We are delighted to chat with best-selling author Holly Black about her latest and highly anticipated release The Prisoner’s Throne, which is the second installment in The Stolen Heir duology!
Hi, Holly! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’ve been a working writer since my first book came out in 2002. Since then, my books have sold about 26 million copies, been translated into over thirty languages, and adapted for film and television.
Personally, I love playing games with my family, collecting too many pens, reading in my secret library, and scheming.
The Prisoner’s Throne is out March 5th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Oh, this is hard: longing, bloodlust, homecoming, betrayal, transformation?
Did you always have the idea to write The Stolen Heir spin off series? Or was this something that came into the works during or after the original trilogy was published?
I realized I wanted to do it while I was writing The Queen of Nothing and I became curious about Suren, the terrifying child queen in the Court of Teeth, and about how Oak would handle the trauma of his past in a family determined to protect him.
What was one of the highlights of writing this duology?
I was interested in the format of the duology and what kinds of structures it suggested. That’s how I came to wanting to write the first book from Wren’s point of view and the concluding book from Oak’s point of view. That was really fun to plan and offered both interesting story opportunities and interesting challenges.
Did you find writing The Prisoner’s Throne posed any different challenges to the other books in this universe?
Readers care a great deal about Jude and Cardan and folks they know from The Folk of the Air series, so it was tricky to give Wren and Oak enough separation to stand on their own – and to keep them at the center of the story even when the books return to Elfhame.
Jude and Wren are both headstrong female protagonists, who at many times throughout their storylines, fall victim to the politics and trickery of the fae. Did you take a different approach to writing Wren than you did with Jude?
I don’t think I’ve ever written a character like Wren. She starts out the book extremely closed off, partially feral, and very shy. She doesn’t run toward conflict the way that Jude does; she hides from it. She’s less likely to make a cutting remark and more likely to bite. I identify with Wren a lot, but I wasn’t sure she was the sort of protagonist other people would like, so it’s been immensely gratifying how accepted and embraced she’d been.
We see some very serious and dark themes interwoven throughout The Stolen Heir. Wren even, when walking tough the Ice Needle citadel, refers to herself as “…. A girl with a whole for a life” (which broke the hearts of readers everywhere!). This coupled with evil fae, violence, and even child abuse. Was there a scene in particular that was more difficult to write?
The hardest scene to write in The Stolen Heir was probably the one in the prologue where Wren’s parents and sister reject her. I read a lot of news stories about monstrous families to prepare for writing the book, so those really echoed in my head. My editor pushed me to make the scene more brutal – and I think that was the right call – but it made me think of my own kid and was difficult.
I was fascinated by Lady Nore’s cruelty and power hungry attitude. If I could choose any character from the Folk of the Air universe, I would want to see her villain origins story. Do you have a character that you think should step into the spotlight and tell their own story?
That’s an interesting question! The character I think I would most like to follow is Madoc, although his story would be tricky to write, because he has rejected so many opportunities to do the right thing and done the terrible one instead.
Are you able to give the Nerd Daily readers a tease as to what’s next for the Folk of the Air universe?
I’m not allowed to say, but I can tell you that by the end of The Prisoner’s Throne, you’re going to have a very clear idea…
With having books published over the last two decades, did you have any “goals” when you first became an author? Did you ever imagine your career would be where it is now?
When I first became an author, my goal was just to finish a book and have it out in the world. That sounds simple but it felt impossible back then!
What I’ve learned in the last two decades (!!) is that success in this industry is staying in the game – continuing to write more books, continuing to publish, and continuing to be able to support myself and my family doing something I love.
Lastly, it’s safe to say that The Prisoner’s Throne is on a lot of ‘Most Anticipated Releases” lists. What is one book you are most excited for this year?
Kelly Link’s Book of Love. It’s gorgeous, mythic, scary, and funny – a true master work. Stop reading this interview immediately and get it!
