AMANDA M HELANDER’s debut fantasy, Divine Mortals, is filled with sizzling romance, cutthroat competition, and a lush fantasy world.
We asked Amanda what her desert island reads are and what inspired her book.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading The Girl with No Reflection by Keshe Chow and rereading the classic A Night in the Lonesome October.
If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have five books – what would they be?
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle, The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake (counts as one if I own the omnibus!).
Where is your favourite place to read?
In bed! Boring but true.
Do you read one book at a time or multiple?
Multiple, always.
Do you use a bookmark or fold the corners of pages?
Fold the corners – I treat my books like a toddler’s security blanket, not collector’s items.
What sparked the idea for Divine Mortals?
I came up with it the same way I come up with all my ideas: daydreaming while I fall asleep at night.
Do you believe in soulmates? And why did you want to explore this in your novel? In real life?
No, although my grandparents came close. But I thought it would be interesting to write a world where soulmates really existed and ask what would happen if you learned your true love’s identity and didn’t like the answer.
What can you tell us about Mona and the challenges she will face in this story?
Mona is severely agoraphobic and hasn’t left the house in 10 years, so perhaps her biggest challenge is walking out the front door. But she also struggles with guilt over the death of her older brother, shame over her mental illness, and a general sense of not being good enough. I hope that readers will disagree with her self-assessment and see how strong she is deep down.
What book character would you be, and why?
I would be Mina Murray from Dracula. She just wants to be included in the vampire slaying, but instead she has to spend all her time figuring out how train schedules work.
If you could meet one author (living or dead) – who would it be and why?
Sofia Samatar! She writes the most beautiful prose and I would love to ask how she does it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amand
a M Helander is a fantasy author and paralegal from Seattle, Washington. When she’s not writing, Amanda can be found watching horror movies, learning to crochet, or eating entire blocks of parmesan in one sitting.
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