Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT
Synopsis:
Kamai was warned never to open the black door, but she didn't listen ...
Everyone has a soul. Some are beautiful gardens, others are frightening dungeons. Soulwalkers―like Kamai and her mother―can journey into other people's souls while they sleep.
But no matter where Kamai visits, she sees the black door. It follows her into every soul, and her mother has told her to never, ever open it.
When Kamai touches the door, it is warm and beating, like it has a pulse. When she puts her ear to it, she hears her own name whispered from the other side. And when tragedy strikes, Kamai does the unthinkable: she opens the door.
A.M. Strickland's imaginative dark fantasy features court intrigue and romance, a main character coming to terms with her asexuality, and twists and turns as a seductive mystery unfolds that endangers not just Kamai's own soul, but the entire kingdom ...
Can you briefly describe BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR and its characters?
Beyond the Black Door is about a girl, Kamai, who has the unique ability to walk through other people’s souls while they sleep. Each soul is different, and yet in every single one she sees a black door, one she’s never supposed to open. But after tragedy strikes and she feels like she has nothing to lose, she opens it … and unleashes another major character in the book, Vehyn, who I don’t want to tell you much about for spoiler reasons.
Who would you say is your favourite character from the story and why?
The character who becomes Kihan is my favorite, because he’s the best friend one could hope for.
How did the story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?
I actually had a dream about soul houses (a.k.a. “nehyms” in the book), in which someone was walking around in an impossibly huge castle. In the way of dreams I somehow knew that this place existed inside someone else, and the person walking through it was spying on them. From that dream-seed grew Beyond the Black Door!
If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
I’m kind of bad at this, but a song I listened to a lot while writing the book was Halsey’s “Castle,” and I think it captures the mood pretty well.
If your book was going to be made into a movie, who would play your characters?
Kamai would be played by Chiara Scelsi and Vehyn by a long-haired Miles McMillan—I didn’t know either of them before I went searching for faces that looked like the images in my head! Both are models.
Fall is here, and we love to go out and find our perfect cosy spot. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?
I am super fortunate to share my time between Alaska and Spain, so this fall I’ll be drinking lots of café americanos in the gorgeous gothic squares of Girona while I read.
Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR?
I highly recommend Tarnished Are the Stars by Rosiee Thor if you want more asexual main characters, and if you’re more into villain romances, Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan and Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge should be right up your alley.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on both another YA fantasy and an adult fantasy … that’s all I can say!
AdriAnne Strickland was a bibliophile who wanted to be an author before she knew what either of those words meant. She shares a home base in Alaska with her husband, her pugs, and her piles and piles of books. She loves traveling, dancing, vests, tattoos, and every shade of teal in existence, but especially the darker ones. She is the coauthor of SHADOW RUN and SHADOW CALL (Delacorte/Penguin Random House) and author of the forthcoming BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR (Imprint/Macmillan).
IT'S TIME. Pre-order BEYOND THE BLACK DOOR before 10/29 & submit proof of purchase to receive:— AdriAnne/A.M. Strickland (@AdriAnneMS) September 29, 2019
🌹2 character cards (by the amazing Nicole Deal!)
🌘a signed bookplate
🖤gratitude
Pre-order: https://t.co/t7HdyfmLHo
Pre-order form: https://t.co/TkNjJ04PSj
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No, don't open that black door! I am already too frightened!
ReplyDeleteI. Am. So. Freaking. Excited. I need more ace characters in my life! This has been one of my most-anticipated releases this year, and I can't wait to read it :)
ReplyDelete