The time it was about The Heart of the World

Posted September 17, 2024 by Stacee in Interviews | 0 Comments

When I got the invite to interview Amie Kaufman for The Heart of the World, I couldn’t type yes fast enough. Not only do I adore Amie, I loved the first book in this duology and I can’t wait to see how it ends.

Before we get to Amie’s answers, let’s check out the book.

Title: The Heart of the World (The Isle of the Gods #2)
Author: Amie Kaufman
Pages: 432
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: September 17, 2024
Find it: PRH | Bookshop | Goodreads

Synopsis: When Selly and Leander began their treacherous voyage to the Isles of the Gods, the captain’s daughter and the playboy prince were strangers. But amid talk of war and a deadly attack on their ship, the unthinkable happened.

They fell in love.

Leander’s ritual at the island temple was meant to prevent a war between the gods. Instead, it nearly cost him his life, and drew the goddess Barrica back from exile. Now, as her Messenger, Leander is imbued with her deadly magic, and only Selly’s presence can stop it from consuming him.

But Barrica wasn’t the only immortal roused from sleep. The God of Risk, Macean, was awakened by an enemy all thought dead, and across the sea he’s calling for war.

The fight to save their world will take Selly and Leander from the gilded ballroom of the royal palace to the hallowed halls of an ancient library. Battle lines will be drawn, and bonds will break.

With the wrath of gods and the machinations of power-hungry rulers straining their loyalties, can their love withstand the trials that await them?

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for The Isle of the Gods duology.

It’s a seafaring fantasy about a magician prince who needs to sail to an abandoned temple and make a sacrifice that will prevent a war between the gods, and the sailor girl who has to help him. She’s absolutely sick of his sh…enanigans from minute one, but later finds him considerably less annoying.

2. While setting up the storyline for The Heart of the World, were there any plot points you knew you wanted to use?

Oh yes! I knew I wanted to visit a location I’d only talked about in book one – the Bibliotek. It’s the greatest library in the world, built on the ruins of a land ruined during the last war between the gods. I used elements of all my favourite libraries – Trinity in Dublin, the Morgan in New York, the State Library in Melbourne – and let my characters roam through all of them.

3. Why do you love Selly and Leander and why should readers root for them?

They’re two of my favourite characters I’ve ever written. I love their banter so much – Selly’s the first person who’s ever insulted Leander in his life, and he’s charmed by it – and I love watching them discover each other’s worlds. He’s a fish out of water on her ship, but then they head to the palace, and boy, are their positions reversed. I love their slow burn chemistry, and the journey they take to really see who the other one is, underneath their protective shell.

They both learn so much in the first book – they grow from two people too scared to put anything on the line (even if they’d be deeply insulted to be described that way) to two people willing to sacrifice everything for each other. But sometimes, being willing to give up everything isn’t enough – sometimes you have to be willing to fight to stay, instead, and that’s where the two of them head in The Heart of the World. And this is my longest answer by far, so you can see how much I love them! I could go on and on.

4. Were there any weird things you googled while drafting?

It took me a long time to get the bare-knuckled boxing stuff out of my YouTube algorithm, and that’s a lot of blood and teeth to be greeted with every time you log on! I ended up spending a lot of time searching quokkas, just to clear it out. And if you’ve never done that, may I suggest you do so immediately, and you’re welcome. Quokkas are Australia’s gift to the world.

5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

Ooooh, that’s really difficult. I loved describing the libraries, but I’ve already talked about those. So I’ll say instead that I loved the moment Selly steps back onto a ship, I loved the scene that contains – to quote an earworm you’re now stuck with all day – murder on the dancefloor, and I love-love-loved writing the finale confrontation. Oh, and the moment when we meet our new character, Kiki! I loved a lot about writing this book.

Speed {ish} round:

1. You find out that you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

I still remember exactly what I did when I first heard this news! I was sitting in a beanbag by the fireplace (I’d kind of curled up in the fetal position during the phone calls!) and I just stared into space and whispered “What? What? WHAT?????” for about five minutes.

2. What three things would you take to a desert island?

I wouldn’t make an ideal Survivor contestant, so I’ll pack for a good time, not a long time: an e-reader, my pillow (my neck is a precious beast) and a hammock.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

It’s my favourite book: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

5. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?

Honestly, given the amount of trauma headed my way, I would strongly consider not moving to Forks at all. Maybe a nice beach somewhere?

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Amie Kaufman is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy for young (and not so young) adults. Her multi-award winning work has been published in 30 countries, and been described as “a game-changer., “stylistically mesmerising” and “out-of-this-world awesome”. Amie lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and their rescue dog, Jack.