Q&A With Valerie Norton 

Today’s guest is author Valerie Norton, whose debut novel The Darkness Beneath will come out on March 9^th, 2027!  The story is said to be full of adventure, magic, & romance! I don’t know about you, but its already on my top anticipated books to read in 2027! 

Q: Welcome to Book Notions Valerie! I’m so excited about interviewing you! Would you like to give a brief description of The Darkness Beneath? 

A: Thank you so much for having me! The Darkness Beneath is a gender-swapped reimagining of The Mummy (1999), in which an explorer-turned-thief teams up with a sweet, gentle scholar to discover a lost city–only for them to accidentally unleash an ancient evil lurking within. The story is full of action, adventure, mystery, romance, and a bit of horror. While it’s not a full-blown romantasy, I hope readers will love the romance and banter between the two main characters!

Q: How long did it take you to write The Darkness Beneath? Without spoiling too much, which scenes did you enjoy creating the most? 

A: Before I signed with my literary agent, TDB took almost exactly a year to complete. Once I signed with my wonderful agent Bethany Hendrix, we spent another few months refining it before it went on submission to publishers for consideration. TDB started as a YA project, and eventually, I decided to switch it to adult, which took another few months. It took a while for us to find our perfect home with Alcove Press, but I’m so grateful Bethany never gave up on this story or on me. 

Without spoiling too much, one of my favorite scenes happens within the lost city at a very important moment, and another takes place in the dark jungles of Finea. They both have horror elements, which I found myself gravitating toward. What’s an adventure without some monsters? That said, I also loved writing the quieter scenes between the leads and their ragtag crew. Those moments felt like a breath of fresh air between all their wild adventures. 

Q: Since The Darkness Beneath is inspired by The Mummy starring Brendan Fraiser, Rachel Weisz & John Hannah, will you write a sequel to The Darkness Beneath inspired by The Mummy Returns? Or will your next book be a different story? 

A: At the moment, I don’t have a book deal for a sequel, though it’s absolutely on the table (especially if The Darkness Beneath does well). While TDB has a clear ending, I have a sequel story in mind, and it’s a sharp departure from The Mummy Returns. I enjoy that movie, but the story I’m envisioning makes the most sense for where we leave our characters at the end of the first book. We’ll have to wait and see together!

Q: How does it feel knowing The Darkness Beneath is featured in Collider? That must be amazing! Congratulations Valerie! 

A: Thank you so, so much! It’s beyond surreal. Amanda Castro was amazing to work with for the cover reveal and interview, and I feel endlessly grateful that she was interested in this story. I’m still pinching myself!

Q: If/When The Darkness Beneath is made into a series or a movie, do you have a dream cast in mind for the characters you created?

A: That’s an amazing question, but I’m honestly not sure who I’d want to cast! Aris and Killian feel so real to me that it’s hard to imagine people playing them. I think more than anything, I’d want to find actors who really embody their personalities. Aris is such a firecracker while Killian is a gentle soul, and I’d like to see how those personalities interact on screen.

Q: Would you please provide links to your social media accounts so the readers of the blog and I may follow your work? 

A: Of course! All of my links can be found here: 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valeriecnorton

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeriecnorton/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@valeriecnorton?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/253683322-the-darkness-beneath