In 40 years no one has asked me that before! Congratulations. Seriously, I avoid thinking of style. My father was a writer/director/producer, and he had two hints for me (he didn’t imagine I’d become an author).  First was, ‘if you’re not writing action, you’re writing talking heads, and if it’s talking heads, they better be saying something important.” Second was,  “Don’t fart around, tell the damn story!” So, efficiently?  I hope so. I think my work mostly is character driven, for another thing the old man said was, “Give them someone to root for.”  That’s about as self-analytical as I can get.

Your career in publishing started out in 1982 with the release of Magician: Apprentice, the first novel in what would turn into the Riftwar Cycle, a series with 31 novels. Can you tell me a little about how this came about?

Actually, it was It was split into two volumes for paperback release in the US. In the UK, for example, it was always one novel. It’s a long story, and the short version is I learned I was a pretty good writer in college, because I could hack out papers and get A’s. After I graduated I decided to turn my hand to fiction, looking for a second income possibility. I had majored in Mass Market & Public Opinion and had done a fair bit of political stuff, but now I was working for non-profits. We had a tax revolt in California in 1978 and funding was cut, and I was instantly a full-time writer. As I said, my dad had been in the entertainment industry, and his literary agent, the brilliant Harold Matson, and he saw something in Magician, so he represented me and eventually editor Adrian Zackheim at Doubleday bought it, and from there one thing led to another and I still haven’t found that other job in marketing.

Following the conclusion of Riftwar in 2013 with Magician’s End, you headed into retirement and the world expected your legacy to live on through your work. You then burst back into the spotlight with 2018’s King of Ashes, first in the Firemane Saga. Where did the inspiration come from for this new series?

Retirement? First I heard about it. Writers don’t retire; we drop dead or get put in a home. Anyway, I wanted to take a short break, which I did, and that unfortunately went on longer than planned due to some personal, family issues. The notion for King of Ashes was actually pretty odd. As I was waking up one morning, in that lucid moment coming out of sleep but not quite awake, I thought I heard a voice ask, “Who is the King of Ashes?” Once I got over my concerns of auditory hallucinations or a transient ischemic attack, I thought, that’s a great title for a book! So I had to figure out who the King of Ashes was, and why was he important, etc. And that turned into a story.

Initial estimates were that it would be a trilogy. Is this still the case?

That’s the plan. Most of my work has been “three act plays,” though I’ve had four books in one series and two in another, but for the most part my background in theater and film makes me think in the old, “chase your character up a tree, then throw rocks at him, then let him come down gracefully and win,” trope of drama. My characters do have an annoying habit of taking off on their own sometimes with prior consultation with me, so who knows? Something else might happen, and it could be four.

For those who have read King of Ashes and are moving on to July’s release Queen of Storms, can you tell us what we should expect in the forthcoming instalment?

Spoilers are evil. So, this will be spoiler free. As noted above, in the three act play model, this is the very end of act one and goes deeply into act two, the rock throwing. Lots of bad things happen to good people, lives are profoundly changed, and as I like to do a lot, we peel the onion. We find layers below the layers were previously peeling off. So, new major players are revealed, some things are not as they seemed to be, and a good time is had by all. Except for the people who die bloody deaths, of course. Seriously, we will learn a lot more about the characters and the world in which they live.

Hava comes into her own more during Queen of Storms with a greater proportion of chapters/page time being dedicated her journey. Having followed a very logical progression to superiority, was her destiny predetermined? Or did Hava as a character dictate her trajectory while you were drafting?

It’s always the character. I often say my subconscious is smarter than I am. Hava originally was a “woman of mystery” to Hatushaly, and it read horribly. I was going to introduce her half-way through the book and I ended up trashing literally hundreds of pages writing/rewriting. When I decided to make her a life-long friend, bang! It all fell into place. And like the whole “King of Ashes,” question, another morning I woke up and a voice said, “Hava wants to be a pirate.” I had a sort of “in this part of the story we deal with what Hava is doing while the other characters are off doing that thing over there,” and again bang! It all fell into place and she took over the story. Part of the reason I partnered with Janny Wurts on the Empire series was I have never been a teenage girl, so I didn’t think I had the chops to fake writing one.  Because of that collaboration, I love writing strong women like Miranda, Sandreena, and now Hava.

King of Ashes ends with the revelation that Donte has escaped the clutches of the Sisters of the Deep but we don’t know how or why. Can readers expect more of the sinister merfolk in Queen of Storms and the final novel in the series?

That would be telling. It’s a line from an old TV show, The Prisoner, and I love using it. We will see more of Donte and deal with the magic used on him by the Sisters of the Deep, and it plugs into a much bigger reveal on powers at play in the conflicts facing all the characters. But it is not forgotten, and it shall be explained. I promise.

The Flame Guard play a greater part in Queen of Storms, attempting to reach their goal of spiriting Hatushaly off to their hidden base of operations in order to teach him to control his magic. Whilst they believe they are serving a higher purpose, in fact they may been seen as the lesser villain of the piece.

How do you as the writer tackle plotting the juxtaposition between portraying them as the good guys and them committing evil deeds to achieve their purpose?

This is sort of “writer neepery” stuff. The trick is understanding perspective. You reveal something from one point of view, and then add data which shifts the reader’s perspective. The first time I did that was in A Darkness At Sethanon, when I showed the reader the character of Guy du Bas-Tyra wasn’t a “villain” but a guy with a different agenda, one that made sense from his point of view. As for what the Flame Guard are really up to, we’ll know by the end of the series.

The introduction of the Border Ports and the Azhante provide new locales and characters in Queen of Storms while the return of past characters allows the story to speed on ahead. My question is, when introducing new elements into your narrative, do you plan ahead for their introduction? Or does the flow of the narrative cause their inception?

You plan ahead, else you’re all over the place and the story becomes a patchwork. When things show up is more a function of narrative flow.

Throughout the Firemane Saga, there are many points whereby the reader witnesses gross atrocities in the form of epic battles or sneaky assassinations. Talk me through how you formulate your character deaths with such breathtaking precision?

There is no formula, per se. What most non-writers don’t understand is reflected often with the question “did it bother me to kill off so-and-so?” The answer is always no. A character is merely one of many components of a story, which is made up of many moving parts. They serve a narrative function and when it’s done, it’s done. The manner of killing off a character is part of creating that narrative.  So if it’s “off camera,” or “up-close-and-personal,” is mostly a function of coming to the best possible use of that death in propelling the narrative and finely a satisfactory end point. Not satisfying the reader if he or she has grown attached to the character, but rather maximizing the dramatic impact of that ending. I learned early on there’s an interesting emotional response to an “off-camera” death.  Which is why when Pug returned from Kelewan in Magician, he’s told of Squire Roland’s death by Princess Carline, rather than having me show his death.  To me it’s a lesson learned from my own life, starting when I was very young and my father died in New York whole I was a little kid in California.  Not every character gets an heroic death scene.

What are you hoping readers will pull from the story?

First and foremost, entertainment. If there’s any insights into deep philosophical truths, or profound life lessons for a reader, that’s up to them. I take no responsibility for that, and am not trying to do more than spin a “ripping yarn.”

I have heard tales of you playing World of Warcraft in order to aid mapbuilding and planning of ideas. True or false? If true, what got you into the game?

That’s a conflation of things. The world building was during college, an old paper and pencil RPG. I play Warcraft because a friend got me hooked, and now play online with my kids now and again.

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? Nonfiction
• Plotter or pantser? Pantser
• Favorite bookish trope? Adventure is just outside the door.
• Least favorite bookish trope? Life is a sea of teas, an endless struggle, so resign yourself.  Usually ending with someone walking alone on a beach somewhere.
• Coffee or tea? Coffee
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Beach, with chair side drink service.
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? Smaller signings are more fun.
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? I live in the number one vacation destination in the US, San Diego.  So, I’m already here.
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Only five?  That’s impossible.  First five to spring to mind today (subject to change every five minutes) Ursula K. Le Guin,  Octavia Butler, Neil Gaiman, Samuel R. Delany, and Ray Bradbury, and that’s just in fantasy & science fiction.  Oh, honorable mention for that Shakespeare guy.

