Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.
We had the pleasure of chatting with debut author Deborah Falaye about Blood Scion, which is out March 8th 2022, along with book recommendations, writing advice, and more!
Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, thank you so much for having me! My name is Deborah Falaye, and I’m the author of the upcoming YA fantasy, Blood Scion. I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria until the age of twelve, when my family and I moved to Canada. I now live in Toronto with my husband and our nine-year-old Yorkie, Major. I’m obsessed with reality TV, and I’ve probably seen most, if not all, of the shows on Bravo.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
When we lived in Nigeria, my mom was a teacher, so we always had piles of books around the house. I grew up devouring stories by Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and any other African literature I could get my hands on. That was when I first fell in love with the written word. Those books not only offered me the kind of escape I craved as a child, they also inspired me to want to create stories of my own.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Things Fall Apart was the first book I read that really left an impact on me. It’s a story about African history and the effects of colonization on spirituality, identity, traditions and culture. At the time, I had no idea how much Achebe’s story would influence my own writing. That was until I started working on Blood Scion and saw how the same themes of invasion, forced colonization and the erasure of a culture became prevalent in my book.
Your debut novel, Blood Scion, is coming out soon! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Compelling, Emotional, Brutal, Magical, Epic.
What can readers expect when they read Blood Scion?
Lots of pain and heartache, lol. The truth is the world of Blood Scion is so painfully brutal, and as a reader, you’re immediately taken on a journey with characters learning how to survive in this broken world. So I will say you can definitely expect the unexpected. There’s a running theme in the story, which is, how far are you willing to go, and exactly how much are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? You’ll see characters making right and wrong decisions, and the terrible consequences they suffer for those actions. Basically, it’s just a high-stakes, roller coaster of emotions from start to finish.
With Blood Scion, it was also very important for me to balance the pain with some hope and humor, and I got to do that with the female friendships in this book. The relationships between the characters were certainly some of my favorite parts. And of course, there’s the romance. I really had the best time writing that enemies-to-lovers dynamic, so readers can look forward to that aspect of the story too.
Where did the inspiration for Blood Scion come from? For this book, you draw on legends and mythology. Do you have a favorite legend or myth?
My Yoruba culture was definitely the first spark of inspiration. Growing up in Nigeria, my grandmother would always tell stories about the Orisha gods and goddesses. There’s just so much history behind the pantheon, the legends and traditions, that I’ve always been fascinated with. So when I started working on Blood Scion ten years ago, I knew immediately that I wanted to ground it in that same mythology and culture. I also knew that if I was going to pull from the Yoruba culture, I wanted to utilize those elements in the most authentic way that I could. So I definitely tried to stay true to the source with most of the myths and legends—one of them being the creation story about how the Supreme Creator sent one of his Orishas, Obatala, down to earth and the Yoruba Kingdoms were formed. That was a story I absolutely loved when I was growing up, and I couldn’t wait to put it in Blood Scion.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me was speed. It took me a long time to accept the fact that I’m really just a slow writer, and allow myself to be okay with that knowledge. In the past, I would always compare myself to writers who were churning out 2000 words a day, and every time I didn’t hit that word count, I’d feel so defeated. I learned that the comparison game is the worst thing you can do to yourself as a writer because not only does it put a strain on your work ethic, it also severely damages your productivity. Blood Scion certainly suffered because of this in the beginning, but once I overcame that, the writing process went a lot smoother.
There is a sequel to Blood Scion planned for winter 2023 release. Do you have a title yet, and is there anything you can tell readers yet?
I have a title that I absolutely can’t wait to share with readers. And while I can’t say much about the sequel, I will say that I’m very happy with the direction of the story. We pick up right where book one ended, and Sloane is once again forced to stand up against a bigger, more sinister threat in an effort to save her people. We also dive deeper into the history of the world, so we get to learn more about the Orishas, the fall of the Ancient Kingdoms, and the mystery behind the ancestral forest. It’s definitely my most ambitious project yet, but I’m really excited for everyone to find out what’s next for Sloane.
What’s the best writing advice you ever received? And what about the worst?
Best writing advice I ever received came from one of my creative writing teachers, and that is to: keep your eyes on your own paper. Don’t get lost in other authors’ successes and focus more on your own journey because publishing isn’t a competition. I’ve also gotten some terrible advices over the years, but the worst one has to be that: you’re not a real writer unless you’re churning out thousands of words every day. I think that’s just ridiculous because there’s no measure to writing, and as long as you have a story to tell, you’re a writer.
Lastly, what have been some of your favorite recent reads? And can you share a couple of your favorite authors with our readers?
I recently finished my re-read of Louisa Onomé’s upcoming contemporary novel, Twice as Perfect, and the story is absolutely beautiful. Another book I haven’t stopped thinking about is Roseanne A. Brown’s A Psalm of Storms and Silence. It’s the perfect sequel to her debut novel, and the romance and worldbuilding are top-tier. A few of my recent favorites also include these 2022 debut books. Some are out already, and others will be coming out in the next few months: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len, This Vicious Grace by Emily Thiede, The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman, and Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer.
As for some of my favorite authors, I will read anything and everything from: Ciannon Smart, J. Elle, Dhonielle Clayton, Angie Thomas, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Sabaa Tahir, and Victoria Aveyard!
