Interview with Tanaz Bhathena for Hunted by The Sky

Hunted by the Sky (The Wrath of Ambar #1)

by Tanaz Bhathena
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: June 23rd 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

Gul has spent her life running. She has a star-shaped birthmark on her arm, and in the kingdom of Ambar, girls with such birthmarks have been disappearing for years. Gul's mark is what caused her parents' murder at the hand of King Lohar's ruthless soldiers and forced her into hiding to protect her own life. So when a group of rebel women called the Sisters of the Golden Lotus rescue her, take her in, and train her in warrior magic, Gul wants only one thing: revenge.

Cavas lives in the tenements, and he's just about ready to sign his life over to the king's army. His father is terminally ill, and Cavas will do anything to save him. But sparks fly when he meets a mysterious girl--Gul--in the capital's bazaar, and as the chemistry between them undeniably grows, he becomes entangled in a mission of vengeance--and discovers a magic he never expected to find.

Dangerous circumstances have brought Gul and Cavas together at the king's domain in Ambar Fort . . . a world with secrets deadlier than their own. Exploring identity, class struggles, and high-stakes romance, Hunted by the Sky is a gripping adventure set in a world inspired by medieval India.

Can you briefly describe HUNTED BY THE SKY and its characters? 

Set in a world inspired by medieval India, HUNTED BY THE SKY follows the story of a girl named Gul, who has vowed vengeance against a tyrant king for ordering the murder of her parents. Trained in warrior magic by a group of rebel women, Gul infiltrates the king’s palace with the help of a reluctant stable boy named Cavas, who has some dark secrets of his own. 

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

Honestly, I love both Gul and Cavas, but there’s another character who has really become a favourite—a character who I can’t mention right now for fear of spoiling the book. 

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

I was struggling with a SF dystopian novel that I’d drafted, which was going nowhere. I loved the characters I’d created, but didn’t like the plot and the setting was weak. A friend of mine suggested trying out fantasy instead of science fiction. That’s when the gears began turning in my head. I decided to change the setting to one inspired by India—more specifically medieval India, a historical period I was obsessed with as a teen. I was also inspired by a group of women from north India called the Gulabi Gang (the Rose Gang), which works for women’s welfare. The Sisterhood of the Golden Lotus was born and I had my main character’s new name—Gul. 

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

“Bad Bad Girls” from the movie, Chak De India 

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

Ishan Khattar for Cavas. I would love Tara Gupta, the model on my cover, to play Gul. 

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

Have a cup of lemongrass chai at the Lake Palace Udaipur in Rajasthan and take the book with you. Ambar will come alive. 

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

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri, The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala, and The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan 

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

Every book has its own challenges. For this book, I had to learn more about creating a magical system and a whole world with its own history and myths. It was quite challenging initially, but also a lot of fun! 

What’s next for you? 

The sequel to HUNTED BY THE SKY!

Orders of a hardcover book will receive limited edition swag and be entered to win a $100 gift card. Open to residents of US and Canada.

Tanaz Bhathena writes books for young adults. Her sophomore novel, The Beauty of the Moment, won the Nautilus Award for Young Adult Fiction and has also been nominated for the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Her latest book, Hunted by the Sky, (releasing June 23 2020) is the first of a YA fantasy duology set in a world inspired by medieval India. Her short stories have appeared in various publications including The Hindu, Blackbird, Witness, and Room.

Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.

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Interview with Amanda Sellet for By The Book

By the Book

by Amanda Sellet
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: May 12th 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Mary Porter-Malcolm has prepared for high school in the one way she knows how: an extensive review of classic literature to help navigate the friendships, romantic liaisons, and overall drama she has come to expect from such an “esteemed” institution. Her love of literature even inspires her to imagine herself the heroine of a nineteenth-century novel. Not the sort who makes poor life choices and ends up dying of consumption while still in her teens, but the noble, virtuous, quick-witted type.

When some new friends seem in danger of falling for the same tricks employed since the days of Austen and Tolstoy, Mary swoops in to create the Scoundrel Survival Guide, using archetypes of literature’s debonair bad boys to signal red flags. But despite her best efforts, she soon finds herself unable to listen to her own good advice and falling for a supposed cad—the same one she warned her friends away from. Without a convenient rain-swept moor to flee to, Mary is forced to admit that real life doesn’t follow the same rules as fiction and that if she wants a happy ending, she’s going to have to write it herself.

Can you briefly describe BY THE BOOK and its characters?

When bookish Mary Porter-Malcolm transfers to a crowded public high school her sophomore year, she stumbles into a new group of friends who rely on her extensive knowledge of classic literature to help them sidestep scoundrels and other social catastrophes – including the dangerously debonair Alex Ritter. 

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

If I could get away with claiming “Mary’s family” as a single character, that would be my answer, because I love sibling (and parent) banter. Otherwise I’ll confess to a sneaking fondness for Lydia, the boldest and most outspoken of Mary’s new friends. She’s a lot like my high school BFF, who is still my best friend (mumble-mumble) years later. 

