Today, Olivia from YA-Mag sat down with Kami Garcia, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures & Dangerous Creatures Novels, to talk about UNMARKED, the second novel in THE LEGION series! Check it out!
He is here… and he could be anyone.
Kennedy Waters lives in a world where vengeance spirits kill, ghosts keep secrets, and a demon walks among us–a demon she accidentally set free.
Now Kennedy and the other Legion members–Alara, Priest, Lukas, and Jared–have to hunt him down. As they learn more about the history of the Legion and the Illuminati, Kennedy realizes that the greatest mystery of all does not belong to any secret order, but to her own family. With the clock ticking and the life of someone she loves hanging in the balance, Kennedy has to ask the question she fears most: what is it about her past that has left her Unmarked?
Olivia with YA-Mag: Kami, welcome back to the Young Adult Magazine! Last time we got together it was with your co-author Margaret Stohl to discuss DANGEROUS CREATURES. But today we’re here talking about your latest solo YA novel, UNMARKED.
YA: Let’s talk about Kennedy. How did you two first meet? What makes Kennedy the perfect character to tell this story vs. any other character?
Kami Garcia: Kennedy is a regular girl. She isn’t the most popular person at school, but she has friends. She doesn’t have any supernatural powers or believe in the paranormal. I wanted to explore the way someone like this would react if they were suddenly thrown into a supernatural world they never knew existed—which is exactly what happens when Kennedy is attacked by a vengeful spirit and finds out that her mother was a member of a secret society.
YA: What sets Kennedy’s story apart from other paranormal YA novels, like Jennifer Armentrout’s WHITE HOT KISS or the DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE series by Laini Taylor?
KG: Jennifer Armentrout and I just did an event together, and I love her books, and Laini Taylor’s. I don’t think anything sets the Legion apart from those books/series. All three are unique, in terms of the subject matter and characters. Kennedy’s story deals with demons against the backdrop of secret societies, the Illuminati, and family secrets. What all three share is romance and twists.
YA: What non-book influences (films, television shows, music, plays, etc) helped spark this story?
KG: Everything influences me… art, photography, books, music, TV & movies. The specific influences were dark urban fantasy and horror authors like Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury; the art of Chris Berens; shows that center around groups of people combining their talents to reach a common goal, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly & Veronica Mars; the show Ghost Hunters and my friend Jason Hawes (co-creator & star), who is fearless; and other shows I love like The Vampire Diaries and Supernatural. There are a few Supernatural and Buffy nods in the books that other fans of those shows will pick up on.
YA: What has been your favorite YA novel of the past year?
KG: There are SO many…The Iron Trials by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, Vivian Divine is Dead by Lauren Sabel, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, Amity by Micol Ostow, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, and Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini.
YA: I am always looking for more strong, healthy female friendships, especially where those gals aren’t fighting over a boy. What can readers expect to find in the relationships between Kennedy and the other female members of the Legion?
KG: Kennedy depends on two girls in the series—Elle, her longtime friend (who plays a much bigger role in UNMARKED) and Alara, a member of the Legion with whom she develops a sister-like bond. Kennedy wouldn’t be able to make it without these friendships.
YA: This is the second novel in THE LEGION series. Why is this a good place for new readers to jump in? Are there plans for a third?
KG: When I start reading a new series, I love knowing the sequel is already on shelves. But readers definitely need to start with UNBREAKABLE, the first book in the Legion series. There are three books in the series, but I haven’t started writing Book 3, yet.
YA: Were there any particular songs or artists you listened to while writing or editing UNMARKED?
KG: There are lots of music references in the Legion series. Priest, one of the members and the mechanical engineer in the group, wears huge headphones all the time. He listens to music while building weapons out of everything from paintball guns to things from the hardware store. Some of the bands featured in the books are The White Stripes, the Beastie Boys, Velvet Revolver, Foo Fighters, and Alice in Chains.
YA: If you could cast the dream film of UNMARKED, who would be in the lead roles?
KG: Dream casting is hard for me because I see the characters so clearly in my mind. Colton Haynes and Garrett Hedlund (in his Tron days) remind me of Jared and Lukas; with a few piercings and a pair of cargo pants, Keke Palmer looks the most like Alara; and I picture Michael Fassbender when I write Dimitri, an Illuminati member readers meet in UNMARKED. Nina Dobrev and Lucy Hale are the closest to Kennedy, but I still haven’t found Priest.
YA: What’s up next that new and old fans should be excited about?
KG: In UNMARKED, readers will find out a lot more about the Legion, the Illuminati—and Andras, the demon at the center of it all. The stakes are much higher, and the Legion risks losing one of their own. There is also more romance in the second book.
YA: All right, last one! If you could spend one day with Kennedy, what would you do together? What would advice would you give to Kennedy about her past or future?
KG: Considering where I leave her at the end if UNMARKED, we wouldn’t have a lot of free time to kill. But I would tell her what I hope she is learning over the course of the story—loyalty is the defining quality in both friendship and love. It answers the question: What are you willing to risk for the people you care about?
YA: Thank you so much for taking time for us again today, Kami! We know fans are just going to love UNMARKED!
Readers, be sure to check out Kami Garcia at her websites www.KamiGarcia.com and www.TheLegionSeries.com! Or follow her on Twitter @KamiGarcia.
UNMARKED, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, is now available at your favorite retailers, local independent bookstores, and Amazon.com
Olivia Hennis is a transplanted New England girl dropped by a tornado into the magical Land of Jersey. For more info, follow her on Twitter.
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