We are excited to share Christopher’s recent interview with author Rachel Hartman, in which they discuss her latest novel, Shadow Scale, the sequel to Seraphina! 
The new book continues the adventures of the namesake heroine during her quest to save the land of Goredd. The two writers sat down to review the triumphs, as well as the challenges, of developing Seraphina’s kingdom and its inhabitants.
Much like Christopher, Rachel’s world-building is inspired by asking “What if?” and “Why?” many times over; she describes the process of writing speculative fiction as a “laboratory for thought experiments.” The way her dragons change shape, how they perceive and sense their environment in those different forms, and how her villain reacts to circumstance, were all born by asking these questions. This method was also useful when workshopping problematic story elements in Shadow Scale that had already been stamped as canon in Seraphina.
Rachel loves music (more on that later this month!) and has recently taken up the art of overtone singing. While writing Shadow Scale, her practice of this unique vocal technique proved to be the key to unlocking what the book was actually about. You never know where you’ll find inspiration!
Shadow Scale is available in general release on March 10th. Check out all the details, including tour dates, sample chapters, and info about Rachel’s next work of fiction on her website or on Twitter.
Part 1:
Part 2:
* Want more inspiration? Check out our collection of guest articles and interviews here!
