Once Upon a Twilight!: #FierceReads @BooksandBooks Week Blitz: Interview with @LBardugo!

We are thrilled to share with you an exclusive Books and Books' South Florida Bloggers interview with Leigh Bardugo! It's short and sweet but happy to share this with you. Tomorrow we will be sharing Emma Mills, so make sure to check us out (Owl Always be Reading, Books & Swoon, Bookcrastinators In Wonderland, Dapper Animals blog, and Booknerds Across America).

Six of Crows
Six of Crows #1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Released: September 29th 2015
Review Source: Henry Holt and Company

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

INTERVIEW

1. Six of Crow was EPIC! I am however curious about the total of the main characters. Why SIX? Not four nor five?

Thank you! I don't have a great answer to that question except that six served the story. I wrote the "zero draft" of Six of Crows in about a week (it's more like an outline than a real first draft) and the characters arose very naturally. I'd get to the end of a scene and another character would step up and say, "Oh let me take it from here." I will say that Jesper's role got a lot bigger as the story progressed, and each of their voices became more distinct. Now I can't imagine Kaz's crew of criminals any other way.

2. What inspired you to write Six of Crows?

Truth? I was driving down a street in Los Angeles and saw a billboard for a movie called Monuments Men. I thought, "Wow, I have no interest in seeing that, but I should watch Oceans 11 again." And then I almost drove off the road because all I could think was MAGICAL HEIST. Looking back, I think I was also just a little burned out on "chosen one" stories. They're resonant for a reason, but after the Grisha Trilogy, I was ready to write about people who weren't trying to save the world.

3. This one is hard one. I loved all the character but Matthias had me drooling all over the book. But who's your favorite? Who was the most challenging one to write?

You know, Matthias was actually the most fun to write. He's so intense. about. everything. I think he has the heart of a knight, but he was just born into the wrong circumstances, so I'm glad you enjoyed him. Kaz was probably the toughest to write because his backstory is so dark. I couldn't work on it for too long a stretch at a time.

That's all for now! Make sure to add the live stream on your calendar!

Leigh Bardugo is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Grisha Trilogy: Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising. She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University, and has worked in advertising, journalism, and most recently, makeup and special effects. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band. Six of Crows is out now and is a must read!