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!
Today Addie Thorley stopped by the blog to talk a little bit more about her debut novel AN AFFAIR OF POISONS that has already been loved by so many readers! AN AFFAIR OF POISONS came out on February 26th, so make sure to add it to your TBR and order it after you read the interview!
About Addie!
Addie Thorley spent her childhood playing soccer, riding horses, and scribbling stories. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism, she decided “hard news” didn’t contain nearly enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction and never looked back. She now lives in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and wolf dog, and when she’s not writing she can be found gallivanting in the woods or galloping around the barn where she works as a horse trainer and exercise rider. AN AFFAIR OF POISONS is her debut novel.
Interview!
The Book Bratz: How does it feel that AN AFFAIR OF POISONS is debuting this year?
Addie: It feels completely amazing but totally surreal. I don’t think I’ll believe it’s really happening until I hold the finished copy in my hands. Becoming a published author was a long and winding road for me (POISONS is the 5th novel I’ve written), and there were a lot of times I worried it was never going to happen for me. So this is an absolute dream come true, and I’m so excited and grateful.
The Book Bratz: In the length of a tweet (280 characters!) can you give us an overall summary of AN AFFAIR OF POISONS?
Addie: After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, a teenage alchemist must team up with her sworn enemy—the disgraced royal bastard—and form a plan to save both commoners and nobility from her mother’s desperate and diabolical Shadow Society. And smoke beasts!
The Book Bratz: Where did your inspiration for AN AFFAIR OF POISONS come from?
Addie: This is probably going to sound slightly creepy, but I have always been fascinated by poison. I love any book that features poison, so I always knew I wanted to write one. I’m also a huge history nerd, so I love scouring bygone times for interesting women to write about. One day, I just so happened to read about the infamous fortune teller and poisoner, La Voisin, and I had this feeling, deep in my gut, that I had found my next story. The fact that it took place in France was the icing on the cake. I am a HUGE Francophile, so it was like this story was made for me.
The Book Bratz: Is there anything from your personal life that you used as inspiration in AN AFFAIR OF POISONS?
Addie: Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately!) I don’t dabble in poisons or alchemy in my personal life, but I did draw on my experiences growing up to create the complicated sibling dynamics both Josse and Mira face. I’m the oldest of five children, so I know how fiercely I wanted to protect and guard my younger siblings—really be that person they could count on. But on the flip side, I have a sister who is good at literally everything and made it her mission to “show me up” my entire life, so I also know how these relationships can be fraught with jealousy and competition. Siblings have an innate and infuriating ability to know exactly how to push your buttons.
The Book Bratz: Can you share a secret about AN AFFAIR OF POISONS that not many people know yet?
Addie: I wrote An Affair of Poisons without ever having been to Paris! I spent months pouring over historical maps and studying diagrams of streets and palaces in order to build a convincing and accurate world. When I finally got to visit Paris, it was the coolest experience EVER! Almost like coming home. The city felt so familiar.
The Book Bratz: If you had to create Twitter or Instagram handles for your characters, what would they be?
Addie:
- Mirabelle: @dangerousalchemy
- La Voisin: @thegreatergood
The Book Bratz: Do you have any ideas you plan to visit after AN AFFAIR OF POISONS?
Addie: I’m actually working on edits for my 2020 book right now! I can’t say too much yet, but it’s the start of a fantasy duology featuring a scarred criminal, a rebellious monk, and volatile night magic.
About AN AFFAIR OF POISONS:
Title: An Affair of Poisons
Author: Addie Thorley
Genre: Historical, Fantasy
Publication: February 26th 2019
Summary:After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, seventeen-year-old alchemist Mirabelle Monvoisin is forced to see her mother’s Shadow Society in a horrifying new light: they’re not heroes of the people, as they’ve always claimed to be, but murderers. Herself included. Mira tries to ease her guilt by brewing helpful curatives, but her hunger tonics and headache remedies cannot right past wrongs or save the dissenters her mother vows to purge. Royal bastard Josse de Bourbon is more kitchen boy than fils de France. But when the Shadow Society assassinates the Sun King and half the royal court, he must become the prince he was never meant to be in order to save his injured sisters and the petulant Dauphin. Forced to hide in the derelict sewers beneath the city, any hope of reclaiming Paris seems impossible—until Josse’s path collides with Mirabelle’s, and he finds a surprising ally in his sworn enemy. She's a deadly poisoner. He's a bastard prince. Together, they form a tenuous pact to unite the commoners and former nobility against the Shadow Society. But can a rebellion built on mistrust ever hope to succeed?
Thank you so much Addie for stopping by to chat with us. We can't wait for readers to meet the world and characters you have created! Be sure to check out AN AFFAIR OF POISONS!
