Interview with Natalie Mae for The Kinder Posion

The Kinder Poison (The Kinder Poison #1)

by Natalie Mae
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: June 16th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Holly Black, this enthralling fantasy adventure follows a teenage girl chosen to be the human sacrifice in a deadly game between three heirs who will do anything for the crown.

Zahru has long dreamed of leaving the kingdom of Orkena and having the kinds of adventures she’s only ever heard about in stories. But as a lowly Whisperer, her power to commune with animals means that her place is serving in the royal stables until the day her magic runs dry.

All that changes when the ailing ruler invokes the Crossing: a death-defying race across the desert, in which the first of his heirs to finish—and take the life of a human sacrifice at the journey’s end—will ascend to the throne and be granted unparalleled abilities.

With all of the kingdom abuzz, Zahru leaps at the chance to change her fate if just for a night by sneaking into the palace for a taste of the revelry. But the minor indiscretion turns into a deadly mistake when she gets caught up in a feud between the heirs and is forced to become the Crossing’s human sacrifice. Zahru is left with only one hope for survival: somehow figuring out how to overcome the most dangerous people in the world.

Can you briefly describe THE KINDER POISON and its characters?

THE KINDER POISON is an enthralling fantasy adventure that follows Zahru, a sixteen-year-old girl who is chosen to be the human sacrifice in a deadly game between three heirs who will do anything for the crown. Zahru is a dreamer who often lets her mouth get ahead of her brain, and the heirs she has to contend with are Prince Kasta, a secretive boy with the power over death; Prince Jet, a charismatic swordsman who can bend and manipulate soundwaves, and Princess Sakira, a troublemaking party girl who can create almost any type of magic with a paintbrush. 

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

This is a hard choice! I put pieces of real people I know and love into each of my characters, so all of them are special to me. But I’d have to say my favorite to write is probably the villain. I’ve always had a soft spot for darker characters, and I especially love those who aren’t all the way gone, because there’s this delicious ongoing battle within them between the extremes they’re willing to go to and the fear that maybe they’ve gone too far. I think that makes them unpredictable and so very human, which always makes for a compelling story.

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

Initially, the inspiration for the book came from an article I read about archaeologists finding the bones of children who'd been sacrificed on an ancient mountain. The children didn't appear to have struggled or suffered, which made me wonder what it would be like to live in a time when human sacrifice was revered - and of course, what it might be like to be chosen for such a thing. But once I finished the first draft, I realized the book wasn't about that at all. It was about a girl who'd been told all her life that no matter how hard she worked or what good she tried to do, her worth was measured by something completely out of her control: the power she was (or in this case, wasn't) born with. It's the grounds for how she ends up as the sacrifice, and as soon as I drew that parallel to my own life, that was it. It became a story of defiance, of pressing back on a world that often favors wealth and physical strength over all.

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

My husband would say it’s Metallica’s “Creeping Death,” which to be clear was chosen 100% by the lyrics sung during the bridge, which are literally “DIE, BY MY HAND!” while someone chants “DIE” in the background. He also wanted me to walk out to that part at my launch party … it’s a whole thing, I don’t really talk about it. That’s a little extreme for me so I’m going to have to say “Wonderland” by Taylor Swift because it covers both the wild adventure part, and one of the more rollercoaster relationships she develops over the course of the series.

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

Okay, so here’s where I admit that it’s been approximately a thousand years since I was up to date on actors, so bear with me! But I think I’d have to choose India Eisley for Zahru, Odeya Rush for Sakira, Michael B. Jordan for Jet, and the only person I can find who fits my “look” for Kasta is teenage Jason Momoa, so that’s what I’m going with!

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

Take this book to Moab, Utah, grab yourself a box of chocolate truffles and a glass of sparkling water, and you’ll practically be living inside the book. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish THE KINDER POISON?

Readers who like THE KINDER POISON should definitely check out SHADOW AND BONE if you somehow haven’t already, and also THE YOUNG ELITES by Marie Lu, FURYBORN by Claire Legrand, and THE WRATH AND THE DAWN by Renée Ahdieh. 

