Kristina W Kelly is joining us today to talk about her novel, Tavern Tale. Here’s the publisher’s description:
What if the side quest is really the main quest?
Divine, a healer of the Goddess of Souls, has chased the thief who stole her talisman across half of Trelvania. The talisman is the key to accessing her magic well, and without it, she is powerless. While chasing her former girlfriend, who is also her betrayer and servant of the Goddess of Condemnation, Divine meets Saph, a flirty tavern owner with an eyepatch and a proposition. Saph will help Divine locate her talisman if Divine helps her complete a mysterious quest in a chest.
Inspired by RPGs and set in scenic autumn, prepare for an adventure with gods and goddesses, deceitful exes, axe throwing, and fantastical creatures. Can Divine learn to trust again and find romance as well as her magic?
What’s Kristina’s favorite bit?
“You bring the magic, I’ll bring the might,” Saph declares as she tries to convince Divine
to complete a mysterious quest in a chest. A few pages earlier, at the beginning of
Tavern Tale, Saph asked Divine, “Might or magic?”. It’s the first of many easter eggs
from my favorite games planted in the story. This one is a nod to the series Heroes of
Might and Magic. Saph is asking if Divine is going to bring success to the venture
through weapons or if she’s a magic user.
Tavern Tale is inspired by RPGs—the idea started as a homage to my insistence to
complete all the side quests before the main quest line in games like Skyrim. I love
exploring and talking to NPCs (non-player characters) and hunting through their houses
for useful items while dragons burn down cities. They can wait while I find that rare
mushroom.
“What if my story is just a side quest?” I asked myself. And I set out to capture that vibe
of exploring and talking to strangers (NPCs) and learning about the world. Cozy. A fall
festival. Food. And a quest in a chest.
From the “closed temporarily” sign on the store next door to the tavern being like an in-
game hint your character will come back later in the game, I steepled my fingers and
gave a chuckle every time I worked in some inspiration from a favorite game. Cloud
Strife doing squats in Final Fantasy 7? Check. Chests with rewards dropping after
battles? Check.
I love holiday festivals in MMOs like EverQuest 2. They come with special in-game
rewards like hats that add nothing to your stats but everything to your character’s
charm, and food that disappears once the event is over. Since I also love the real-world
fall and autumn events, Divine and Saph take a stroll through a fall harvest festival that
can’t be missed. At least, that’s what Saph says of the special vendors and merchants.
Just like I can’t miss out on those MMO events. Even if I haven’t played in years, the
lure of an in-game festival pulls me back in.
One of my favorite moments in Tavern Tale is a nod to TTRPGs where my characters
are playing cards. The game is called Crossroads George, which is a bit like Settlers of
Catan meets Triple Triad from Final Fantasy with betting that feels like Sabacc from Star
Wars. The cards feature actions that can be taken and resources that can be harvested
to help the players reach the center of the game table—the crossroads. Deities from the
world like the Goddess of Condemnation are part of the card face artwork, and the
edges have elemental affinity and numbers that make the cards win or lose the play.
RPGs are one of my favorite storytelling forms to consume and I had a blast finding
ways to incorporate elements into this cozy tale. A recent review said, “it felt like a
bunch of over-caffeinated nerds were giggling just out of sight!” and called it “a lovely
hug of a book”. I truly hope readers can giggle along with the fun and feel some of that
video game nostalgia I tried to weave in. But just like every side quest, there’s
something bigger waiting out there. A world shaped by magic and beliefs and how
people treat those unlike themselves. Every RPG that’s left a lasting impression on me
has made me ponder big ideas too. I hope readers have fun on Tavern Tale’s quest, and
just like Divine maybe they open a chest and discover who they really are.
LINKS:
Website https://kristinaseyes.com
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kristinawkelly
(Facebook, TikTok, Threads etc. at Link Tree https://linktr.ee/KristinaKelly )
BIO:
Kristina W Kelly writes fantasy, sci-fi, and poetry and loves being a geek. Her debut sapphic fantasy romance adventure, Tavern Tale, released January 7, 2025. Her coauthored novel, Trials of the Innermost, is book one in the epic science fantasy series The Etherea Cycle. She is the author of Imaginari, a sci-fi and fantasy poetry collection. Kristina is a trumpet player but dabbles in other instruments, plays video games, and tends to her flower garden and two children in Indiana. Several of her short stories have received honorable mention, silver honorable mention, and semi-finalist from Writers of the Future. She is amazed by nature and enjoys painting vivid scenes for her readers. She loves going on new adventures in the great wide somewhere (sometimes just by picking up a new book).
