Interview with Jessica Brody & Joanna Rendell for Between Burning Worlds

Between Burning Worlds (System Divine #2)

by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: 24th March, 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retellings, Science Fiction, Dystopia

Synopsis:

Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles in the out-of-this-world sequel to Sky Without Stars that’s an “explosion of emotion, intrigue, romance, and revolution” (Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series).

A thief.

An officer.

A guardian.

All from different backgrounds, but sharing one same destiny…

The planet Laterre is in turmoil. A new militant revolutionary group has emerged calling themselves “The Red Scar” and claiming responsibility for a spate of recent bombings. The infamous rebels known as the Vangarde believe that in order to bring about a peaceful revolution, their charismatic leader, Citizen Rousseau must be freed from prison right away. Otherwise the bloodshed will only escalate.

Soon Marcellus, Chatine, and Alouette all find themselves pulled into battle with extreme consequences.

Marcellus is determined to uncover his corrupt grandfather’s plan to seize Laterre—even if that means joining the Vangarde.

Aloutte, trying to unearth the truth about her past, becomes a captive of Marcellus’s grandfather, the general.

Chatine, who is serving time on Bastille, hopes to escape the brutal and horrifying reality of the prison moon.

But the failed attempt to break Citizen Rousseau out of prison launches Aloutte, Chatine, and Marecellus into the middle of a dangerous war for control of Laterre. And in the midst of it all is the legend of a secret and dangerous weapon that could mean complete and absolute power to any that wields it.

Can you briefly describe THE SYSTEM DIVINE series, its characters and what’s going on in BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS?

The SYSTEM DIVINE series is a reimagining of Victor Hugo’s LES MISERABLES and is set on a very distant and very divided planet called Laterre, where the wealthy live in luxury and the poor live in the rusting and leaking remains of 500-year old spaceships. But in SKY WITHOUT STARS (Book 1 in the series) the rumblings of revolution have begun. Three unlikely heroes from three very different worlds—Chatine, a street-savvy thief; Alouette, a guardian of secret library; and Marcellus, an officer and grandson of the most powerful man on Laterre—are thrown together in a fight against the oppressive and sometimes murderous powers on their planet. 

In BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS (Book 2), their world is teetering on the brink of war and the Regime is brutally quashing any unrest or rebellious activity. A deadly new weapon is rumoured to be emerging, too. Chatine, Marcellus, and Alouette must face challenges, epic journeys, and deep personal struggles like they’ve never faced before, in order to save themselves, Laterre, and its people. Luckily, the trio will meet some new compadres, friends, and fellow rebels along the way—new characters, who we think and hope you’re going to love! Kirkus Reviews, who got a sneak peak of BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS, described the sequel as a “compelling, surprising, and entertaining saga that’s literally out of this world!”

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

Ooh, this is always such a hard question for us. It’s like trying to decide who is your favorite child! But in BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS, we have introduced a number of fabulous new characters to the cast. We both particularly love Cerise Chevalier. We can’t give too much away about her, except she’s one of the planet’s elite who lives in luxury in Laterre’s bio-controlled dome. But she’s going to surprise you with her chutzpah, her smarts, and her sparkly berets!

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

We discussed this at great lengths and decided we would pick “The Revolution will Not be Televised” by Gil Scott Heron. We can’t exactly say why, because it would be a big spoiler for BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS. All we will say is the revolution won’t be televised on the TéléSkin devices implanted in the arm of every member of the Third Estate (95% of the population.) 

What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Jo is a Brit so she does love her tea. She particularly loves to read at places where they serve a proper tea with a teapot, cup, and saucer – and if there is a scone with jam thrown in, she’s in heaven!

Jess loves tea too but she’s particularly fond of reading on her deck with a glass of wine. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish BETWEEN BURNING WORLDS?

Well, we always have to give a shout out to Victor Hugo’s LES MISERABLES! It’s a monster of a book, we know, but it is just such a fabulous story with incredible characters. It’s so fun to live in the world of book for such a long time, too!

