We chat with co-authors of Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland about Blood & Fury, which is the gripping conclusion to the Chaos & Flame saga and reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Hi, Tessa and Justina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
TESSA: I live at the edge of the Kansas prairie with my wife and very needy cats, and am currently deep into Chinese palace dramas.
JUSTINA: I write books. Some people like them, and other people don’t.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
TESSA: When I was in grade school my mom told me I needed to stop lying about things that happened to me on my way home from school, but if I wrote the stories down they wouldn’t be lies anymore! Once I started writing about dragons in the playground and ghosts in the creek, I never stopped.
JUSTINA: No clue. But I started writing seriously sometime around 2008. No rush to get there when the journey is the point.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading:
TESSA: Beauty by Robin Mckinley
JUSTINA: Hop on Pop - The one that made you want to become an author:
TESSA: Quitting graduate school made me want to become an author, LOL.
JUSTINA: Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin - The one that you can’t stop thinking about:
TESSA: The Scum-Villain Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s the wildest, sweetest, strangest, most messed-up book I’ve read in long time, and it’s so mean to authors. Very inspiring.
JUSTINA: The Dwindling Party by Edward Gorey. It’s worth the Google. Forty years later that book still lives rent free in my head.
Blood & Fury is the conclusion to your Chaos & Flame duology! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
TESSA: BLOOD ANGST KISSING TRANSFORMATION MONSTERS
JUSTINA: BLOOD FURY MAGIC KISSING RESOLUTION
What can readers expect?
TESSA: More surprises and a lot more angst! More dragons!
JUSTINA: BLOOD FURY MAGIC KISSING RESOLUTION\
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
TESSA: I find Caspian weirdly relaxing to write, even though he’s the opposite of sweet and easy. He expected to die at the end of book one, and exploring his (bad) reactions to remaining alive was fun.
JUSTINA: It was a lot of fun writing the empyreals. How often do you get to write about krakens throwing a tantrum?
What’s the process like when co-authoring a book?
TESSA: Half the work, double the fun.
JUSTINA: LOLOLOLOL. Like writing by yourself but with more opinions.
What’s next for you both?
TESSA: My next Star Wars book, Temptation of the Force, comes out June 11, and after that next year the first book in an adult epic fantasy will come out. It’s called The Mercy Makers and is about a prodigy at dangerous magic who’s drawn into the politics of the imperial palace and it explores connections between power, sex, and empire. I also have a short story in the upcoming anthology Faeries Never Lie edited by Zoriada Córdova and Natalie C. Parker.
JUSTINA: I have a few Marvel Comics coming up, most notably Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt. It has vampires. I also have a middle grade book out now, TALES FROM CABIN 23: THE BOO HAG FLEX. Tales from Cabin 23 is a Goosebumps like series featuring monsters from historically marginalized cultures. I’m kicking it off and the next book by Hanna Alkaf comes out in August.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
TESSA: Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker.
JUSTINA: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison.
