Thea Guanzon Talks Romance, Middle Books, and A Monsoon Rising

Following up a lauded debut novel is always a huge challenge, but Thea Guanzon has risen to that task with her newly released A Monsoon Rising. In The Hurricane Wars, Guanzon introduced readers to a war-torn world, where protagonists Talasyn and Alaric are on opposite sides of a conflict. Common soldier Talasyn, a lightweaver who grew up an orphan, is revealed early on to be the lost princess of a powerful, neutral nation, where dragons protect a chain of islands. Alaric, on the other hand, is the heir to an expansionist empire, known for squashing other kingdoms under its heel through destructive stormship super weapons and shadow magic. As the first book closes, Alaric and Talasyn marry to unite their nations against a coming threat: the Moonless Dark.

While The Hurricane Wars focuses more on the world’s politics, Guanzon dives deep into romantic tensions and relationship drama in A Monsoon Rising—and fantasy readers who love romance to be the focus will absolutely be here for it. The chemistry between Talasyn and Alaric is intense, and readers who love familiar tropes (will-they-won’t-they, enemies-to-lovers, and even shadow-daddy) will have plenty here that checks their boxes. Be wary of the cliffhanger, though, readers—the way this one ends will have readers desperate for the announcement of book three’s publication date!

We had the opportunity to chat with Guanzon about the new novel, the challenges of working on a sequel, and the best parts about digging into the romance half of the romantasy genre.

Paste Magazine: Last time Paste chatted with you, you were hard at work on A Monsoon Rising—which is now on bookstore shelves! What was the most challenging thing about writing a sequel, especially when The Hurricane Wars got so much love from critics and fans?

Thea Guanzon: I went into A Monsoon Rising absolutely terrified that I’d end up disappointing people!

In terms of the writing process itself, the sequel was easier in that I was merely continuing the story of its predecessor, but there was a lot of pressure to continue it in such a way that Hurricane Wars readers would feel it had been worth the long wait between books. It took me a while to get into the headspace that I can’t please everyone, and I just need to stick to my vision for these characters and this world—and I can only hope that my sincerity shines through in the text. I’m still terrified, to tell you the truth, but the reactions to the advance review copies have been so lovely and encouraging.

Paste: While the enemies-to-lovers romance between Talasyn and Alaric is core to The Hurricane Wars, A Monsoon Rising focuses more heavily on the will-they-won’t-they aspects of their relationship, with the conflict between their two nations (now in a treaty) constantly throwing barriers between them and their growing feelings. What was your favorite part of delving into their relationship?

Guanzon: That whole will-they-won’t-they was some of the most fun I’ve ever had as an author. Since the first book had already detailed the setting and its lore, stakes, and various political dynamics, the heavy lifting was out of the way, and I could just focus on a more character-driven story, letting Alaric and Talasyn bounce off of each other and get to know each other beyond the constraints of war and duty. It was their interactions that dictated the pace of A Monsoon Rising, and bringing this blossoming romance to the forefront gave me more insight into how it could truly change this conflict-stricken world for the better.

Also, as someone who loves slow burn in both what I create and in the media I consume, finally getting to write the payoff was satisfying to me on a soul-deep level. That moment when the dam breaks at last and the human heart overrides all inhibitions and common sense—it just makes me go like, yes, this is why I became an author.

Paste: Because this series is a planned trilogy, there’s a lot going on in this book to set up the finale (and a jaw-dropping cliffhanger at the end!). How did you plot the arc for this book so that it felt like a whole story, but also bridged the arc of the first and third books?

Guanzon: This is one of the myriad instances where the editorial eye comes in handy. My editors, Julia Elliott and Natasha Bardon, pick up on what plot points need to be addressed and where character arcs need to go in order for each book in the series to feel self-contained, even as they flow naturally into each other. And it must be said that Julia and Natasha are to blame for the cliffhangers—I absolve myself of all responsibility. 

But, on a more serious note, I’m glad for their expert input on the perfect note to end each book on, because if it were solely up to me, I would never shut up. What’s also helped, I think, is that I separate the books in my mind; like, okay, this is a romantasy trilogy, so the first book focuses on the fantasy, the second book brings the romance, and the third book is the conclusion to what happens when you mix the two genres.

Paste: The politics of colonialism and empire are really central to this series—but obviously, the details are more complicated than a simple right and wrong. How do you want your readers to feel about those themes when they finish reading your books? What do you want them to take away that reflects on the history (and reality) of our real world?

Guanzon: I believe that there’s no wrong way to react to a story because reading is such a personal thing. People filter books through the lens of their own worldview and experiences, and all of those interpretations are completely valid—and completely out of the author’s hands. I can only explain where I myself was coming from in writing this series, and, hopefully, that can strike a chord in someone else as well.

There are two main things. First, conflict, in The Hurricane Wars and throughout so much of our real history, is driven by the battle for resources, and achieving structural justice goes hand in hand with taking care of the natural world. Last but not least, every single person has the power to change things. There’s a line in A Monsoon Rising that goes, “This was where rebellions began: in the cracks that people slipped through.” No matter how inconsequential we deem ourselves, our actions have ripple effects throughout our communities that will eventually trickle into society at large. So I hope that readers will be inspired to keep fighting, in their own ways, and one day a better future will be within reach for us all.  

