Inspired by the legend of Tristan and Iseult, Wild Savage Stars is the spellbinding sequel to Sweet Black Waves.
We had the pleasure of chatting to author Kristina Pérez about Wild Savage Stars, which is the sequel to her debut novel, Sweet Black Waves. She chats about the challenges she faced and what inspires her while writing, along with a little tease of the third and final novel, Bright Raven Skies.
Hi Kristina! Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a half-Argentine, half-Norwegian native New Yorker but right now I call London home. You can often find me exploring the narrow streets and alleys of the former docklands. I’m a keen chess player and a museum nerd and I drink far more coffee (with a hit of matcha) than is strictly healthy. Before I became a novelist, I worked as a journalist and I’m a medievalist by training.
For those who don’t know, can you tell us what your debut novel, Sweet Black Waves, is about?
Sweet Black Waves is a retelling of the Tristan and Iseult legend from the point of view of Branwen, who is a lady’s maid developing powerful magic. Branwen is a war orphan and she will do anything to bring her kingdom peace––even sacrifice her own heart.
The sequel, Wild Savage Stars, is set to publish on August 27th. What can readers expect?
The sequel opens moments after the first book’s cliffhanger and Branwen has just suffered a devastating loss. She is struggling to come to terms with events of Sweet Black Waves while navigating the kingdom of her enemies and being drawn to the darker side of her magic.
Were there any challenges you faced while writing the sequel?
Since this was my first time writing a sequel, the biggest challenge was getting the balance right between reminding the reader of the events of the first book without massive info dumps. The first fifty pages were definitely the most difficult and required the most rewriting. Hopefully I succeeded in the end!
Was there anything in particular that you really enjoyed writing?
I really enjoyed writing the scenes where Branwen explores the darker aspects of her power and feels the temptation and the exhilaration of it. In the first book, she places the needs of others above her own to a sometimes self-destructive degree. In the sequel, she is rebelling against that to a certain extent, revelling in a bit of selfishness.
Did anything help inspire you while writing?
Music is always a huge inspiration to me and I can’t write without it. The title of the first book was taken from a poem called “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes that was set to music by the Canadian composer Loreena McKennit, and which has been one of my favourite songs since I was a pre-teen. If I had to choose a theme song for Wild Savage Stars, it would be “Don’t Wake Me Up” by Lianne La Havas.
Wild Savage Stars is part of a trilogy. When or how did you know your story would be told over three books?
As a medievalist, I’ve studied and taught the Old French versions of the Tristan and Iseult legends, as well as their Celtic source material. When I set out to retell the story with Branwen as my heroine, I drew a timeline of the most important recurring episodes of the legend across several sheets of paper. Looking at its breadth, I realised there were two critical breaking points in the narrative that would work well as the endings for books one and two––and they’re both cliffhangers, of course! Which left one more book to wrap everything up. So, I’ve always known it needed to be a trilogy, and I’m extremely grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to follow my vision.
The final instalment is titled Bright Raven Skies and currently set to publish in 2020. Any teasers or hints?
If you’re familiar with the original legend, then you know it doesn’t end happily for the lovers. All I will say is that appearances can be deceiving and that part of growing as individuals is learning to define happiness for ourselves. Make of that what you will…
What’s next for you?
Nothing I can talk about for the moment, but rest assured there are many more fierce Arthurian women I want to bring to life.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Absolutely! If you love all things Celtic, then check out Mary Watson’s contemporary fantasy duology, The Wren Hunt and Wickerlight, set in Ireland. For an awesome queer Arthurian space opera, pick up Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy. I’m also extremely excited for Girls of Storm and Shadow, Natasha Ngan’s sequel to the Malaysian-inspired fantasy Girls of Paper and Fire, which comes out in November.
AUTHOR BIO
Kristina/KK Pérez is a half-Argentine/half-Norwegian native New Yorker. She is the author of THE TESLA LEGACY (Tor Teen) and the SWEET BLACK WAVES trilogy (Imprint/Macmillan). She holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from the University of Cambridge, and has taught at the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore. As a journalist, she’s written for many international news outlets including the Wall Street Journal Asia, the South China Morning Post, and CNN. Her academic monograph, THE MYTH OF MORGAN LA FEY was published by Palgrave Macmillan. She currently resides in London.
