Blog Tour: Interview with Emily A. Duncan (Wicked Saints)

Sonntag, 7. April 2019


   Hi everyone!
   Welcome to my stop of the Wicked Saints blog tour! This book was one of my most anticipated/I'm most curious about for 2019, which doesn't really come as surprise to anyone at this point, does it, since you know I like dark and twisted stories. And, as Slav myself, I'm always interested in Slavic stories or ones inspired by Slavic cultures, folklore, mythology, and our beautiful countries. Thank you to Wednesday Books for giving me the opportunity of being part of this and sharing a small interview with Emily with you. But, before we get into that, let's check out the book first!

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
Published: April 2nd 2019 by Wednesday Books
Number of Pages: 385 Pages (Hardcover)
Series: Yes, #1 in the Something Dark and Holy Trilogy

“Prepare for a snow-frosted, blood-drenched fairy tale where the monsters steal your heart and love
ends up being the nightmare.” - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
   A girl who can speak to gods must save her people without destroying herself.
   A prince in danger must decide who to trust.
   A boy with a monstrous secret waits in the wings. 
   Together, they must assassinate the king and stop the war.
   In a centuries-long war where beauty and brutality meet, their three paths entwine in a shadowy world of spilled blood and mysterious saints, where a forbidden romance threatens to tip the scales between dark and light.
   Wicked Saints is the thrilling start to Emily A. Duncan’s devastatingly Gothic Something Dark and Holy trilogy. (Goodreads.com)

Interview with Emily

   When developing the plot and world of Wicked Saints, why did you decide to create two
countries inspired by Poland and Russia, besides the obvious historical conflicts between them
in real life?
   It was because of the historical conflict between them in real life! I had a book about the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20 and that was what seeded the idea in my brain. Obviously this book isn’t remotely Soviet, it’s far further back and more anachronistically medieval, but that was where it all started.

   What was the easiest and what the hardest part about writing Wicked Saints, and has the story changed over time or did the plot and arcs stay more or less the same from first idea to final manuscript?
   The hardest part of this book was just making it work. The first draft had no Tranavia, no Serefin, no Malachiasz, and no, uh, anything but Nadya, Rashid, and a handful of gods. Then there were drafts with Tranavia and Serefin, but no Malachiasz (these were particularly bad). It wasn’t until I had been toying with the book for a few years that I got a full draft out of it and once I figured out what was missing (it was Malachiasz) it all came together. It was never an easy book to write, by any means, but it’s always been fun.

   How excited and/or nervous are you that soon everyone will be able to walk into a bookstore (or visit the online retailer of their choice) and buy your book?
   It’s definitely both excited and nervous! I love this book, but moreover this cast of characters, a lot and I’ve poured many years of work into it and I’m really excited for it to be out in the world. And for everyone to meet my monster kids. They're weird, I'm a big fan.

About the Author

   EMILY A. DUNCAN works as a youth services librarian. She received a Master’s degree in library science from Kent State University, which mostly taught her how to find obscure Slavic folklore texts through interlibrary loan systems. When not reading or writing, she enjoys playing copious amounts of video games and dungeons and dragons. Wicked Saints is her first book. She lives in Ohio.


   Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to check out Emily and her book. If you decide to read it, let me know because I'm curious of your thoughts! 

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