Interview with Roseanne A. Brown for A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (A Song of Wraiths and Ruin #1)

by Roseanne A. Brown
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: June 2nd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

The first in an fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction.

For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts Malik’s younger sister, Nadia, as payment into the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal—kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.

But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic . . . requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.

When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?

Can you briefly describe A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN and its characters?

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a YA fantasy novel set in a fantasy world inspired by West African folklore. It follows two protagonists, a refugee named Malik and a princess named Karina. When Malik’s sister is kidnapped by a vengeful spirit, he makes a deal to win her freedom by killing the crown princess. To do this, he enters a competition to win the princess’s hand in marriage. However, Malik doesn’t know that Karina is planning the winner of the competition for a spell that will bring her dead mother back to life. Sparks fly when they finally meet and realize they have far more in common than they thought….

Or the TL;DR version, it’s what would happen if Aladdin and Jasmine had to kill each other but in a West African-inspired world. There is lots of court intrigue, lots of dark magic, and maybe a talking hyena as well. 

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

I’d say Karina is probably my favorite character, but Malik is the one I relate to the most. Karina is the kind of Black girl I’ve always wanted to see in books. She is fierce and powerful and loving, but she is also hurt and constantly making mistakes and learning from them. Because I grew up with Black girl character who were rarely more than stereotypes or the sassy sidekick, getting to write Karina as a three-dimensional person with so many emotions and layers who still gets to love and be loved meant the world to me. But temperament wise, I’m definitely more of a Karina than a Malik!

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

I got the idea for A Song of Wraiths and Ruin back in 2016. I was coming back to a therapy session thinking a lot about the ways mental illness had impacted my own life and I thought to myself “If a ghost tried to take over my mind right now, it would be like ‘There is a lot going on in here. You can have this back.’” Then an idea came to me for a boy who dealt with both mental illness and the supernatural, and that character became Malik! 

From there, the idea grew as I incorporated more story elements that I loved. Oral storytelling is super important to Ghanaian culture, so I wove that into the magic system, and I’m a huge sucker for romance, so I made the main romance trope enemies-to-lovers. Bit by bit, A Song of Wraiths and Ruin was born! 

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

One song I listened to on repeat over and over again was I See Fire by Ed Sheeran, HEAR ME OUT HERE, I’m not a huge Ed Sheeran fan OR Lord of the Rings fan, but that song perfectly captures the essence of heartbreak, tragedy, and epic scale of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. (That sounds extremely depressing; I promise this isn’t a sad book!) 

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

Justice Smith for Malik 100%. He is so funny, and perfectly exudes that mix of strength and compassion that is integral to Malik’s character. I just adored him in Detective Pikachu. And she’s a little older than an ideal Karina actress would be, but I would love Danielle Brooks in the role. She is an amazing actress, plus Karina would absolutely need to be played by a dark-skinned, plus-sized Black actress. 

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

I think the book would go best with a cup of mint tea, seated by a campfire as a storyteller weaves you a tale of epic proportions that whisks you off to a far away world. 

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish A SONG OF WRAITHS AND RUIN?

Sure! For people who find themselves with a massive book hangover after ASOWAR, they should definitely check out THE TIGER AT MIDNIGHT by Swati Teerdhala, which is an enemies-to-lovers, Hindu mythology inspired fantasy cat and mouse game between a soldier and the rebel who killed his general.

Another book they’d devour is A SONG BELOW WATER by Bethany C. Morrow. It follows two sister friends in a magical version of Portland, and it features sirens, magic, and a realistic and timely portrayal of the kinds of injustices Black women face when trying to find their voice.

These ones aren’t out yet, but WHERE DREAMS DESCEND by Janella Angeles, RAYBEARER by Jordan Ifueko, and CINDERELLA IS DEAD by Kalynn Bayron are some of my most highly anticipated YA Fantasy books for this year!

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

I think the most difficult part of writing a book is accepting that what you see in your head and what you get on the page aren’t going to match for a long, long time. That gap between what a book could be and what it is disheartens so many people, and it’s the biggest reason why I never finished a book before A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. But I’ve learned since that I need to accept the ugly writing for what it is, because without it in all its hideous glory, I won’t have anything to polish into the beautiful stories hiding inside. 

What’s next for you?

ASOWAR 2 is due back to my editor only a few weeks after ASOWAR comes out, so right now my life is a steady diet of Gatorade and furious typing. Outside of the realm of ASOWAR, I have another project in the works. I can’t say much now, but I will say fans of vampires, Sailor Moon-style team ups, and spooky settings are going to love it. Follow my Twitter and IG @rosiesrambles for more updates as I’m allowed to share them!

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Roseanne “Rosie” A. Brown was born in Kumasi, Ghana and immigrated to the wild jungles of central Maryland as a child. Writing was her first love, and she knew from a young age that she wanted to use the power of writing—creative and otherwise—to connect the different cultures she called home. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and was also a teaching assistant for the school’s Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House program. Her journalistic work has been featured by Voice of America among other outlets.

