Welcome to the blog tour for And I Darken by Kiersten White! This is the first book in a new series, a book that I liked. I hope you'll enjoy the post!
Top Five Hardest Things About Writing a Trilogy
By Kiersten White
And I Darken is the start of a new trilogy. With book two in the editing phase and book three in drafting (not to mention that my first three books were a trilogy), I know a thing or three about writing them! So, I give you the definitive list:
TOP FIVE HARDEST THINGS ABOUT WRITING A TRILOGY:
1. Writing the first book
2. Writing the second book
3. Writing the third book
Wow, look at that! Writing a trilogy is so easy, there are only three top hardest things! Everyone should do it! In fact, everyone should write mine. I’ll be over there. Waiting. With my eyes closed.
Okay, okay. In all seriousness, here’s an actual top five hardest things.
1. Planning for book three when writing book one. Writing a single book is hard enough, without also having to weave in threads that won’t come into play until the second or third book! YA tends to be very tight plot-wise, so finding the right amount of building for future reveals without stealing from the tension in the first book is a tricky balancing act.
2. Similarly, it’s challenging to be doing promo for book one, editing book two, and plotting book three. It’s a lot of information to keep track of, and I constantly worry I’ll accidentally let a huge spoiler slip just because I’m talking about book one but living in book three. MY BRAIN. MY BRAIN.
3. Remembering how everyone’s names were spelled in the previous book. No, seriously, this is really hard for me.
4. Redoing research. When writing historical fiction, I do a TON of research. And, because of the schedule, sometimes it has been a year since I read those thousand or so pages on the siege of Constantinople, or that entire book on the life of the real Vlad Dracul. So I have go back and redo all the same research. It’s SUPER FUN!
5. Expectations. I still remember the horror I felt when I started getting reader reactions to Paranormalcy. Everyone loved Tasey, her bedazzled Taser. Suddenly I was plagued with insecurity. Did I use Tasey enough in Supernaturally? Was there time to go back and add more Tasey action? MY READERS LOVED TASEY, AND I HAD ALREADY BLOWN IT. I know what to expect this time around, but I do wonder: Who will everyone ship? Which characters will be their favorites? What unexpected aspect will they adore so much I’ll kick myself for not exploiting it more in books two and three?
But, in the end, that’s also the most amazing thing about writing trilogies. Because knowing as And I Darken goes out there and finds its readers that I still have so much in store for them is one of the giddiest, most wonderful aspects of writing. I get to live with these characters for years, and share their whole journey with you. And that is the number one best part of writing trilogies.
Thank you for joining me here at The Eater of Books!, Kiersten!
About the Book:
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Book One of The Conquerors Saga
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: June 28, 2016
Summary (from Goodreads):
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.
And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
From New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White comes the first book in a dark, sweeping new series in which heads will roll, bodies will be impaled . . . and hearts will be broken.
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