when her two closest friends’ lives are put in danger, she is determined to save them by any means necessary, no matter the cost. The Bloodshed Trials—a competition where the last sibling in the royal family standing takes the throne—might just be the ultimate price.
Revna turns down her arranged marriage and commits to competing for the throne only to be kidnapped by the mysterious and terrifyingly powerful Hellbringer, the general of her country’s greatest enemy. He has the ability to rend souls with the flick of his wrist and is every inch as intimidating as the war stories say he is. But Revna wonders if there may be some humanity left in him—especially when he reveals there are other parties who want her on the throne for their own furtive reasons.
Romance Fantasy | Fantasy Romance [Ace, On Sale: March 11, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593820117 / eISBN: 9780593820124]
Alexandra Kennington has been writing fantasy stories since she was young. Now, she’s living her dream as an author of fantasy and science fiction novels. When she’s not knee-deep in a world of her own creation, you’ll find her reading a book with the enemies-to-lovers trope or obsessing over Star Wars. She lives in Utah with her spouse and child. Alex is represented by Bethany Fulk at Spencerhill Associates.
Alexandra’s debut romantasy novel, BLOOD BENEATH THE SNOW, is out on March 11 in the United States from Ace Books and out on March 13 in the U.K. from Hachette Children’s.
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