Ryan Graudin has been a case study for wanderlust ever since her first trip to London. She lives with her husband in Charleston, South Carolina, and is always searching for the next adventure.
For people who have not heard of your upcoming novel All That Glows, can you tell them a bit about it, and why they should read it when it comes out?

ALL THAT GLOWS is a paranormal novel set in present-day Britain. The main character, Emrys, is a Fae who has been guarding the royal family against soul feeders (dark spirits who sustain their existence off of human lives.) Her newest charge, the notoriously partying bad-boy Prince Richard is her biggest challenge yet. Every night he unwittingly exposes himself to the dangers of the Green Women and the Banshees who prowl London's pubs and nightclubs. But the stakes climb higher than this, when a palace murder unveils a much larger plot to bring down the monarchy altogether. Emrys must hunt through London's magical underworld to uncover the one who threatens Prince Richard's life, all while fighting her own growing emotions for him. In this chaos of assassins and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, she has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

Although it's officially a paranormal romance, ALL THAT GLOWS skews a bit more on the side of hard fantasy than most. I think it will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy and British lore. Also to those who love their romance! If you fall into any of those categories, I'd recommend ALL THAT GLOWS for you.

What made you want to write a story with Fae, compared to other paranormal beings? (vampires, werewolves, etc

At the time I started writing it, there weren't too many huge Fae books. The ones that were out focused more on the Seelie courts and the land of Fae as a place. The Fae of ALL THAT GLOWS are a bit different. They've always inhabited our world, and this causes a big source of tension between them and the mortals (despite the fact that the mortals don't know they exist). I loved the idea of writing about powerful women and playing with the concept of immortality. I was also fascinated with the idea of how Fae would cope in our very modern world of technology (in the novel, the Fae are made sick by the presence of machinery and electricity). If you were immortal and all-powerful, how would you face a world that was no longer yours? A decaying world that made you ill?

I also really wanted to play around with the conceit of the "Fairy Godmother," which is how the royal side of things came in to play!

If you were to have dinner with one of your characters who would you choose, and why?

Well, I would choose Emrys, but she doesn't really eat much on accounts of being immortal. It would probably be a bit awkward to be the only one chowing down (though she would make for some fascinating historical table talk). I'd have to go with Prince Richard. We'd probably meet in a pub, have some baskets of fish and chips. I would make him do most of the talking so I could listen to that accent!

As it gets closer to the release date of All That Glows what are you most looking forward to?

It's been a dream of mine for a long time to see a book of mine on a bookstore shelf. I think what I'm most looking forward to is walking into a Barnes and Noble and seeing my story on the shelves. I also think it would be really cool if I got to see someone reading it "in the wild."

What can your future readers expect from All That Glows?

Expect a story with strong women and night clubs and a prince who doesn't know his place. Expect a story about huntresses who only wear green, Earl Grey tea and Eton boys. Expect a story about prophetic ravens, paparazzi and polo matches. Expect a story about love and sacrifice.

Add to Goodreads

Emrys—a fiery, red-headed Fae—always embraced her life in the Highlands, far from the city’s draining technology, until she’s sent to London to rejoin the Faery Guard. But this isn’t any normal assignment—she’s sent to guard Prince Richard: Britain’s notorious, partying bad boy and soon-to-be King. The prince’s careless ways and royal blood make him the irresistible for the dark spirits that feed on mortals. Sweet, disheveled, and alive with adventure—Richard is one charge who will put Emrys’s magic and heart to the test.

When an ancient force begins preying on the monarchy, Emrys must hunt through the London’s magical underworld, facing down Banshees, Black Dogs and Green Women to find the one who threatens Richard’s life. In this chaos of dark magic, palace murders and paparazzi, Emrys finds herself facing an impossible choice. For despite all her powers, Emrys has discovered a force that burns brighter than magic: love.

The restroom is empty, with one obvious exception. A pair of forest-green stilettos peeks out from the bottom of the final stall. My heart flutters at the sight. I practically fly the distance and wrench the door open.
The prince leans against the side of the stall, head wreathed in obscene graffiti and eyes half closed with the weight of his evening drinks. The second Green Woman lurks close; her pale hair spills across his chest as she leans in. Her head jerks around when the door opens, eyes lit dark with rage. When she sees me, all the beauty of her flesh melts away. Her pink skin withers to a sickly greenish gray, like some corpse frozen in the depths of a peat bog. The teeth beneath her mottled lips grow ragged, meant for tearing tendon from bone. She hisses and grips her prey with long, ratty fingernails.
Although I’ve fought Green Women before, this one’s ghoulish grin is unnerving. I have to look at Richard and see the smooth, unblemished skin of his throat to remember why I’m here.
I launch myself between her and the prince. At the same moment she lunges, grungy teeth aimed for Richard’s throat. I catch the bite with my shoulder, gasping with shock as the pain lances my bone. The force of my body throws the prince onto the toilet, far from the Green Woman’s reach. He blinks slowly; his jaw grows slack at what he sees.
The Green Woman shrieks with frustration as she pulls away from me. Dark blood coats her teeth and stains her lips. Her feral eyes wheel to where the prince is slouched over the toilet. There’s intense, desperate hunger behind her gaze. She’d do anything to have him.