We chat with author Andrea Max about The Art of Exile, which is a captivating light academia contemporary fantasy following a teen who infiltrates a secret school for the descendants of exiled Renaissance masters to steal their long-lost arts and sciences—think Legendborn meets The Da Vinci Code.
Hi, Andrea! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’ve been a high school English teacher for many years. It’s a job that I deeply love, but I’ve been at it long enough that I wouldn’t mind if this writing thing took off so I could move on to a lifestyle that involves a little less essay grading.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have a vague memory of being about six years old and writing/drawing a book about a man who woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I’ve always been one to sit and stare into space while imagining scenarios in my head. That being said, I was pretty lazy about writing those ideas down, and The Art of Exile is actually the first book I ever bothered to write more than one chapter of.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Maybe one of the original Oz books or The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. (I almost answered this with Grover’s Bad Day which would technically be more accurate.)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Maybe Nancy Drew? As an adult, one that did really spur me to start writing more seriously was The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta
Your debut novel, The Art of Exile, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Magic school for Renaissance masters
What can readers expect?
Lots of classic YA Fantasy tropes, but with totally new twists.
Where did the inspiration for The Art of Exile come from?
On one hand, this story was born by me pouring all of my favorite tropes into a blender. But one of the questions that really led me to the heart of the story was the question of what a society would look like if it succeeded at creating a Utopia without it devolving into a dystopia. In forming the insular Maker society, I tried to really poke at what it would take to have a more ideal version of our own society without it being at anyone’s expense.
While exploring a Utopian society of people committed to advancing the world, that naturally led me to the concept of the Renaissance man. Pulling from the Renaissance period worked well for the story I wanted to tell, both because it would make sense that a group exiled by an inquisition would have made their way to the New World at that time, but also because of the themes I wanted to explore. The Renaissance is a period in history that everyone has strong associations with, so it works particularly well as a backdrop to highlight how the version of history we think we know is limited to a very narrow, incomplete perspective that ignores so much else that was happening in the world at the time.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Hoverjousting! The Maker society is deeply influenced by traditional Renaissance culture but with updated sensibilities and advanced technology. So they still have jousting tournaments, but on hoverboards instead of horses. It was incredibly fun to develop the sport and write the game scenes.
It was also especially rewarding to write the elements of the story based in Jewish history and tradition.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Endless challenges! I have been known to say that writing this book was the hardest thing I’ve ever accomplished. Much of my challenges were overcome with time and letting things work themselves out in my subconscious. I have found that the unconscious parts of my brain do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to discovering my stories.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I’m incredibly lucky that The Art of Exile is actually the very first book I’ve ever written, but I worked on it for many years before it was ready to see the light of day. And, if I do say so myself, it’s a book that gets better and better as you read on. The problem with that is that the heart of what makes the story great isn’t something that’s visible from the first page, and it’s not something that’s easily summed up in an elevator pitch. So my journey has involved a lot of waiting for the right people to realize it’s a book worth picking up.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on the sequel to The Art of Exile. Which I’m extremely excited about as it’s evolving into something better than I’d ever imagined. But it’s also really difficult. I’ve only ever written one book before this, so I don’t have much practice at this author thing. I also have a bunch of ideas for totally new projects that I’m very excited to jump into once the sequel is complete.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
Oh, so many! One of the perils of being a debut author is that you make a lot of debut author friends, and every single on of their books sound incredible! We’re getting so many excellent stories in 2025! A few that are high on my TBR at the moment: The Sun Blessed Prince by Lindsey Byrd, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols, Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker, Hopelessly Teavoted by Audrey Goldberg Ruoff, The Whisperwood Legacy by Jo Schulte, and The Divide That Binds Us by Michelle J.
