Meet R. A. Neddow, author of “The Iron Chest”
Tell us what your book, “The Iron Chest,” is about!
Sure! Here’s the summary:
The Iron Chest is a dark, character-driven epic fantasy following Crown Princess Jabrael, a young woman caught between the expectations of royal life and a dangerous world of magic, politics, and forbidden choices.
When Jabrael breaks the laws of her kingdom to protect someone she loves, the consequences follow her into adulthood. Years later, she is an infamous figure whose story has become tangled in rumor, accusation, and legend. As she is forced to confront the truth of what happened, the line between heroine, villain, and victim begins to disappear.
Blending coming-of-age drama, court intrigue, slow-burn character development, and dark magic, The Iron Chest explores power, loyalty, trauma, and the choices that can transform a person into a legend.
What did you love most about writing this book?
What I loved most about writing The Iron Chest was escaping into a world I created where non-human animals aren’t exploited. Our world contains so much needless animal suffering that, at times, the world of The Iron Chest felt more comfortable for me to live in than the real one. I loved being able to build a place from scratch and make choices about what kind of world it could be.
How did you start writing?
I started writing because I’ve always been a storyteller. Long before I thought of myself as an author, I was constantly inventing characters, worlds, and stories in my head. Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to spend more time in those worlds, I had to put them on paper.
The Iron Chest grew out of that impulse. I wanted to create a world I could disappear into, fill it with complicated people, and see what happened when their choices collided. What began as an escape gradually became a novel.
Tell us a little bit about your self-publishing experience.
Self-publishing has been a huge learning experience, and I definitely didn’t do it alone. My husband helped me navigate the technical side of getting the book into the world, including formatting, getting it online, and setting up KDP paperback distribution. He also created the cover art, which makes the finished book especially meaningful to me.
There was a lot to learn along the way, from formatting and distribution to marketing and all the little details I never knew existed before publishing a book. It’s been a lot of work, but having creative control over the entire process has been incredibly rewarding. Seeing The Iron Chest go from an idea in my head to a real book that readers can actually hold has been an amazing experience.
What was your biggest challenge in bringing the book to market, and how did you solve it?
The biggest challenge has been marketing. Publishing the book was one hurdle, but getting it in front of the right readers is an ongoing battle. I’m still very much living that challenge.
I’ve had to continually learn how to find my audience, connect with fantasy readers, approach reviewers and book bloggers, experiment with advertising, and figure out how to communicate what makes The Iron Chest different. There isn’t really a point where you can say, “I solved marketing.” It’s something I’m constantly learning and adapting to.
The upside is that every new reader, review, recommendation, or connection makes the effort feel worthwhile. For me, the goal isn’t simply to sell books. It’s to find the people who will genuinely love the story I spent years creating.
What's one piece of advice you have for other writers?
It’s okay to be afraid. Writing a book and putting it out into the world can be incredibly intimidating, and you don’t have to pretend otherwise. Just don’t let that fear stop you.
And don’t be afraid to ask for help. Lean on your friends and family, and make use of the wonderful online communities of writers and readers. You don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply ask.
Anything else you want folks to know?
I’d just like people to know how much of my heart is in The Iron Chest. It’s a very big, very strange book, and I wrote it because I genuinely wanted to create somewhere I could disappear into.
If you enjoy complicated characters, morally messy choices, political intrigue, and fantasy that takes its time getting under your skin, I hope you’ll give it a chance. And if you do read it, I’d love to hear what you think. Every reader who chooses to spend their time in the world I created means more to me than they probably realize.
Where can people find your book?