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

Omg … all of it? Haha. But I would have to say the toughest is finding the right path the characters need to take from start to end, both internally and plot-wise. There are SO MANY different twists and turns any story can take, and sometimes those endless possibilities can be paralyzing. I’m very lucky to have extremely smart (and patient) editors and critique partners who can help me out when I get stuck.

What’s next for you?

Right now I'm working on edits for THE KINDER POISON’s sequel, which will release in 2021, but I have a couple other books in progress I hope to be able to share more about soon ...

NaTaLiE MaE is an ex-programmer, dessert enthusiast, and author of young adult novels. She has also been a freelance editor and Pitch Wars mentor, and feels it notable to mention she once held a job where she had to feed spiders.

She now writes full-time at home with a bag of dark chocolates in one hand and a leopard cat on her lap. She is most definitely not checking Instagram right now.

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The Antidote by Shelley Sackier

The Antidote

by Shelley Sackier
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 5th 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Magic is not allowed, under any circumstances — even if it could save someone’s life. Instead, there are herbal remedies and traditional techniques that have been painstakingly recorded in lieu of using the mystical arts. Fee knows this, so she keeps her magic a secret.

Except her best friend, Xavi, is deathly ill. He’s also the crown prince. Saving him is important, not only for her, but for the entire kingdom.

Fee’s desperation to save her friend means she can barely contain the magic inside her. And after the tiniest of slips, Fee is thrust into a dark and secretive world that is as alluring as it is dangerous.

If she gives in, it could mean she can save Xavi. But it also means that those who wish to snuff out magic might just snuff her out in the process.

Shelley Sackier grew up in a small farming community in Northern Wisconsin continually searching for ways to grow warm. Realizing she would never be able to enjoy ice cream like real people should, she left the state and lived the blissful life of a traveling musician. Discovering her stories needed more space than two verses a bridge and a chorus could provide, she began storytelling in earnest. And then in Virginia. Which is where she lives now and continues to write. 

Her first novel, DEAR OPL (Sourcebooks 2015), is a tale about a snarky, overweight thirteen-year-old, who suffers from loss everywhere in her life except on her body. 

Her next novel, The Freemason's Daughter (HarperCollins, 2017) is a story about a 16 yr old Scottish girl living in 1715 who's raised entirely by six burly Scotsman--and they're all smugglers. The Antidote (HarperCollins February 2019) is a YA novel about magic and medicine, and the witches who wield them both. 

To learn more about Shelley, visit shelleysackier.com where she blogs weekly about living on a small farm atop a mountain in the Blue Ridge and how it’s easiest to handle most of it with homegrown food, a breathless adoration for tractors, and a large dose of single malt scotch.

Can you briefly describe the world in The Antidote and their main characters?

The realm of Aethusa hugs four separate kingdoms—Fireli, Gwyndom, Oldshire, and Thornbridge. Long ago, whenever an Aethusian was born, it was not unusual to find a child that possessed magic, and those born with it knew they were the progeny of a hereditary line of great goodness or greed. But many people suddenly grew fearful of those who held sorcery, and Aethusa, driven by panic and alarm, slaughtered anyone with supernatural skills. Any remaining witches were driven underground, and only surfaced once they’d discovered how to keep their skills from getting them killed: they became healers.

The Antidote focuses mainly within the two kingdoms of Fireli and Gwyndom—where Fee, an apprentice healer who does not know she is from a magical line—lives with the only other young person in her kingdom: her best friend, and Fireli’s soon to be king, Xavi. Ten years earlier, Fireli had been ravaged with a terrible plague, killing half the kingdom, and as a result, drove all the youth into safer kingdoms until Fireli’s quarantine (to protect the rest of the realm) would be released.