Will you be picking up Queen of Storms? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Raymond E. Feist, Author of ‘Queen of Storms’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. So to start off, what drew you to writing?

Thanks for having me, Tasha and The Nerd Daily fam! You all are so supportive.

To answer your question, I’ve always been drawn to writing. As a kid, before I could write words, I was drawing stories out on construction paper and stapling them together in order to form a story. Once I could write words and sentences, that’s where I wanted to be.

For those out there who have never read any of your work, how would you describe your writing style/ novels?

Honestly, I can say I’m sort of all over the map! My fantasies, Sea Witch, Sea Witch Rising and The Princess Will Save You all have almost a historical fiction element to them—particularly the first two—and the writing style matches. More descriptive and evocative, etc. But my contemporary debut, Throw Like a Girl, is more of a commercial style—less about gorgeousness and more about action and economy. But what they all have in common is that the heroines use their strengths and don’t sit back.

Throughout your body of work, you do a lot of alternate retellings and gender bending. What initially inspired you to embrace this now popular style of storytelling?

I didn’t do it to be popular (LOL), I did it because I was interested in it. I actually don’t consider Sea Witch to be a retelling, though it is often referred to as one. In my head, it’s an origin story with elements of a retelling. Sea Witch Rising is actually much closer to a true retelling of The Little Mermaid…except that everything falls apart after it all goes wrong. The Princess Will Save You isn’t a retelling exactly either—it is a story inspired by The Princess Bride. If you’re going into it thinking that you’re getting The Princess Bride but completely gender bent, you might be surprised. It takes the scaffolding of The Princess Bride and turns the damsel-in-distress trope on its head in a way that I hope readers will appreciate.

How does your writing process differ between retellings such as Sea Witch and other types of narratives such as your January 2020 release, Throw Like A Girl?

Honestly, it’s actually not that different. As I mentioned earlier, the language varies between types of stories, but my process doesn’t. As a small example, all of my books have some element of an action sequence in them and, in my experience, it’s not that different to write a battle scene versus a sports sequence. I have a background in sports journalism and every magical action or battle scene in the Sea Witch books or The Princess Will Save You drew on that personal history of mine just as much as the football and softball scenes in Throw Like a Girl. The types of words are difference but the cadence and momentum are the same.

Beyond examples like that, I should say I just like telling a good tale and I’ve been lucky so far in my career that I’ve been able to tell widely different types of stories. I view it sort of like being an actor—some actors try to have a varied resume, and thrive on playing a wide spectrum of characters, while some, either by design or not, are pigeonholed into the same type of character all the time and do it well.

Your signature style of storytelling always involves strong, independent female characters. In the ever-evolving world of publishing, how important do you feel it is to see these types of protagonists?

I think it’s crucial to tell stories with female characters that have agency and stand up for themselves. This is part of the reason I wanted to touch on what I love about The Princess Bride in The Princess Will Save You. I love The Princess Bride to death, but I have always found a certain amount of discomfort with it. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I could put my finger on what exactly bothered me: the scene after Buttercup’s sham of a wedding to Humperdinck.

Buttercup has given up on everything. Somehow she has managed to secure not only a dagger but also a private room, and decides that she must end it—a future with the traitorous Humperdinck is far too bleak without the hope of ever seeing Westley again. The Buttercup we met at the beginning of this story, or even in the middle of it, would’ve taken that dagger and paid revenge. As fierce as she was, she would have done whatever she could have to reclaim her life and her love. And yet she didn’t. I wanted to address the discomfort I had with her inaction—and that of other damsel-type characters—in my own way.

In all your narratives, there are underlying romantic themes, regardless of setting. Do your relationships come first? Or the narrative?

The narrative does for sure. I love romantic elements because that’s who I am, but I have never written a tale that I consider to be purely about the romance. It’s secondary in how I plot my stories and it’s secondary to how I write them. I think this is because we as people are more than our relationships, even though love stories are so resonant.

So your next novel is The Princess Will Save You releasing from Tor Teen in July. Its been described as a genderbent The Princess Bride. Can you tell me a little about the novel?

The Princess Will Save You is the story of Princess Amarande of Ardenia, whose commoner true love, a stable boy named Luca, is kidnapped in a bid to push her into a political marriage. But rather than play the game, she changes it—setting out to rescue Luca, and possibly her kingdom’s future in the process.

This is a quest tale in which you will find sword fights, pirates of questionable talents, and a pursuit within a pursuit. There are scheming princes, potions, and smart women who want more. There are beasts, a fairytale setting that both feels familiar and faraway, and science that borders on magic. And, of course, a big portion of it is an exploration of what women can do in the face of those who believe they won’t succeed, no matter the reason.

Around halfway through Princess, the audience is given a reprieve from the action when it seems that everything is okay but then you come out with some more big plot points. Do you plan out your action before hand? Or does the narrative shape itself?

I knew exactly what I wanted to happen in the second half but even then I let my characters surprise me because I figure that if I’m surprised, my readers will be surprised. Therefore, I’m sort of a hybrid plotter and “panster.” I have to plot out more than I used to because I’m to the point where my agent and editors often need to know exactly what I’m doing, but when I’m in a scene, if my brain is telling me to turn left when I’d planned to go right, I turn left. I believe flexibility is important and that your stated idea might not always be your best one.

Now, I have to say, that Epilogue made me feel a whole spectrum of emotions in those few pages. Should we brace for more revelatory moments in the as yet untitled followup to The Princess Will Save You?

I’m very glad you had that reaction to the epilogue! Yes, the second book will build on what we’ve learned and, believe me, there’s so much even the main characters don’t know.

Can we expect to see more Ula, Urtzi and Dunixi in the future?

Oh, my pirates! I do love them. Yes, they’ll be back.

If you could read fanfic about any of your characters, who would it be?

I’d love to read any of it! I do think there are some characters that would make more interesting fanfic than others. Like either Addie or Ryan from Throw Like a Girl would be super fun. Or Ula or Osana from The Princess Will Save You.

What is your favourite fan ship of any of your work?

Oh, gosh. I hear often that readers want to know more about the relationship between Addie and Nick in Throw Like a Girl or I get asked if they’ll have their own book. I also hear from folks who want more from Runa and Will in Sea Witch Rising. That said, I’m fairly certain Ula from The Princess Will Save You is going to sail several ships. And I’d be happy with that! LOL.

How has the current COVID-19 situation changed your usual pre-launch routine?

Oh, well, it’s definitely made things different! Typically by now, I’d be confirming all of my travel arrangements, buying clothes I don’t need, and sweating how it’s all going to work with my current deadlines! But instead, I have a wonderful team at Tor Teen who is coordinating with all of the bookstores that were to host events and helping to make everything virtual. It’s always so nice to meet readers and wonderful bookstore owners, but it’s safest for everyone this way.

Where can readers expect to see you in the near future? 

I have several virtual bookstore events scheduled the first two weeks of July. The best thing about them is that you can visit from anywhere! I’ll have final information on my website but for now, know I’m doing events with Amanda Sellet (By The Book), Miranda Asebedo (A Constellation of Roses), Amalie Howard (The Beast of Beswick), and Bethany C. Morrow (A Song Below Water). I’ll also be doing live events with YATVLive and Crossroads Reviews among others.

And last question for a bit of fun, if you could only read 5 more books in your lifetime, what would they be?

Books I haven’t read? Or new ones? Hmmm. I suppose I’ll go with books I know I love and would read repeatedly: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, The Providence Rider (Book 4 in the Matthew Corbett series) by Robert McCammon, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction
• Plotter or pantser? Hybrid!
• Favourite bookish trope? Friends to lovers.
• Least favourite bookish trope? I like any of them as long as they’re done well! If they’re not executed properly, any of them can be the worst.
• Coffee or tea? Coffee (Thanks, publishing!)
• Pizza or pasta? Pizza.
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Hiking in the mountains.
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? I like both!
• Sunny or rainy? Gimme sun!
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? Summers in Colorado.
• Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and Netflix.
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Kellye Garrett, Megan Bannen, Ashley Woodfolk, Adib Khorram, Robert McCammon

Will you be picking up The Princess Will Save You? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Sarah Henning, Author of ‘The Princess Will Save You’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

In Queen of Storms, Declan and Hatu are both comfortable in their surroundings, protected by the Baron and his younger brother Balvern. Declan has his forge and wife to go home to, while Hatu and Hava are attempting to make their stamp on the world by rebuilding Gwen’s fathers Inn after its tragic demise. Although it progresses as expected, the reader begins to gain a better understanding into just how our protagonists view and interact with the world around them. As each slowly begins to realise just how important they are going to be should war recommence in Garn, for the most part everyone is just attempting to get on with life. I found the interactions between most of the characters in the beginning to really scratch the itch that is Feist’s signature blend of story-telling and world building. While everyone is keeping secrets and continuing on with life, one can gain a real insight into just how tough it would be to live in the countryside and attempt to seek a living. But everyone knows it would not truly be a Feist novel until tragedy hits and everything falls apart.

