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 27^th. 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.

Will you be picking up Wild Savage Stars? Tell us in the comments below!

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The Tesla Legacy is the story of a girl who discovers there is more to herself than meets the eye. Lucy Phelps has been sheltered all her life by her over protective parents due to her having epilepsy and she was homeschooled until she was able to convince her parents to let her go to high school during her junior year. She’s now in the last few weeks of her senior year and trying to do everything right so that her parents will let her go to college. At the beginning of the story, Lucy has just caught her boyfriend, Cole, selling her answers to other students. Because of this, she is angry and ends up at the New Yorker hotel the next day after finding a picture of herself in her father’s office.

Her life is changed when she goes there and her powers are unlocked, making her question everything. She is pulled into a centuries old feud between two rival alchemical societies. She also meets a new guy named, Ravi who is a teaching assistant at her school and she’s immediately drawn to him. Both of these alchemical societies are powerful and they both want something different from her. One wants to help her control her abilities and help her live a long life while the other feels as if this gene is dangerous and should be contained. There is also a third rogue group who has its own agenda. While dealing with the last few weeks of school, Lucy has to deal with all new powers and learning about a whole society and history she didn’t know about. There were secrets that kept coming out until the end.

The Tesla Legacy was an intriguing to read a story about a woman who gets a superpower after something unexpected happens. It is common to see this happen to men but not so much for women. I liked how intelligent Lucy was and she was loyal, brave, and tough. Tougher than she believed she was with how she was raised by her parents. They made her feel defective and fragile but once her powers were unlocked and she learned more about herself and what was going on, she knew that there is more to her then her condition. I also liked Ravi. He was charming and it was fun to learn more about exactly who he was. It was clear there was more to him than he was letting on. I also loved Claudia, Lucy’s best friend. She was supportive and funny. I loved her personality so much.

The plot of this story was well done and the pacing was great. We slowly learn more and more about Lucy’s abilities and these alchemical societies and what they want with Lucy. There were some surprises that even I didn’t see coming. They made this story better and richer. The science of the story wasn’t overdone where you could not understand what was going on. The backgrounds Perez created for the societies was detailed and interesting. It was also cool how she intertwined real historical figures we’ve all heard of and changed some of their history to work for the story. I loved all the intricacies of the story and how Perez weaved science, alchemy, and fantasy together to give us a story that was full of adventure, intrigue and even a dash of romance.

I enjoyed The Tesla Legacy and seeing a female superhero who was intelligent and strong. I loved getting to know Lucy and about her powers. She was one of my favourite characters and I enjoyed the minor characters and the story that was weaved to make such an engrossing story that sucked me in from the first page and kept me turning the page until the end.

The Tesla Legacy is now available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read The Tesla Legacy? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The Tesla Legacy follows a precocious young scientist named Lucy Phelps whose fateful encounter in the Tesla Suite of the New Yorker Hotel unlocks her dormant electrical powers. As Lucy struggles to understand her new abilities through scientific experimentation, she is thrust into a centuries old battle between rival alchemical societies. One side wants her help and the other wants her dead, but both believe she is the next step in human evolution. Unfortunately, carriers of the genetic mutation—including Nikola Tesla—have a greatly reduced life expectancy. Even if Lucy can outrun her enemies, she can’t outrun herself.

The post Review: The Tesla Legacy by K.K. Pérez appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

K.K. Perez answered some questions from our contributor, Teralyn, about her recently released novel, The Tesla Legacy, her life, and writing. Check out the interview below to learn more about her and books!

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a half-Argentine and half-Norwegian native New Yorker. I’ve spent the past two decades living in Europe and Asia, working as a journalist and academic–and now a novelist! These days I’m based in London. I love thunderstorms, bittersweet chocolate, and fierce sorceresses.

How did you first get into writing?

When I was cleaning out my childhood home a few years ago, I found a “book” about a time-traveling stamp that I’d written in third grade–so perhaps, then!

What inspires you to write?

My academic background is as a medievalist and I draw a lot of inspiration from Arthurian legends and other medieval folklore. My debut YA fantasy, SWEET BLACK WAVES is a retelling of the star-crossed lovers, Tristan and Isolde. I’m also an unabashed superhero fan, which was part of the inspiration for THE TESLA LEGACY.

How many hours a day do you write? How often do you write?

When I’m in the first drafting stage of a project, I tend to write four to five hours a day, five days a week. Once I get into my flow state, hours pass without my even noticing!

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

I’m a total museum nerd and I’m lucky enough to live in London where there always tons of amazing art exhibitions on at any given time. I usually try to get to one every week because I find it both relaxing and inspiring. I can also be found prowling the banks of the river Thames––there is something very peaceful about watching the tide to me.

Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?

Self-care is paramount. Sometimes it’s okay to just unplug and step back for a little while. Publishing is on its own timetable and you can’t make it go faster, no matter how much we’d all like that!

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

That success is subjective and the goal posts are constantly moving, so the most important thing is to define it for yourself.

The Tesla Legacy is such an interesting book! Can you tell us a little about the book?

