Good Reading for Young Adults caught up with author KATE ARMSTRONG to discuss her novel, Fyrebirds, the spellbinding conclusion to the international bestseller Nightbirds.
What’s in store for Matilde, Sayer, Aesa, and Fenlin in Fyrebirds?
So much trouble! Poor things: they have no idea what’s about to hit them. Matilde will have to spend time navigating the treacherous waters of Eudea’s politics, which doesn’t have a lot of patience for women; Sayer, who’s keeping busy as a vigilante, will discover a new and dangerous new drug that threatens magical girls; Æsa, now back in the Illish Isles, will discover that going home isn’t all she thought it would be; and Fen has a lot of personal demons to grapple with while she tries to keep her gang, the Dark Stars, afloat. They’re all separated, both physically and emotionally, at the beginning of the novel. But with things so dangerous for magical girls and threats of many kinds creeping closer, they will have to find their way back to each other and decide how they’ll go to protect the people they love. We’ll see more action, danger, intrigue, and romance. We may even see them become the powerful Fyrebirds that Nightbirds promised they might be.
Can you tell us about some of the new characters you’ve introduced in this novel?
Well, we’ve got a new baddie, for starters: a Farlands king who covets magic and will do anything to get his hands on it. I hope he makes readers’ skin truly crawl. We’ll also meet some members of Fen’s gang, the Dark Stars, and some of the people who live in the Callistan, the everglade swamp from which much of Eudea’s most potent magical plants come. We’ll also get to know a few characters we met in Nightbirds much better: Jolena, Sayer’s half-sister, plays a much bigger role in this novel. We’ll also spend more time with Willan, our dashing Hawk and pirate, who is a firm fan favourite! Though Fen isn’t a new character, we do get her point of view for the first time in Fyrebirds, which was exciting to write. Fen in a very complex character, and I loved crawling inside her head and finding her voice on the page.
How did you go about creating Eudea?
I always knew I wanted Eudea to be an island, and the only place in this world from which magic comes. I started with the city of Simta, which is a mashup of some of my favourite places: Venice, New Orleans, and my current hometown of Melbourne. All cities with rich histories, lots of winding back alleys, and secret doorways, which is the vibe I wanted. From there, I thought about Æsa’s home, the Illish Isles, which took a lot of inspiration from a trip I made to Ireland. I filled in the rest of the continent from there, trying to work in farmland and other kinds of geography: drawing myself a rudimentary map helped! I also wanted a vast everglade swamp – a place from which some of Eudea’s most coveted magical plants would come from. It was one of my favourite settings to create, and I hope readers love exploring it and its culture in Fyrebirds as much as I did.
What inspired the magical elements in your story? Particularly the powers of the Fyrebirds?
My initial spark of inspiration came from a vision I had of a girl in a mask, kissing a boy who had paid for that kiss, and the magic tucked within it. I wanted to find out more about what sort of magic that might be. Then I went to a show in New York City called Sleep No More, an immersive theatre experience that has a very 1920s feel. You end the night in this very authentic-feeling ‘20s-style speakeasy bar, and I remember thinking to myself: ‘what if, in this world where a girl can gift someone her magic, it’s illegal? What if, instead of a prohibition on booze, there’s a ban on magic? What would that mean for a girl with magic in her blood?’ I was excited to find out. But I knew I didn’t just want inherited magic: I also wanted alchemical magic, things that could be brewed up by someone with the knowledge to do it. I had the best time thinking up magical salves and cocktails for Simta’s alchemists to brew, and coming up with ways people would hide their bootleg. Watching documentaries on America’s 1920s Prohibition really helped. When it comes to the Fyrebirds, I wanted their powers to reflect who they are in some way. For Sayer, it makes sense that she can blend in with the shadows, as she’s someone who isn’t quick to share her feelings. Æsa is an emotional intuitive person, so it makes sense that she can pinpoint and manipulate the way other people feel. But for me, they all had to connect back to the element each has an affinity with. I’ve always loved the concept of elemental magic: it’s not new, but there are so many unique ways to play with it, so many ways it can manifest. And I liked the idea that, when four girls from each element combined their powers, they might become something even more powerful. It was important to me that the magical girls in this series didn’t feel the need to compete; that instead, they made each other stronger.
Who are some authors or books that have inspired you?
Leigh Bardugo’s ‘Six of Crows’ duology was hugely influential; she is a master at creating rich worlds that readers feel they can walk into, and that series does ‘misfit band of unlikely heroes’ so well. I’ve also been inspired by Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle, V E Schwab’s ‘The Shades of Magic’ series, and F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
What did you find most challenging or rewarding about writing this novel?
Trying to figure out how to fit in everything I wanted! I set up so many plots, conflicts, and romances in Nightbirds, and it was challenging to figure out how to weave them all through Fyrebirds and bring them to deep and satisfying conclusions. There were so many characters and side stories I wish I could have explored more deeply, but I had to leave some on the cutting room floor in service of the bigger story. It was incredibly rewarding to get to spend more time in this world, exploring some corners of it we didn’t get to see in Nightbirds, and to see each of my beloved characters grow in new ways. I also loved getting to deepen each of their romances.
Your latest novel is the epic conclusion to Nightbirds – what emotions ran through you when you finished?
Relief, a lot of pride, and a bittersweet sorrow. I’ve spent so many years with these magical girls, and I didn’t want to say goodbye, but I’m happy with how their story ends.
What are you working on next?
My next project’s still a bit of a secret, but I can say that it’s another Young Adult fantasy filled with magic, feminism, and a healthy dose of romance. It’s very different from Nightbirds, but still very much me, and I think readers are going to love it.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Kate J Armstrong has always had a fondness for adventure. After graduating college, she left her home state of Virginia and has never really looked back. She’s explored many places and vocations, working as a high school English teacher and a nonfiction writer and editor for publishers such as National Geographic. In 2018, she started The Exploress, a women’s history podcast with a cult following and over half a million downloads. She is also the co-host of Pub Dates, a podcast that takes readers backstage to join her on the journey to publication for her first book, Nightbirds. When she’s not writing or recording, you will find Kate hiking mountains, trying out cocktails, finding excuses to dress up in historical attire, or reading way past her bedtime. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband.
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