Interview with Greer Stothers on Her Debut Novel 'Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die'

Stothers shared insights into her life, mentioning an unusual detail about having an open wound on her head along with her three cats—two elderly and one energetic kitten. She humorously noted the kitten’s playful aggression towards humans, stating, “Haha, don’t worry about that, he’s just playing,” despite observers flinching when he attacks.

Her passion for writing began during her preteen years while participating in roleplay forums on Neopets. She reminisced about co-writing an elaborate fantasy saga about cursed xweetoks with someone much older than herself.

In a quick lightning round, Stothers recalled her early reading experiences, highlighting a Scooby-Doo book she felt was unimpressive. The novel that inspired her to write, Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, motivated her due to its author's young age at the time of publication. Stothers’ long-awaited debut arrives now, at age 32, after years of persistence.

If condensed to five words, she described Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die as “Old man yaoi, plus elves.” She encouraged readers to approach the book with an open mind, likening the experience to floating down a river, embracing unexpected turns along the way.

The concept stemmed from her childhood fixation on Iago from Disney’s Aladdin, prompting her to explore a homoerotic dynamic alongside unicorns and a witch. Although she found a certain character’s death moving and dramatic, feedback from her brother suggested it was amusing, leaving her questioning her own grasp on writing tragedy.

Stothers faced challenges with her first draft, initially falling short of the typical 70,000-word count for fantasy. Her solution involved extending chapter titles, leading to playful but contentious responses from some readers regarding their length.

Despite receiving over a hundred rejections from agents for what was described as a “weird” manuscript, she eventually secured representation after persistent efforts.

Now, she is working on a new project that blends romance and fantasy, featuring a skeleton and his sentient sword. Looking ahead, she has several books on pre-order, including titles by authors Matt Dinniman and Sarah Rees Brennan, among others.