If you have ever read anything from this master storyteller, you will know that tragedy and conflict if where Feist really shines. When the inevitable happens and everyone’s peaceful existence begins to crumble around them, each characters’ story progresses in such a way as to be logical but exciting, nonetheless. Whether it be fighting for their home, sneaking through a crumbling city, or riding across the lush countryside, every part of the journey is meticulously planned so as to keep the audience engaged. Returning to previous destinations could have potentially felt stale but with the twists and turns of the plot and the eventual demise of certain factions, the whole thing still felt very fresh and new.

There is also inclusion of new destinations for as we all know, Feist novels seem to have endless locales in which to tell their story. Leaving the mainland, there is the discovery of lands afar known as the Border Ports, a sort of segregating archipelago of islands from which no person of Tembria has ever returned. On these islands, one feels as though they are far from any civilisation, much the same as the introduction of Coaltachin in King of Ashes – although their distance is not particularly far, their people are a special breed all of their own.

While the Sicari took the forefront in the series first instalment and are occasionally referenced throughout Queen, an all-new breed of evil is introduced so as to give the reader a sense that what they thought were the Big Bad are actually small potatoes in terms of the world of Garn as a whole. Upon the introduction of the Azhante, an order of warrior similar to the Sicari, one comes to question just what may be happening. However, until the final pages, it is almost impossible to discern their involvement in the current world order. I found this super refreshing to read as they are well mentioned but for the most part, the order is steeped in mysticism. I also loved that the Sisters of the Deep made a small but seemingly influential return, constantly lurking in the background but leaving the reader to question their true motivation.

Now, if you are after a novel that is fast paced, this is not it. Due to the convoluted nature of the beast that is Queen of Storms, it feels very long despite only being around 550 pages. It is a very long read but feels extremely expansive once you look back on its events. While you are reading it, however, beware of becoming distracted – I found myself having to go back because those seemingly pointless portions of drawn out happening turn into extremely important plot lines.

Overall, if you are a fan of Feist, I feel that you will love him more so now that Queen of Storms is releasing. I would warn you though, if you got angry at the cliffhanger that was King of Ashes, you shall feel no resolution by the end of QoS. The narrative as a whole was well paced but definitely had a few issues, mostly during the first portion when everyone is happy and there is no conflict (who needs happiness right?). The introduction of new characters and locales keeps the story feeling fresh, while the expansion on known characters gives the audience a greater insight into the inner workings of the main protagonists. Also, be aware that unlike KoA, multiple characters may have points of view within the same chapter – most of the time it is easy to pick these transitions and therefore keep track of where everyone is a whole.

Queen of Shadows is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 14th 2020.

Will you be picking up Queen of Shadows? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Dark and powerful forces threaten the world of Garn once more in this second novel in legendary New York Times bestselling author Raymond E. Feist’s epic fantasy series, the Firemane Saga.

Hatushaly and his young wife Hava have arrived in the prosperous trading town of Beran’s Hill to restore and reopen the fire-damaged Inn of the Three Stars. They are also preparing for the popular midsummer festival, where their friends Declan and Gwen will be wed.

But Hatu and Hava are not the ordinary loving couple they appear to be. They are assassins from the mysterious island of Coaltachin, home to the powerful and lethal Nocusara, the fearsome “Hidden Warriors.” Posing as innkeepers, they are awaiting instructions from their masters in the Kingdom of Night.

Hatu conceals an even more dangerous secret. He is the last remaining member of the legendary Firemanes, the ruling family of Ithrace. Known as the Kingdom of Flames, Ithrace was one of the five greatest realms of Tembria, ruled by Hatu’s father, Stervern Langene, until he and his people were betrayed. His heir, Hatu—then a baby—was hidden among the Nocusara, who raised him to become a deadly spy.

Hatu works hard to hide his true identity from all who would seek to use or to destroy him, as fate has other plans for the noble warrior. Unexpected calamity forces him to make choices he could not have dreamed awaited him.

A series of horrific events shatters the peace of Beran’s Hill, bringing death and devastation and unleashing monstrous forces. Once more, the Greater Realms of Tembria are threatened—and nothing will ever be the same again.

The post Review: Queen of Storms by Raymond E. Feist appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Her latest novel, Sisters of Sword and Song, once again provides a beautiful landscape into which the reader may dive, taking on inspiration from civilisations of old with its fantastical narrative and Greco-Roman influences. Releasing this June, Ross took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Nerd Daily contributor Tasha Leigh.

Thank you so much for sitting down to answer my questions today. So first off, how would you describe your work to readers who haven’t come across your work before?

Thank you so much for having me! For readers who may be new to my stories, here are a few things you can expect from me: I write fantasy books, and themes that often emerge in my writing are sisterhood, found families and family secrets, education, love interests who are intellectual and gentle hearted (even if they are a bit grouchy at times), music and art, a hint of mystery, redemption, and enemies to friends (and sometimes to lovers). I love worldbuilding, so when you pick up one of my books, be prepared, because I want to wholly transport you and all of your senses. My writing bends to a literary style—I love words and imagery. That often means my stories are character driven and have a slow burning plot, but I also love to catch you by surprise.

Your debut novel, The Queen’s Rising, came out in 2018 to rave reviews. What inspired this tale of fallen lords and sinister schemes?

The book was inspired by a vision of Brienna. I have never had a character appear to me so vividly, and so when I saw her sitting in a library, worrying that she would not master her passion by the summer solstice, she instantly caught my attention. And I had no idea what this “passion” was she spoke of. That led me on a quest to build the world of the five passions—art, music, dramatic, wit, knowledge—which eventually led me to the fallen lords and the imposter king and restoring the rightful queen to the throne.

The Queen’s Resistance followed in 2019 and completed the duology. Can readers expect any further adventures into the world of Brienna and her disgraced patron?

I’m happy with how things wrapped up at the end of The Queen’s Resistance. For now, the series stands a duology, and I do not have plans to return to this world (although I never say never).

Your novels always have prominent themes about strong women and finding one’s inner strength. What draws you to these?

I write the things I want to read. And I love to read the stories of women—their struggles, triumphs, decisions. How they leave a mark on the world. I think our strength comes in many different ways, and I hope that inspires the people who pick up my books.

In Sisters of Sword and Song, your third novel due out late June 2020, you tell the tale of two sisters with vastly different strengths. What prompted this dichotomy in protagonists?

I always love to see women as warriors, dressed in armor and highly skilled when it comes to fighting and strategy. That largely inspired Halcyon. But I also love heroines who are quieter, introspective, clever and brave. That inspired Evadne. I’ve always wanted to write a book about sisters of unique strengths, and to show these heroines supporting and sharpening each other.

The Sisters of Sword and Song has a very Greco-Roman feel to it and I am wondering what sort of research this required?

Quite a bit. I heavily utilized several books, one that featured hoplite armor and weapons and phalanx fighting techniques. Another that delved into life during Ancient Greece, where I gleaned information about clothing, architecture, weather, food. I also read and savoured a book that featured fragments of Sappho’s poetry. Lastly, I watched a few YouTube videos that featured olive groves and an ancient olive press that is still in use today. I couldn’t fund a trip to Greece, but these videos gave me visual glimpses that were very helpful.

Sisters revolves around the idea of finding relics to save an imperilled monarch, while also being about the relationships made and lost by Halcyon and Evadne as they attempt to perform this seemingly impossible task. When initially drafting the story, were the relationships always intended to form such a massive part of the underpinning narrative?

