Brace yourselves for the last in my series of SFINCS finalist interviews! I’m now joined by Cate Baumer, author of As Born to Rule the Storm, an impressive military time-loop novella which I highly recommend!
As Born to Rule the Storm by Cate Baumer
The star-crossed temporal romance of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR meets the vintage setting and yearning of DIVINE RIVALS in AS BORN TO RULE THE STORM.
Cadet Charlotte Amsel will trade her life to win a war- but not all at once. As part of an elite group of experimental soldiers, she can move through time, with each jump taking months from her own fated lifespan as she struggles to prevent the cold war from boiling over into an apocalypse. With her own side just as untrustworthy as the enemy, the only thing she cares about is keeping her best friend and fellow soldier (and in some timelines, lover) safe. But each time loop adds violent complications, and saving anyone before she runs out of life to give may prove impossible.
About the Author
Cate Baumer (she/her) is a fantasy writer who lived half her life in Japan but currently resides in the heart of Appalachia, a setting that inspires the haunted worlds of her work. When not writing, she can be found exploring the woods on horseback, putting her degree in art history to use at museums and antique shops, or searching for the perfect cup of coffee.
Let the questioning commence!
PW: What inspired As Born To Rule The Storm?
CB: I knew I wanted to write a time-loop story, which is one of my favorite tropes, and I found the initial concept of being able to loop through time yet having less time each loop really fascinating. When I started building out the heart of the story, I really dug into my own background as a writer from an area where the military and all the sacrifice it requires is seen as a ticket out of poverty (often generationally) regardless of the harm it does, and my own experience with OCD, which can feel like its own hellish time loop.
PW: Was it always intentionally a novella?
CB: Novellas are my favorite length to read/write, so when I had the idea it seemed a natural choice- especially with time loops you really have to strike a balance between showing enough that the audience understands the stakes but not so many that they lose interest.
PW: Were you at all tempted to stretch ABTRTS out longer? Because it feels like an expansive idea, like it might’ve taken some restraint to keep it that short!
CB: Genuinely, I could have added so much more! But I really wanted to keep it to what felt necessary.
PW: How does this book fit into the rest of your work?
CB: I describe my brand as “bittersweet and strange” and ABTRTS definitely fits, though I usually stick to more traditional second-world fantasies.
PW: Do you find this length of story presents any particular benefits compared to longer or shorter forms?
CB: I love that novellas provide the perfect length to experiment with form and theme. ABTRTS has time loops, and I’m working on a dystopian that studies split consciousness. The form really lends itself to interesting conceits that, if stretched out, get stretched too gimmicky or thin, but that can really work in the single emotional punch of a novella.
PW: On the other hand, does publishing a novella present any particular challenges compared to longer or shorter work?
CB: Markets are the big one. There are very few avenues for novellas except via self-publishing, and even then it’s quite difficult to market them unless they’re tied to a longer series.
PW: So do you have any notable experience to share for marketing novella-length fiction?
CB: I find a lot of readers don’t want to pick up novellas because they want the most bang for their buck! But what worked well for me was getting the book into the hands of early readers and influencers via book tours and cold DMing influencers. A glowing third-party review has more cred than me just shouting about it.
PW: That’s an interesting point – what are your preferred platforms for finding influencers now, given we have book reviewers spread over a variety of mediums?
CB: Instagram is a big one for me as I’m not much for short-form video (though I reached out to some TikTokkers as well). I made sure to specifically target creators I thought would genuinely enjoy the book, and everyone I reached out to was happy to take a an e-ARC (though of course not all those copies ended up in reviews). Even those who weren’t interested were very kind. So I’d advise any author to reach out if you see someone who seems like a good fit, provided you then accept that whether they do anything with the book is out of your hands.
PW: Sage advice indeed. And what’s next for this book, and your work in general?
CB: Since publishing ABTRTS I’ve become agented, and am hoping we’ll be able to sell audio rights as I’ve always wanted an audiobook and don’t have the funds to produce one myself! As for what’s next in other works…nothing I am allowed to talk about just yet, but very exciting things are on the horizon for early 2026!
PW: Ooh congratulations on the agent!
CB: Thank you! She scouted me based on some of my other indie work, and it’s really a wild story I’ll have to post about one day.
PW: Lastly, how has reaching the SFINCS finals impacted you?
CB: It’s been so gratifying to see the book be well-received. It’s the book of mine that feels truest to me, in that what I envisioned pretty much came directly down on the page. I love seeing it resonate with its readership, especially others who have experience with chronic anxiety or OCD. I hope being a part of SFINCS helps it reach even more of its readers.
PW: I’m sure it already has, certainly made me pick it up! And I wish you the very best of luck with the finals, thanks for joining us!
That concludes my mini-marathon of finalist interviews; massive thanks to all the finalists who took part and I hope you’ve found all these perspectives as interesting as me. We should have a winner announced next week I believe, and you can keep up with the results here. Be sure to check out As Born To Rule The Storm (seriously, you must)!