My protagonist, Lucy Phelps is a budding scientist, quick-witted, and curious about everything. One night she discovers a message encoded in a childhood photograph of herself that leads her to the New Yorker hotel in Manhattan where the eccentric genius Nikola Tesla lived for the last decade of his life. She discovers his secret lab and suddenly her dormant electrical abilities are unlocked. From there, her life gets turned upside down as she’s drawn into a centuries old feud between rival alchemical societies who both believe she’s the next step in human evolution.

What was the inspiration for the story?

My elevator pitch is “if Bruce Banner were a high school girl” and I really wanted to write about a young woman developing superpowers who uses science to understand and master them. The trope of a male scientist becoming a superhero is well-worn but the female superheroes, such as Poison Ivy, tend to have more tragic backstories. I wanted to tell an empowering story about women in STEM.

Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Possibly my favourite scene to write was Lucy’s prom and let’s just say that I tipped my hat to “Carrie”––but that’s all I’ll tell you!

What sort of research did you do to write this book?

I read biographies and watched documentaries about the life of Nikola Tesla, as well as delving into the history of science and alchemy to create the two societies. In terms of the science itself, I consulted with a few physicists to make sure it was accurate––up until the point where Lucy can start popping popcorn with her fingertips, of course!

What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

First of all, I hope it’s a rollicking good read! Second, I’d love for young women to identify with Lucy on her journey from fearing her own power to embracing it.

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with us?

WILD SAVAGE STARS, which is the sequel to SWEET BLACK WAVES will be out on August 27th, 2019, and I’m currently working on the conclusion to the trilogy as well.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?

EMPIRE OF SAND by Tasha Suri is one of the most lush fantasy novels I’ve read in the last couple of years and it contains a fresh, compelling magic system. I’m also really excited for Sara Faring’s debut genre-bending YA novel, THE TENTH GIRL set during Argentina’s Dirty War in the 1970s.

The Tesla Legacy is now available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read The Tesla Legacy or Sweet Black Waves? Tell us in the comments below!

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March 2019 sees a few retellings hitting the shelves with Maid Marian taking over from Robin Hood in Sherwood, while Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy pen a new King Arthur story with a teenage girl being the newest reincarnation of Arthur. What else is instore for you? Brave an alien attack in Laura Pohl’s The Last 8, join a secretive boarding school in Killing November, follow the journey of a young scientist with powers in K.K. Pérez’s The Tesla Legacy, or be enchanted by dark faeries in Sarah Porter’s Never-Contented Things

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be reading of them!

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From debut author Justin A. Reynolds comes The Opposite of Always, a razor-sharp, hilarious and heartfelt novel about the choices we make, the people we choose and the moments that make life worth reliving. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and John Green.

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A high-stakes survival story about eight teenagers who outlive an alien attack—perfect for fans of The 5th Wave

Never-Contented Things by Sarah Porter
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

A new YA standalone novel about dark faeries with surefire appeal by Sarah Porter, the critically-acclaimed author of Vassa in the Night and When I Cast Your Shadow. 

Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Westworld meets The Handmaid’s Tale in this start to a thrilling, subversive near future series from New York Times bestselling author Suzanne Young about a girls-only private high school that is far more than it appears to be.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Fans of Danielle Paige, Marissa Meyer, and Alex Flinn will devour New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner’s next fierce fairy tale-inspired story, which Illuminae author Amie Kaufman calls “a kick-ass, gender-flipped feminist retelling.”

The Quiet You Carry by Nikki Barthelmess
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Victoria Parker knew her dad’s behaviour toward her was a little unusual, but she convinced herself everything was fine—until she found herself locked out of the house at 3:00 a.m., surrounded by flashing police lights. Now, dumped into a crowded, chaotic foster home, Victoria has to tiptoe around her domineering foster mother, get through senior year at a new school, and somehow salvage her college dreams . . . all while keeping her past hidden.

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Killing November by Adriana Mather
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch comes a thriller set at a secretive boarding school where students are trained to carry on family legacies that have built–and toppled–empires.

The Waking Forest by Alyssa Wees
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Pan’s Labyrinth meets The Hazel Wood in this novel about a girl with terrifying visions and a wish-granting witch whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways.

Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliott
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Author David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death.

The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie
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Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched trilogy, returns with an intricately crafted and emotionally gripping story of one young woman’s journey to move beyond the grief and anger that control her and find the inner strength to chart her own course.

The Tesla Legacy by K.K. Pérez
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

An action-packed, young adult coming-of-age adventure, K. K. Perez’s The Tesla Legacy follows a precocious young scientist named Lucy Phelps whose fateful encounter in the Tesla Suite of the New Yorker Hotel unlocks her dormant electrical powers.

Will you be reading any of these books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post March Book Releases: YA appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If you feel like getting whisked away into an incredible fantasy world, try Kristina Perez’s Sweet Black Waves or Sara Wolf’s Bring Me Their Hearts. There’s also The Mermaid by Christina Henry or if you’re after something a little darker, Peril In The Old Country will be perfect for you!

