We chat with author Kayvion Lewis about Thieves’ Gambit, which is a cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother’s life—think The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven!
Hi, Kayvion! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m Kayvion (obviously, haha) I’m a twenty-four-year old former librarian turned writer. My first job choice was adventurer, but I couldn’t find any job listings requiring globe-trotting or experience with defeating secret societies so I settled for writing adventures instead.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
About five years ago, when I was nineteen. A friend and I used to have a joke that one day I’d disappear to travel the world on fantastical quests and she’d never see me again. She’d poke back asking how I was going to pay for that. “By writing over-the-top thrillers about my own adventures,” I’d say. Somehow that joke turned into reality, when I opened my laptop and just started typing one day. Being in a library surrounded by books every day may have helped me realize just how much I’d enjoy crafting my own stories too.
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!
First book: Anne of Green Gables (My mom read it to me every night as a little girl.) No specific book sparked my authoral pursuits, but I’d say The 39 Clues series was an early influence that ended up inspiring me later on. Lately I’ve been obsessed with Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s the novel series that inspired The Untamed, which a friend introduced to me last month. I’m currently reading volume three and am enthralled with the magic system and the different relationships and histories all the characters have.
Your latest novel, Thieves’ Gambit, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Cinematic, glamorous, deceptive, stealthy, dangerous.
What can readers expect?
International adventure, criminal underworld intrigue, and enough twists to give you whiplash.
Where did the inspiration for Thieves’ Gambit come from?
I know it’s a cliché, but the premise for Thieves’ Gambit actually came to me in a dream. I woke up convinced that someone had written this awesome book I dreamt about. After a morning of frantic googling, I realized that no one had, so I wrote it!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Exploring the dynamic between my MC Ross and her former best friend turned arch-nemesis Noelia was a highlight for me. They way they waffle between hating each other and respecting each other made for colorful character interactions–even if some of that color is from the blood that gets split when they clash heads on occasion…
Do you have any favourite fictional heist stories?
The Ocean’s series is a perennial favorite. Ocean’s 8 is my personal favorite–the met gala heist definitely inspired some of the glamor in Thieves’ Gambit.
What’s next for you?
Heist Royale–the sequel to Thieves’ Gambit–is my top priority at the moment, but excluding that there’s a middle grade fantasy I’ve been tweaking for the last few months. Since it’s written by me, it’s packed with outrageous set pieces, fantastical locations, and a steady roster of frenemies.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Rainbow in the Dark by Sean McGinty is an underrated gem. The book is about you, (yes, it’s a rare book written in second person) trying to win your way out of a video game-esque world so you can get back to your brother, the only person who makes life worth living. The whole book is a metaphor for living with and healing from depression but done in such an abstract and bizarre yet poignant way that it easily wheedled its way into my heart. I wish this book had more eyes on it. Highly recommend.
