Debut '19 Interview: Astrid Scholte & Four Dead Queens

In 2019 our goal is to work with as many debut authors as possible and spread the word about their debut novels. Follow us this year as we pick the mind of the 2019 debuts and chat with them. Also stay tuned for news of giveaways, twitter chats and more! 

At BookExpo in May 2018 Penguin Teen did a surprise ARC drop that turned out to be FOUR DEAD QUEENS and was the first 2019 ARC that Amber read. She loved it and you can find her teaser review here! Today we are super excited to have Astrid here on The Book Bratz to answer some of our burning questions! 

About Astrid!

Raised on a diet of Spielberg, Lucas and Disney, Astrid knew she wanted to be surrounded by all things fantastical from a young age. She’s spent the last 10 years working in film, animation and television as both an artist and manager. Career highlights include working on James Cameron's Avatar, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tin Tin and Happy Feet 2 by George Miller. She’s a visual writer and aims to capture the vivid stories that play like movies in her head. When she’s not writing, she’s painting her favorite fictional characters and obliging her furry overlords, Lilo and Mickey. FOUR DEAD QUEENS (Putnam, 26th of February 2019/Allen & Unwin, 4th of March) is her debut novel.

Keep up with Astrid: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram 

Interview!

The Book Bratz: How does it feel that FOUR DEAD QUEENS is debuting this year?

Astrid: Absolutely wonderful! I sold 4DQ back in early 2017 so it's been a long time coming! I can't wait to hear more reactions from readers, it's been amazing so far!

The Book Bratz: In the length of a tweet (280 characters!) can you give us an overall summary of FOUR DEAD QUEENS?

Astrid: Ruthless teen thief Keralie becomes entangled in deadly politics after witnessing the murders of her nation's four queens, captured on disk. She must team up with the messenger she stole from to figure out who did it, but escaping the palace alive will be her greatest heist yet.

The Book Bratz: Where did your inspiration for FOUR DEAD QUEENS come from?

Astrid: This might sound cliche, but I had a dream where I was sitting in a horse-drawn carriage when a sleek silver car flew past. I wondered what world would exist with such contrasting technologies and built Quadara from there. I also had this image of four queens sitting back-to-back, ruling from the same court. Plus, I've always loved murder mysteries, so I decided to combine all the ideas.

The Book Bratz: I have seen a lot of people ask if FOUR DEAD QUEENS is a science fiction novel or a fantasy novel. What do YOU classify FOUR DEAD QUEENS as?

Astrid: Great question! I'd say it's actually a murder mystery that happens to be set in a fantasy world. There's no magic or quests or chosen ones--although I love these kind of novels! The murder mystery element is the driving force of the book within the backdrop of a complex fantasy world.

The Book Bratz: Can you share a secret about FOUR DEAD QUEENS that not many people know yet?

Astrid: There are so many secrets, but I don't want to spoil anything! One thing I've seen early readers surprised about is that you get to read the POVs of the queens, before they are killed. So that's one secret I'm willing to share! :)

The Book Bratz: If you had to create Twitter or Instagram handles for your characters, what would they be?

Astrid:

• Keralie's would be @GetinQuickGetoutQuicker as it's a motto she lives her life by as a thief.

• Varin's would be @Messenger123 because he's considers himself just one of the crowd in Eonia's organized, but emotionally suppressed, society.

• The queens wouldn't be allowed social media for all the secrets they might potentially spill. ;)

The Book Bratz: Is FOUR DEAD QUEENS strictly a stand alone or do you see yourself revisiting this world in the future?

Astrid:The story of 4DQ is completed by the end of the book, but I could see myself returning to the nation of Quadara. In fact, I have a few ideas! There are a few loose ends which I'd love to revisit and also explore what would happen to the nation after the events of 4DQ. I'm also not sure if I'm willing to let certain characters go just yet.

 

About FOUR DEAD QUEENS:

Title: Four Dead Queens

Author: Astrid Scholte

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Publication: February 26th 2019

Buy Four Dead Queens: 

Amazon / B&N / BAM! / Indie Bound / Powells / Hudson Book Sellers / Book Depository 

Summary: A divided nation. Four Queens. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them. Get in quick, get out quicker. These are the words Keralie Corrington lives by as the preeminent dipper in the Concord, the central area uniting the four quadrants of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region: Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community When Keralie intercepts a comm disk coming from the House of Concord, what seems like a standard job goes horribly wrong. Upon watching the comm disks, Keralie sees all four queens murdered in four brutal ways. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – information that is bound to be valuable bartering material with the palace – Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, to complete Varin’s original job and see where it takes them.

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Thank you so much Astrid for stopping by and answering some of our questions!  We loved FOUR DEAD QUEENS and we can't wait for it to be out in the world on February 26th!