Hey everyone! I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the blog tour for Gravemaidens by Kelly Coon (October 29, 2019 – Delacorte Press)! Today, I have an awesome interview with Kelly to share with you! First, here’s more about the book:

The start of a fierce fantasy duology about three maidens who are chosen for their land’s greatest honor…and one girl determined to save her sister from the grave.

In the walled city-state of Alu, Kammani wants nothing more than to become the accomplished healer her father used to be before her family was cast out of their privileged life in shame.

When Alu’s ruler falls deathly ill, Kammani’s beautiful little sister, Nanaea, is chosen as one of three sacred maidens to join him in the afterlife. It’s an honor. A tradition. And Nanaea believes it is her chance to live an even grander life than the one that was stolen from her.

But Kammani sees the selection for what it really is—a death sentence.

Desperate to save her sister, Kammani schemes her way into the palace to heal the ruler. There she discovers more danger lurking in the sand-stone corridors than she could have ever imagined and that her own life—and heart—are at stake. But Kammani will stop at nothing to dig up the palace’s buried secrets even if it means sacrificing everything…including herself.

Goodreads | Amazon
The Book Depository | IndieBound

And now for the interview! Enjoy!

Describe your book in ten words or fewer. Go!
Kammani has to heal the king so Nanaea doesn’t die.

THAT WAS DIFFICULT, haha
 
What inspired you to write Gravemaidens?
I’m one of those weirdos who likes to check out graveyards. I’m always wondering who is lying beneath the headstones and what they were like when they were alive. What did they see? Who still remembers them?
 
Before I wrote Gravemaidens, I wondered what it would be like to be told that it was an honor to end up in a cold tomb. To lie with a king to be his bride in the afterlife. I wondered how an older sister might feel if her little sister had been chosen for the “honor” and what she might do to save her.
 
Craziest thing you’ve had to Google for a work in progress?
I once googled how to make flash bangs and fire retardants from nature, and ended up on a website about mussels and their anti-inflammatory properties and probably an FBI watchlist.
 
What books would you recommend to a reader who loved yours, and wants to read something similar?
Oooh, good question. I’d highly recommend Three Dark Crowns (the whole series) by Kendare Blake, Ash Princess (the series) by Laura Sebastian, and Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves.
 
What are three must-have items when you sit down to write?
1). I’m pretty sure I’m about 76% Diet Coke at this point, so I need a caffeine fix, and yes I realize this is terrible for me.
2). I also like to have a notepad near by for jotting commands for Future Kell in case I’m in a writing groove and want a reminder to edit something later.
3). White noise on my headphones. For whatever reason, I associate white noise with writing (and sleeping, which…weird? But that’s kinda how it is.)
 
Are you working on anything new?
I’m always writing something. Right now, I’m writing a contemporary with speculative elements that has one POV in verse and another POV in prose. It’s the most daunting thing I’ve ever written.