Xavi is kidnapped, and soon Fee escapes Fireli in a desperate attempt to save Xavi, employing Xavi’s younger brother, and her childhood sweetheart, Rye. She must navigate the awe-inspiring and intimidating kingdom of Gwyndom with the aid of her mentor, Savva, and a coven of emerging witches, as the clock ticks closer to the determined assassination of Xavi. But those behind the abduction are unaware that Xavi holds the key to the survival of all of Aethusa. If he perishes, they all do.

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

Definitely Savva. I’m a massive fan of her. She’s such a complex individual—a person who allowed me to flesh out a wide swath of human traits. She is strong but incredibly vulnerable. She possesses power, but exercises self-imposed restraint because she is honorable. She holds the most valuable asset in her world—omniscient knowledge—and protects it with her life, for the safety of others. Savva is an unreliable narrator, and this makes her far more interesting to me as to why.

How did The Antidote story occur to you? Did you find inspiration anywhere?

I come from a long line of self-proclaimed witches, seers, astrologists, and chefs. (I put that last one in because I think we all know just how magical food is if touched by kitchen wizards.) These women used to fill my ears with the most eye-widening tales about who they were, but surprised the bejeebies out of me by insisting that I, too, was just like them. I just didn’t know it yet.

For years, being far too embarrassed (or Catholic—it could be both) to believe in such a thing, and far too wary (and Catholic—I can definitely hear the nuns now) to engage in such a thing, I simply ignored them during their visits and tried making a wide berth. But the world is a tricky little thing, and if you, like countless others, support the argument that we have no free will, then the inevitability of my old aunties’ and elderly female relatives’ soothsaying premonitions were not unexpected. 

Wonky things happen to me all the time. And just like The Antidote’s heroine, Fee, you cannot squish down the true essence of who you are. Things leak out.

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

Likely, it would be Bruno Major’s On Our Own. There is so much pain, a desperate desire to understand the world and why things happen and how we can cope. But in the end, there is resurrection, there is insight, there is clarity, and it is a heart-wrenching grasp of meaning. I adore the piece—every inch of it.

But also, as a bonus, I provide you with a playlist for the book, so you too can hear this piece of musical art. Enjoy!

If the book was a movie/TV show, who would you imagine representing your characters?

In truth, I’ve had no one come to mind for any character apart from Mistress Goodsong—the healer from the Kingdom of Gwyndom. If I had my druthers, Claire McCaskill, the United States Senator from Missouri would be my first choice. I know. She’s not an actor, but she’s retiring from the senate and is wonderful on camera. Maybe? Senator??

If you could choose one magical power, which one would it be and why? 

I wish I had the power to say the perfect words, to everyone, all of the time. To know exactly what another person needs to hear at precisely the moment they need to hear it. To be distinct and pithy and unambiguous. To be persuasive and convincing. Truthfully, I think most people just want the words, “I hear you,” to be the ones you utter—and mean it. This is wholly magical in a most transformative way.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish The Antidote? 

Absolutely! I’ve literally just finished reviewing my top favorite thirty books—yes THIRTY—in great juicy detail on BookBub. You can find those recommendations right here.

What’s next for you?

Pen to paper, pen to paper, pen to paper. More YA fantasy, or contemporary humor, or imaginative fiction. Oftentimes, I leave the decision up to my hound. He’s a fabulous beta reader.

Bonus Content: The Antidote Playlist - Google Play or The Antidote Playlist - Spotify (both just music) and The Antidote Playlist Details (with spoilers!—song descriptions for where they fall within the book).

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FFBC Tours: Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Our Year of Maybe

by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: January 15th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

Aspiring choreographer Sophie Orenstein would do anything for Peter Rosenthal-Porter, who’s been on the kidney transplant list as long as she’s known him. Peter, a gifted pianist, is everything to Sophie: best friend, musical collaborator, secret crush. When she learns she’s a match, donating a kidney is an easy, obvious choice. She can’t help wondering if after the transplant, he’ll love her back the way she’s always wanted.