Yes. I’ve always been drawn to character driven stories. As a reader, I will often forget the inner workings of a plot long after I read a book, but if the characters and their relationships are well drawn and rich, I will remember them vividly, even years after reading about them. I read for those character relationships, and so I strive to make them important and prominent in my writing.

Now Sisters of Sword and Song is a standalone novel rather than a part of a series, a decision that seems increasingly rare in the world of fantasy. Was it always intended to be a single book?

Yes. This book was always intended to be a standalone. And while it can be a challenge to develop a vast fantasy world and complete satisfying character arcs and a plot in one book, it can be done, and I do think it is refreshing for readers. As an author, I also enjoyed working on this book knowing that it was strong enough to stand on its own.

You have a history of working with the written word, obtaining a degree in English and previously working as a librarian. How do you feel this background has assisted your journey to published author?

My background has indeed supported my writing endeavours. I initially chose to study English in college because I loved reading and writing, and I could not envision myself doing anything else. I soaked in literature classes and creative writing groups, and I still have my books from those classes, with all of my notes scrawled in the margins. I still reflect on some of the discussions I had in those academic days. As a girl, I dreamt of publishing a book someday, because books were my first love and made such an impact on my life. And when you carry a dream for years and years, you eventually get brave and desperate enough to turn it into reality.

Can you give us some insight into your drafting process?

I keep a brainstorming journal, where I frequently write down ideas. Most of these ideas are only passing fancies, and nothing more comes from them. But every now and then, I’ll have two ideas strike together and make fire. Sometimes, I will be so excited by the characters that unexpectedly arrive onto my journal pages that I will begin to write immediately, and the story starts to unfold before me in an exciting, almost magical way. Sometimes, a story will need time to simmer—weeks, months, maybe even years—before it’s ready to be written. I’m a discovery writer; I rarely plot things. But it’s important for me to know where I’m starting, and to know where I want to end. It’s how I get from start to finish that I have to learn, which makes drafting exhilarating (and sometimes scary and frustrating) for me. I tend to draft very quickly once I have characters, place and the initial plot sketched in my mind. The fastest book I have ever drafted was The Queen’s Resistance, which only took me 28 days to write. Granted, I already had the characters and the world established, so I could move faster than if I was building a story from the ground up. And the revisions for it were intense (my revisions typically involve heavy rewrites), but I remember those 28 days as a whirlwind, where I let the words pour out and I didn’t hesitate or try to edit them as I went (which can deter many writers from reaching the end).

In this current world state of isolation, how has your book release prep changed?

It has definitely changed things. I originally planned to have a mini-tour, but that of course got cancelled due to the pandemic. Which is sad, because meeting readers is one of the best things about being an author. But social media has been a great tool during this time. Readers who live out of state and around the world can now be present for a virtual launch, which is great!

Can readers expect to see you anywhere in the near future? 

I will be having some virtual events! My book launch, which was originally scheduled to be at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia has now moved to an Instagram Live, which will be on Saturday June 27 at 4 PM. I will also be joining Lori M. Lee for the release of her YA Fantasy, Forest of Souls, on Tuesday July 23 at 7 PM. I will also be having an Instagram live with Isabel Ibañez the week of release, so readers can definitely find me online.

And last question for a bit of fun, if you could see any of your novels brought to the screen, what format would you hope they take? (eg. Feature film, limited series, short form etc) Who would you love to see in each role?

Ooh, let’s see. It would be very exciting to see one of my books adapted into a series on Netflix or Hulu. As far as casting characters…I honestly don’t align actresses and actors with my characters very often. Every now and then, I might. I do love Daisy Ridley, and I could see her being a fantastic Brienna from The Queen’s Rising. But I also would love to see up and coming actors and actresses fill the roles.

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction!
• Plotter or pantser? Pantser. I rarely plot things out.
• Favourite bookish trope? Enemies to lovers.
• Least favourite bookish trope? The chosen one.
• Coffee or tea? Coffee.
• Pizza or pasta? Pizza.
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Beach holiday.
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? Hmm. Both are great for different reasons, but I do love a smaller signing.
• Sunny or rainy? Rainy.
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? Scotland.
• Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and music.
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Melina Marchetta, Nic Stone, Naomi Novik, Isabel Ibañ, Alison Croggon.

Will you be picking up Sisters of Sword and Song? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Rebecca Ross, Author of ‘Sisters of Sword and Song’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

When reading the initial pages, the story very heavily held within reflections of Greco-Roman civilisations. There are armies of hoplites, sinister commanders and a luxurious feel to the whole ordeal that creates an atmosphere of times gone by. There’s also a system of gods, each of which have special powers and artifacts with which their descendants can tap into their magic – these range from a winged pendant that makes people fly to a crown that shows you a person past, present, and future and a magic sword which removes any enchantment within the room so long as someone is holding its hilt. Really it’s one of those novels that makes me think of myths such as Jason and the Golden Fleece and Orpheus’ quest into the Underworld to retrieve Eurydice.

The imagery and worldbuilding within Sister of Sword and Song invokes a feeling of grandeur, but also takes place in such a small number of places that it felt a little like an oxymoron. When travelling through mountains and over the ‘vast expanse’ between towns, there was a sense of full immersion with the reader able to feel the changes in terrain and smell the scents of the various regions. But when thought about logically, the 3 day ride it takes to get from the town to a certain key location is really only around 300km in today’s terms – that’s 3 hours on a highway in a vehicle. Now this may seem like nitpicking, but I’m actually just trying to illustrate a point about the scale of the world feeling huge but it not actually being so.

While on the subject of imagery, everyone knows that a good map makes every fantasy novel better. It’s a staple to enable the reader to make sense of the magical worlds into which they are being thrust. In Sisters, the map is a simple one which looks hand drawn with its simple lines and being sparse on details, but it actually really fits with what the novel is about. Evadne’s journey is all about wonder in the world so if the map had had been ridiculously detailed, some of that wonderment may have been lost.

So now that I’ve rambled a little about all things worldbuilding and scenery, I want to quickly touch on this novel’s magic system. It can be summed up as this: all mages are not created equal. In novels such as The Witcher and Gaiman’s Stardust, magic is seen as a sort of swapping of matter whereby the caster must utilise other people or things to fuel their craft lest they age prematurely. In those such as the Throne of Glass series, it is seen as a well that may be utilised until you run out and needs to be replenished else you burn out/up forever. In SoSaS, the magic system is a sort of mish-mash of both these concepts – when a person utilises magic, they may bolster their skill with another’s help and once hitting the bottom of their stores, they are no longer able to practice. Through the use of the aforementioned relics, one can make themselves more powerful, but they will only ever be able to cast for a certain amount of time. In this, I found genius as it allowed an inequality to the power that people possessed and established a hierarchy based solely upon it. There is also a ritual involving fire and rings determining how strong a mage will be which adds a certain something to the story.

The downside in this read however was the relatively one note aspects of quite a few characters. Halcyon should have been someone strong and thoroughly likeable for being who she is. Instead this reader felt pity more than compassion for her circumstance as she seemed to show next to no emotion for the most part. I also found one of the main mages to be narcissistic and thoroughly unlikable as a villain for no apparent reason, the building blocks were there for a great nemesis but instead this person was a little lukewarm and predictable. I did however love the relationship between a certain mage and his scribe because they are just cute and fluffy in a way that made me want to force together and make them kiss like a child does with their dolls.

Overall, the worldbuilding and imagery associated with Sisters of Sword and Song was very good and draws the reader into the world that Ross has created. It has a beautiful but simple cover that draws the eye and intrigues the mind. The map is relatively plain but provides a reference to which one can refer when attempting to understand where everyone is throughout the narrative. While the majority of the characters were a little on the dull side, there is a cute romantic interest to tide the reader over until the hit the final third where all the big things go down.

Sisters of Sword and Song is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 23rd 2020.

Will you be picking up Sisters of Sword and Song? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

From the author of The Queen’s Rising comes a thrilling YA stand-alone fantasy about the unbreakable bond between sisters. Perfect for fans of Ember in the Ashes, Sky in the Deep, and Court of Fives.

