Talia Wall wears many hats: an artist with a passion for graphic novels, a former graphic designer here at Bookstr, a criminal justice graduate, and the indie author behind the Until Equinox trilogy, whose third book is set to release in Fall 2025. The series takes place in a unique dystopian future involving societal tensions, prejudice, and a fragile peace between humans and Vampyres.
We sat down with Talia to discuss how the story came to life, the social issues and real-world history behind it, and the risks she took to stay true to her characters. In this interview, Talia reflects on her creative process, covering everything from navigating difficult themes to designing her own cover art to her cat Thor’s editorial assistance — and gives us a peek at what’s next in her writing career.
About Talia Wall
Talia spent most of her life in North Carolina and had the lifelong dream of becoming an author since she was five. She not only loves to write but also to draw and paint. She has a loving husband and Persian cat named Thor who often interrupts her writing sessions. She writes young and new adult, supernatural, fantasy, and dystopian genres with the intent to send powerful, relevant messages and warnings through fiction.
Thank you so much for joining us, Talia! Let’s get started.
Your Until Equinox Trilogy delves into a unique world of Vampyres and Sun Dwellers. What sparked the idea for this intricate supernatural society?
Most of my ideas come from dreams/nightmares, but this time it really hit me in a moment of boredom. It was a very slow shift at a former job, and my mind often falls down a rabbit hole of random thoughts to pass the time. One of those was: “Vampires are always portrayed as creatures living in secret from human society. What if the world already knew about them?” That turned into a snowball of ideas.
Vampire lore was always predatory by default, so I had to think of a way to make a coexisting society possible. Years ago, when I was in middle school, I was heavy into reading and writing the dystopian genre, and I wanted to bring that back as well, so I thought about marrying the two. Inspired by America’s dark history of the Jim Crow era, the horrors of World War II, and the societal tensions of our present, I wanted to cultivate a futuristic story with a paranormal twist.
The Nightshades, Until Equinox book one, introduces Draven and Briar, navigating a world of strict curfew laws and societal tensions. What themes did you most want to explore in this first installment?
I wanted to explore ignorance, segregation/isolation, the importance of choices and consequences, and rebellion. The curfews are set in place in favor of the Sun Dwellers — humans — safety. Ironically, they were the ones who won the war, and the general Vampyre population became docile with the mandatory blood donations. Naturally, everyone has some sort of bias.
I thought the best way to illustrate these issues was through multiple points of view: a normal Sun Dweller citizen, a conflicted Vampyre dealt a bad hand in the world of crime, and law enforcement. The humans feel safer with the curfews, and the law-abiding Vampyres are content with the accessibility to blood without harming anyone. But what happens when someone isn’t satisfied or when someone starts questioning everything they were taught to fear? The spark starts small — from a kernel of doubt to a reckless act of rebellion that spirals into a wildfire.
The Bleeding Hearts, Until Equinox book two, has a trigger warning for violence/gore and explores Briar’s capture and the White Fangs’ experiments. What was the most challenging aspect of writing this darker, more intense second book?
To be honest, it didn’t cross my mind to add a trigger warning until I had a beta reader give feedback on how surprised they were by a certain incident. It was in a good way in their case, but what if it wasn’t for someone else? It was a learning experience for me to take that into consideration, because I always assumed by default, a dystopian novel would explore darker topics (which I will never assume again, haha).
Introducing the theme of survival, I think the most challenging aspect of writing the second book was more psychological. I have family who are also reading it, which admittedly are a little outside of my target audience. The world I created is brutal, and I knew sugar-coating it for fear of my family’s opinions would harm it in the long run.
Every character is going through so many changes that I also had to take the leap of faith and risk making one of the main characters unlikable. I think it adds to the reality of it, especially during development. A protagonist can’t always be everyone’s favorite, right?
Among my beta readers, some didn’t change their minds about the characters’ decisions, and others pointed out they weren’t fond of them. Some read the first book, others didn’t, which I think is a perfect echo of how people form opinions with and without knowing the full story of a person’s life. That impact wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t overcome the fear of judgment and told the story the way my heart wanted me to.
