It’s only 10 days until Sophia Slade’s Nightstrider releases, but if you can’t wait that long (and who could blame you), you’ll be happy to hear that today’s post is an interview with the author herself. So buckle yourselves in and get reading!
And don’t forget that you can follow Sophia on twitter too!
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
Yes, always. I was eight when I wrote my first story. It was called “The Journey to Demethedept” and I wrote it in a school notebook. I filled it cover to cover.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
My favorite genre to read and write is fantasy, but I’ve branched out more in recent years. As far as tropes I would stay clear from—I can’t stand endgame mortal/immortal couples. They just make me so sad! Either they’ve both gotta end up mortal or they’ve both gotta end up immortal.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
I see an apple hanging from a tree branch with dew budding on it. It’s sunset and buttery light is coming through the trees. I feel like that sounds like a load of crap but I really mean it! When I write—or think—there are no words. I don’t have an internal monologue. I just see really detailed images, almost like a movie in my head. It definitely impacts my writing. I tend to write like I’m watching a movie and a camera is panning across a scene because sometimes it feels like it is.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
I’m a huge Sabaa Tahir fan. Victoria Schwab and Leigh Bardugo are also high on my list of idols.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
I think descriptions are my strong suit when it comes to worldbuilding. I try to put the reader there and build the world through descriptions of clothes, buildings, food, landscapes, etc. That bit is easy enough since all I have to do is transcribe what I’m seeing in my head. Building things like political institutions and cultures is more challenging. I try to avoid info dumping by working it into conversations, though with a book like Nightstrider that was difficult to avoid entirely due to the complex nature of the Reverie and the hierarchy of “dream beings” who live there.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
I’m in the process of writing the second book in the Nightstrider Series, which is exciting! I can’t share much on that yet but I’m well into drafting it, and it is going to be even bigger and bloodier than Nightstrider. I’m also drafting a contemporary college YA based in part on my experiences as a survivor of SA, and I’m extremely proud of it.
Three images that capture the aesthetic of your book?
I hope a collage works, because I do love this one!
Three songs you would put in your book’s soundtrack?
Fun fact, I worked with Paris Paloma of “the fruits”, which went viral on TikTok a while back, to create a song for Nightstrider! So of course, that one. But beyond that, I think “Throne” by Bring Me The Horizon, “Easier than Lying” by Halsey, and “The Killing Kind” by Marianas Trench capture the vibes pretty well.
What would be your dream project?
I would die to work on something Star Wars related, especially anything in the Clone Wars or High Republic era.
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Oh, Wren. 100%. Literal winged death machine, plus she could just fly me away if things got too dangerous!
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and Crier’s War by Nina Varela.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
I would die to collab with any of the authors I mentioned in my previous answer, and add Xiran Jay Zhao, Victoria Schwab, Zoraida Córdova, and Zoe Hana Mikuta to that list. They’re all literally so cool and talented.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophia Slade (formerly Sophia Elaine Hanson) has been writing novels, short stories, and poems since she was still losing her baby teeth. Throughout her early career, she amassed 35 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards including two National Gold Medals. As a Scholastic alumnus, she joins the ranks of many great authors including Truman Capote, Stephen King, and Sylvia Plath. Sophia is a recent graduate of New York University. She now lives in Iowa with her amazing partner and their furry rescues, Milo and Matcha.
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