After eight long years, Evadne will finally be reunited with her older sister, Halcyon, who has been proudly serving in the queen’s army. But when Halcyon appears earlier than expected, Eva knows something has gone terribly wrong. Halcyon is on the run, hunted by her commander and charged with murder.

Though Halcyon’s life is spared during her trial, the punishment is heavy. And when Eva volunteers to serve part of Halcyon’s sentence, she’s determined to find out exactly what happened. But as Eva begins her sentence, she quickly learns that there are fates much worse than death.

The post Review: Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Meet Me At Midnight is her third novel and it releases on April 7th. When childhood enemies Asher and Sidney put aside their differences to unite against a common enemy, a beautiful love story ensues, alongside many laughs and bad jokes.

Jessica took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down with Nerd Daily contributor Tasha Leigh and chat about all things young romance, wedding planning, and release prep while in isolation.

Hello, thank you so much for sitting down and answering my questions today. So you write young adult romances with a difference. What initially drew you to writing in the Young Adult genre?

Thanks so much for having me! I love reading young adult, so writing it was a pretty natural fit for me. I love writing about teens because I have such vivid memories of my own teen years, and especially the feelings from that time in my life. The teen years are such a unique time in your life when you not only have these big dreams and big feelings, but you’re also finally old enough to start acting on them. There’s a lot of my teen self in all of my books, from settings to personal insecurities, to relationship dynamics.

Do you have a certain process that you go through when writing your novels?

As far as the exact writing process, each of my books have been different. Love Songs & Other lies, my debut, was written out of order, and basically in two halves, the before and after timelines. I learned that story as I went. When Summer Ends was partially plotted when I started writing, but changed immensely as I went along. Meet Me At Midnight had major plot points in place before I wrote, but things definitely shifted as I wrote, especially the ending. The one thing they all have in common is that I go into writing with too many ideas, and as I write I figure out what the ‘real’ story is, and start letting that shine through, and guiding me through the rest of the plot.

For readers who are new to your novels, how would you describe your writing style?

I write beachy romances set in the summer. They usually include girls who are at least a little Type A, and boys who are a whole lot of sweet. And at some point, they will probably look at the stars. Apparently, I’m really into looking at the stars!

You manage to juggle both a day job as a wedding planner and writing what is now your third novel. Any tips for those out there trying to achieve their dream while still working a 9-5?

I’m actually not planning weddings as of late (thankful for that in the current crisis) but I actually started writing Love Songs & Other Lies in 2014 as a way to give myself a break from that job. I was easily working seventy hours a week, and as a small business owner, it just always felt like there was something to do. So I signed up for a fiction class in Chicago. I live in Michigan, so it was a three hour roundtrip train ride for me to get to the class. I’d write on the train, walk around the city thinking about my story, go to my three hour class, and then stay with friends who happened to be incredibly creative and energizing people. It forced me to spend an entire day away from work. And at the same time, it got me sucked into the process of writing a novel, which pulled me away even more. By the time I wrote When Summer Ends my first child had been born, and that was a whole new kind of balancing. That was by far the hardest book for me to write, juggling my business and a baby, and writing a book. But it really is all doable if you love the story you’re writing. I think that’s really the key—finding an idea you’re passionate about enough to lose sleep and skip your favorite tv shows, and record notes as you drive kids to school.

Do you take any inspiration from events within your working life when you write?

I think I write romance novels for the same reason I was drawn to wedding planning—I’ve always been a romantic. My books always have grand gestures, or multiple mini grand gestures within them, and that is so much like wedding planning—helping people to find little ways to bring their love story into their special day. Or to surprise each other on their wedding day. And my first two books both had some sort of wedding-related scene in them, so that’s certainly the most direct inspiration from that part of my life.

So I have read Meet Me At Midnight, your latest novel which released on April 7th 2020 and I found it refreshing that it didn’t just end happily and without any drama. Was this always going to be the case?

I’ve actually heard that from quite a few readers, and I’ll admit it always surprises me. It wasn’t something I consciously decided to do, it’s just how their story played out. I did feel pressure at first, to wrap up their story with a neat bow at the end of summer. That’s certainly the common thing to do in summer romances. But that just wasn’t true to Sidney and Asher. They exist in such a bubble on summer vacation, I wanted them to get out of that idyllic summer setting and into the real world for a bit.

Was there ever a time that you thought about throwing caution to the wind and changing up the final couple/s?

I actually think Sidney and Asher pursuing a relationship is throwing caution to the wind. Neither of them is the easy choice for the other, and each of them is taking a huge risk with their heart to even consider that they could be something other than nemeses.

How have you found your preparation for the release of MMAM different from that of Love Songs & Other Lies and When Summer Ends?

It feels very different to me, for two reasons: the first, is that it’s very strange to release and promote a book during a global pandemic. As an immune-compromised person, I haven’t left my house in over two weeks now, and it’s just hard to think about promotion. All of my events have been cancelled, and I can’t do the things I’d usually do around release time, like my (much loved) tradition of driving to bookstores with my husband on release day, signing books and listening to the audiobook for the first time. Secondly, by this third book I think I’ve finally relaxed a little bit and realized that the world won’t end if I don’t come up with a million little promo ideas. So I was already planning to be a little more lowkey with this release, but then Covid-19 really forced my hand on that. But as far as the actual book, I think MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT is actually the one I’m most excited for overall. I’m so excited for readers to meet Sidney and Asher.

If you could have one of your works adapted for the screen, which would it be and what form would it take?

I think MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT is the one that would adapt the best—I could totally see it as a movie! Love Songs & Other Lies would be a close second, just because I’d love to see the bands and hear all of the music, but with the dual timelines, that one would be much better suited to some kind of series. I think Netflix does an amazing job with their YA adaptations, I’d love to see one of my books end up there, honestly!

Who would be your dream casting?

Oh my goodness, I am the worst at casting. Anyone who has read my books knows that I’m not the kind of author who spends a ton of time on describing my characters physically. I really delve into their personalities and quirks and histories, but physical descriptions are just never my priority. And I think that’s just a reflection of how my own brain works, because I rarely have a vivid mental picture of characters when I read, even when the author really spells it out for me. But that being said, I think personality-wise I could see Asher being someone like Noah Centineo would fill that role really well. They’d need to pull off the perfect balance of sweet, snarky, and sneaky that makes up Asher. And Noah has the athletic build of Asher. For Sidney, I honestly have no idea. I just haven’t ever come across an actress where she’s stood out to me as being perfect as Sidney. I’m open to suggestions!

Who is your favourite/most unexpected fan ship of any of your characters?

In WHEN SUMMER ENDS, one of the side characters, Ellis, mentions a date he goes on with a (tourist) guy he meets at work. And I am always shocked by how many readers mention Ellis to me, and how they’d love to see more about him and his mystery date. I don’t think he even had a name! But Ellis is awesome, so I totally get why people want to see him get his happily ever after.

Where can readers expect to see you in the coming months?

Well, thanks to Covid-19 my events are all cancelled or TBD at the moment. Hopefully the Chicago YA Book Festival will be rescheduled, and you’ll see me there!

What would you tell your younger self about your road to published author if you had the chance?

I would have told myself to start writing fiction a lot earlier. I’ve always been a writer, but I didn’t write fiction until 2014, and it’s been such a wonderful (and almost therapeutic) experience for me. I can’t imagine the things I would have worked through if I’d started writing as a teen!

And last question for a bit of fun, if you could only read 5 more books in your lifetime, what would they be?

I read for escapism, so you’ll find no tomes or classics on my list, just my favorite swoony comfort reads:

1. A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black
3. Roomies by Christina Lauren (really, anything by Christina Lauren)
4. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
5. The Impossibility of Us by Katy Upperman

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? FICTION!
• Plotter or pantser? Plotser? I need at least basic plot points to get started on drafting, but the story definitely changes and develops as I write. I usually don’t have an ending in mind!
• Favourite bookish trope? I love romance tropes. Enemies to lovers is (obviously) a favorite of mine, but I also love second chance romance and fake dating!
• Least favourite bookish trope? I don’t have any that I dislike so much that I automatically won’t read anything with that trope, but I don’t tend to love “brother’s best friend” stories, or anything with a huge age gap.
• Coffee or tea? I actually don’t drink either. Lemonade!
• Pizza or pasta? Pasta
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? The beach of course!
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? Smaller signings
• Sunny or rainy? Sun!
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? The Michigan lake setting of Meet Me At Midnight is based on the family vacation spot I’ve gone to since I was ten. I still go for a week every summer with my own family and my parents (sometimes siblings) so if I had to pick one vacation to continue, that would definitely be it!
• Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and music
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Christina Lauren (adult romance), Katy Upperman (YA romance), Holly Black (YA fantasy), Huntley Fitzpatrick (YA romance), and Kylie Scott (adult romance).

