Hello Readers & Writers,
Joining me on the blog today is Adrienne Young, author of Sky in the Deep which comes out April 24th, 2018 from Wednesday Books. This is Adrienne’s debut novel and I couldn’t be more than excited for it as I’ve heard it’s a brutal and enticing story. Also, it has vikings which is cool!
Before I kick off the interview, here is a synopsis of Sky in the Deep.
Seventeen-year-old Eelyn’s world is war. Raised to fight alongside her Aska clansmen in a generations-old blood feud against the Riki, her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki if she wants to make it back to the fjord after the thaw. But when she begins to see herself in the people she’s been taught to hate, the world Eelyn once knew begins to crumble. And after the village is raided by a ruthless clan many believe to be a myth, Eelyn is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend who has tried more than once to kill her. Together, they must end the blood feud between their clans or watch their people be slaughtered.
A lush, Viking-age inspired fantasy about loyalty, forgiveness, and the definition of family.
Where to Buy:
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // Audible // Indiebound // Powells
Q1: Before we start off, I want to give a huge thank you to you, Adrienne, for joining me on the blog! It’s great to have you. To kick things off, your bio mentions you have a love for history. If you could travel to any point in time, what would it be?
Adrienne: Oh geez, this is an impossible question… so I’ll pick three. The African “rebirth” period during Europe’s Dark Ages when the great kingdoms of Africa reigned, the Pacific Northwest before North America was colonized, and the French Revolution.
Q2: How did the idea of Sky in the Deep develop? Was it something that happened over time or an idea that kept nagging at you or something else?
Adrienne: The idea for this story literally hit me like a train. I was driving in the rain and the image of Eelyn on the battlefield, seeing the brother she thought was dead just appeared to me. It was all-consuming. I didn’t know what was going to happen in the story, but I knew how it began and I just started writing and didn’t stop.
Q3: What was the biggest challenge you faced writing Sky in the Deep?
Adrienne: It was a challenge capturing Eelyn’s internal process dealing with her brother’s betrayal because it was complicated and it’s not black and white. She had to go through a lot of emotions and even in the end, it’s not necessarily resolved. That was a hard decision to make as a writer to not button that up completely, but it was true to the character.
Q4: What’s a major theme of Sky in The Deep?
Adrienne: So, when I wrote this book, I was going through some major life stuff that really inspired me to change the way I saw the world and to let go of some things that had defined me for a long time. I think that is totally reflected in this story. It’s a really terrifying process to confront your own beliefs and worldviews and realize that you don’t want to hold onto them anymore. That’s exactly what Eelyn does. And she’s brave enough to change her life and the way she lives.
Q5: What do you want readers to take away from your book?
Adrienne: Pretty much what I said above, that just because you were taught something or you picked up a way to see the world somewhere along the way, that doesn’t mean you can’t change and grow. You aren’t letting go of yourself by letting go of things that keep you from love and freedom.
Q6: Describe Sky in the Deep in three words.
Adrienne: Brutal. Beautiful. Brave.
Q7: Is there another time period of history you would love to explore in an upcoming story?
Adrienne: I’d love to write something inspired by the Transnationalism Movement in the 1800’s in New England.
Q8: Favorite drink?
Adrienne: Cold brew coffee with a little cream.
Q9: Tell us a fun fact!
Adrienne: I love pie. All kinds. There are few things in life that make me happier than pie.
About the Author
Adrienne Young is a born and bred Texan turned California girl. She is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, scouring antique fairs for old books, sipping wine over long dinners, or disappearing into her favorite art museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings beneath the West Coast sun.
Website: https://www.adrienneyoungbooks.com
Twitter: @adriennebooks
Instagram: @adrienneyoungbooks
So if you haven’t heard of Sky in the Deep, now you have and if you haven’t pre-ordered it yet, what are you doing?? This book is going to blow your socks off. (Is this cheesy? Probably, but I’m so excited for this.)
And once again, a huge thank you to Adrienne for joining me on the blog!
Till Next Time,
xx
Megan
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