If you have anything to go by, you would know just how much I loved this novel-- if not I will leave a link to my review. If I couldn't persuade you to read it. Let the big man himself try.
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Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle #1)Jay Kristoff
REVIEW
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Synopsis:
Destined to destroy empires, Mia Covere is only ten years old when she is given her first lesson in death.
Six years later, the child raised in shadows takes her first steps towards keeping the promise she made on the day that she lost everything.
But the chance to strike against such powerful enemies will be fleeting, so if she is to have her revenge, Mia must become a weapon without equal. She must prove herself against the deadliest of friends and enemies, and survive the tutelage of murderers, liars and demons at the heart of a murder cult.
The Red Church is no Hogwarts, but Mia is no ordinary student.
The shadows love her. And they drink her fear.
The Q&A:
1. If you could describe NEVERNIGHT in no more than five emojis what would they be?
Hmm. How’s this:
Hmm. How’s this:
2. You've mentioned before the length of time that it took you to get to the point of publication (four and a half years? Correct me if I'm wrong); what were the major challenges that you occurred in writing and getting NEVERNIGHT to the point of pitching to publishers? Were these things easy to address?
It took me around 4.5 years, yup. From the time I started writing seriously to the time my first book came out. I was lucky with NEVERNIGHT because THE LOTUS WAR did reasonably well in terms of sales, and my publishers were confident that I could deliver a trilogy on deadline. This meant I didn’t have to submit an entire manuscript for NEVERNIGHT – we sold the series based on the first act and series synopsis. So the big challenge was actually sitting down and writing the book once we sold it.
I had a very fixed idea of how the book would end in my head, but as I was writing it, the story wanted to go in a different direction. I struggled for about a month trying to beat it into the directions I thought it should go, but once I let go and allowed the story to do what it wanted, it was a breeze to write (and ended up in a much cooler place than I first imagined).
3. Were there any key influences for NEVERNIGHT? Both historical and day to day living.
I love the cities of Venice and Rome, I’ve lived in both for a spell and they were huge influences on the construction of Godsgrave itself. I’m also a massive Roman history nerd, and ancient Roman culture, mythology and politics helped shape the Itreyan Republic in very real ways. Mia’s history is basically a “what if?” thought experiment.
What if Julius Caesar’s rebellion against the Roman Senate failed?
4. Do you have a playlist for NEVERNIGHT? If so, what three songs do you think best summarize the theme and plot?
I tend not to listen to music with lyrics when I write. I find other people’s words too distracting. I basically owe this book to Ludovico Einaudi—I listened to his stuff non-stop when writing it. But there are other songs that have played a part in building Mia’s character in particular.
Eros – Ludovico Einaudi
Aspire – Northlane
Primavera – Ludovico Einaudi
Throne – BMTH
Divenire – Ludovico Einaudi
Black #1 – Type O Negative
5. What secrets can you reveal of the writing process of NEVERNIGHT that no one already knows?
I rewrote it three times. Only about 50% of the sample that I sold the book to my publishers with actually made it into the finished book.
Writing is rewriting.
6. If you could give three pieces of advice to aspiring young authors- what would that best advice be?
1. Write lots. Give yourself permission to suck. Understand you will likely be shit before you’re good, and being shit is okay as long as you’re getting better.
2.Understand an ENORMOUS amount of this industry is based on luck. Anyone who does well as an artist is lucky, authors are no exception. They might be talented and hard working too, but I know a bunch of talented, hard working authors who have never been able to quit their dayjobs. Success as an artist is about many factors, especially luck, and luck is something you can only marginally control. Anyone who tells you different is a fool, liar or selling you something.
3. Never stop. Anyone who choose to be an artist, whether it’s a writer or musician or whatever, is going to be constantly told they are wasting their time. That they’re a fool for even trying. SCREW THOSE PEOPLE. Do what you love, surround yourself with people who build you up not tear you down, and never, EVER stop writing.
Jay Kristoff has managed to trick the world into thinking he's an author. His award-winning steampunk series, THE LOTUS WAR and the New York Times bestselling sci-fi novel ILLUMINAE, the first of a trilogy, are out now. A new fantasy series, NEVERNIGHT, arrives in 2016.
