131. ADDIE THORLEY: Writing a romantasy mystery that brings the banter

This week on LiteraryHype Podcast, I made a new bestie and you get to see it all unfold. Haha! Addie Thorley is the author of Burn The Kingdom Down, which is a romantasy x murder mystery mashup. After her sister's death, our main character is forced to marry her sister's husband, but she thinks he might have been involved in her death, and therefore, she needs answers. 

Addie and I had the best time chatting at YallWest, so get ready for a fun and goofy conversation about writing, sisterhood, and who is really the funny one in the relationship.

Links to come.

Transcript

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00;00;00;00 - 00;00;13;23
Unknown
Hi, and welcome to Literary Hype. I am Stephanie, your literary hype woman. Back with another author conversation for Literary Hype podcast. Today's guest is a fun one and both fun one. I mean, I think we just became best friends on camera. So you guys get to watch this all unfold.

00;00;13;25 - 00;00;27;06
Unknown
I'm talking to Addie Thorley, who is the author of Burn the Kingdom Down, which hit bestseller lists and is very exciting because this is a very sassy romantic mystery mash up.

00;00;27;10 - 00;00;35;14
Unknown
So check out this conversation with Addie Thorley from Yale, West.

00;00;35;17 - 00;01;03;11
Unknown
Well, welcome to literary hype. It's so exciting to get to talk to you about your book, Burn the Kingdom Down. Thank you so much, Stephanie. I'm so excited to be here. So for anybody who hasn't already seen this in their bookstore or on social media, what is this book about? Burn the Kingdom Down is a murder mystery romantic mashup, and it's about Indira, who is the second princess in a farming kingdom, and her older sister is sent as a captive bride to their enemy kingdom, who they have this very tenuous kind of contract with.

00;01;03;13 - 00;01;28;21
Unknown
And her sister dies while she's there under very mysterious circumstances. So she decides that she's going to go marry the same prince and you're out. What happened to her sister? And then she's going to burn it all down. It's no good. What was your initial inspiration for this story? My initial inspiration. So I love sister books and I have two sisters, and so I love exploring that relationship.

00;01;28;21 - 00;01;48;18
Unknown
And, one of my sisters is a very talented and competitive person, and it was kind of the older one. No, actually, I am the oldest. Okay. She was my oldest of and have two sisters, and we're both journalism people. This is great. We're best friends now. I know we are bonded for life. So, yeah, she was younger than me, but she.

00;01;48;18 - 00;02;09;17
Unknown
I was constantly in her shadow and always feeling like second best. And I could never measure up. And I kind of wanted to explore that dynamic, but, like, make it the older sister. Maybe it was my way of making myself feel better. So it kind of started with this idea of the younger sister really looking up to her older sister, wanting to be like her and kind of basing her identity on her older sister.

00;02;09;17 - 00;02;31;06
Unknown
And then what happens when that is stripped away? So with the sister being dead, we're getting to know her through kind of ghostly means. She's having conversations with her sister, but her sister isn't really alive. To talk about exploring a character and letting the reader get to know this character who's already dead. Yeah, this was something that I wanted to do from the beginning.

00;02;31;06 - 00;02;55;23
Unknown
From the initial idea, I knew that her dead sister would be talking to her, and I just really loved the idea of we're getting to know her sister, but it is through her lens, right? The little sister is lens. So, like, is that the real version? I really wanted to have that kind of unreliable narrator, but. Well, where you get a sense for the sister, but you're also like, is this really how she was?

00;02;55;23 - 00;03;15;19
Unknown
Is this. Are we getting the full truth? And it was just so fun to play with that and to have that voice kind of shift and change as the novel progresses. And as she, as Indira realizes, you know, maybe her sister wasn't exactly who she thought she was and maybe this voice in her head is is her own voice, too.

00;03;15;19 - 00;03;28;28
Unknown
Like she can stand on her own. There's another book that I read this year, The Future Saints, that also has the Dead Sister talking to her. Oh, I I'll have to check that one out. I was like contemporary music scene, so it's very different but similar.

00;03;29;00 - 00;03;34;18
Unknown
And so I was like, I loved that book. So I was going into this, I'm like, oh, we get more dead sister conversations.

00;03;34;20 - 00;03;38;27
Unknown
Oh, not creepy at all. You could.

