Interview with Rebecca Schaeffer for Only Ashes Remain

Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2)

by Rebecca Schaeffer
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 3rd 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

Synopsis:

After escaping her kidnappers and destroying the black market where she was held captive, all Nita wants is to find a way to live her life without looking over her shoulder. But with a video of her ability to self-heal all over the dark web, Nita knows she’s still a prime target on the black market.

There’s only one way to keep herself safe.

Nita must make herself so feared that no one would ever dare come after her again. And the best way to start building her reputation? Take her revenge on Fabricio, the boy who sold Nita to her kidnappers. But killing Fabricio is harder than Nita thought it would be, even with Kovit by her side. Now caught in a game of kill or be killed, Nita will do whatever it takes to win.

Can you briefly describe ONLY ASHES REMAIN and the characters? 

Not Even Bones was about Nita, a girl who dissected monsters and sold their body parts on the internet, until she ways betrayed. Only Ashes Remain continues that story, and it focuses on Nita trying to get vengeance on the person who betrayed her. 

Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why? 

Ooof, this is a hard one. I love all my characters, and my favourite changes depending on my mood. I really do love Nita, the main character, for all her flaws and mistakes and viciousness, I love that she never gives up, that she’s proactive instead of reactive, and that she’ll do whatever it takes to win. I love Kovit just as much, because I just adore the fact that he’s evil, he knows it, and he enjoys it. Sure, he has issues and his life isn’t great, but he’s not broody about the crimes he commits or the monstrous things he takes joy in. He’s a villain, and he embraces it. 

How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere? 

People always ask me where I get my inspiration, and honestly, it’s just everywhere. I can’t really pinpoint one thing that gives me my ideas, it’s usually an amalgamation of things that combine in interesting ways in my head. 

If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be? 

This is a hard question! I don’t really make playlists, but I suppose since Nita listens to Disney music while she dissects, I’d have to say this book is summed up best by Scar’s Be Prepared song from The Lion King. 

If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?

I… have no idea. I can’t think of any actors who really even visually look like my characters. I have some character reference photos, but none of them are really anyone famous, just pictures I found on the web through googling a lot of very specific features XD 

Winter is coming and we love to find cozy places to read. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

Oh, good question. I think it’d be fun to take the book to the Sedlec Ossuary near Prague. It’s a giant church, and all the decorations are made of human bones. Skull chandeliers, a coat of arms made out of actual arm bones. I think I’d chill there, surrounded by the artistically arrayed dead, and drink something spicy and a little sweet and totally inappropriate for a church, like spiked chilli hot chocolate. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish ONLY ASHES REMAIN? 

Ohhh, book recommendations, I can always do that! If they liked Only Ashes Remain I’d definitely recommend they check out Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, Jade City by Fonda Lee, and Cracked by Eliza Crewe. 

What’s next for you? 

The third and final book in the Market of Monsters series! I’m just finishing up edits, and I’m really excited for fans to be able to read the conclusion of this story.

Rebecca Schaeffer was born and raised in the Canadian prairies. Her itchy feet took her far from home when she turned eighteen, and she hasn’t returned for more than a few months here or there since. You can find her sitting in a cafe on the other side of the world, writing about villains, antiheroes and morally ambiguous characters. 

Her debut , Not Even Bones, is about a girl who dissects and sells monsters on the internet. Not Even Bones received a starred review from Booklist, was shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Speculative Fiction, as well as the Cybilis awards.

The sequel, Only Ashes Remain, comes out September 2019.