We chat with author Kate Dylan about Until We Shatter, which is an action-packed epic heist fantasy. In a world where her very existence is illegal, Cemmy’s future rests on the heist of the century – stealing a dangerous relic from a deadly realm of shadows, with no one the wiser.
Hi, Kate! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m Kate and I’m a science fiction and fantasy author who is obsessed with Marvel, TV shows from the early 2000s, ghosts (but only when they come from the York Ghost Merchants), and my comically silly cat (she’s called The Machine and she’s very cute!)
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve been reading for as long as I can remember and I first started daydreaming about writing a book when I was sixteen. But back then, I didn’t realise you could actually make writing books your job, so I was twenty-six by the time I actually sat down to write that original idea. It was a hot mess—which came as a surprise to no one except me—but I caught the bug and now here I am, with seven manuscripts under my belt and three books out in the world already! (five if you count the ones I sold to Germany!)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Story of Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson
- The one that made you want to become an author: Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Vicious by V.E Schwab
Your latest novel, Until We Shatter, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Queer heist with colour magic!
What can readers expect?
Action! And danger! And angst, oh my!
Okay, but now the serious answer: Until We Shatter is a second world fantasy about a desperate thief who’s blackmailed into running an impossible heist across two worlds—one of which can shatter her to pieces! It’s got messy bi-girls, a pretty lying boy, a lot of questionable decision making, as well as a healthy dose of betrayal. I like to call it my in-between book, because it sits in that intermediary space between YA and adult. So readers can expect all the pace and voice from my sci-fi books, but with darker, older themes.
Where did the inspiration for Until We Shatter come from?
An episode of the show Charmed (the original, not the remake). That show first introduced me to the idea that in-between spaces are inherently powerful (it was an episode about fairies and fae lore), and I found that concept so intriguing. But it took many, many years to figure out what I wanted to do with it. Originally, it started life as a book about the tooth fairy, so it’s come a long way from that first iteration (and no, there is no longer a tooth fairy in the book—or any kind of fae).
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There is one chapter in the book (chapter fourteen) that I had an absolute blast writing. Without spoiling it too much, I’ll say that it involves a magical delirium, a late night visit, and an emotionally charged argument that leaves the main characters in a very compromising position.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing?
This is my first second-world fantasy and that was a daunting challenge for me. Building a fully-realised, functioning world from the ground up is a huge undertaking—I am so in awe of epic fantasy authors for this reason!—and it took me several drafts to get it right. Writing fantasy is also different to writing sci-fi in that you can’t fall back on the same linguistic crutches. It truly is shocking how idiomatic the English language is and how many of them are derived from sports, cars, or tech—all of which can read as anachronistic in fantasy!
What’s next for you?
Even though Until we Shatter does stand alone as a novel (it has a solid ending), I wasn’t quite ready to leave the world behind, so I’ve come back for a sequel! Naturally, saying too much about it will spoil book one (marketing is going to hate me), but let’s just say that the character who ends up saddest at the end of Until We Shatter is getting their own story.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I am currently obsessed with both The Burning Kingdoms trilogy by Tasha Suri, and The Ending Fire trilogy by Saara El-Arifi. I will never stop yelling about how much I loved Lord of the Empty Isles by Jules Arbeaux, and I literally cannot wait for The Second Death of Locke by V. L. Bovalino.
