Hello Bookworms, I am so so excited to be featuring these two marvellous authors on my blog! Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman collaborated and wrote All of Us Villains, a fantasy novel releasing on November 9th! If you read my mini-review, you know just how much I enjoyed it, and it means so much that I can chat with the authors today. So keep reading to learn about how this novel came to be, some of the challenges they faced along the way and more!
Here is my review for this book!
Erin : How did you two come to collaborate on this book, and what was the inspiration?
Amanda + Christine : Back in the summer of 2017, the two of us were chatting about YA tropes that we loved and wound up discussing our mutual obsession with death tournaments. Soon, we realized we were batting an actual book idea around–one that we’d come up with together. We were already critique partners, so we were familiar with each others’ work, and we figured it couldn’t hurt to try co-writing. Almost four years later, we’re really glad we made the decision to give it a shot.
Erin : When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
Amanda + Christine :Both of us have published series before, and so we already knew what we loved about writing them: playing with slow burn romance, inverting popular tropes, and thinking up the wildest cliffhangers. We also both love sticking characters in totally unexpected situations to see what they do and how they grow.
Erin : If you had to describe Alistair Lowe(my favourite character) in three words, what would those three words be?
Amanda + Christine : *rehearsed maniacal laughter*
Erin : What were the key challenges you faced when writing this book?
Amanda + Christine : Writing and publishing a novel is, unsurprisingly, a time-consuming endeavor, especially when juggling multiple projects. And when a book has two authors, it becomes that much trickier to find the perfect opportunities to work on it. This is the biggest reason that it took so long for All of Us Villains to be ready for publication–between the Shadow Game series and The Devouring Gray duology, the two of us had to make time for this extra passion project. The actual writing part was way simpler by comparison!
Erin : Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Amanda + Christine : Picking a favorite character is extremely hard in a book like this, where all four of our leads mean so much to us! We love them all for different reasons–Briony’s determination, Gavin’s cleverness, Isobel’s ruthless pragmatism, and Alistair’s devotion for his brother, to name just a few
Erin : What can you tell us about the sequel to All of Us Villains, or are there any other projects you can share with your readers?
Amanda + Christine : The sequel to AOUV is currently in the editing stages, but we’re already so excited about what the final version will look like. There’s not much we’re allowed to say at this juncture, but we can definitely tell you that there’s even more drama, danger, and angst–and also a lot more kissing. We hope readers love it as much as we do!
Erin : Share something your readers wouldn’t know about you.
Amanda + Christine : Christine is extremely clumsy, like, routinely-trips-over-nothing clumsy. And Amanda is really good at juggling.
Erin : And here’s a final fun question, can you share a link to a recipe you love?
Amanda + Christine : This recipe is one of Amanda’s favorites, the kind that has ruined all other versions of the dish for her–beef lasagna, with some not-so-traditional ingredients snuck inside. This recipe is from Marion’s Kitchen, who has a blog and a Youtube channel, and Amanda has become a devoted follower over the years. https://www.marionskitchen.com/marions-best-lasagne/
The blockbuster co-writing debut of Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, All of Us Villains begins a dark tale of ambition and magick…
You Fell In Love With The Victors of The Hunger Games.
Now Prepare To Meet The Villains of The Blood Veil.
After the publication of a salacious tell-all book, the remote city of Ilvernath is thrust into worldwide spotlight. Tourists, protesters, and reporters flock to its spellshops and ruins to witness an ancient curse unfold: every generation, seven families name a champion among them to compete in a tournament to the death. The winner awards their family exclusive control over the city’s high magick supply, the most powerful resource in the world.
In the past, the villainous Lowes have won nearly every tournament, and their champion is prepared to continue his family’s reign. But this year, thanks to the influence of their newfound notoriety, each of the champions has a means to win. Or better yet–a chance to rewrite their story.
But this is a story that must be penned in blood.
Amanda Foody
Amanda Foody is the author of Daughter of the Burning City, The Shadow Game series, and the Wilderlore series. Formerly an accountant preparing taxes for multinational corporations, Amanda lives in Massachusetts with Jelly Bean, a feline beastly companion. Visit her at AmandaFoody.com.
Christine Lynn Herman
CHRISTINE LYNN HERMAN is the author of YA novels about magic, monsters, and growing up, including The Devouring Gray duology and The Drowning Summer. Writing updates (and cat pictures) can be found on Instagram.
Reading On A Star 
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