Melissa Caruso is the author of several fantasy novels of magic, murder, and mayhem. Her debut trilogy, Swords & Fire, includes The Tethered Mage (Orbit, 2017; Gemmell Morningstar Award finalist), The Defiant Heir (Orbit, 2018), and The Unbound Empire (Orbit, 2019). Her Rooks & Ruin trilogy includes The Obsidian Tower (Orbit, 2020), The Quicksilver Court (Orbit, 2021), and The Ivory Tomb (Orbit, 2022). Her forthcoming seventh novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds (Orbit, 2024), begins a new fantasy series. Melissa is an avid larper and tea-drinker, and lives in Massachusetts with her video game designer husband, superlative daughters, and assorted pets.