Q&A: JJA Harwood, Author of ‘A Steep and Savage Path’
We chat with author JJA Harwood about A Steep and Savage Path, which is an enemies-to-lovers journey to the underworld unlike any other, for fans of The Crimson Moth and The Cruel Prince.
Hello and welcome back! It’s been over four years since we last spoke for the release of The Shadow in the Glass. How have you been and what have you been up to?
I’ve been well! It’s been a busy time for me – I’ve pretty much had one book out every year with my hardback and paperback editions of The Shadow in the Glass, The Thorns Remain and now A Steep and Savage Path. I also got to attend my first WorldCon in 2024 – it was an incredible time!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
It’s not really something that I discovered, more like something that has always been a part of me. I was 100% one of those kids who used to tell convoluted stories to all her stuffed animals! I can’t really tell you exactly when I started doing it because it’s just always been something I’ve done, you know?
Your latest novel, A Steep and Savage Path, is out December 30th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Orpheus and Eurydice, with vampires.
What can readers expect?
To cry! I’ve had quite a few UK readers contact me and say the book made them cry (sorry guys). It’s not all doom and gloom though – you’ll also see an underworld inspired by both Romanian folklore and Greco-Roman mythology, one of my favourite set-piece scenes I’ve ever written, and my take on one of my favorite folkloric creatures: vampires.
Where did the inspiration for A Steep and Savage Path come from?
I mean, on some level I was always going to end up writing a novel about vampires, but I was initially inspired by My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick, which I read as a teenager. His novel features a ritual called the wedding of the dead, which is where a living person is married to a corpse as part of the funeral rites to stop them from rising from the dead. When I was a little older I found out that this ritual is real and I was absolutely fascinated! I started thinking about why a living person might want to take part in this ritual and what kind of relationship might come of that, and the novel all unfolded from there!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had a lot of fun writing this novel, it’s quite hard to pick a favorite! As a moment, the dance scene really stands out for me – I don’t want to say any more in case of spoilers, but let’s just say that party goes really, really wrong. When it comes to characters it’s harder to pin down as there were a lot of them that I really enjoyed writing, but if I had to pick a favorite it’d be my take on Death. They’re quite a minor character but I really enjoyed taking a crack at personifying a concept. Of course my favorite interpretation of Death will always be Terry Pratchett’s, but it was nice to try my own!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Researching this novel was trickier than my others. I ended up having to learn a whole new language for it, although my Romanian is still very shaky! Aside from that it went quite smoothly. I’ve been threatening to write a vampire novel since my first attempt at the age of thirteen, so when the time came I was raring to go!
This is your third published novel! What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned since your debut?
Writing is a marathon not a sprint, so you’ve got to build in breaks for yourself or your body will do it for you. I’ve gotten quite good at planning around the inevitable adrenaline crash after meeting a deadline or releasing a new title and that’s definitely a lesson I learned the hard way!
What’s next for you?
I’m very pleased to announce that I have a new book on the horizon! It’s called The Housemate, and it’s about a young woman who moves into a houseshare after a major breakup only to discover that a) one of those housemates is kinda hot and b) the house itself is haunted. It’s a little bit different from my previous three but I’m excited to try something new!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up in 2026?
I’ve read quite a few books this year so I’ll try and be brief, but my favorites were:
- The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling. Medieval siege warfare with cannibals and eldritch horrors, and it’s also sapphic
- Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen. INCREDIBLE conclusion to the Little Thieves trilogy, read the series immediately
- Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher. A deeply spooky retelling of Snow White, I absolutely adored it
As for what I want to read next year, I’d really like to read more classic SFF – I really want to read more of Octavia E. Butler’s work, for example. I’ve also got my eye on Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher, which releases next year – I’ll pretty much read everything she puts out at this point!