Paste: Dialing in on the personal relationships—amidst a huge threat to the whole world—reminds me of another favorite middle-story-in-a-trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back. You wrote a short story for a Star Wars anthology (From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi) after editors had fallen in love with your Star Wars fanfiction on AO3. Did that short story open up the opportunities for your trilogy, or did those things happen independently? Do you see Star Wars inspiring your original writing?

Guanzon: Writing has been my one true love for as long as I can remember, but I never let myself think that it could be more than just a hobby because it’s almost impossible to make a career out of the arts in a developing country such as the Philippines, where the support and infrastructure is simply lacking for a lot of us. I was on another career track entirely, but I always felt that something was missing.

During my spare time, I expressed my love of writing through fanfiction, particularly Star Wars fanfiction, and I was fortunate enough to build up a bit of a following that included agents and editors in the United States, who eventually reached out to ask if I had ever thought about writing my own novel. After I signed with my agent—the incredible Thao Le—and had The Hurricane Wars book deal with HarperCollins under my belt, that was when Penguin Random House invited me to submit a short story for the FACPOV anthology… much to my utter disbelief and unending gratitude! I definitely have the fanfiction community to thank for opening doors for me that would never have been possible otherwise.

Star Wars will always be one of my main inspirations when it comes to writing. Its recurrent theme of people from the grassroots banding together to topple inequitable systems is so important to me as a descendant of freedom fighters. And the franchise’s swooping, galaxy-shifting romances that blossom against all odds definitely informs how I approach writing love stories as well.

Paste:  Romantasy as a genre has had a huge boost in popularity over the last few years. What do you love about this subgenre? What do you hope to see as it moves forward?

Guanzon: For me, romantasy is the best of both worlds. It’s a genre that allows you to escape into magical settings while at the same time tracking the very real and relatable phenomenon of falling in love with someone. I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy since I was a child, and I like that romantasy has paved the way for more women writers to enter this particular sphere.

In the future, I hope to see more industry support and market enthusiasm for romantasy books from authors of color that are inspired by their own cultures. I receive a lot of messages from Hurricane Wars readers in the Filipino diaspora telling me how empowering it feels to read about characters that look like them and to see elements of their heritage in those pages. As someone who primarily reads and writes in English, as that was the language of my education, I myself remember how amazing and mind-blowing it was—how seen I felt, at the age of thirteen—to pick up The Last Time I Saw Mother by Arlene J. Chai, a book written in English and published in the West, and recognize everything. I think that every reader, romantasy or otherwise, should get to have that experience.

Paste: While readers are going to be absolutely anxious for book three to come out—your next novel to release isn’t in this series! You’ve got a Critical Role novel, Tusk Love, due out in 2025. What was it like writing in the world of the Critical Role team? Are you a gamer, as well?

Guanzon: Critical Role has been a massive influence on me; it was the show that inspired me to get into tabletop roleplaying games. I started my own group, and it’s been such a wild, fun ride ever since. So, to actually receive the email that the team had me in mind to write Tusk Love, it was surreal. I have truly enjoyed working with them but, at the same time, there’s the fear that I’ll let them and the Critters down, especially because Tusk Love is so infamous in both the lore and the fandom. But I’ll do my best!

Paste: According to your website, book three of the Hurricane Wars series doesn’t even have a title revealed yet—and there’s no pub date listed. What can you tell readers about what to expect from the finale (and can you give us a ballpark idea of when they can expect it)?

Guanzon: At the moment, the draft is at such an early stage that it’s impossible for me to give any hints, but I have seen the draft of the Kelly Chong cover, and it’s gorgeous! Quite possibly my favorite one. We are aiming to publish in early 2026, so fingers crossed. 

Paste: If you were to take one of the characters from the series for a night out (or in), who would you hang out with and why?

Guanzon: Sevraim, because he’d probably be the most fun. Alaric and Talasyn are too grumpy for anyone but each other. 

Paste: Between writing and editing—have you had a chance to read anything this year that you really loved? If so, what book(s) would you recommend to your readers?

Guanzon: I was lucky enough to read and blurb advance copies of so many great romantasy books, such as Nisha J. Tuli’s Artefacts of Ouranos series, The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao, The Starlight Heir by Amalie Howard, Servant of Earth by Sarah Hawley, The Last Dragon of the East by Katrina Kwan, Blood Beneath the Snow by Alexandra Kennington, House of Blight by Maxym M. Martineau, The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson, When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker, The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli, Rose In Chains by Julie Soto, The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow, Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland, Faebound by Saara El-Arifi, A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft…

There’s tons more that I’m forgetting but, basically, it’s an abundant and incredible time to be a romantasy reader!

A Monsoon Rising is available now.

Alana Joli Abbott is a reviewer and game writer, whose multiple-choice novels, including Choice of the Pirate and Blackstone Academy for Magical Beginners, are published by Choice of Games. She is the author of three novels, several short stories, and many role-playing game supplements. She also edits fantasy anthologies for Outland Entertainment, including Bridge to Elsewhere and Never Too Old to Save the World. You can find her online at VirgilandBeatrice.com.