Interview with Amanda Foody for The Shadow Game

King of Fools (The Shadow Game #2)

by Amanda Foody
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Release Date: April 30th 2019

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Indulge your vices in the City of Sin, where a sinister street war is brewing and fame is the deadliest killer of them all...

On the quest to find her missing mother, prim and proper Enne Salta became reluctant allies with Levi Glaisyer, the city’s most famous con man. Saving his life in the Shadow Game forced Enne to assume the identity of Seance, a mysterious underworld figure. Now, with the Chancellor of the Republic dead and bounties on both their heads, she and Levi must play a dangerous game of crime and politics…with the very fate of New Reynes at stake.

Thirsting for his freedom and the chance to build an empire, Levi enters an unlikely partnership with Vianca Augustine’s estranged son. Meanwhile, Enne remains trapped by the mafia donna’s binding oath, playing the roles of both darling lady and cunning street lord, unsure which side of herself reflects the truth.

As Enne and Levi walk a path of unimaginable wealth and opportunity, new relationships and deadly secrets could quickly lead them into ruin. And when unforeseen players enter the game, they must each make an impossible choice: To sacrifice everything they’ve earned in order to survive...

Or die as legends.

Can you briefly describe what’s happening in King of Fools and their main characters and how different it is from the first book? 

Ace of Shades, despite its detailed setting and large cast of characters, has always struck me as a rather intimate story. It’s told through two points of view, Enne—an uppity finishing schoolgirl—and Levi—a card dealer and wannabe street lord—as they go searching for Enne’s missing mother in the City of Sin. 

There’s a motif in the series that “the city is a game,” and in a lot of ways, King of Fools is a reaction to the culminating events of Ace of Shades. It’s how these two characters did this big, unthinkable thing, and now all the “players” are coming out of the shadows, and a far more dangerous game is unfolding. King of Fools takes this world and cast and broadens them. We get a new point of view—Jac Mardlin, Levi’s best friend, who has always felt on the periphery of Levi’s story. We get new villains. New faces. Oh, and a girl gang! 

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

Oh, there are so many! It’s hard to choose. I loved writing Vianca Augustine’s arc—she’s such a fascinating female villain. I love Grace Watson, a new character. My surprise love was Jonas, aka “Scavenger,” a street lord who makes a bigger appearance in this book than he did in Book One. But I love them all for the same reason—they’re really fun to write! Vianca for being evil, Grace for being (reluctantly) good, and Jonas for falling in the middle.

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

Well, as the second book of a series, a lot just felt like the natural progression from Ace of Shades. I got the idea for Ace by the concept of magic as currency, and from there, I decided to center the entire world on greed. Hence the organized crime, the casinos, the glamour. I also determined that every book in the trilogy would have its own financial operation. Book One had the Ponzi Scheme, and Book Two has something new!

I also consider this book very much the “crime” book. The idea of “street legends” and the famous street lords of old permeates the story, and so I had to come up with all those legends and that history for this world. A lot of it is loosely based on real organized crime history, especially from the American 1920s. For instance, the leaders of the five “gangs” in New Reynes frequently come together in this book to meet, which is a nod to the Five Families of New York, who used to do the same. “Eight Fingers,” a street lord and an important mentor character to Levi, is named after “Three Fingers,” aka Tommy Lucchese. These details are probably lost on most, but they’re fun to me!

Was it difficult to write the sequel of The Shadow Game and why/why not?

It definitely was. A big reason was its length—it has so many moving parts, and there really was no good way to make this a short book. So I felt like every editing process just took forever. I was so burned out. 

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

Hm… just one??? I have such a huge playlist. Maybe “Worth it” by Kodaline. That captures the emotional anguish, which I’m obviously all about. 

Between Ace of Shades and King of Fools:

Which story was more fun to write about? Ah, that’s so hard! I suppose King—there are so many new characters whom I adore.

Which cover do you like the most? Also difficult. I’m more drawn to red than blue, but I just can’t help but feel like the cover of King of Fools suits the book so well. I actually asked my graphic designer to do pinstripes “like a gaudy mafioso suit.” And they did! 