Will you be picking up Meet Me At Midnight? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Jessica Pennington, Author of ‘Meet Me At Midnight’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

So, you are well known within the reading community for your amazing writing style and queer romance. Do you have a tried and tested recipe? Or does it simply come to you during the drafting process?

It really depends on the type of story I’m telling. While the bones are there for what readers can expect from a TJ Klune story, I don’t want to write the same way for every book I write. If I did the same book over and over, I’d get bored, and it’d show through my writing.

For example, my upcoming novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, was always going to be story first, romance second. While the relationship Linus Baker forms with Arthur Parnassus is important, it’s not just about that specific relationship. It’s also about the familial relationship Linus has with the children of the orphanage he’s investigating. It’s through his bonds with the children that Linus is able to come out of his rigid shell and allow himself some peace and happiness with Arthur. Without one, there couldn’t be the other.

Do you write the romance first and then the overarching narrative? Or the opposite way around?

Story always comes first. I like to build the narrative around a romance, but it doesn’t always have to be the focal point.

In Cerulean, Linus isn’t the type to think about romance. He’s convinced himself he’s fine on his own, and that his life is ordered the way he wants it to be. He’s stuck in a bit of a rut, though he doesn’t quite know it. I knew going into the book that not only would the children he’s investigating would upend his life, but so would Arthur, who slowly but surely chips away at the walls Linus has constructed around himself. So many things come into play with Linus over the course of the novel: his understanding that the world isn’t how it should be, the part he’s played as a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, the way he interacts with the children, and his consternation over his evolving feelings about Arthur Parnassus. There are so many moving parts that have to be juggled carefully, because if thing falls, they all do. But it’s through this juggling act that Linus sees the life he’s led isn’t the life he’s supposed to have, that so long as he’s brave enough to do so, he can carve out a little corner of the world for himself.

And it’s much more organic this way, especially since it leads to the romance with Arthur. It’s believable, because Linus has to change his outlook in order to accept that he can have something as precious as this. The romance works because the story allows it to get to that point, and not the other way around.

You manage to expertly juggle a day job while also releasing an average of 4 books a year. Any tips on time management for those of us out there who are flailing at the thought of drafting as well as a 9-5?

Honestly, I wish I could give better advice, but the fact remains that I’ve been writing full time for four years. I quit the security of ten year career in 2016 because I was a) in a financial place to do so and b) I had the drive to stick with it. It was a scary time, leaving the safety of a salaried position, but there is no way I could have kept up with my output had I stayed in my cubicle job. Something had to give, so I sat down and worked out if it was possible for me to quit and focus on writing.

I suppose the best advice I can give for those considering doing something similar is to make sure you’re aware of all the potential outcomes. You might try and succeed. You might try and fail. You have to be ready for anything. I’ve been smart with my money and time. I write by a set schedule (which works for me): four days a week, six hours a day, usually around five thousand words a day. Some days I write more, some days I can’t write at all, but I know my limits because I have to.

Your first novel from publisher Tor, releases on March 17^th and is titled The House in the Cerulean Sea. How would you describe the novel to those who have yet to discover this masterpiece?

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a comedic fantasy sent in a world not much different from our own. In this world, magical beings are seen as “lesser” and something to be feared. Therefore, they have to be regulated by the government. Linus, the main character, is a case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. His job is to visit the government-sanctioned orphanages to make sure the children who’ve been taken from their families are being well-cared for.

At its beating heart, Cerulean is a story about discovery, about seeing people for who they really are rather than what the world wants them to be. It’s about standing up and speaking for those whose voices are buried in fear and bureaucracy. And, above all else, it’s about kindness. Kindness to ones self, and kindness to others.

What inspired your MC Linus, the ever prickly professional?

Linus was the first voice I heard when forming the idea for Cerulean. He is a fussy fellow, following the rules because it’s expected of him. He’s lonely, but he doesn’t quite understand just how lonely he is. He’s not exactly a stereotypical hero, and would rather go along to get along. But it was important to me to have a character such as him, a cog in a machine that never runs down, to show that change can start where we least expect it to, so long as someone is brave enough to stand up for the truth. At the opening of the novel, Linus isn’t that man, but he is set on a path to do just that.

I can’t say if there was any one specific inspiration for Linus. But when I began to write the novel, I remember being delighted with just how prickly he was, and that it was all a front for someone who longed to have a home of his own.

The children who reside on Marsyas Island are all things weird and wonderful, ranging from creatures of legend to the literal Anti-Christ. Can you tell me a little about the development of these amazing kids?

I wanted the children to all have distinct personalities. Writing children can be difficult, especially if they—as characters—tend to be too precocious. While this is a fantasy, children who don’t act their age can often pull the reader out of the story.

So while these children are capable of impossible feats of the imagination, they’re still just that: children. They have dreams, flights of fancy, wishes that only children can have. They see the world as a wide and wonderful place. At the same time, they are also aware of their position, and what people think of them. It’s a thin line to walk, but I though it important not to shy away from their reality. They know what they are, and they know others do too. If I didn’t acknowledge that, it could come across as disingenuous. I worked harder on the six main children, perhaps more than any other characters, because I needed Linus to see life through their eyes to help him become the man he was always supposed to be.

If you had to pick a favourite extraordinary child, who would it be and why? (I loved Chauncey because he’s just squish and cute goals. Also Talia – I swear she is the literary embodiment of my daughter’s attitude)

I know that most readers will probably be drawn to Lucy—the Antichrist—and I can see why. He’s wicked smart, heartbreakingly funny, and while the son of the devil, has a mischievous heart of gold.

That being said, Chauncey—the amorphous green blob—will always be my favorite. He is literal sunshine and only wants one thing in all the world: to be a bellhop. There’s something so startlingly innocent about it and him, and I enjoyed seeing him have his dreams realized.

House, as well as many of your other novels feature the concept of ‘found family’ quite predominantly. What draws you to this specific theme in your work?

The found family trope is important to me, not just as a writer, but as a queer person. Queer people sometimes have to make families of their own because their real families don’t appreciate them as they should. I come from such a place, and while it was hard at the beginning, I built a family of my own with people who love me for me, and not because they wanted me to be something different. Family isn’t always the people you’re born to. It’s the people who love you, no matter who you fall in love with.

Throughout the course of House, most of the characters are discriminated against for being ‘different’, a fact that mirrors the current world order. In a world that sees different as wrong, how do you feel the influx of own-voices literature is affecting the world of publishing and as a secondary effect, public opinion?

Own Voices authors are a necessity. We need queer people telling queer stories, but not just for queer people. They’re for anyone who wants to read them.

Young Adult fiction is leading the way for diversity, and rightly so. More and more, marginalized voices are having their stories told. It’s my hope that that which is considered adult fiction follows suit more than it has.

Do I hope I can help change minds with my words? Sure. Of course I do. Do I actually expect that to happen? I don’t know. Fear and bigotry are often ingrained in us at a young age, and it can be difficult to change minds about such things. The best I can hope for is that if someone reads my books, they do so with an open mind, and maybe they can use what they learned going forward in their lives. It’s sounds a bit trite, but dreams sometimes are.

Your YA debut, The Extraordinaries, also releases this year from Tor Teen in May. Its been described as Renegades meets Fangirl and follows Nick Bell, an ordinary boy obsessed with superheroes. How did this change of genre come about?

I wanted to write a book for queer kids that wasn’t a coming out story. While the coming out trope is valid and has a necessary place, I didn’t want to write that. I wanted to write a story where the main characters are all out and proud, and are supported by their families who only want their kids to be happy.

