We are delighted to chat with debut author Georgia Summers about her spellbinding contemporary fantasy The City of Stardust, which is a lush world of magic, stardust, and monsters!
Hi, Georgia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m currently an author and editor, but I’ve also been a bookseller and worked in a rare books library – I like to say that I’ve seen the entire lifecycle of a book. Growing up, I moved around a lot, so I’m also what you would call a third culture kid. My accent is confounding to all!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have an appalling memory, so the truth is I don’t remember. But I’ve always been serious about writing.
With it now 2024, have you set any goals or resolutions for the year?
Any other year, I would have a proper list. But because there’s been so much in motion recently, the end of the year hasn’t quite felt like a clear-cut stopping point. So I’ve been a bit lax on making my resolutions!
Even in the absence of specific goals (for now), I always have a couple of guiding principles to work from. Read more. Do things that make me happy. Work hard and well.
Your debut novel, The City of Stardust, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Curses. Scholars. Worlds-walking. Parties!
What can readers expect?
Mysterious keys to elsewhere; power-hungry, tattooed scholars; a centuries-old tragedy; enigmatic gods and vengeful monsters. I hope that readers come away with the sense that they could open the right door, or turn a corner, and stumble into adventure the way Violet does.
Where did the inspiration for The City of Stardust come from?
Normally I start with a singular moment or scene and build out from there, but The City of Stardust is a real hodge-podge of ideas. There’s a short story I wrote at university, Spirited Away fanart I came across, that deceptively thin line between the fairytale and the curse, climbing into a wardrobe in the hopes of falling through the other side – even that I’m a sucker for anywhere with mountains and snow. Somehow, it’s all crammed in there.
More than anything, I knew I wanted the world to feel wide – like you could walk off the edge of the last page and keep going.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Caspian Verne was a huge amount of fun to write. He’s charming, rogueish and a little flirty. And while the other characters are grappling with these huge forces against them, he’s off throwing parties. He’s clearly living in a different novel!
I also loved writing the fairytales that intersperse the main narrative. There’s something both challenging and delightful about tilting the same story on its side again and again, and seeing what falls out.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: When I was younger, my most beloved books were inherited from my parents. So I read Enid Blyton, and a lot of Victorian children’s classics, many of which tap into that sense of adventure.
- The one that made you want to become an author: It’s impossible to say! But the first fantasy book I really loved was probably Sabriel by Garth Nix.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Oh God, there are so many. I recently read White Cat, Black Dog by Kelly Link and fell in love with the twisty way she considers and adapts fairytales. I’m also going to be sneaky and add one more: Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson, which is such a clever, fun take on making art.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Like everything in publishing, it’s been long stretches of work, punctuated by explosions of action. I signed with my agent in September 2020 with a partial manuscript, and spent the next year and a half hammering it out. We went out on submission in the last week of May 2022, and by the first week in June, we had a pre-emptive offer. It’s been a long road in some ways, but I’ve been exceptionally lucky.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently finishing up edits on a fantasy standalone. A book thief inherits a magical bookshop, and stumbles into a murder mystery, a shady society and ink magic. Plus, she must contend with a rival bookseller who’s determined to claim the bookshop for himself.
Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
So many! I am so excited for The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden, as well as The Book of Love by Kelly Link and The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley. I’m also really looking forward to Paris Celestial by A. Y. Chao, the sequel to Shanghai Immortal, and Best Hex Ever by Nadia El-Fassi.