We’d also recommend THE LAST OF HER NAME by Jessica Khoury, AURORA RISING by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, and THE FINAL SIX by Alexandra Monir. 

What would you say is the most difficult part of writing a book?

Just the concept of writing a sequel (which is also the middle of the trilogy) is extremely challenging—mostly because in a sequel you have to keep the story exciting and interesting after book 1, but you’re also setting up for book 3. Juggling these things was quite the challenge, to say the least! There were many rewrites and many plot lines and scenes that eventually would get cut and completely reworked. We persevered, though, and we’re now SO happy with the final book – even if it did nearly spin us in to outer space and back again!

What’s next for you?

Book 3 (title to be announced!). Yup, we’re now deep into writing the third and final part of the SYSTEM DIVINE series. Touch wood, but already it’s feeling a lot less challenging than Book 2 because we really have a clear idea of where we want this series to end! I’m sure there will be bumps along the road though. But we have a wonderful friendship and working process, so even with the bumps, it’s always so much fun!

Jessica Brody

Jessica Brody knew from a young age that she wanted to be a writer. She started self “publishing” her own books when she was seven years old, binding the pages together with cardboard, wallpaper samples, and electrical tape.

After graduating from Smith College in 2001 where she double majored in Economics and French and minored in Japanese, Jessica later went on to work for MGM Studios as a Manager of Acquisitions and Business Development. In May of 2005, Jessica quit her job to follow her dream of becoming a published author.

Since then, Jessica has sold over twelve novels for teens, tweens, and adults including 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, The Karma Club, My Life Undecided, and the three books in the Unremembered trilogy, the first of which is currently in development as a major motion picture by the producers of The Vampire Academy, Zero Dark Thirty, Life of Pi, and Slumdog Millionaire. In 2016, she will release two new contemporary novels, A Week of Mondays (August) and Boys of Summer (April), and in 2017, her debut middle grade novel entitled, Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, will hit bookstore shelves.

Jessica also writes books for the Descendants: “School of Secrets” series, based on the hit Disney Channel Original movie, Descendants!

Jessica’s books are published and translated in over twenty foreign countries. She currently splits her time between California and Colorado.

Joanne Rendell

Joanne Rendell is the author of four novels and holds a PhD in English Literature. She teaches fiction writing to teens and kids, as well as online writing classes at Udemy.com and Lynda.com. Joanne is a board member for the youth Shakespeare company, New Genesis Productions. With her husband and son, she divides her time between New York City and New Paltz, New York.

Interview with Joanne Rendell for Sky Without Stars

Sky Without Stars (System Divine #1)

by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: March 26th 2019

Genre: Retellings, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

A thief. An officer. A guardian. 

Three strangers, one shared destiny . . .

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

Can you briefly describe Sky Without Stars and their main characters?

Sky Without Stars is a reimagining of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables! Our book is set on a very distant and very divided planet called Laterre, where the wealthy live in luxury and the poor live in the rusting and leaking remains of 500-year old spaceships. But the rumblings of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes. Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime. Marcellus is an officer being groomed to command by his powerful grandfather. And Alouette lives in a hidden away underground Refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. Although from very different worlds, all three have a role to play in the dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet!

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

Oh my, that’s like having to say which child or parent is your favorite! I love them all in completely different ways. But I did really enjoy writing Alouette, mostly because of the challenge of writing about someone whose only experience of the world so far has been through the books and the knowledge given to her by the women she lives with in a hidden away Refuge. She reminds me of a butterfly just budding from her chrysalis! She has so much to learn, yet her “chrysalis” has given her great gifts that she won’t fully understand until she flies up into the world above!

