Hi Kiera,<\/b><\/p>\n
– Thank you for joining us here at YALC. We would love you to introduce yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n Hi, thank you for having me! I\u2019m Kiera Azar, the author of Thorn Season<\/i>.<\/p>\n – Can you give our readers an overview of your YA novel Thorn Season?<\/strong><\/p>\n Thorn Season<\/i> follows the story of Alissa, a Wielder of a forbidden power called a spectre. In Alissa\u2019s kingdom, Wielders have always been Hunted, and she herself was born into the family of Wielder Hunters. When her secret is threatened, Alissa joins the glittering royal court, where the risk of exposure is higher than ever, and where she becomes entangled in a web of intrigue and political schemes.<\/p>\n – And, if you had to do it in just 5 words or less, what would they be?<\/strong><\/p>\n Scheming Wielder navigates treacherous court.<\/p>\n – Who is your favourite character to write and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n I always find this question so difficult to answer, because I could definitely find a reason to name every single character! But for now, I think I\u2019ll go with Erik. He\u2019s so fascinating to explore, particularly because of his volatile nature. It\u2019s always exciting to be writing a character who acts in ways you sometimes can\u2019t predict.<\/p>\n – If Thorn Season had a theme song, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n Dream Girl Evil by Florence + The Machine.<\/p>\n – What moment in Thorn Season are you most excited for readers to experience and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are so many moments I absolutely love, but a standout has to be the ballroom scene around the three-quarter mark. It\u2019s such an intense and critical moment for our main characters, and one of my favourites to re-read.<\/p>\n – How did you find building the world for Thorn Season, were there any elements which you struggled with?<\/strong><\/p>\n I hugely enjoyed building up the political landscape of the world, as well as exploring the magic system\u2014particularly Alissa\u2019s relationship with her own power. I did a lot of research while trying to figure out how best to express that power, which I\u2019d been previously referring to as \u201cmagic.\u201d My most memorable ah-ha!<\/i> moment during the revision process came about when I discovered a phenomenon called a Brocken Spectre, and realised that \u201cspectre\u201d was the perfect fit!<\/p>\n