Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but Christine believes great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. She writes primarily about people, and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.
In addition to writing, Christine is a freelance editor and political activist. Disability advocacy is of particular interest to her; she has a rare genetic eye condition called Stargardt Macular Degeneration and has been legally blind since the age of eighteen. In her free time, she enjoys role playing, board games, and a good cup of tea. She lives in the Kansas City area with her husband and two kids.
Author Links
Website ➜https://christineamsden.com/wordpress/
X ➜ http://www.x.com/christineamsden
Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Amsden-Author-Page/127673027288664?ref=hl
Before you started writing your book, what kind of research did you do to prepare yourself to write it?
Knot of Souls mostly evolved out of lived personal experiences, plus experience reading fantasy/science fiction. The only real research I remember doing was on penguins, because ... penguins!
Did you pursue publishers or did you opt to self-pub?
I did pursue publishers, and I received offers, but ultimately I chose to self-publish this one in order to have more control over every aspect of publication from cover art to pricing.
If self-published, did you hire someone to format the ebook version for you or did you do it yourself? Can you tell us what that was like?
I did it myself. A year ago, I got the rights back on all nine of my traditionally published books and self-published them, which put me in a position of either spending a LOT of money on formatting (it's not much per book, but multiplied by nine...) or learning to do it myself. I chose the latter, and am glad I did. There's a learning curve for sure, but it's not crazy hard. It mostly requires attention to detail, which I've honed over fifteen years of freelance editing. In a way, this was just the next step I never took.
If self-published, how did you determine the price?
For the ebook, I checked the price of other ebooks in the same genre, especially bestsellers, and found that most of them were $4.99. So that's the number I went with. The ebook is also available through Kindle Unlimited, which means it's free if you're a subscriber. As for the print book ... the price here was mostly determined by page count and printing costs. The way I've set the prices, my profit margin is similar for both formats.
Did you purposefully choose a distinct month to release your book? Why?
No. I released it as soon as the formatting and cover art were ready. Although May isn't a bad month to release a nice escapist fantasy ... I think this would make a great vacation read.
How did you choose your cover?
When I originally conceived the cover for Knot of Souls, I was sure of only one thing: there had to be a knot. A green knot, made up of blue and yellow light (Joy’s soul is bluish-white, Shade’s is yellow-gold). The knot could be Celtic, because that’s recognizable at a glance, but that part isn’t literal. The colors are.
I worked with BZN Studio Designs, and the artist there helped me conceive the rest. I initially suggested a silhouette to de-emphasize the importance of the body (compared to the souls), but this idea apparently looked too science fiction! (I’m not always convinced by the line between fantasy and science fiction, but I understand the genre expectations.) So, no silhouette. We went through a few different designs before she hit on the idea of obscuring the model’s features by showing only the lower part of her face, chin turned off to the side. The effect was surprising, even dramatic, and it kept the focus precisely where I wanted: on the knot.
I love the lighting effects most of all, When I look at this cover, I don't see one person at all. I see both Joy and Shade, and I hope after reading the book, others will see it that way, too.
The skyline at the bottom is Kansas City, where much of the story takes place.
Did you write your book, then revise or revise as you went?
Yes. I revise as I go, then I do major revisions/rewrites, then I revise some more. Writing is an iterative process. Also, if I get to Chapter 30 and realize something different needed to happen in Chapter 7 to make it work, I have to make the change. I've tried just putting little notes off to the side and pretending like it's done, but I get this crazy itchy sensation and my novel starts to feel like it's built on sand. The only way to stop it? Make the change! And usually, it doesn't even take that long. :)
Did you come up with special swag for your book and how are you using it to help get the word out about your book?
Not yet. I might make bookmarks before I go to conventions in the fall.
What’s your opinion on giving your book away to sell other copies of your book?
I gladly give away copies to book reviewers, but because this book is stand-alone, I'm not planning to give it away more generally. I've got a seven-book series, and I make the first book free on Amazon once a quarter (which is as often as they'll let me do it) ... this leads to lots of follow-up sales of the series. But for Knot of Souls, I'm relying on other tools.
What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do before their book is released?
Send it to reviewers. In fact, since this was my first time self-publishing, I ended up leaning on some bad advice that suggested a self-published book should just go on Amazon as soon as it's ready ... as in that very day. The result? Weeks of playing catch-up and waiting in agony for that first review to go live. Never again. When it's ready, send it to reviewers first, then publish it a month or two later.
What are some of the most important things you believe an author should do after their book is released?
Newsletters, interviews, guest blogs ... what I'm doing here, basically!
Also, maybe go on vacation without an internet connection to keep yourself from checking those sales pages too often. :)
What kind of pre-promotion did you do before the book came out?
I sent newsletters to my mailing list.
Do you have a long term plan with your book?
No.
What would you like to say to your readers and fans about your book?
Knot of Souls is the best book I've ever written. It's a little different, involving a unique twist on the Fae and centering an intimate friendship (rather than a romance), yet it's fast-paced, deeply emotional, and heartfelt. If you enjoyed my other books, I think you'll like this too. If you've never read my books, give this one a try.
Thanks for having me!
Inside the Book
Title: Knot of Souls
Author: Christine Amsden
Publication Date: May 20, 2025
Pages: 384
Genre: Fantasy
Two souls, one body …
When Joy wakes up in an alley, she knows three things: she was brutally murdered, she has somehow come back to life … and she is not alone. She’s been possessed by an inhuman presence, a being that has taken over her dying body. That being is powerful, in pain, and on the run from entities more dangerous than he is.
Shade, a Fae prince on the run, didn’t mean to share the body he jumped into. Desperate and afraid, accused of a murder he didn’t commit, he only sought a place to hide—but if he leaves Joy now, he faces discovery and a fate worse than death.
Forced to work together to solve multiple murders, including her own, Joy and Shade discover hidden strengths and an unlikely friendship. Yet as their souls become increasingly intertwined, they realize their true danger might come from each other … and if they don’t find a way to untangle the knot their souls have become, then even the truth won’t set them free.
Knot of Souls is a stand-alone buddy love fantasy that forces two very different beings to work together … and come out stronger on the other side.
Knot of Souls is available at Amazon.
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