An Interview with Tiffany Wang

Lehm is such an interesting character—he’s the leader of the rebellion while harboring dark truths. Did you take inspiration from any real historical figures? If not, where did you get inspiration for him?

Lehm evolved tremendously throughout my writing process—and while he’s not directly inspired by any real historical figures, it took quite a while to capture the essence of his character. Initially, I had wanted him to be more bumbling to reflect how all organizations—even the ones that seem airtight—can still harbor weaknesses within.

Yet the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to create a rebel leader who pushes the envelope on morality. In many ways, Lehm mirrors Teia, the main character—both are devious, driven, and hungry for power. The two of them mirrored each other as the story went on. Sometimes, it felt like I was simply along for the ride.

You cite Avatar: The Last Airbender and Six of Crows as the main inspiration for Inferno’s Heir. Were there specific characters from each of those series you based your main cast off of?

The main character, Teia Carthan, is inspired by Zuko (ATLA) and Kaz Brekker (Six of Crows). I wanted to create someone who has been forced to do terrible things to survive and yet is unapologetic in who she is and what she wants. I also loved Zuko’s redemption arc growing up, and you’ll see glimmers of that in how Teia changes when she eventually meets Kyra and the other rebels.

Morality, especially in times of unrest, is a driving force for the story. Was there any trepidation when you created a main character who acts more selfishly than most? How did you balance Teia’s thirst for power with her desire to better Erisia?

None. Throughout the book, Teia is faced with a crossroads: better Erisia with the rebels or  seize the throne for herself. One of the most important things I wanted to highlight is the internal turmoil it takes for Teia to reach her ultimate decision. While she is selfish and ruthless at times, Teia is not morally bankrupt. You see her grapple with what she considers the “right” thing to do—and that, to me, is at the center of who she is as both a protagonist and an anti-hero.

Teia and Kyra seem to be foils of a sort—one the idealistic, golden hero, and the other the disgruntled, power-hungry hero. Did you purposefully make them two sides of a similar coin?

Yes, and I’m so happy you picked up on this! Teia and Kyra are deliberate opposites (although I’ll admit I had a much more difficult time writing Kyra, so I’m not sure what that says about me). I wanted to show them as thematically different people who somehow forge an unlikely friendship.

There appears to be a theme of duality with many of your characters. Every character has their perceived opposite, but they’re much more alike than either character believes. Was this meant to speak to the lack of nuance that comes with any revolution, or is this something that evolved on its own?

It’s something that evolved on its own. While I wanted each character to have a unique backstory, the more I wrote, the more I was able to draw connective themes between them, such as heartbreak and resilience. As the characters became closer to one another, these shared points naturally shone through.

If you had to live in one of the Five Kingdoms, which would you pick and why?

I would choose to live in Shaylan, the Kingdom of Water. Here, everyone has at least some connection to water, and I’d love to be able to manipulate the element. Plus, there’s incredible natural scenery in Shaylan, including a famed set of mountains that I’d want to see in real life. While the entirety of Inferno’s Heir is set in Erisia, Shaylan is more heavily explored within Tempest’s Queen.

Do you feel your educational background in communications and international relations had any effect on the way you approach worldbuilding, and writing in general?

While I don’t feel my majors helped as much in terms of worldbuilding, I do believe they improved my writing from a technical perspective. I used to deliberately choose classes that had final essays, rather than exams (I’d immediately start sweating whenever I had to open an exam booklet). All in all, this meant a lot of hours hunched over my laptop, tinkering with sentence structure and word choice. I’d like to think that translated to me becoming a better writer, at least in some capacity.

Are you able to give any hints about what’s next after the Inferno’s Heir series? Are you planning on staying in the fantasy genre or are you considering branching out to other genres?

I’ll be staying in the fantasy space for my next couple books! My upcoming duology is about a goddess searching for her missing sister, who is forced to team up with the last person who saw her—a mortal boy who hates all gods. It’s coming out from Harper Collins in Winter 2027.

You are among the very first authors published at a Bindery imprint. How would you describe your debut experience publishing with Bindery?

It was a great debut experience, though I’ll admit I was hesitant at first. There was an element of not knowing what to expect, especially since I debuted with Bindery’s first “class” of books. But they did an incredible job with marketing and communication, as well as incorporating my vision into the covers of both Inferno’s Heir and Tempest’s Queen (I was able to provide multiple rounds of feedback for both, which I know is a rarity in the industry).

Do you have any parting wisdom for writers wanting to break into the industry?

Always be working on something new. Seriously. This industry is notorious for being slow, and when a project is out on submission (which means it’s sent out to different editors), I used to drive myself insane refreshing my inbox, hoping for news. Now, I make my peace when a project goes out into the void. It’s no longer in my hands, and I distract myself by picking up something new right away.