As an indie author who creates your own artwork, what are the benefits and challenges of designing your own book covers and promotional materials?
I’d say the benefits are total creative control and financial costs. It’s great not having to worry about finding a book cover or interior designer or someone to create promotional materials. Any ideas I have, I can execute exactly the way I want them, whenever I want to. However, one big disadvantage is the amount of time it takes away from writing. If I have tasks hovering in the back of my mind, it puts a damper on my creativity.
Sometimes, I feel guilty drawing something outside of my trilogy, because I could be using that time to create marketing assets. If I’m writing, I’d feel guilty for having skipped posting on social media on at least one of my accounts. Complete control also means a lot more responsibility. It’s all a matter of balance, though, and as I progress through each novel, it gets easier.
What inspired you to pursue both writing and graphic design, and how do these two creative passions intertwine in your work?
When I was in Pre-K, I only cared about non-fiction. When it came time for Kindergarten, I was forced to read fiction books and fell in love with them so much that I wanted to make them myself. I started writing short stories on random scraps of printer paper. My mom saw how often I was doing it and started buying me journals so I could keep my stories together, and I’d have lines to guide me.
The older I grew, the longer and more complex the stories became. I always admired art and hated how wonky mine looked compared to others. When I turned thirteen, I made the conscious decision to teach myself through YouTube (Mark Crilley, you were my catalyst) and how-to-draw books, specifically drawing people. I practiced every day and documented my journey on my art Instagram account (@wallflwr23). With my love for writing, I wanted to bring my characters to life visually.
Around high school, I discovered Webtoon, an online platform for webcomics, and I dabbled in creating comics. I got a degree in Criminal Justice, a passion that died along with my pursuit of law school. It wasn’t until after the diploma that I realized my heart belonged to the pen and the paintbrush rather than the courthouse. Today, these passions intertwine in my books, designing merchandise and promotional materials for them, and later… I hope to turn them into graphic novels.
We hear you have a Persian cat named Thor. How does Thor influence or interrupt your creative process?
If it wasn’t for Thor, I’d write or draw until three in the morning. He likes to start yelling at me when it’s time for bed, and he’ll wake me up when I want to snooze. He helps me “snap out of it” when I’m glued to the screen and stuck in my own fictional worlds. He’ll interrupt for pets, but it’s usually great timing because I could be at a loss for words, and I could return with fresh eyes. His feline grace also served as an inspiration for the Vampyres’ general elegant poise in the Until Equinox Trilogy.
The Oleander, Until Equinox Trilogy Book three is expected to be released in Fall 2025. Without giving away too many spoilers, what can readers anticipate from the conclusion of Draven and Briar’s story?
It’s going to have a lot of self-discovery, for better and/or for worse. After the drastic changes in dynamics in the previous book, Draven and Briar must navigate a new world not only with each other, but with themselves as individuals. Gnawing questions will be answered, sacrifices will be made, and their world will be turned completely upside-down. I hope readers walk away from the trilogy with a new perspective on reality. Vampyres may be fictional, but the trilogy serves as one giant analogy for real-life issues. I can’t wait for its release!
As Until Equinox draws to a close this fall, what can we expect to see from you next? Any WIPs you’d like to hint about to hype us up for your next adventure?
I do! I have four standalones that I will pursue. The next adventure will be a horror romance involving angels and demons. Then I have a modern Greek mythology-inspired retelling, a contemporary romance (this might be the first one that’s 100% human), and maybe a paranormal romance involving a certain creature that I have yet to see a movie or book focus on. So these next four to five years will be very busy!
A huge thank you to Talia Wall for taking the time to speak with us about her work! Keep an eye out for the release of The Oleander, Until Equinox Trilogy Book three in Fall 2025! For the readers who prefer physical copies, love to binge, and would enjoy an autograph with a handmade bookmark, be sure to check out Talia’s online bookstore.
Be sure to follow Talia on her socials!
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Want to learn about other authors redefining the vampire trope? Click here.
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