Four young people risk their lives to save the world from a looming apocalypse in this captivating sequel to The Seventh Sun. Based on ancient Mesoamerican legends and mythology, The Jade Bones is a compelling and romantic adventure that builds to a heart-stopping climax.
We had the pleasure of chatting to author Lani Forbes about her sequel, book recommendations, and more!
You can find Lani on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and also at her website.
Hi, Lani! Tell our readers a bit about yourself!
I’m the daughter of an ex-drug smuggling surfer and a librarian (which explains my passionate love for the ocean and books). A former math and science teacher, I am currently finishing my masters degree in clinical psychology with an emphasis on trauma. I am passionate about showing readers the transformative power of story on the human experience. I’m also a proud nerd and Gryffindor!
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 – good or bad – you can’t stop thinking about!
The first books I remember reading as child were The Story of Ferdinand and Runaway Bunny. I love reading those with my own children now. The books that inspired me to become an author would probably be the Harry Potter series and the Twilight series. I was in high school and college during the peak of the fandom years and was fully into both of them. One book that I can’t stop thinking about is probably A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I think the book’s romance is fantastic, but its portrayal of PTSD was incredibly realistic and powerful.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
It was definitely in fourth grade. We did a class creative writing contest and we had to write a short story about a bird name Petey that fell out of his cage. I remember ending my story with Petey complaining that his cage had been “cheap cheap” and the whole class laughed. I won the contest and my teacher wrote on my report card that year that I excelled at creative writing. It was the first time I ever experienced someone enjoying words that I wrote!
The Jade Bones is the follow-up to your debut novel, The Seventh Sun, and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark, intense, romantic, and hard choices
Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect?
The events of The Jade Bones immediately follow the (literal?) cliff-hanger ending of book one. Ahkin and Mayana find themselves trapped in the terrifying underworld with a deadline to escape or they will be stuck there forever. In addition, the Mother Goddess has given them a task to complete and a warning that one of them may not survive the journey. In addition to Mayana and Ahkin’s POVs, we also get to enjoy the POV of Yemania, Mayana’s close friend who is left reeling from the events of the conclusion of book one. She finds herself in a precarious position with the new empress and a forbidden love interest from an enemy empire!
What challenges did you face while writing the sequel and how did you overcome them?
There is so much pressure that goes along with writing a second book because there are now expectations from the first book. Readers are already familiar with your characters and invested in them, so I think it is so important to keep characters consistent in terms of who they were in the first book. That doesn’t mean they can’t change, but the change has to be consistent with who the character is on a deeper level. Another challenge for me was that such a huge part of book one was the big twist at the end and I wanted to make sure that I delivered that same kind of surprising twist at the end of book two. Brainstorming with my agent and my beta readers gave me some great ideas to keep book two just as exciting as book one!
If it’s not too spoilery, was there a certain part of the book that you really enjoyed writing?
I really enjoyed writing Yemania’s POV. I loved her storyline of political intrigue, romance, and self-growth. There is one scene at the end of her storyline in book two that actually made me cry. It’s a scene where she finally decides that she isn’t going to let anyone else define her worth.
Can you give us a little tease as to what’s to come in the final instalment of the The Age of the Seventh Sun trilogy?
The third book will involve the potential “end of the world” that we have been fearing since the red comet first appeared in the sky in book one! We meet a deadly goddess in book two that has been working behind the scenes until now with a plan to unleash star demons upon the earth to devour humanity! I’m also really excited about all the princesses coming back and kicking butt together!
What’s next for you?
I’ve already finished book three and we are going to begin edits on it soon, so that is a major next step for me. I’m really excited to have finished a trilogy that I am really proud of. I am also excited to work on some new ideas including a fantasy-western standalone and some new fantasy series based on various ancient mythologies!
Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I am currently reading the last book in the Ember in the Ashes series by Sabaa Tahir. If you love historical fantasy based on ancient cultures with steamy romance thrown in, this is absolutely a series you want to check out!
