Q&A: Nicki Pau Preto, Author of ‘Bonesmith’

We chat with Nicki Pau Preto about her latest release Bonesmith, which is a dark young adult fantasy about a disgraced ghost-fighting warrior who must journey into a haunted wasteland to rescue a kidnapped prince—think Gideon the Ninth meets the Game of Thrones White Walkers!

Hi, Nicki! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m a full-time author living an hour north of Toronto, Canada. Before I was an author I worked as a graphic designer and before that, I waitressed for over 10 years. I’m the youngest of three with two older brothers, I’m half-Portuguese, majorly introverted, and an INTJ. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, watching NBA basketball (go Raptors), or trying to catch up on movies and TV.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I was very much a late bloomer! I didn’t really like to read as a kid, but I found my way to writing because I was an artist who loved to create, and was very imaginative. It wasn’t until the end of high school that I thought I might try my hand at writing stories.

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!

The first novel I ever read was The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, which I read when I was seventeen! The books that made me want to be a writer were the Harry Potter series, which I read soon after, because they were deceptively complex and I thought they made writing seem “easy” and doable, hah! A book I can’t stop thinking about is Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett—I can’t wait for the sequel!

Your latest novel, Bonesmith, is out July 25^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Dark. Spooky. Funny. Adventurous. Gritty.

What can readers expect?

Readers can expect a story that is fast-paced and exciting, with deep world building and lots of complex politics and big reveals. Also ghosts! Lots of ghosts. And bones and corpses, too.

Where did the inspiration for Bonesmith come from?

I had been working on a story while writing the Crown of Feathers series, and the basic premise was two enemies allying with each other to rescue a kidnapped prince from some barren wasteland. When it came time to dig into the magic system, I knew I wanted something that felt elemental but was more unique. That’s how I landed on the concept of the smiths, but while naturally occurring materials like metal and stone came easy, it wasn’t until I landed on using bone that the world really started to come together. Suddenly, I was writing a story about ghosts, which wasn’t what I set out to do but really defines the world and my main character in particular.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Wren is a joy to write and I love being in her head. Her banter with Prince Leo was super fun and came really naturally, but I also loved the tension between her and Julian. Their arc together was really satisfying, especially the little moments of growing trust and admiration unfurling between them while they navigated so much action and danger.

With this being the start of a new series for you, can you tell us a bit about your worldbuilding process?

World building is one of my favourite parts of writing, so I spend a lot of time thinking about my world—its history, its politics, and its magic, which informs everything else. I used to study art history in school, and I think my interest in the past definitely informs how I build my own worlds.

I’m definitely a plotter and I love to outline, but I also discover a lot through the actual writing. It’s always a balance between figuring out enough to get started, to have a framework for the story, but also allowing myself to be open to new and better ideas that may present themselves. Despite doing a lot of work up front, things really solidify during the revision process, and I’m often changing major things right up until the end!

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on two books that are slated to come out next year, the sequel to Bonesmith, and my Middle Grade debut, The Last Hope School for Magical Delinquents! It follows a girl with misunderstood powers who has been expelled from nearly every magic school in existence, until she’s sent to Last Hope, where she’s taught that her quirky—and sometimes catastrophic—magic is to be celebrated, not condemned, and might be just what her school needs to defend itself against unexpected danger.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

Recently I’ve loved The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, and Threads That Bind by Kika Hatzopoulou

Will you be picking up Bonesmith? Tell us in the comments below!