Today we are chatting with Deborah Falaye, author of
Blood Scion!
Read on for more about Deborah and her book!
Meet Deborah Falaye!
Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian-Canadian young adult author. She grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where she spent her time devouring African literature, pestering her grandma for folktales, and tricking her grandfather into watching Passions every night. When she’s not writing about fierce Black girls with badass magic, she can be found obsessing over all things reality TV.
Deborah currently lives in Toronto, Canada with her husband and their partner-in-crime yorkie, Major.
Blood Scion, which HarperTeen will publish March 8,
2022, is her first novel.
Visit her website (coming soon) at www.deborahfalaye.com
Twitter: @deefalaye Instagram: @deborahfalaye TikTok: //www.tiktok.com/@deborahfalaye?“>@deborahfalaye
Meet Blood Scion!
This is what they deserve. They wanted me to be a monster. I will be the worst monster they ever created.
Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods.
Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.
Sloane rises through the ranks and gains strength but, in doing so, risks something greater: losing herself entirely, and becoming the very monster that she ahbors.
Following one girl’s journey of magic, injustice, power, and revenge, this deeply felt and emotionally charged debut from Deborah Falaye, inspired by Yoruba-Nigerian mythology, is a magnetic combination of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin and Daughter of Smoke and Bone that will utterly thrill and capture readers.
~ Author Chat ~
What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
My Yoruba culture was the first spark of inspiration. Growing up in Nigeria, I was constantly surrounded by traditions and folklore—from the Yoruba language I woke up to every morning, to the Orisha stories my grandmother told at night. So naturally, when I started writing Blood Scion in 2012, I knew immediately I wanted to ground it in that same history and mythology. I asked myself what would happen if a young girl was forced to grow up with little knowledge of her culture, except for this magic she inherited from the gods? How would that shape her identity? These sparked the first idea for Blood Scion.
The second inspiration came in 2014, when hundreds of young girls were abducted from a school in Nigeria, which sparked the global hashtag campaign known as #BringBackOurGirls. It was truly heartbreaking for me to learn about the horrors these girls endured, and the more I researched about child soldiers and the war on children, the harder it became to get those stories out of my head. So I channeled all that frustration and heartbreak into this book. I married both ideas of the erasure of a culture and the dehumanization of children together, and Blood Scion pretty much evolved from there.
Who is your favorite character in the book?
My main character, Sloane, absolutely. She’s a character who has been through a lot, and at only fifteen, she’s had to learn some really brutal truths about her world and how to survive in it. So there’s definitely a vulnerability to her that I loved digging into. She’s also very angry at the injustices happening around her, and justifiably so. So to emphasize her anger and her rage, that was my way of confronting this racial stereotype and misperception most Black women face whenever they are dehumanized as these overly aggressive, incredibly temperamental characters without any justification as to where that anger and pain come from. I really loved writing the scenes where Sloane was able to express her emotions because you get to see and understand that anger, and know that yes, it is real and it is valid.
Which came first, the title or the novel?
The idea for the novel definitely came first. I cycled through several titles until I landed on Blood Scion, and out of all the titles (some of which are too embarrassing to share), it was the only one that immediately felt right.
What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
There’s a moment in the story when Sloane gets a chance to save a fellow recruit from a very traumatic situation. The bond that was shared between both characters in that moment was so powerful and cathartic that I actually cried while writing the scene. It was definitely one of the most difficult parts of the book to write because there’s a lot of emotions there, but it’s also the scene I’m most proud of.
Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
That publishing isn’t a race; it’s a journey. I struggled with that a lot in the beginning, especially when I would always compare myself to writers who were churning out 2000 words a day, and every time I didn’t hit that word count, I’d feel so defeated. But once I was able to overcome that, and take my time with the story I was trying to tell, the process definitely went a lot smoother.
What do you like most about the cover of the book?
There’s so much to love with Blood Scion’s cover, and I’m so grateful to Taj Francis and the Harper design team for blessing me with such a stunning cover! I especially love that Sloane, my main character, is illustrated in a way that shows her vulnerability and fierceness. Her journey is really one of anger and rage and pain and fear. She is a fifteen-year-old walking inferno on a mission to reclaim all that has been stolen from her. She’s such a powerful force in the story, and I think the cover perfectly captures that.
What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2022?
ONLY A MONSTER by Vanessa Len! I’ve heard lots of amazing things about this book. It’s got morally gray characters, a cool time-travel magic system, and enemies to lovers trope, so I’m excited to finally pick it up!
What’s up next for you?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Blood Scion, and I’m excited about the direction the story is headed. We pick up right where book one ended, and Sloane is once again forced to stand up against a bigger, more sinister threat in an effort to save her people. We also dive deeper into the history of the world, so we get to learn about the Orishas, the fall of the Ancient Kingdoms, and the mystery behind the ancestral forest. Book two is definitely my most ambitious project yet, but I’m really excited for readers to find out what’s next for Sloane.
What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from this book?
I went into Blood Scion wanting every Black, African, Nigerian kid to see a true representation of themselves in the story. It was very important for me to have a Nigerian girl who looked like me front and center stage, to have her go on this incredibly powerful journey of self-discovery and growth, and for her to be the hero of her own story. Representation matters, and as a creator, I want to make sure that if any reader picks up my book, they would always leave the story feeling seen and celebrated.
What advice do you have for new writers?
The first piece of advice I received when I started writing was to put in the time and effort into honing my craft. Don’t be afraid of revisions because that’s where the real story lies. Anyone can write a story, but to make it compelling, you have to know how to revise and polish your work. The good thing is there are so many resources out there available for new writers, and just dedicating enough time to learn and improve your craft can make all the difference in your career.
Is there anything that you would like to add?
No, this has been great! Thank you so much for these wonderful questions, and I really appreciate you taking the time to interview me.
Blood Scion
Authors: Deborah Falaye
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publish Date: March 8th, 2022
