Sharing the Sin Eater's Daughter Love: Q&A with Melinda Salisbury

You're not the only one wondering how Melinda Salisbury is my Valentine this year. In fact, I feel like I should be baking a batch of heart-shaped biscuits in the kitchen or re-writing lines of prose in a homemade card at the moment. Instead, I'm hosting the blog tour for Mel's debut, The Sin Eater's Daughter (better than cramming a box of chocolates on my own!) which was released last week. Even before publication, comparisons were made between Salisbury's new series and the likes of Throne of Glass and Shadow and Bone, and it's not disappointed! After meeting Mel at the Scholastic Bloggers' Brunch a few weeks ago, having just sent the questions, I loved that her personality shone through in the answers I received!

 

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Q) What was it that made you want to write Fantasy novels in particular?

A) They're my favourite kinds of stories, so it was a natural fit for me. I'm an escapist reader - books, to me, are a passport to another place, and I want to visit places unlike anything I've ever known. Plus, a lot of my other interests fit into that fantasy box - I love medieval history, and magic, and fairytales, all things that also mesh well with fantasy worlds. I think I'd struggle to write a contemporary novel, because I'm not a very grounded person.

Q) What was the writing process like for The Sin Eater's Daughter? Did you have a certain writing spot or snack that helped you through?

A) It was strange, because I wasn't writing it really with the intention of getting it published. Whilst I was writing it I actually had another story on submission with agents, and I started writing The Sin Eater's Daughter a chapter or two a day, just to keep myself occupied. I was sending it to my friend Liv every time I finished a chapter, and she kept asking what happened next, so I'd write another. It was only really at the end I realised I had a book, and it was way better than the one I was submitting. Luckily, the woman who became my agent agreed. I like to drink tea while I'm writing. I switch to coffee when I'm editing. I also have a thing about Cadbury Twirls. No idea why.

Q) Despite being set in a fictional world, are there any aspects of your debut that were inspired by your own experiences?

A) Yes  - many. Twylla's struggles with the life she has have been mine, in the past. I've been in that place where you're going through the motions of doing what you're told you should do, ticking boxes and not really living. Obviously, our actual experiences are very different, but her sleepwalking through her life, shying away from confronting the problems with it have been my struggles too. I suspect there are a lot of people living the lives they think they ought to, instead of the ones they want to. I had everything you're supposed to want and it wasn't enough and it made me hate myself, just as she does. And like her, I was shaken out of it.

I also travel a lot, and that's really influenced the novel. The mirror maze in the book is based on a real one I visited in Prague, the food and geography and climate is stolen from places I've visited. The world of The Sin Eater's Daughter was basically mined from my life, and honed, and made into a thing entirely of its own.

Q) For The Sin Eater's Daughter, you had to imagine the entire Kingdom of Lorene. If you could explore another alternate Fantasy world for a day, which would it be?

A) The wizarding world of Harry Potter. Hands down. I'd want to go to The Three Broomsticks and The Leaky Cauldron and eat Pumpkin Pasties and bow to Hippogriff and see it if bowed back. I'd like to be flummoxed by a moving staircase at Hogwarts, and watch a Quidditch match. But I wouldn't leave at the end of the day. I'd see if I could get a job as Hagrid's assistant, or a Muggle Liaison officer.

Doesn't this dress - worn at the recent
 Vanity Fair Oscar Party match The Sin Eater's
Daughter perfectly?

Q) Multiple Young Adult novels have received a movie adaptation recently. Who would you dream cast if a film of The Sin Eater's Daughter was going to be made?

A) I really don't know! Friends have asked me this, and it's really hard for me to cast people, because obviously in my head I can see exactly what all of the characters look like and they just look like themselves. I can think of some actors that resemble the images in my head, for example Aneurin Barnard in The White Queen was very close to my Merek, and Saoirse Ronan has the wistful sadness of Twylla in her looks, but I think it's something I'd rather leave to readers, or casting agents to decide on.

Q) Was there a playlist that you wrote your novel to? If not, what songs would be a part of it?

A) I don't write to music at all. I need silence when I'm writing, and it's not something I draw inspiration from. I get all of my outside input from travelling and nature. Having said that, I was listening to the radio in the kitchen one night on a break from editing and I heard Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons and thought, "Oh my God, that's the theme song of the book." The same thing happened when I was writing the second one, I heard London Grammar's Sights and it was the song. I'm so excited to see what song encapsulates book three.

Q) So far, what has been the highlight of your publication journey?