On the publishing side of things, she has worked as an editorial intern at Entangled Publishing. Rosie was a 2017 Pitch Wars mentee and 2018 Pitch Wars mentor. Never content to stay in any one place for too long, Rosie currently teaches in Japan, where in her free time she can usually be found exploring the local mountains, explaining memes to her students, or thinking about Star Wars.

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Interview with Lev A.C. Rosen for Camp

Camp

by Lev A.C. Rosen
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 26th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Queer

Synopsis:

From the author of the acclaimed Jack of Hearts (and other parts) comes a sweet and sharp screwball comedy that critiques the culture of toxic masculinity within the queer community.

Sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff loves spending the summer at Camp Outland, a camp for queer teens. It's where he met his best friends. It's where he takes to the stage in the big musical. And it's where he fell for Hudson Aaronson-Lim - who's only into straight-acting guys and barely knows not-at-all-straight-acting Randy even exists.

This year, though, it's going to be different. Randy has reinvented himself as 'Del' - buff, masculine, and on the market. Even if it means giving up show tunes, nail polish, and his unicorn bedsheets, he's determined to get Hudson to fall for him.

But as he and Hudson grow closer, Randy has to ask himself how much is he willing to change for love. And is it really love anyway, if Hudson doesn't know who he truly is?

Can you briefly describe CAMP and its characters?

Sure! Camp is about sixteen-year-old Randy Kapplehoff, who, for the past 4 summers, has attended Camp Outland, an LGBTQIA+ summer camp… and for all four of those summers has had a wild crush on Hudson Aaronson-Lim, who barely knows Randy exists. Randy is a nail-polish wearing, unicorn loving femme theatre kid, and Hudson a butch jock who every summer finds another butch jock to have a brief relationship with. Randy is determined to win Hudson’s heart, though, so this summer, he returns as butch jock ‘Del’ – the ultimate bit of acting. He’s determined not just to be a fling, but to make Hudson fall in love with him. He’s helped out in his plan by his two best friends, George, another actor who is sad Randy can’t be in the show this year, and Ashleigh, a techie who thinks this is probably all a terrible idea. There are a lot of other characters, including drag queen counsellors, exhausted camp directors, and a slew of campers, all queer in various ways. 

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

Obviously, Randy is the point of view character and I love him to death, but I think my favourite outside Randy is Mark, the theatre counsellor, who is also one of the counsellors who oversees the cabin Randy and his friends stay in. Mark is neurotic, overly invested in his campers, and needs to call his shrink regularly. He doesn’t understand all of the plan, but what he sees is Randy changing himself for a guy, and he hates that – he hates the butch thing, the masc4masc thing, and he expresses it… in almost colourful language, before stopping himself. 

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

So the original inspiration comes from the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson 60s sex comedies. I love a screwball rom-com, and I really wanted to write something in that vein, but make it queer, and contemporary and YA. Those old movies are about the “battle of the sexes” which doesn’t really apply to an m/m relationship. So I made it battle of the butch/femme. People playing at the sort of person they think a butch wants, or a femme wants, but also kind of falling in love with them while pretending to be someone else! It’s delightful and screwball and sexy. 

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

Well, over the course of the book, the theatre kids are putting on Bye Bye Birdie, which I chose because it’s 60s and deals with ideas of gender and relationships. There’s one scene where Randy is trying to re-do his wardrobe to be appropriately “masc” and he’s putting on a fashion show for his fellow campers. Mark turns on “How Lovely to Be a Woman,” which is all about the various 60s stereotypes of femininity, and how they’re performative more than intrinsic. So I think that would be the one I’d like… although if it existed, the truly ideal version would be Troye Sivan singing it or something. 

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

Camp food is, in my experience, never good. And I made it a point to emphasize that. But I think in an ideal world, Camp is to be read outside, in nature, like a summer camp, and it’s a burger, fries and strawberry milkshake kind of book. These days, outside is harder, but I think reading Camp will remind us all of the summer we seem to be losing. At least I hope it will. 

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

This is an excellent question, and I have two answers, depending on how you want to pair it. Camp is a sweet and sexy summer camp romance, and if you’re looking for more of that, then Running with Lions, by Julian Winters is an ideal partner. It’s a summer soccer camp queer romance, and like Camp, it deals with trying to be everything to all people, and found families and acceptance. But if after Camp you want something that contrasts it more, I’d suggest Surrender Your Sons, by Adam Sass, which is about a queer summer camp of a much darker nature, but which has a lot of similar themes to Camp – expectations, performance, the way queer love needs to be memorialized, and the way internalized homophobia can make us into bullies. I think Running with Lions and Camp is like a dessert pairing, but Surrender your Sons and Camp is more of a wine pairing. So really, the best thing to do is read all three. 