But Peter’s life post-transplant isn’t what either of them expected. Though he once had feelings for Sophie too, he’s now drawn to Chase, the guitarist in a band that happens to be looking for a keyboardist. And while neglected parts of Sophie’s world are calling to her—dance opportunities, new friends, a sister and niece she barely knows—she longs for a now-distant Peter more than ever, growing increasingly bitter he doesn’t seem to feel the same connection.

Peter fears he’ll forever be indebted to her. Sophie isn’t sure who she is without him. Then one blurry, heartbreaking night twists their relationship into something neither of them recognizes, leading them to question their past, their future, and whether their friendship is even worth fighting for.

Can you briefly describe what’s going on in Our Year of Maybe and their main characters?

Thank you for having me back! OUR YEAR OF MAYBE is about the aftermath of a kidney transplant between best friends, complicated by the fact that the donor, Sophie, is in love with the recipient, Peter. 

Sophie is a quiet, anxious dancer who really only feels alive when she’s with Peter, and Peter is a gifted pianist eager to experience life beyond his friendship with Sophie…which makes him feel guilty. The book is about how they move forward when they have such opposing goals, and what that means for their relationship, especially when Peter has a literal piece of Sophie.

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

There’s a special place in my heart for Sophie’s sister, Tabby. I didn’t set out to write another sister story (after YOU’LL MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE), but I love how their relationship turned out, and I haven’t read anything in YA quite like it. Sophie is older than Tabby, who is the teen mom of a one-year-old. Tabby is still with her boyfriend, the baby’s father, and while that relationships isn’t without its challenges, I wanted to show a teen mother in a positive light. Tabby also loves showtunes (as do I), much to Sophie’s annoyance. 

At the beginning of the book, Sophie and Tabby aren’t close. They don’t have a bad relationship—they just don’t have one at all, not really. So the book shows them slowing getting to know each other for the first time, which I really enjoyed writing. 

I also have to thank my past Pitch Wars mentee/current CP Carlyn Greenwald for the inspiration for Sophie’s sister! She was originally older, and I couldn’t get their relationship right. Carlyn suggested making her younger, and everything just clicked. 

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

I’m fascinated by organ donation, and I have so much respect and admiration for donors. Since a lot of transplant books focus on what can go wrong, I wanted focus on the relationships. No one is ever rushed to the hospital, and Peter’s body doesn’t reject Sophie’s kidney—medically, everything goes pretty smoothly. But donating a kidney to your best friend who you also happen to be in love with, when a small part of you hopes that after the transplant, he’ll realize he loves you back? That’s the space I wanted to explore. 

What’s your favourite quote from the book?
The last line ;)


If you could choose one song to describe your book, which one would it be?
“Dreams” by Brandi Carlile—a line from it is the book’s epigraph

If the book was a movie/TV show, who would you imagine representing your characters?
I had Timothée Chalamet in mind while writing Peter, and Dutch actress/model Luca Hollestelle for Sophie—her freckles are so lovely.

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

I’m not a coffee person (I know, it’s a waste for me to live in Seattle)—so I’d say chai or hot cocoa! :)


Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish Our Year of Maybe?

Yes! I think fans of OUR YEAR OF MAYBE might also enjoy the following books:

THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE by Rebecca Barrow

THE DISENCHANTMENTS by Nina LaCour

I’LL GIVE YOU SUN by Jandy Nelson

PHANTOM LIMBS by Paula Garner

YOU ASKED FOR PERFECT by Laura Silverman (out in March) Touring with the FFBC Tours in February!


What’s next for you?

I’m working on my third book, scheduled for summer 2020 with Simon Pulse! All I’ll say right now is that it’s a rivals-to-lovers YA romantic comedy that takes place over 24 hours on the last day of senior year.

Rachel Lynn Solomon lives, writes, and tap dances in Seattle, Washington. Once she helped set a Guinness World Record for the most natural redheads in one place. She's the author of You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone (out now from Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse), Our Year of Maybe (1/15/19), and Today Tonight Tomorrow (2020). A short story of hers will appear in the anthology It's a Whole Spiel (Penguin Random House/Knopf, fall 2019).

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