A) I know it might sound a little trite, but it's been all of the people I've met. The people I've worked with at Scholastic, my agent, other authors, bloggers, fans, booksellers. The YA scene in the UK is just so incredibly supportive and friendly and I've made so many friends along the way. Seeing a copy of the book for the first time was incredible but seeing my ne friends being just as excited, and proud, as I am is beyond amazing. That so many people are embracing my dream, and talking about it, is humbling and incredible.

As a thank you, I wish I could send some Red Velvet Valentine's Day cupcakes your way!

Have you picked up a copy of The Sin Eater's Daughter yet?
Anticipating the rest of the series?
 

Tell me in the comments!

Thank you to Rachel from Scholastic for asking me to host and Mel for answering my questions!

 

Sophie

x

Event Recap: Scholastic Bloggers' Book Feast

Before I curled up beneath the covers on Christmas Eve, I decided to sign into my email account one more time, sure that I would find no new messages. That's why, when I noticed an email from Rachel at Scholastic, I was more than a little surprised. Having found it with a few minutes until midnight, I was convinced that the email - which was an invite to the Scholastic Bloggers' Brunch the following month - was a Christmas miracle(or mistake!). It was due to this email that I was being woken at 4.45am on Saturday, my Throne of Glass tote bag packed ready for the four-hour journey into London.

 



What more could you ask for?

The Brunch was being held at Scholastic HQ to showcase their upcoming titles for 2015, a few of which I had seen mentioned online before(and had added to my wish-list), from a mixture of celebrated bestsellers to fresh-faced debuts. Two of the latest additions to the Scholastic team, authors Eve Ainsworth and Melinda Salisbury, were also going to be making an appearance, there to discuss their upcoming titles with us. One of the main reasons I had been so desperate to make it to the event was to see inside a publishing house, and Scholastic's own offices didn't disappoint. The walls were decorated in book-quotes from some of the most loved Children's books and the furniture followed a red colour-scheme. The room where the event was being held had such a cosy atmosphere, crammed full with tables that we could all sit around, pots of fresh fruits and glasses of orange juice lining the room. Let's just say that the Scholastic team know how to prepare for a blogger event!

 

The event kick-started with some information about Scholastic's upcoming titles and their continuing projects. We were told about the books that are soon to hit-the-shelves, including the next instalment in the Raven Cycle Trilogy - which I still haven't read yet - and the sequel to Jenny Han's To All The Boys I Loved Before, called PS: I Still Love You. We couldn't help but joke that Cecelia Ahern shouldn't be told about that title! Just hearing about the sequel made me more excited about getting the chance to pick up Han's debut, a novel I have heard nothing but praise for since it was first released. What I think I'm most excited about from the list is The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury, which I'm certain I will fall in love with! As soon as I read the synopsis a few weeks ago, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy, and was so excited when I found one neatly wrapped in brown baking paper inside my goodie bag.  It was so adorable that I didn't want to open it to be signed by Mel(but I soon got over that!).

 

Author Melinda Salisbury discusses her new novel!

After we had been told about all of the upcoming titles, it was over to Mel and Eve to tell us more about their debuts - and a lot about dinosaurs. With Mel having just come from spending the night at the Natural History Museum, I'll admit conversation was focused slightly on that, and I couldn't help but ask afterwards about what it was like to be there(and the food!). Mel was such a lively and bubbly presence, making witty remarks as she discussed the influence her own travelling had on her novel. Eve, who is the author of the upcoming 7 Days, expressed her love for the community that book lovers, authors and publishers have developed and her feelings about being welcomed into it. What Eve made clear about her  novel was that she had been able to do a lot of research within schools, and I can't wait to read such a realistic take on the issue of bullying(which always needs to be addressed).

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to read name badges, trying to work out whether I recognised some of the bloggers from when they might have appeared on my Twitter feed, and starting discussions with those I had never met before. Crowded around, we spent the time discussing our own daily-lives, the topics of conversation ranging from work(or school in my case) to the bookstores we were to visit that afternoon. Being someone who would love to work in publishing, I was also able to receive some advice from the Scholastic Team whilst we chatted. Although, I'll admit the best part was collecting my own red bag filled with some treats to read over the next few weeks!

 

To make the day even more bookish, I managed to take a trip to Waterstones Piccadilly for the first time, where I came across Georgia from The Bibliomaniac, who was also wandering around the Teen Section! We chatted for a while before I chose Jennifer Niven's All The Bright Places from what must be the most well-stocked bookstore I've ever come across. It was such a difficult decision to chose just one!

 

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Thank you to Rachel from Scholastic for inviting me along to the Bloggers' Brunch! It was definitely worth the trip!
 

Disclaimer: All pictures used in the post are from Scholastic UK.