Or if science fiction is more you thing, A Big Ship At The Edge of the Universe by Alex White or Adrift by Rob Boffard may be more your speed!

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you’re excited for any of these titles!

A Big Ship At The Edge of The Universe by Alex White
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Boots Elsworth was a famous treasure hunter in another life. She makes her meager living faking salvage legends and selling them to the highest bidder, but this time she might have stumbled on something real–the story of the Harrow, a famous warship, capable of untold destruction. Nilah Brio is the top driver in the Pan Galactic Racing Federation and the darling of the racing world–until she witnesses the murder of a fellow racer. Framed for the murder and on the hunt to clear her name, Nilah only has one lead: the killer also hunts a woman named Boots. On the wrong side of the law, the two women board a smuggler’s ship that will take them on a quest for fame, for riches, and for justice.

Adrift by Rob Boffard
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

They are embarking on a tour around Sigma Station – a remote mining facility and luxury hotel with stunning views of the Horsehead Nebula. During the course of the trip, a mysterious ship with devastating advanced technology attacks the Station. Their pilot’s quick evasive action means that the tour group escape with their lives – but as the dust settles, they realize they may be the only survivors . . . Adrift in outer space, out of contact with civilization, and on a vastly under-equipped ship, these passengers are out of their depth. Their chances of getting home are close to none, and with the threat of another attack looming they must act soon – or risk perishing in the endless void of space.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh, Melissa De La Cruz, Julie Kagawa, and more
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries. Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Sweet Black Waves by Kristina Perez
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Two proud kingdoms stand on opposite shores, with only a bloody history between them. Inspired by the star-crossed tale of Tristan and Eseult, this is the story of the legend’s true heroine: Branwen. For fans of Graceling and The Mists of Avalon, this is the first book of a lush fantasy trilogy about warring countries, family secrets, and forbidden romance.

Lancelot by Giles Kristian
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Set in a 5th century Britain besieged by invading bands of Saxons and Franks, Irish and Picts, Giles Kristian’s epic new novel tells – through the warrior’s own words – the story of Lancelot, that most celebrated of all King Arthur’s knights. It is a story ready to be re-imagined for our times.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

While most of the world has drowned beneath the sudden rising waters of a climate apocalypse, Dinétah (formerly the Navajo reservation) has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend walk the land, but so do monsters. Maggie Hoskie is a Dinétah monster hunter, a supernaturally gifted killer. When a small town needs help finding a missing girl, Maggie is their last—and best—hope. As Maggie discovers the truth behind the disappearances, she will have to confront her past—if she wants to survive.

The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Set in a dangerous near future world, The Book of M tells the captivating story of a group of ordinary people caught in an extraordinary catastrophe who risk everything to save the ones they love. It is a sweeping debut that illuminates the power that memories have not only on the heart, but on the world itself.

Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Zera is a Heartless – the immortal, unageing soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger ever since she saved her from the bandits who murdered her family, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a Prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum; if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy her heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles.

The Mermaid by Christina Henry
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

From the author of Lost Boy comes a historical fairy tale about a mermaid who leaves the sea for love and later finds herself in P.T. Barnum’s American Museum as the real Fiji mermaid. However, leaving the museum may be harder than leaving the sea ever was.

The Completionist by Siobhan Adcock
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A young Marine, Carter Quinn, comes home from war to his fractured family, in a near-future America in which water is artificially engineered and technology is startlingly embedded in people’s everyday lives. At the same time, a fertility crisis has terrifying implications for women, including Carter’s two beloved sisters, Fred and Gardner. Fred, accomplished but impetuous, the eldest sibling, is naturally pregnant—a rare and miraculous event that puts her independence in jeopardy. And Gardner, the idealistic younger sister who lived for her job as a Nurse Completionist, has mysteriously vanished, after months of disturbing behaviour.

Peril In The Old Country by Sam Hooker
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

What terror lurks in the shadows of the Old Country? Well, there are the goblins, of course. Then there are the bloodthirsty cannibals from nearby Carpathia, secret societies plotting in whispers, and murder victims found drained of their blood, to name a few. That’s to say nothing of the multitude of government ministries, any one of which might haul one off for “questioning” in the middle of the night. The Old Country is saturated with doom, and Sloot is scarcely able to keep from drowning in it. Each passing moment is certain to be his last, though never did fate seem so grim as the day he was asked to correct the worst report ever written.

The Freeze-Frame Revolution by Peter Watts
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

She believed in the mission with all her heart. But that was sixty million years ago. How do you stage a mutiny when you’re only awake one day in a million? How do you conspire when your tiny handful of potential allies changes with each shift? How do you engage an enemy that never sleeps, that sees through your eyes and hears through your ears and relentlessly, honestly, only wants what best for you? Sunday Ahzmundin is about to find out.

Check out what other books are coming out this month on our Goodreads list!

What book are you most excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

(P.S – The Nerd Daily occasionally makes profit from the links included in this post, however, all earnings go back into running giveaways for our followers!)

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