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

It’s the City of Sin, so definitely something alcoholic. You could always spike your tea with vermouth, Vianca Augustine style. 

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

If you like The Shadow Game series, I definitely recommend The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. Han Allister high key inspired Levi. 

What’s next for you?

Book Three! The final book in the series. I’m also working on a lot of new projects, as well. Nothing official yet, though.

Amanda Foody has always considered imagination to be our best attempt at magic. After spending her childhood longing to attend Hogwarts, she now loves to write about immersive settings and charactyouters grappling with insurmountable destinies. She holds a Masters in Accountancy from Villanova University, and a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature from the College of William and Mary. Currently, she lives in Philadelphia, PA, surrounded by her many siblings and many books.

Her books include DAUGHTER OF THE BURNING CITY and ACE OF SHADES. The next installment of THE SHADOW GAME TRILOGY, KING OF FOOLS, releases on April 30, 2019.

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Interview with Victoria Lee for The Fever King

The Fever King (Feverwake #1)

by Victoria Lee
Publisher: Skyscape
Release Date: March 1st 2019
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT

Synopsis:

In the former United States, sixteen-year-old Noam Álvaro wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of the viral magic that killed his family and made him a technopath. His ability to control technology attracts the attention of the minister of defense and thrusts him into the magical elite of the nation of Carolinia.

The son of undocumented immigrants, Noam has spent his life fighting for the rights of refugees fleeing magical outbreaks—refugees Carolinia routinely deports with vicious efficiency. Sensing a way to make change, Noam accepts the minister’s offer to teach him the science behind his magic, secretly planning to use it against the government. But then he meets the minister’s son—cruel, dangerous, and achingly beautiful—and the way forward becomes less clear.

Caught between his purpose and his heart, Noam must decide who he can trust and how far he’s willing to go in pursuit of the greater good.

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

The book takes place in a speculative North Carolina, in a world where magic’s a lethal virus and the rare survivors are infected with the ability to use magic. 

The main character is antifascist activist kid Noam who’s always fought against the anti-immigrant government (his parents are undocumented immigrants from Atlantia, a neighboring country that’s dealing with a lot of magic outbreaks). But when he gets infected with magic, he’s recruited by the Minister of Defense to join a government-funded magical training program. He decides he’ll let the Minister teach him the science behind his magic…but secretly plans to use it against the government and bring them down from the inside. He’s pretty passionate and idealistic and just a little reckless.

Dara Shirazi is Noam’s academic rival in the magical training program. He’s the Minister of Defense’s adopted son and he’s incredibly powerful…and he can be a little mean, too. He grew up wealthy and privileged, so his political opinions butt heads with Noam’s pretty often.

Calix Lehrer is the Minister of Defense I’ve been mentioning. He’s a war hero and revolutionary who helped build Carolinia in the wake of a genocide against magic-users a hundred years ago. He used to be Carolinia’s king before he gave up power to form a democratic government. Now, he seems to sympathize with the plight of the refugees.

Carter Ames is Dara’s best friend, another one of the cadets in the training program. She’s snarky, heavily tattooed, and very protective of Dara. But she takes a shine to Noam, too.

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

This is a hard one! I love Noam, obviously—I mean, he’s the main character—but if I’m brutally honest, Dara is my favorite. He represents so much of what I was trying to say with this book. I relate a lot to his experiences, and honestly I just want him to be happy. 

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

It took me a really long to figure out what story I was actually trying to tell with The Fever King. I wrote several versions of this book trying to figure it out! Some parts of the book were originally parts of other books I’d written that ended up getting coopted and ultimately becoming part of TFK. 

Most of all, I wanted to write about the intersection of intergenerational and personal trauma—about what it means to face our trauma, and the way the world can demand that we “have” to confront our abusers in order for trauma to be viewed as legitimate. I also wanted to write about the experience of feeling like an outsider in your own country. For me, I wrote this through the lens of being Jewish American (for Noam: Atlantian-Carolinian), but so many different groups have experienced this historically and today in different ways.

