Anne Bishop: On Writing for Yourself First
In this interview, New York Times-bestselling author Anne Bishop discusses the process of building a new world and characters in her new fantasy novel, Turns of Fate.
New York Times-bestselling author Anne Bishop is a winner of the William L. Crawford Memorial Fantasy Award, presented by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, for The Black Jewels Trilogy. She is also the author of the Ephemera series, the Tir Alainn trilogy, the Novels of the Others, and the World of the Others novels—including Crowbones and Wild Country. She lives in upstate New York. Learn more at AnneBishop.com, and follow her on Facebook.
In this interview, Anne discusses the process of building a new world and characters in her new fantasy novel, Turns of Fate, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Anne Bishop
Literary agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Book title: Turns of Fate, an Isle of Wyrd novel
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: November 11, 2025
Genre/category: Urban fantasy
Previous titles: The Lady in Glass and Other Stories; The Novels of the Others/World of the Others:Written in Red; Murder of Crows; Vision in Silver; Marked in Flesh; Etched in Bone; Lake Silence; Wild Country; Crowbones; Ephemera: Sebastian; Belladonna; Bridge of Dreams; Tir Alainn: The Pillars of the World; Shadows and Light;The House of Gaian; Black Jewels: Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness; The Invisible Ring; Dreams Made Flesh
Tangled Webs;The Shadow Queen; Shalador’s Lady;Twilight’s Dawn; The Queen's Bargain; The Queen's Weapons;The Queen's Price
Elevator pitch: Urban fantasy meets The Twilight Zone—with detectives.
What prompted you to write this book?
I was ready to write some stories about new characters in a new world that was a little bit different from the previous worlds I had built. I wanted to create a place that had the feel of the Twilight Zone, where the strange could be just around the corner—or in this case, on an island that was just across the river.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I started the first draft for Turns of Fate in January 2024. I’m an organic writer, so I develop the bones of a place and the main characters first. The layers and textures of place and characters take shape as I write the story.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Not really surprises. I work with people who are meticulous when it comes to details, which I appreciate because I’m trying to see the whole vision of place, people, and story, and that means I can trip on a detail and something that I said on page 270 doesn’t quite match what I said on page 50. Fixing details makes the writing invisible so that the story can shine.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There are always surprises because there are the “oh!” and “ah-ha!” moments as something about the story or characters is revealed. When the story is running, I feel a lot of glee.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Chills and thrills and a lot of fun as they tag along with this group of characters.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
We all want to be published and have other people read what we’ve created, but first you should write for yourself. Write for the fun of creating a story that comes from your own imagination. Write because you want to take an idea and shape it in a way that is uniquely your own. Write in order to explore emotional truths that will make someone laugh or break their heart. And know that you will never write your very best story because if you try to improve just a little with every story you write, you will never write your best one. That’s the one that is still waiting for you.