When I was a teenager, books with queer characters were often filled with offensive stereotypes, or the queer character existed merely as a plot point: they got hurt because of their sexuality, or they got sick and died. While fiction—thankfully—has mostly drifted away from that, we still have a lot of work to do.

Add to it the fact that we’re given “representation” in blockbuster movies like the Marvel movies or Star Wars, which has amounted to ten seconds of screen time between characters that aren’t even part of the main cast. We’re fed scraps and told it’s a full meal. That’s not right. I wanted to write a comic book movie in the form of a book, and to give queer people what they deserve: to be front and center and allowed to be human, to make mistakes and learn from them.

Can readers expect your signature style of burn within this one?

You can. I love the long, slow burn.

Will Extraordinaries be a standalone like House? Or will we be waiting eagerly for more instalments of Nick and Seth?

It’s actually the start of a trilogy (something, as I’m sure you’re aware, is never, ever done in YA). I’ve already written the second book, and later this year, I’ll write the third and final. This was always envisioned as a three book series because I wanted to spend as much time with these characters as I could, without dragging it out too much. While I don’t want to knock other series that have dozens of books, I think it’s important to have an endgame in sight, a definitive ending so that the reader doesn’t get bored while reading book 26 of a series.

Is there anything else you tell me about The Extraordinaries? 

The Extraordinaries is one of the first books I’ve written where I address something I have: ADHD. Nick, the main character, also has ADHD, and I wanted to give a voice to people like me, people who are neurodiverse. I struggled for a long time with ADHD, thinking it made me an “other”, just another thing that made me different than anyone else. I learned to accept and love that part of me—it is, in it’s way, my own personal superpower—and I wanted Nick to have the same realization. He struggles with how his brain is wired, but he learns to accept that part of himself.

Where can readers expect to see you in the coming months?

Everywhere, it seems like! Beginning in March, I’ll be on a country-wide book tour for Cerulean, followed by another book tour in May in support of The Extraordinaries. I can’t wait to see everyone to talk books!

Is there anything in the works that you can tell us about?

Many, many things, as it turns out. I love writing, so much so that I get restless if I go on to long without putting words to a page. Aside from Cerulean and Extraordinaries, I have the fourth and final volume in my Green Creek series—Brothersong—coming out in August. And then I’m going to take a nice, long break until 2021 where I’ll have three more books coming out: The Tremendous Death of Wallace Price (queer fantasy from Tor), Extraordinaries II (Tor Teen) and a third book that I’m not quite ready to discuss as of yet. 2022 is already pretty much set too, with two planned books, and a third which I’m going to start writing in the next couple of weeks or so.

What would you tell your younger self about your road to published author if you had the chance?

It’s going to be hard. The road won’t always be easy, but so long as you believe in yourself and the stories you’ll write, you’re going to be just fine, in the end.

And last question for a bit of fun, if you could only read 5 more books in your lifetime, what would they be?

It by Stephen King, A Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, The Lost City of Z by David Grann, The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren, and The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction!
• Plotter or pantser? Depends on the story, but usually plotter.
• Favourite bookish trope? Found family (natch).
• Least favourite bookish trope? Bury the gays
• Coffee or tea? Tea
• Pizza or pasta? Pizza
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Hiking! (I have a dumb fear of the ocean)
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? Smaller signings.
• Sunny or rainy? Rainy
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? Ireland.
• Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and Netflix.
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Bart Yates, Stephen King (and up and coming author you might have heard of), Robert McCammon, Patricia Nell Warren, and Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes is an absolute treasure, and if you haven’t read the collections since you were a kid, I absolutely recommend picking them up again and seeing just how many things you might have missed as a younger reader. I’m in awe at the multiple levels each comic strip works on.)

Will you be checking out TJ’s new books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: TJ Klune, Author of ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Okay, so if you haven’t read Laura Pohl’s own voices debut, The Last 8, I feel like you’ve either been living under a rock OR you live in my home country of Australia and haven’t seen the intense hype it received because, well, we kind of live in a publicity black hole. It’s a punchy and riveting read that this reviewer read in a single sitting because it’s unputdownable. When I got the opportunity to read this sequel early, I silently sobbed as I gently crooned at my Kindle and got hearty eyes.

The return of characters that were utter perfection could have potentially gone two ways: either it would be an utter disservice to its predecessor or it would expand on characters which hold a special place in my heart. Dubious from the outset, the latter was true and while the returning cast still have something special about them, Pohl expertly expands upon Clovers universe with the additional of extra characters in order to keep the narrative fresh. The addition of a father figure allowed a new relationship to form with the protagonist alongside a revelation that will leave you questioning everything from The Last 8.

While Pohl’s debut was extremely fast paced, the narrative in The First 7 takes a little longer to really get into a rhythm that will keep the reader enthralled. For around the first 20%, there is a lot of exploration of new terrain and I will admit to feeling just a little underwhelmed. After a while, however, the story picks up the pace with twists and turns while an integral character silently waits to pounce at the best possible opportunity. And holy moly, it is an AMAZING reveal!

Now, I personally read a lot and have been guilty of forgetting storylines because they kind of all mash together into one uber fantasy, so I found it extremely helpful that the first few pages followed Clover doing a little reminiscing about her adventures in the previous instalment. It’s not ridiculously longwinded and gives a quick reminder, so if you had just read The Last 8, the recap of sorts wouldn’t be particularly distracting as it simply gives a lightning quick overview rather than dragging and causing the potential to simply skip pages.

Once again, this novel deals with some dark themes, providing content warnings for depression, suicidal ideations, and PTSD. While this content isn’t included as much as in The Last 8, it is still present and Pohl deals with it in an expert and careful manner.

Overall, I really liked this novel and while the pacing was initially slow, it definitely picked up but I feel there was something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. The narrative was interesting and had many twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing for the most part. Old characters are expanded upon and new ones introduced, but I feel maybe this is where it was lacking slightly as one particular character felt a little like they had been introduced simply to provide a new relationship rather than flowing naturally. And of course Sputnik makes a comeback which automatically gives The First 7 a high rating. If you loved novels like Lifelike by Jay Kristoff and Renegades by Marissa Meyer, this one is sure to be a hit for you.

The First 7 is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of March 3rd 2020.

Will you be picking up The First 7? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

In the thrilling conclusion to the Last 8 duology, the Last Teenagers on Earth return home to find a colony of survivors who aren’t who they seem

Clover Martinez and the Last Teenagers on Earth are busy exploring the galaxy after leaving earth behind…even if they are homesick. So when their ship receives a distress signal from their former home, they hope against hope that it means that there are other survivors. But as soon as they arrive, they realize something’s deeply wrong: strange crystal formations are taking over Earth’s soil and threatening to destroy the planet.

Seeking the origin of the formations, the group discovers a colony of survivors hidden in the mountains. Relief gives way to panic as the teenagers realize these survivors aren’t who they seem…and Clover and her friends might not be able to escape.

The post Review: The First 7 by Laura Pohl appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Older sibling Autumn is a rebel, sells drugs, and disappears at all hours of the night, all to avoid her father and stepmother Kathy. She is determined to make a better life for herself and leave her tragic life behind, if only she can stay out of jail for long enough to graduate high school.

Ivy feels like she doesn’t know her own family. Since her mother died, her father has remarried and withdrawn from the family while her older sister, Autumn, has deliberately been getting in trouble. She spends her afternoons playing board games with friends and having a secret crush on her best friend. But when Autumn goes missing, Ivy refuses to believe she is simply hiding out for a few days. Intent on discovering the truth of the matter, no stone will be left unturned until the mystery of Autumn Casterly is solved.

So, starting out, this novel has a very high school feel to it. Everything is all about parties, friendships, and hiding the truth of who people really are. Opening on Autumn, there’s raids of school lockers and shady drug deals, while from Ivy’s perspective it’s all sunshine, lollipops, and board game fun. It felt just a little strained and cliched until a few chapters in when everything starts to change. After a deal at a party, Autumn has the spotlight thrown on her for a burglary gone wrong, a crime she hasn’t committed. But shortly afterwards, she goes missing with the entire town ignoring that there is a problem because surely this disappearance isn’t any different from every other time Autumn has run away?

