HELEN SCHEUERER is an Australian author well known in the indie publishing world for her YA and adult fantasy books.

In 2023 she released her four-part series ‘The Legends of Thezmarr’.

Now her spinoff series, ‘The Ashes of Thezmarr’ has been picked up by a mainstream publisher. The first book, Iron & Embers, is being released this month.

RACHEL DENHAM-WHITE spoke with the popular author about her publishing journey.

Helen Scheuerer grew up in the south suburbs of Sydney and, from an early age, had a passionate love of stories and reading. At seven years old, she wrote her first ever story in a battered exercise book, about a clown and a kitten at the circus. She even did her own illustrations.

When she graduated and started planning her career, Scheuerer chose a subject she was passionate about: Writing. This led to a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Masters of Publishing. But in between her studies and part-time jobs, whenever she had a spare second, she was working on her manuscripts – writing after hours and on lunchbreaks, on the train, in the evenings and on weekends.

Sheuerer already knew she had to treat writing as a job in order to succeed. But she soon realised that traditional publishing might not be the route for her.

When I asked about the most valuable lesson from her Masters of Publishing, she revealed that an author has very little control over their book once they submit it to a publisher. They have little-to-no influence on the cover design, interior formatting, or even their own release schedule. But while she was at university, there was a big stigma around self-publishing. The medium was treated as a last resort for writers who weren’t as talented as ‘real’ authors.

Scheuerer says that viewpoints have become more accepting over the years. But she candidly says that as someone who studied publishing at a tertiary level, she still had to overcome the fact that some people wouldn’t take her seriously. She refused to let the stigma stop her. She is now what the writing industry calls a ‘hybrid’ author, both traditionally published and self-published.

Scheuerer is honest about its challenges and risks. Each book is an investment that the author must finance themselves and there’s always a chance the book might not perform well. Once the book is out online and on eReader, Scheuerer tells me how the next big hurdle for indie authors is ‘getting print books into bricks-and-mortar stores’.

Indie authorship may seem like the simpler, quicker option. But in reality, it’s a demanding job that’s half writing, half marketing. You must be your own production team, manager, advertising expert, treasurer and everything in between.

Helen Scheuerer’s passion is fantasy. Her first young adult series, the three-part ‘Oremere Chronicles’, was self-published in 2017, followed by ‘Curse of the Cyren Queen’ in 2021. Her romantasy series ‘The Legends of Thezmarr’ was her first adult fantasy, released in 2023.

Helen Scheuerer’s writing desk

She finds inspiration everywhere, but especially in the books from her childhood. One of her most treasured possessions is a beautiful hardback edition of Cicely Mary Barker’s The Flower Fairies. She moved on to classics like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, but her most formative texts were ‘Deltora Quest’ by Emily Rodda, ‘The Song of the Lioness’ by Tamora Pierce and the ‘Obernewtyn Chronicles’ by Isobelle Carmody. These books helped her fall in love with the genre, and the fantasy series as a form in itself.

‘I love sinking into a sprawling world, an ensemble cast, and following fierce heroines on adventures – apparently, I always have,’ Helen tells me.

This passion for fierce heroines shines through in all her books. Scheuerer sees fantasy as a perfect backdrop for women to challenge societal norms and expectations. More recently, she says the rise of romantasy allows her female characters to discuss deeper themes in a safe space.

Across all her works, she explores sexism, misogyny, gender roles and biases and the confines of being brought up in a patriarchal society. But she always finds the fun in writing fantasy, calling it ‘escape in its purest form’.

‘Whether it’s an epic quest, mesmerising magic or a hot, brooding warrior hero, it’s a genre that you can sink into and forget whatever chaos is happening in your own life.’

Scheurer’s first book Heart of Mist was so popular online that she was able to use that one entry to fund the rest of the series. Since ‘The Oremere Chronicles’, she’s managed to make a living entirely as a writer, which is a real rarity, especially in the self-publishing industry. She’s sold tens of thousands of copies and is a big-name indie author.

She says her trick for success is consistently publishing books in the same genre, and to rarely leave her readers hanging between instalments. She is also very active online and talks to her audience through her newsletter and social media channels. Being on social media was a useful tool, as she could watch the reading landscape and adapt her work when tastes changed.

She tells me that when the romantasy boom happened last year, with titles like Fourth Wing and the ‘Crowns of Nyaxia’ series making waves in the reading world, she announced she was shifting her focus to romantasy with her latest series ‘The Legends of Thezmarr’. This change helped her books reach a new audience, and it’s been ‘a bit of a wild ride’ for her ever since.

Due to her massive success, Scheuerer has now worked with a big mainstream publisher and is releasing her first traditionally published book, Iron & Embers. She’s very excited for this partnership, as she stresses that both parties have unique skills to bring to the table, and this new book is ‘even better for it’.

Iron & Embers is the first entry in the ‘The Ashes of Thezmarr’ series, which is set five years after the apocalyptic Shadow War from ‘The Legends of Thezmarr’. The story follows two side characters introduced in ‘Legends’, Wren Embervale and the Warsword warrior Torj Elderbrock. Even when writing the first book in her original series, Scheuerer knew that she would eventually tell Wren’s story.

‘I loved that she was fiery and angry, and out to prove herself … The younger, often overlooked, talented younger sister, whose mind was a weapon just as sharp as any blade.’

At the start of Iron & Embers, Wren is poisoning her way through the traitorous nobility of Thezmarr. To harness her incredible talents of alchemy and poisonings (and to
keep her out of trouble), she is offered a position at the legendary academy Drevenor. Alchemists can secure their spot at Drevenor only if they complete the Gauntlet – a series of deadly challenges.

And if you’re a romantasy fan, this is a book you have to read for the enemies-to-lovers plot. Wren and Torj have a long, tense history after they crossed paths in the Shadow War. But when Torj is assigned to be her personal bodyguard at Drevenor and they’re forced into close confines, the tension starts to simmer.

In her previous ‘Legends’ series, we get glimpses of Wren using her alchemical potions and powders. But in this book, they are the star of the show. Many of Wren’s deadly recipes are inspired by real-life herblore, and Sheuerer kept her ‘plant bible’ close at hand when researching. She also had fun making up her own poisons. So much so that the author’s note reads ‘Regarding references to plants and poisons: Some are true, some are not. It’s safest not to guess which is which. DO NOT try this at home.’

Scheuerer started writing in the YA fantasy sphere, but ‘Legends’ and ‘Ashes’ are adult fantasy. When I asked about the difference in style, she says it’s not a big leap, as her ‘YA work has always featured dark themes’. The key differences are ageing up the characters and of course, the romance element. So romantasy lovers can start getting excited for some steamy scenes in Iron & Embers.

Helen Scheuerer often walks on her lunch breaks along the shores of Lake Dunstan.

Scheuerer is open about her personal challenges. She describes herself as an introvert, and she just wasn’t prepared for how ‘vocal and passionate’ the romantasy and indie publishing community can be. When all eyes are on you, navigating the attention can be a very surreal experience. But after eight years of writing, Scheuerer is certain she wouldn’t have chosen any other career path.

‘My little nerd heart will probably explode when I finally see a book of mine in the Dymocks on George Street, Sydney.’

Iron & Embers is perfect for fans of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, ‘The Bridge Kingdom’ by Danielle L Jenson and ‘Blood and Ash’ by Jennifer L Armentrout. •

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Visit Helen Scheuerer’s website