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

I had been working on a dark, sad, speculative story for several years when I finally accepted that I wasn’t ready to write that particular book. To console myself, I decided my next project would be something fun and funny and light, and rather than dealing with complex magic and twisted backstories, it would fall squarely into my wheelhouse: book-loving nerds. From there I just kept adding more of my favorite things, like a big, quirky family; a small town full of eccentric secondary characters; lots of food descriptions; and silly puns. 

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

I vote tea and scones on a nice squishy sofa, since Mary (like so many lovers of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters) is a bit of an Anglophile, and this is a very cozy book. 

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

ORDINARY GIRLS by Blair Thornburgh; WE ARE THE PERFECT GIRL by Ariel Kaplan; FIRST & THEN by Emma Mills; and TECHNICALLY, YOU STARTED IT by Lana Wood Johnson. All four of those are funny, romantic YA contemporaries that riff on classic lit. 

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

While contemplating this answer I checked Instagram, popped over to Goodreads, had a cup of jasmine tea, caught up with my Slack conversations, replied to a text, skimmed my Twitter notifications and dealt with an attention-starved cat. So I’m going to have to go with PROCRASTINATION! 

What’s next for you?

I’m working on another funny and romantic YA contemporary with literary underpinnings, loosely tied to BY THE BOOK. Unlike Mary, the heroine of this one has no problem speaking her mind, so the tone is more salty than sweet.

Debut author Amanda Sellet had a previous career in journalism, during which she wrote book reviews for The Washington Post, personal essays for NPR, and music and movie coverage for VH1. These days she lives in Kansas with her archaeologist husband and their daughter.

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Interview with Candice Montgomery for By Any Means Necessary

By Any Means Necessary

by Candice Montgomery
Publisher: Page Street Kids
Release Date: October 8th 2019

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT

Synopsis:

An honest reflection on cultural identify, class, and gentrification. Fans of Nic Stone and Elizabeth Acevedo will eagerly anticipate Torrey.

On the day Torrey officially becomes a college freshman, he gets a call that might force him to drop out before he’s even made it through orientation: the bee farm his beloved uncle Miles left him after his tragic death is being foreclosed on.

Torrey would love nothing more than to leave behind the family and neighborhood that’s bleeding him dry. But he still feels compelled to care for the project of his uncle’s heart. As the farm heads for auction, Torrey precariously balances choosing a major and texting Gabriel—the first boy he ever kissed—with the fight to stop his uncle’s legacy from being demolished. But as notice letters pile up and lawyers appear at his dorm, dividing himself between family and future becomes impossible unless he sacrifices a part of himself.

Can you briefly describe your novel BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY and the characters in it?

Yeah! BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY is a story about newly minted college freshman, Torrey McKenzie. While the story begins with Torrey’s first moments on his new college campus, back home he owns a bee farm, gifted to him by his late uncle. He learns that very day that his apiary is being foreclosed on. He has tough decisions to make. Drop everything and go home to fix this problem or stay and choose himself. Choose his new college, new friends and new potential boyfriend.

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

Y’know, I very unexpectedly fell in love with Desh, who is Torrey’s college roommate. He’s just weird and quirky and he doesn’t give a single shit about anyone else’s opinions. He’s the king of memes and he talks shit while he’s dead asleep. He loves hard. And he supports Torrey hard.

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

This story came to me while I was on a writing retreat at a farm in southern Oregon. I found inspiration for it one morning when I was sitting outside watching fat little bumblebees dance from softly swaying sprigs of lavender.

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

Sebastian Kole’s “Love’s On The Way.”

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

I loveee fancast prompts like this!

Torrey: Broderick Hunter

Gabriel: Giaro Giarratana

Emery: Nyla Lueeth

Desh: Abe Kim

Aunt Lisa: Zoë Kravitz

Fall is here and we love to go find our perfect spot and enjoy a good book. What drink and place do you think will go with your book to have a perfect book date?

Ohh! Hot black tea, either orange or raspberry flavor with a little vanilla. And best place to read would totally be something like a grassy lawn on a quiet, college campus.

Can you recommend your readers any other books in case they are left hungry for more once they finish BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY?

Absolutely! Camryn Garrett’s FULL DISCLOSURE, Dahlia Adler’s JUST VISITING, Dana L. Davis’ TIFFANY SLY LIVES HERE NOW, Brandy Colbert’s THE EVOLUTION OF BIRDIE RANDOLF, and if somehowwww it hasn’t happened already, you gotta pick up EMERGENCY CONTACT by Mark H.K. Choi.

What’s next for you?

Currently I’m in the middle of writing my next YA project, a southern gothic thing that I’ve commonly described as “spec fic YA romance in the vein of hoodoo meets Nicholas Sparks for Black teens.” It sounds like a lot—I can assure you, it is. But then again, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY felt that way, too. And here we are, guys! Here we are.

Candice “Cam” Montgomery is an LA transplant now living in the woods of Seattle, where she writes Young Adult novels. Her debut novel, HOME AND AWAY can be found online and in stores now, and her sophomore novel, BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY will be released October of 2019. By day, Cam writes about Black teens across all their intersections. By night, she bartends at a tiny place nestled inside one of Washington’s greenest trees. She is an avid Studio Ghibli fan and will make you watch at least one episode of Sailor Moon and listen to one Beyoncé record before she’ll call you “friend.”

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