STACIA STARK is a romantasy writer and the bestselling author of the ‘Kingdom of Lies’ series.
Her latest book We Who Will Die is an adult vampire fantasy set in a world inspired by Ancient Rome, with the characters preparing for a deadly magical tournament.
Read on for a Q&A.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In exchange for her brother’s life, Arvelle must enter the Sundering – a deadly competition where the winners are chosen for the Imperius – the emperor’s elite guard.
It’s a dangerous task made even worse when she attracts the attention of the same ruthless vampire who shattered her heart six years ago.
With elite gladians targeting her in the lethal arena, and an assassin picking the competitors off one-by-one, Arvella has no choice but to ally with the man who once betrayed her. The man who has since become even more implacable, colder and merciless.
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MEET STACIA STARK
What sparked the idea for We Who Will Die?
I’ve always been interested in Ancient Rome. I studied Classics in high school and was fascinated by the gladiators and the incredibly brutal world they lived in. When I first visited the Colosseum in my twenties, I had one of those surreal, pinch-me moments, and that experience really stayed with me.
Years later, I learned that women had also fought as gladiators, although history and popular culture have largely erased them. That fact sat in the back of my brain until I could see Arvelle clearly. Once I understood who she was and the loss she carried, I knew this was the world she belonged in.
What can you tell us about the Sundering – how did you develop this tournament and its rules?
I wanted the Sundering to be about more than just the one-on-one combat of the Sands – not just to force Arvelle to confront her deepest fears, but also to raise the stakes for the reader.
Many of my scenes are about pushing my characters to suffer, survive, and grow. The griffon scene was one of the hardest to write – and one of the darkest moments Arvelle had faced up until then.
Arvelle sees herself protector, and in many ways she believes its all she has left to offer the world. And then has to face such a terrible choice to once again protect her brothers. We get a hint of how awful this will be through Leon’s reaction before she steps into the arena. For the first time, he’s truly afraid, because he knows her, and knows exactly how devastating the choice will be.
For the final challenge of the Sundering, I leaned heavily into the emperor and what might entertain a man with nearly unlimited power. Readers will learn more in book two about why Vallius chose that particular naval battle and how he wielded the kelpies, but I also wanted to write a scene where the novices had no choice but to work together. I love when enemies have to temporarily set aside their hatred to survive, which we see when Hester offers Arvelle her hand on the platform.
Readers will learn more in book two about why Vallius chose that particular naval battle and how he wielded the kelpies
Did you draw on any existing myths or literary traditions when crafting your vampires?
In this world, vampires are killed by the sun – but it’s not an inherent weakness. It was inflicted on them. I wanted to explore how this would reshape their society, especially if some vampires believed the sigilmarked could restore their access to the sun… and were withholding it. While vampires hold the upper hand in many aspects of this world, I loved the idea of the vampires depending on sigilmarked for sun tonics, and how that dynamic shifts the balance between them.
Arvelle’s mother struggled with addiction, and we see how that trauma shaped Arvelle throughout the series. Many of my worldbuilding choices for the vampires were ways for me to press on that wound. Through Arvelle’s eyes, we see mundanes (powerless humans) who are addicted to vampire blood – or worse, addicted to being bitten. We also get see vampires turning to sun tonics even while knowing the very real threat of madness that comes with those tonics.
How does your creative process usually start, and do you have any writing routines or habits?
It really is different for every series. For my ‘Kingdom of Lies‘ series, the spark was a single scene: Prisca’s mother shoving her off a cliff and into a raging river as she said the words ‘Swim my darling, swim.’ That one image was all it took for me to begin asking questions about this world, slowly building it piece by piece.
For We Who Will Die, I had several pieces floating around in my head, but things clicked when I read an article about a woman who had lost her best friend. As someone who is incredibly fortunate in my own friendships, I couldn’t imagine surviving that kind of loss – let alone blaming yourself for it. How do you even get out of bed? That question led me to Arvelle. Pairing Arvelle’s trauma with my interest in writing a second chance romance really helped shape the early story. When We Who Will Die begins, Arvelle has lost almost everything that mattered to her. Six years later, she’s a shell of herself. Her brothers are the only thing keeping her going, and she’ll do anything to protect them.
As for routines, I have to write immediately after breakfast, or the words don’t get done. I have pretty bad ADHD, and if I let myself get derailed by email and other admin tasks, I’ll look up at 5pm and realise I haven’t written a word.
If I’m finding it difficult to get the words in, I’ll sometimes switch to handwriting in my Remarkable. I find this really helps me access a different part of my brain.
What’s your favourite romance trope? Why?
Probably forced proximity. I love when enemies are forced to spend time together – it creates the most delicious tension. But it’s also so much fun when characters with competing goals agree to temporarily work together. I played with this in my Kingdom of Death series where my two main characters are both hunting for the same magical grimoire… and trying very hard not to fall in love in the process.
This book has been compared to The Vampire Diaries. Without giving away spoilers, what can you tell us about Arvelle’s love arc?
I’m fascinated by how people grow and change over the years, but I’m even more interested in how trauma and survival reshapes people. One of the central themes I wanted to explore was how both Tiernon and Arvelle have changed during their six years part, and whether it’s possible for them to get back what they once had, or anything close to it.
While all this is happening, a certain character forces Arvelle to question so much of what she thought she knew about the world – and about people. She’ll have to decide whether her deep, lost love can be recovered, even as she realizes she might have more in common with someone she never expected… or wanted.
Without giving too much away, the romance in Empire of Blood explores themes of second-chances, forgiveness, the pain of lost time, forbidden attraction, and a few more you’ll see in the next two books.
Were there any particular scenes that were especially hard or rewarding to write between Arvelle and Tiernon?
The scene in Tiernon’s rooms when Arvelle finally tells him about Kassia and everything that happened after he left, was both difficult and rewarding to write. And the scene when Arvelle learns why Tiernon left her was a moment I’d been looking forward to from the very beginning. I also absolutely loved writing the flashback scenes. They began as a writing exercise for me to fully understand Tiernon and Arvelle’s relationship and ended up being pivotal to the book.
Did writing We Who Will Die teach you anything new about yourself?
I sold the Empire of Blood series on proposal, and I sometimes joke that selling on proposal means authors are essentially telling publishers, ‘Hey, I’ve got this great idea, and I promise it’ll be awesome.’ Then we have to go away and actually deliver.
Like many authors, I struggle with imposter syndrome and never feel happy with the first draft I hand over. Managing my mindset – both the internal noise and the external pressure – was one of my biggest challenges. I’ve come a long way, but I think it will always be something I’m grappling with.
At the same time, I’m incredibly proud of We Who Will Die, and I consider it to be my appreciation letter to eldest daughters everywhere.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stacia Stark is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of romantasy filled with found families, self-reliant heroines, and brooding, grumpy heroes.
Her books have been translated into over 15 languages, her Kingdom of Lies series was nominated twice for Goodreads Choice Awards, and her traditionally published debut We Who Will Die releases in January 2026.
When she’s not writing or exploring the world, Stacia can usually be found sprawled on her sofa, lost in the pages of a good book.
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