Quick! Describe VESSEL in 7 words or less!
Epic fantasy in a harsh desert land
Ooh, that's a good answer....What was the experience like writing VESSEL in comparison to your previous novels?
In my previous novels, I injected magic into the real world (a magic polar bear in the Arctic, talking gargoyles at Princeton, vampires and were-unicorns in the suburbs, fairy tale characters in a sleepy New England town...), but VESSEL is my first novel set entirely in a fantasy world. It takes place in a desert filled with wolves made of sand and sky serpents made of unbreakable glass and monstrous worms and gods and goddesses. Writing it was intensely immersive. I'd sink into that world while I wrote. In a way, writing this novel felt a lot like reading!
From reading the VESSEL excerpt posted on your website, I noticed that the world in VESSEL seemed very developed and rich in culture…what steps did you take to achieve this? Did you draw inspiration from other cultures?
I love mythology, and I really wanted to create a world that felt steeped in ancient mythology. I didn't draw from any particular mythology for my world, but I tried to create the feel of an oral storytelling tradition with rich, archetypal tales.
VESSEL has a first line that really grabs your attention: “On the day she was to die, Liyana walked out of her family's tent to see the dawn.”-- What are your thoughts on first lines?
I love writing first lines. I agonize over them, as if they're some magic spell for unlocking the rest of the novel. Once I have the first line, then I'm free to write.
Scenario: You are a vessel, destined to give your body to a goddess. What you would do on your last day, and what type of goddess (of any mythology) would you hope to have inhabit your body?
I'd spend it with my family. And I'd write for a while. And eat a lot of chocolate-covered strawberries. As to what goddess... I think I'd pick an earth goddess so she could save the rain forests and so forth.
What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a YA paranormal thriller called SWEET NOTHINGS (coming fall 2013 from Bloomsbury/Walker). It's about a girl in the paranormal witness protection program. I'm also working on my first trilogy for adults (from Luna) called THE LOST, THE MISSING, and THE FOUND. I'm really, really excited about both projects!
Thanks so much for interviewing me!
It is always a pleasure to interview you, so thank you for agreeing to answer some questions!
September 11th, 2012
Margaret K. McElderry
"In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.
Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own."
Because I'm a Sarah Beth Durst fan and I think VESSEL sounds beyond incredible, I'm going to give one copy away:
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