We're excited to introduce Victoria, the latest addition to the Heart Ally authors. Her book Sovereigns of the Steppe is now available wherever you want to buy books!

HA: Why did you choose to work with Heart Ally Books?

VB: I’d been working with Lisa on various author and website projects and taking her online classes, so it made sense to approach Heart Ally Books with Sovereigns before anyone else. There is nobody I’d rather work with than Lisa. I was so gratified when she wanted to publish it!

HA: I'd been hearing about it for a long time, fascinated by all of your research. I was so excited when you offered it to me!

What was the most surprising experience you had while becoming an author? What was different this time?

VB: That’s easy. Discovering the complexity of publishing and distribution. It is an art all its own. If I had self-published Sovereigns of the Steppe, I would never have known what I didn’t know.

Writing books is one thing. Getting the book into hands of readers is something else entirely. That I am able to entrust this process to Lisa’s knowledge and professionalism is something I am grateful for every single day.

HA: These days we all fight "discoverability." Great books get lost in the noise every day. Getting delightful books into people's hands is one of my favorite adventures. It's a lot of work, but so worth it!

Do you have a favorite or least favorite part of being an author?

VB: Yes, my favorite part is the ‘aha’ moment of seeing the story emerge from a morass of characters, events, and world. Sometimes it is a story I’ve created on my own, but what excites me is to see that same emergence of story when I’m drilling down into a historical time and place - seeing how events shaped people’s actions, and seeing the outcomes of those actions. Then the challenge becomes getting the story down on the page. I like that, too!

I’ve abandoned a couple of projects when I couldn’t develop them in the way I’d hoped. That is disappointing and demoralizing. But I can also come back to them if I want. 

Besides that, I love everything about writing. I even love the marketing.

HA: You found an amazing story with Borte and Temujin. I had no idea about their romance. We all hear about him, but her story deserves to be just as well known. Give us a little taste: what is the story behind Sovereigns of the Steppe?

VB: When I was a beginning author, I was working on a romance trilogy that takes place along the Silk Roads of the 13^th century. That is how I encountered Genghis Khan and his principal wife, Borte.

Turns out that Borte was instrumental in their climb from rags to riches. With her instincts and ability to rule, coupled with her husband, Temujin’s, charisma and leadership, they united the steppe tribes and founded the Mongolian Empire. Reading about that universal struggle, I was hit with an ‘aha’ moment where the story just crystallized. I set aside the trilogy and wrote Borte and Temujin’s (Genghis Khan) story.

HA: And I think you're still planning on writing that trilogy, too. What is your top recommendation for new authors wanting to learn the craft?

VB: Show up to your desk and write, and don’t give up. I don’t consider myself a creative person so I knew if I was going to succeed at writing books it would require me to put forth nearly superhuman effort. It has. I’ve never worked harder to achieve something. Every word I put on paper, even if I delete it later, is worth the effort.

HA: Learn more about Victoria on her Substack at https://www.victoriabley.com/.