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

“War Sweater” by Wakey!Wakey!

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

Spiced cider! Best consumed from a chipped handmade mug in an old bookstore.

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

Absolutely! From a variety of genres: Vita Nostra by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko, Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada, The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton, Deathless by Catherynne M Valente, In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan, Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D Jackson, The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, Bruja Born by Zoraida Cordóva, The Spy with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke.

On the adult side, The Poppy War by RF Kuang, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, The Fifth Season by NK Jemison, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, Vicious by VE Schwab, and Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer.

For more debuts coming out in 2019, I recommend Wilder Girls by Rory Power, Wicked Saints by Emily A Duncan, The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante, The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman, Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds, Color Me In by Natasha Díaz, Descendant of the Crane by Joan He, and The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala.

On the new adult side, I loved Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 

What’s next for you?

Well, first off…. Proposing my dissertation and finishing my Ph.D.! Writing-wise, though, I’m wrapping up the sequel to The Fever King. It’s called The Electric Heir, and it’ll release in March 2020. The book starts six months after The Fever King ends, and if you thought TFK was angsty and dark, well…I have news for you about book 2.

Other than that I have a few works in progress underway, but I can’t say too much about them just yet!

Victoria Lee grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where she spent twelve ascetic years as a vegetarian before discovering spicy chicken wings are, in fact, a delicacy. She’s been a state finalist competitive pianist, a hitchhiker, a pizza connoisseur, an EMT, an expat in China and Sweden, and a science doctoral student. She’s also a bit of a snob about fancy whisky.

Victoria writes early in the morning, then spends the rest of the day trying to impress her border collie puppy and make her experiments work.

She is represented by Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty at Root Literary.

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Release Day Blitz: King of Ash and Bone (Shattered Realms, #1) by Melissa Wright

We're Blitzing the Release of King of Ash and Bone by Melissa Wright, the first book in The Shattered Realms Series.

Writing a book or series of books is a substantial commitment. Authors spend a lot of time and effort avoiding the temptation of shiny new ideas, because chasing other stories will never get you a finished manuscript. But the best inspirations hang around, waiting in the corners of your mind, tugging at your attention until they've grown too monstrous and delightful to be ignored. These are the stories that are most fun to tell, the ideas that will not be turned away.

I'm happy to report my newest title is just one of these monsters. King of Ash and Bone began niggling at me about midway through the Descendants Series as a simple idea: a magical apocalypse. A heroine with steadfast determination came in next, followed quickly by the handsome anti-hero who just might have what it takes to break her resolve. And of course he would have something to hide that might test them both. I found myself researching end-of-days scenarios in my spare time, gathering images of winged beasts and deserted cities as this new world grew and grew, forming its own brand of chimera and bursting into a second realm, complete with problems of its own.

The Shattered Realms series is certainly lined up to be the most complex I've ever written, and I can only hope it catches readers' hearts and imaginations the way it has mine.

Would you like to sign up to review King of Ash and Bone? Do so HERE!

King of Ash and Bone (Shattered Realms, #1)
by Melissa Wright
Release Date: February 2nd 2015
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy, SciFi
You can read a teaser here.

Synopsis:

When flying monsters break through the veil into her world, Mackenzie Scott has nothing left to lose. Her brother has been taken, her future has vanished, and all that remains is a desperate need for revenge. After discovering the breach the creatures used as a gateway, Mackenzie devises a plan to stop them, whatever the cost.

When she finds an injured stranger in the street, he just might be the key she needs to succeed. What Mackenzie doesn't know is that this stranger isn't the helpless boy he appears to be. He's one of the monsters. And he's got plans of his own.

Thrown into a dying city in another realm, Mackenzie is powerless to get back. With the gateway closing, time is not on her side. But the stranger is, and if they can escape execution, this girl and her monster might be able to save both their worlds.

Melissa is the author of the Frey Saga and Descendants Series. She is currently working on the next book, but when not writing can be found collecting the things she loves at Goodreads and Pinterest. Contact her through the web at www.melissa-wright.com.

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