When I was asked to interview Kathryn Purdie for her upcoming book, Bone Crier’s Moon, I’m pretty sure I went full velociraptor for a second with the screech that burst forth. If you haven’t seen heard of this book yet, please do yourself a favour and go add it to your TBR! It’s got star-crossed lovers, and women who ferry the souls of the dead to the heavens or the underworld using this bone flute that I want to know so much more about! Also, did I mention it’s got an amazing cover? I cannot wait to see this book out in the world, but more importantly, I NEED book two ASAP!
Kathryn, could you tell us a little about yourself and about your latest book Bone Crier’s Moon?
I studied classical acting growing up and in college, and I didn’t start writing seriously until I was in my early thirties and had three kids. My first books published are the Burning Glass series, and Bone Crier’s Moon is the first in a young adult fantasy duology. It’s about Ailesse, a magical siren and soul ferrier, and Bastien, a boy seeking to avenge his murdered father, and how they become soulmates fated to kill one another. Sabine is the third point-of-view character, and her storyline focuses on how to save her best friend, Ailesse, from the deadly soul-bond she’s tangled up in.
Can you talk about the magic system the Bone Crier’s use? Which animal attributes would you be drawn to if you were a Bone Crier?
The magic in Bone Crier’s Moon derives from the two gods of the afterlife, Tyrus and Elara. Tyrus’s magic involves animal bones and blood sacrifice, and Elara’s magic comes from the moon and starlight, which gives the Bone Criers their life force energy. Bone magic definitely takes more focus in this book, though. If I were a Bone Crier, I’d want speed and healing, like Ailesse and Sabine. Ailesse gets her speed from the wing bone of a peregrine falcon, the fastest bird, and Sabine has the ability to heal herself from the skull of a fire salamander.
Whose point of view you were drawn to the most while you were writing the story?
Sabine’s storyline was the one I was most worried about getting right because she doesn’t have the life or death stakes or the romance thread, like Ailesse and Bastien. To make her story just as compelling, I added a lot of mystery for her to unravel and gave her the most page time with the villain. I found while writing that I really connected most to Sabine, probably because she’s the underdog and the most empathic character, so she has a cool arc in becoming fierce and strong to achieve her goal. She’s also the person who questions to cost of blood sacrifice the most, so she represents the moral heart of the story.
There’s such a rich folklore in your story that I definitely want to explore in more depth. Can you talk a bit more about Tyrus and Elara?
Tyrus rules the Underworld, and Elara rules the Night Heavens (a.k.a. Paradise). At the end of the soul bridge, there are two Gates, one for each kingdom to the afterlife, and the Bone Criers must ferry the dead to the appropriate Gate. The Chained souls go to the Underworld, and the Unchained go to the Night Heavens. In my story’s mythology, Tyrus and Elara married at the dawn of time, and the other gods punished them for it, splitting the afterlife into two kingdoms. Tyrus and Elara had one child together, who became the first Leurress (Bone Crier), and all other Bone Criers descended from her. For me, Tyrus unwittingly became a representation of the harsh male gods of hell in other mythologies, while Elara came to represent the power of femininity. The moon is especially associated with women, and most cultures’ moon deity is female, so having Paradise be the Night Heavens in my book was the perfect fit. Despite being married, Tyrus and Elara don’t have a good relationship anymore. He is controlling, and she wants independence, and the sequel will go into how that plays out much more in depth.
What is a pastime that Sabine and Ailesse can both agree on? What about Bastien, Jules, and Marcel?
Growing up, Ailesse and Sabine loved to spy on regular humans. Bone Criers live a life of isolation, and they are forbidden to let anyone outside of their famille know about their existence (except for their soulmates, whom the gods choose for them during their rites of passage), so Ailesse and Sabine are super curious about those who don’t live life like they do. Ailesse loves any kind of challenge and adventure, while Sabine is inquisitive and thinks about everything on a philosophical level.
After their fathers were murdered, Bastien, Jules, and Marcel grew up together on the streets of Dovré. Life was hard. They had to scavenge for food and find shelter in various hideouts, including the catacombs below the city. For fun, they made a game of thieving, which they had to do to survive, daring each other to accomplish near-impossible feats. But Marcel was never as physically adept as Bastien and Jules, so his role would have been more about logically thinking through their strategy and mapping escape routes.
What’s a favorite line or scene that you kept coming back to while writing the story?
“Love isn’t love if you don’t show it” is my favorite line in the book. It’s something Ailesse tells her mother, Odiva, who is the matriarch of the Bone Crier famille. Ailesse worships Odiva and wants to be a powerful ruler like her someday, but her mother is cold and rarely shows any affection. “Love isn’t love if you don’t show it” also works as a thematic line. Bone Criers don’t get a choice as to whom they love; the gods choose their soulmates. So free will vs. fate is an important dilemma in the duology.
Your cover is stunning! Can you tell our readers who the cover artist is? Did you get to have any input on it?
Thank you so much! It’s the cover of my dreams. The incredible Charlie Bowater is the cover artist. I didn’t work with her directly, but I did tell my publisher that I hoped for an illustrated cover, and I envisioned Ailesse and Bastien on a bridge together and each holding knives. I gave my publisher a list of my three favorite artists, and Charlie was at the top of that list. Like I said, this is truly the cover of my dreams! Fun fact: the cover has three hidden images in the top foliage. See if you can find them!
What are some writing comforts that you need to have when you start writing a new story idea?
I need a new notebook, a perfect ball-point pen with blue ink, a Pinterest board with lots of images to inspire me, curated writing music, lots of research that’s all organized into Scrivener, and a detailed outline so I don’t feel paralyzed by wondering what comes next.
Since Bone Crier’s Moon is going to be a duology, are you currently working on the second part? May we have a little teaser of what’s to come?
I’ve already completed the first round of revisions with my editor on the sequel. I love it just as much or more than book one. I can tell you that you’ll come to know a new character well, you’ll visit a new and mystical place with one of the main characters, and the Bone Criers will have to learn how to ferry the dead in new and challenging ways.
Finally, what are your current favorites? Can be books, music, food, or an activities that you’re finding particularly enjoyable of late!
I love binge-watching home remodelling shows and singing competitions. Fixer Upper and The Voice are my favorites. They’re a good change of pace when my brain needs a break from all things fiction. Lucius is a new favorite band of mine, thanks to my oldest daughter, who took me to their concert this past year. We camped out at the edge of a ghost town. So fun! And YA fantasy books will always have my heart, but I especially loved a recent adult romance written by my critique partner, Ilima Todd. It’s called A Song for the Stars, and it’s based on the true love story of Ilima’s Hawaiian ancestors.
Bio: Kathryn Purdie is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the BURNING GLASS series and BONE CRIER’S MOON, the first in a YA fantasy duology from Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins. She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children. Kathryn is a trained classical actress who studied at the Oxford School of Drama. In her spare time, she loves writing songs on her guitar for her characters, binge-watching TV, and devouring Peanut Butter Oreos. Discover more about her at her website, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