Once the narrative really gets moving, Ivy will stop at nothing to find her lost sister despite the criticism from everyone she knows. Having an older sister myself (one who I don’t particularly spend a lot of time with but I love her anyway), I found the character of Ivy mostly relatable – no I don’t get along with said sister all that well, but like hell I’m not trying to find her if she falls off the face of the earth.

So, what is the vibe of this novel you ask? It’s kind of like that Reese Witherspoon movie where she’s in a coma and haunts Mark Ruffalo, but the characters aren’t adults, someone’s been kidnapped and instead of being destined for romance, it’s a dark mystery. The scenes where Autumn dissociates from her surroundings and instead stalks Ivy to find clues were well done and the invisible bond between siblings was a creative twist that I felt fit easily into the narrative. Instead of directly guiding her, Autumn acts kind of like Ivy’s intuition in parts, allowing the reader to be fully engulfed by the story rather than being pulled out by a farcical notion.

This novel also has some very dark themes to it. Along with discussions about and a character selling drugs to minors, Autumn Casterly bridges familial breakdown, slut shaming, physical and emotional abuse, and lastly, contains references to and depictions of rape. If you are looking for a light contemporary, this is not the book for you. If you don’t mind some heavy themes and discussions about real world occurrences, I would highly advise you to read this beautifully crafted work of fiction.

Lastly, I want to bring up the afterword of the author. In a letter to the reader that takes several pages, the author Meredith Tate explains her reasoning for writing this emotionally charged novel. She speaks of abuse, the need for better understanding of rape victims and the cover-ups that frequently occur in society by perpetrators and their family/friends. Not only is the novel written well, but Tate’s additional content brings to light the terrible circumstances in which many find themselves when questioned by authorities. If the reader takes nothing else away, I would hope they read this letter and realise that sometimes people need to see outside their own narrow viewpoint and be the change the world needs.

So, in a nutshell, Autumn Casterly is a well written and insightful look into the plight of a teenage girl who has endured so many wrongs it has changed her for life. It’s a discussion on what it means to be a teenager in a modern world that discriminates against people it views as ‘wrong’. But it’s also an amazing tale of familial bonds and the strength that even the smallest of us can show in the face of adversity. If you are a fan on dark contemporaries, such as Roam and We Were Liars. If these aren’t your preferred genre, I would still recommend you take a look, it may just change your mind.

The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

When band-geek Ivy and her friends get together, things start with a rousing board game and end with arguments about Star Wars.

Her older sister Autumn is a different story. Enigmatic, aloof, and tough as nails, Autumn hasn’t had real friends–or trusted anyone–in years. Even Ivy.

But Autumn might not be tough enough. After a drug deal gone wrong, Autumn is beaten, bound, and held hostage. Now, trapped between life and death, she leaves her body, seeking help. No one can sense her presence–except her sister.

When Autumn doesn’t come home, Ivy just knows she’s in trouble. Unable to escape the chilling feeling that something isn’t right, Ivy follows a string of clues that bring her closer to rescuing her sister… and closer to danger.

Autumn needs Ivy to find her before time runs out. But soon, both sisters realize that finding her also means untangling the secrets that lead to the truth–about where they’re hiding Autumn, and what Autumn has been hiding.

The post Review: The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly by Meredith Tate appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

You casually slid into the publishing scene with your debut series, Article 5, in 2012. How long did the road to published author take?

Oh Article 5…my first published baby! It took a long time for me to get there – 10 years of querying different books, in fact! There were times I was convinced I’d never be published, but perseverance paid off, and I’m happy to welcome a new series to my growing book family!

After this series culminated, you moved on to several standalone novels including the novel The Glass Arrow, a sort of YA Handmaidens Tale. How does your writing process differ between standalones and series?

For me, a story is dictated by the characters. If they have more to say, it’s going to be a series. When they’re quiet, I know the story is done. For The Glass Arrow, Metaltown, and Pacifica, I knew the story was ending when the characters in my head were satisfied with the conclusion. (That said, I do much more plotting for series – there are more arcs, character and plot wise, to consider before everything is wrapped up.)

A lot of your work fits into the dystopian genre, while your latest novels, the Vale Hall trilogy are more a contemporary style of writing. All of them however, fit into the umbrella of Young Adult. What draws you to writing for a teenage audience?

I love writing for teens, but many of my novels end up being young adult because that’s how the characters present in my head. I love exploring exciting, new situations and challenges with them – the intensity of a first relationship, the devastation of loss. It’s the sharpness of emotion in YA lit that really draws me in.

Last year the first in the Vale Hall series, The Deceivers was released to wide acclaim. Was it always intended to be a series?

It was! I knew Brynn and the Vale Hall crew were going to have a lot to say and do from the beginning!

For readers who haven’t read The Deceivers, how would you describe these novels?

A girl goes to a school for con artists! I usually describe it as a very twisted, morally gray, Harry Potter.

In The Deceivers, the audience meets a group of teens who are attending a so called ‘school for scoundrels’. What was your inspiration for these characters?

‘Found family’ is one of my favorite concepts in all literature, and I absolutely love writing it. As someone who spent much of their life searching for my people, Brynn’s hope (and skepticism) of acceptance rings true with me. Each of the people at Vale Hall become a part of her life she works to complete her assignments.

While on initial inspection the protagonists of Vale Hall could be seen as villains, after reading the cast could be seen as a type of antihero who are simply trying to get ahead in the world. Were there certain events that shaped the progress of the characters?

I’m always intrigued by the line between good and evil. The characters in The Deceivers and Scammed do some bad things, but with important intention. As the director of the school, Dr. Odin, says, “would you fault the starving child for stealing food?” The con artists at Vale Hall may be doing “bad” things, but they’re also trying to strangle some of the corruption that has oppressed them.

So Scammed, the sequel to 2019’s The Deceivers, releases on February 4th this year. How have you spent your time in the lead up to its release?

Breathing into a paper bag and yelling at strangers for no reason.

I’m (kind of) kidding! This book has been such a joy to write and work on. I’m really just excited to share it with everyone!

In the finale of the first novel, we see the underlying humanity of Brynn relating to her mark and their plight. What can readers expect from Brynn, Caleb and their criminal friends?

Ooh…more cons, more twists, more dangerous assignments, and definitely more kissing.

If you could have any of your novels/series translated to the screen, which would you choose and what form would it take? (e.g. Movie, limited series, short/long form series) Who would be your dream casting?

Oh I would LOVE to see the Vale Hall books as a TV series! I always imagined it that way in my head while I was writing – like I was taking dictation of a script already in progress. I’m not sure who I’d dream cast, but I do love the models on the new cover – they make an excellent Brynn, Caleb, and Grayson!

Where can readers expect to see you in the coming months?

I’ll be hitting a lot of cities in the next few months – details posted on my social media sites (@kris10writes on Twitter and Instagram) soon!

Is there anything in the works that you can tell us about?

I also have a series I’ve co-written with Sara Raasch which starts in August. The first book, SET FIRE TO THE GODS, is about gladiators who fight in an Ancient Rome inspired world, using elemental magic. I can’t wait!

Last question, what would you tell your younger self about your road to published author if you had the chance?

Don’t worry. Keep trying – you’ll just get better. Everything worth having takes time and a lot of work.

QUICKFIRE ROUND

• Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction, definitely. (And commercial fiction if we’re getting picky!)
• Plotter or pantser? I used to be a pantser, but then my books ended up being WAY too long. Now I try to plot a basic structure, and let my characters flush out the story.
• Favourite bookish trope? Found family!
• Least favourite bookish trope? Crushes on relatives. That…is not my jam.
• Coffee or tea? Tea for sure!
• Pizza or pasta? Pizza!
• Beach holiday or hiking in the bush? Hiking. My dream vacation is always a cabin in the woods.
• Convention crowds or smaller signings? Either. I love meeting readers!
• Sunny or rainy? Sunshine, please!
• If you could pick a single holiday destination for the rest of your life, where would it be? Definitely a cabin in the mountains.
• Music, books or Netflix – you can only pick 2? Books and Netflix. I’ll make my own music (Haha just kidding).
• If you could recommend five authors to the general public that are must reads, who would they be? Katie McGarry, Mindee Arnett, Sara Raasch, Caleb Roehrig, and Nancy Werlin.

Will you be picking up Scammed? Tell us in the comments below!

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