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

Jessica, my co-writer, initially came up with the idea of writing a retelling of Les Mis set in space. But she’d sat on the idea for a while, unsure whether she was ready or able to embark on such a project. Then one night, when she and I were having dinner, our conversation came around randomly to the French Revolution and naturally from there to Les Misérables. I told Jess that the novel was one of my top favorite books ever and I’d read the 1300-page epic three times! (I have a PhD in literature and I’m a super-fan of all the epic literary classics!) A second later, without warning, out of Jess’s mouth flew the words, “Do you want to write a retelling of it with me set in space!?” And a second later, without warning, out of my mouth flew the words, “I’d love to!” 

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

Well, of course, it really has to be a Les Mis song, doesn’t it?! Especially because Jess and I spent a lot of time singing loudly – and probably very badly – our favorite Les Mis songs as we geared up for brainstorming or writing. For me, the one song that embodies our book is “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

At the beginning of Sky Without Stars, the poor people of Laterre are suffering, rain-soaked, and hungry, while the rich live in luxury and excess in their climate-controlled dome. But within them, and within our main characters, there is a spark of hope. Hope for change and hope that “There is a life about to start/When tomorrow comes”! 

What’s the best and the worst thing about writing a book with someone else? What are the challenges you guys found while writing Sky Without Stars?

Years ago, a fiction writer said to me she loved what she did because it was like getting to play dolls as a grown up! With a co-writer, it’s like getting to play dolls with a friend too – a friend who knows all the names and character backstories and who is just as excited coming up with new plot ideas as you are! However, Jess and I live on opposite sides of the U.S and it makes brainstorming in person (or playing dolls in person!) tricky and the three-hour time difference between our coasts can be a challenge. Luckily, though, the tech wonders of Skype, screen-sharing, and instant-messaging through Slack have made the whole co-writing venture possible. 

If your book was about to become a movie/TV show, who would you see playing as the characters in Sky Without Stars?

I hate to put an idea of a character’s looks in our readers’ heads, because when I read a book I like to imagine characters for myself. But if, for some reason, I was made head of casting for the movie of our book, this might be who I’d cast:

Amandla Stenberg as Alouette:

Mackenzie Foy as Chatine:

Henry Zaga as Marcellus: 

Since it is still cold outside, what hot drink do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date? 

Jess and I drank a lot of tea while writing this book, so I can’t help associating it with a good strong cup of Tetley tea! But Laterre is a French-inspired planet, so the book would probably go best with “un café” (an espresso) or “café au lait” (coffee with milk)! Take your pick and enjoy! 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish Sky Without Stars? 

If you love retellings and haven’t read Marissa Meyer’s The Lunar Chronicles yet, that’s definitely the place to start. Meyer’s epic series retells the fairy tales with a sci-fi twist. Also, Jessica Khoury’s new book Last of her Name is a fabulous retelling of the Anastasia story in space. Being the literary classic super-fan, I also have to give a shout out to Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables! It’s a monster of a book, I know, but it is just such a fabulous story with incredible characters – it’s no wonder it’s been adapted into a mega-successful musical and numerous movie versions. 

What’s next for you? 

Jess and I are hard at work finishing up the sequel to Sky Without Stars (book two in the System Divine series). We’ve been having a lot of fun “playing dolls” with our beloved characters from book one, but also creating brand new characters that we hope our readers will love as much as we do!

Jessica Brody is the author of more than 15 books for teens, tweens, and adults including Addie Bell’s Shortcut to Growing Up, A Week of Mondays, Boys of Summer, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, and the three books in the sci-fi Unremembered trilogy. She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets series, based on the hit Disney Channel original movie, Descendants. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52 Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures. She lives with her husband and four dogs and splits her time between California and Colorado. 

Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody

Joanne Rendell is the author of three novels and holds a PhD in English literature. She teaches fiction writing to teens and kids and is a board member for the youth Shakespeare company, New Genesis Productions. With her husband and son, Joanne divides her time between New York City, and New Paltz, New York. Visit Joanne at JoanneRendell.com.

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