Interview with Kamilah Cole, author of debut novel SO LET THEM BURN

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first interview of the year and we are starting off with an exciting one! This is an interview that I honestly did not think I would be able to do and I am beyond thrilled that the author agreed. Today's interviewwee is Kamilah Cole! Her debut novel, So Let Them Burn will be releasing on January 16th and believe me when I say that it is worth reading! This book was stunning, absolutely breathtaking, and I am so glad that I was able to pick Cole's brain about the world she created.      

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When did you know that you wanted to write?

I've known I wanted to write since I learned how to read, to be honest. My parents bought me Hooked on Phonics, and I loved reading the little stories. I would steal paper out of the printer, staple it together, and write and illustrate a story long enough to fill those pages. I bought books about publishing, a directory of agents, and practiced writing query letters for books I never ended up finishing. It was never enough for me to just tell stories; I wanted them published. Hilariously, though, I never wanted to share my stories with anyone I knew-only with strangers!

I think this is the first time I've ever heard of someone practicing writing query letters and I love it so much! Seems like your love for writing runs deep. I'm glad that you were able to fulfill that dream.

Where did you get the idea for this book from? I know it says that the book is a Jamaican=inspired fantasy, but was there more to it?

This story came together over years by combining several things: Eragon by Christopher Paolini, Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Dani Bennett, Pacific Rim, and, of course, Zendaya's 2018 Met Gala outfit, where she came dressed as Joan of Arc. I went from wanting to write a story about giant metal dragons, to considering a world in which giant metal dragons fought real dragons, to finally coming up with the plot of a Joan of Arc figure at the heart of it all. And I wanted her to be Black, so that's where the Jamaican inspiration comes in, since I was born in Jamaica and, as such, that's all I know.

That's awesome! I love how the world seemed to develop over time! I need to make time to read Havemercy at some point, especially knowing it influenced anything about this book.

What was it like world-building for a book like this? How much world-building did you do?

Worldbuilding is my favorite part of the process, so I have an entire Series Bible. It contains the name of all the countries and continents (even ones that don't appear on the map), their royal families and major locations throughout, detailed information pages on the drakes (the giant metal dragons) and the dragons-including listed pilots and riders, whether I mention them in the book or not-and more. It's lowkey my dream to get to do an encyclopedia like George R.R. Martin's The World of Ice and Fire, and I will be VERY prepared if any publisher ever lets me, haha.

I love the idea of worldbuilding. It sounds time-consuming, but also like one of the most fun things when writing fantasy! I would totally read an encyclopedia about this book if given the chance. I'm pretty sure I wrote that in my review before even sending you these interview questions. So if they ever let you do that, I will 100% be buying it.

Did you have to do any other research when writing this book? I personally really enjoyed the way that you showcased the way both countries thought about and were affected by the war.

Oh, definitely. I only lived in Jamaica for five years and returned every other summer. Things I remembered from my childhood had to be double checked with the family that still live there. For example, I once had a line in the book that there were crocodiles in the gully of Deadegg-which is based on Old Harbour, where my grandmother lived and where I was largely raised-only for my father to tell me that was absolutely not true. As it turned out, that was a prank my cousins had played on me that I believed to this day. I also read a combination of fiction and nonfiction books, like A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel and Out of Many, One People: The Historical Archaeology of Colonial Jamaica, Drumblair: Memories of a Jamaican Childhood, and Hurricane Summer.

Solid! I'm glad you had family you could check with, that definitely helps make the process a bit easier and more accurate. Books also make for a really good resource and I'm glad that they helped you.

I am admittedly a little obsessed with this book now. So definitely a personal question, but did you have a favorite scene to write?

I loved writing the scene on the beach with Faron and Reeve. Things are shifting between them, and Faron is at a loss for how or why, so trying to balance showing that shift with how confused she was by all of it was a fun challenge, and I spent a lot of time trying to get that right. I also loved the scene in the dean's office with Elara and Signey. In my mind, sitcom music was playing, even though it's very serious.

I absolutely loved both of those scenes! The dean's office scene was a more fun than I was expecting considering I was worried about Elara at that time! And how you wrote Faron feeling that shift was so good!

When you were writing this book, did you originally plan for it to be part of a series?

When I queried SO LET THEM BURN, it was a standalone! I dreamed of it being part of a series, but I had read that those were hard to get agented for, so I tried to write the book in a way that would wrap up all the loose ends-even if I had to rush it. My agent was like, "Kamilah, this is a duology. You need at least two books." And who was I to argue with her?

Can't argue with your agent! I'm very glad though! It definitely gives you the time to flesh out and wrap up all the loose ends.

If you had to describe So Let Them Burn in three words, what words would you choose?

Sapphics, sisterhood, and dragons.

Yep! That's it in a nutshell!

Was there any part of this book that was difficult to write?

The reflections on war were very difficult to write, as well as the different ways that Faron and Elara's PTSD displayed themselves and affected their current lives. I had to do a lot of research for this and pull from some very personal places, but hopefully it connects with people and makes them feel less alone.

That's fair. I hope it connects with people too.

Are there any hints or teasers you can give about the second book? I'm already anxiously awaiting its release after that ending!

Oh, I ruin these kids' lives. But a vague teaser is that one of my favorite scenes is when two characters reunite for the first time in a long time. It's raw and emotional and affectionate and intimate, and it shows how important friendships are to the narrative of both books.

Oh I am looking forward to it! I feel bad for these kids 😂 but I am so excited to see how it all goes. I love the forcus on friendships. It's such an amazing things and I love books that manage to bring that to the forefront.

Thank you so much to Kamilah Cole for taking part in this interview and to everyone who read this! This was truly an absolute pleasure and I feel beyond grateful to have conducted this interview. I highly encourage everyone to add So Let Them Burn to their TBR piles and either preorder it or request it at their local library. I am fully planning on keeping a close eye on Cole's writing to see how she grows and develops as a writer. If this is just the beginning, I can only see her career going higher!

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You can find Kamilah Cole on her website, Instagram, Twitter, BlueSky, and Threads.

Kamilah Cole has a LinkTree set up with links to preorder the book. She also has launch events linked there in case you want to catch one of those!

If you can't buy her books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive! Have an amazing new year! May this one be better than the last (even if your last was amazing)!