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

It really varies book to book. I always say every book writes itself differently, so you can’t expect to go in to each book with the expectation it’ll be like last time. Sometimes it’s about getting a handle on the character, sometimes the place, sometimes one scene is going to make you want to slam your head into a wall over and over, but sometimes its technical plot timing stuff. The difficult part shifts every time. 

What’s next for you?

Nothing I can talk about publicly at the time of writing this, but stay tuned…

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Lev Rosen is the author of books for all ages. Two for adults: All Men of Genius (Amazon Best of the Month, Audie Award Finalist) and Depth (Amazon Best of the Year, Shamus Award Finalist, Kirkus Best Science Fiction for April). Two middle-grade books: Woundabout (illustrated by his brother, Ellis Rosen), and The Memory Wall. His first Young Adult Novel, Jack of Hearts (and other parts) was an American Library Association Rainbow List Top 10 of 2018. His books have been sold around the world and translated into different languages as well as being featured on many best of the year lists, and nominated for awards. 

Lev is originally from lower Manhattan and now lives in even lower Manhattan, right at the edge, with his husband and very small cat. You can find him online at LevACRosen.com and @LevACRosen

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Interview with Rin Chupeco for Wicked As You Wish

Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1)

by Rin Chupeco

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: March 3rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy 

Synopsis: 

An unforgettable alternative history fairytale series from the author of The Bone Witch trilogy about found family, modern day magic, and finding the place you belong.

Many years ago, the magical Kingdom of Avalon was left desolate and encased in ice when the evil Snow Queen waged war on the powerful country. Its former citizens are now refugees in a world mostly devoid of magic. Which is why the crown prince and his protectors are stuck in...Arizona.

Prince Alexei, the sole survivor of the Avalon royal family, is in hiding in a town so boring, magic doesn't even work there. Few know his secret identity, but his friend Tala is one of them. Tala doesn't mind—she has secrets of her own. Namely, that she's a spellbreaker, someone who negates magic.

Then hope for their abandoned homeland reignites when a famous creature of legend, and Avalon's most powerful weapon, the Firebird, appears for the first time in decades. Alex and Tala unite with a ragtag group of new friends to journey back to Avalon for a showdown that will change the world as they know it.

Can you briefly describe WICKED AS YOU WISH and its characters?

WICKED AS YOU WISH is a story where fairytales are a part of world history, where a Filipina teen named Tala, who can negate magic, finds herself aiding the exile prince of Avalon in his fight against the Snow Queen as he tries to get back his kingdom, Avalon, frozen and inaccessible for close to twelve years. And it all starts when the most powerful weapon his family possesses - a firebird - lands on his doorstep.

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

There’s bits of me in the main cast, so that’s always been a hard question. I would definitely go with Tala, because I put a lot of my own personal experiences into her story and tend to be protective of her. And also definitely the firebird, who’s just a funny but annoying little ass.

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

I love fairytales, and when I was a kid I legit thought that fairytales WERE a part of history, so I just continued to build up on my old assumptions from there.

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

“Count on Me” by Bruno Mars seem pretty perfect to me. Especially this part, because it absolutely encapsulates both the family and the found family aspects of WICKED AS YOU WISH that I believe is one of the book’s most focal points: 

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea,

I'll sail the world to find you

If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see,

I'll be the light to guide you

Find out what we're made of

When we are called to help our friends in need

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

Tala: Ylona Garcia

Alex: George Shelley

Kensington: Makenyu Maeda

Loki: Min Junqian

West: Noah Schnapp

Zoe: Millie Bobby Brown

Cole: Diego Tinoco

Nya: Marsai Martin

Kay (Tala’s father): Rory McCann

Snow Queen: Eva Green

the firebird: if it could talk it would have chaotic Danny Devito energy

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

As my favorite place to go and write the book was at a lot of Korean grills, I would heartily recommend that! I also think that a buffet is sort of the best kind of dining to describe the book - it features different kinds of cuisines all over the world, but they’re cuisines that I am intimately familiar with, and it’s the best place to eat when you’re with your friends!

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish WICKED AS YOU WISH?

The Foxheart middle grade series by Claire Legrand is sweet and sad and magical, and you can’t go wrong with a reread of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer!

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

Not getting bogged down by the middle. Drafts always looks different than the setup you have of them in your head, so it’s hard pushing through, especially because I have a tendency to nitpick and go over a scene and getting stuck there for days instead of revising for later!

What’s next for you?

I just finished writing the sequel, and then there’s a final book after that! I also have WIPs for a very strange Filipino middle grade story, and conversely also for a very strange adult fantasy, and am still deciding which one to prioritize afterward!

Despite an unsettling resemblance to Japanese revenants, Rin always maintains her sense of hummus. Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, she keeps four pets: a dog, two birds, and a husband. Dances like the neighbors are watching.

She is represented by Rebecca Podos of the Helen Rees Agency. She is also fond of speaking in the third person, and may as well finish this short bio in this manner. While she does not always get to check her Goodreads page, she does answer questions posed to her here as promptly as she is able to.

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