00;03;39;00 - 00;03;58;09
Unknown
it's interesting to explore those relationships, like when someone's gone and how they're processing the grief. Yeah, through talking to somebody and like, it's the same with like, people going to like a cemetery to go talk to a gravestone. Yes. So it's interesting how different characters will work through that. And so I really enjoyed how little Indira I know she goes through it.

00;03;58;09 - 00;04;21;14
Unknown
She gets to go through it, going through it. Talk a little bit about the, rage aspect of this. Like, she is spicy. She's angry. Right. I, I don't know what was going on in my life, actually, I do it was Covid. There was a lot of rage. Right? So I started writing this when Covid was happening, and I just really wanted to write someone who was angry.

00;04;21;14 - 00;04;40;07
Unknown
She's grieving, but, you know, we all grieve differently. And her grief is anger. And I love a good revenge book, and I feel like you can't have a good revenge plot without that anger, because that is the drive, right? That's what makes these characters do things that they otherwise wouldn't. And it helps them to be brave because that's a big thing for her.

00;04;40;07 - 00;04;52;23
Unknown
She doesn't think she's brave. She doesn't think she's good enough. And then you know, this rage sparked by her sister's death is what propels her into, you know, everything that comes in the book.

00;04;53;00 - 00;04;56;19
Unknown
Dun dun dun dun dun. This is

00;04;56;22 - 00;05;06;12
Unknown
you dive right in on this book to. Yes, I mean, that first line with like she said something along the lines of like she showed up to her wedding in chains. Yeah. And then

00;05;06;19 - 00;05;26;06
Unknown
ending the first chapter, referring to that was such a great little book. And to really set where this book was going. Thank you. What makes a great first line to you? And was that the initial first line or did it evolve over time? So that actually was the original first line. I think this is my first and only book where that has happened, where the first line I wrote remains the first line.

00;05;26;06 - 00;05;52;25
Unknown
But yeah, I just really wanted to set set the tone that it was going to be gritty, it was going to be dark, and it was going to be very tense with the sister dying. There is this whole funeral process and there's a lot of color involved in the funeral process. So what was it like for you crafting this culture and blending color into what, like for us is normally a very black and somber, but for them, this color, I just love that little that flip on that I thank you.

00;05;52;25 - 00;06;16;23
Unknown
I love that you love that because I loved writing that part. I love world building. It's my favorite part of the process. And as I was building this world, I just kind of it felt very organic to me that this community of farmers and planters, that they would rely on their crops right, for everything, including their dyes and their their ceremonies and their funerals and stuff.

00;06;16;23 - 00;06;40;06
Unknown
So I just loved the idea of having their different crops like, you know, in a paste, pleading down their face to kind of represent what they grow and who they are and their identity. You touched on this is a romantic, but also a mystery to death. Both of those genres have very different beat structures. How did you work within both of them to accomplish what you needed to make it fit for both genres?

00;06;40;06 - 00;07;00;10
Unknown
Yeah, that was something that definitely took a lot of work and revisions. I think for me, I love to read mysteries and thrillers, so I kind of outlined it as a mystery first, and then I really built in those romantic beats within the mystery structure. I love their banter. Thank you.

00;07;00;12 - 00;07;04;06
Unknown
like, you have so many books that are like enemies to lovers and it's like, but are they?

00;07;04;08 - 00;07;34;02
Unknown
But this like the sass between them, especially like early on. Just so good. Thank you. How did you get in the mindspace to write this? Really great enemies banter? Oh gosh, I don't know. I think I just go back to some of, you know, my favorite books with banter or movies and honestly, banter is my favorite thing to write and I like to think that I'm witty, so I just, you know, but I never am in the moment.

00;07;34;05 - 00;07;48;15
Unknown
I always come up with all of my best comebacks after the fact. So writing banter is great because I don't have to come up with it in the moment. Right? Like I have time to to think about it and come up with the best lines. My husband likes to say that my banter is good because

00;07;48;21 - 00;07;50;26
Unknown
we have such good banter.

00;07;50;28 - 00;08;07;29
Unknown
But that is false. They always say gets them right. He's not nearly as funny as he thinks he is. Exactly. The husband's the same way. He's like, I'm really funny. And I'm like, only to you, only to you. I make you funny. You would be nothing without me. I'm gonna use that now. Please do

00;08;08;02 - 00;08;35;18
Unknown
she gets into her chambers in this prince's little castle. You describe this so beautifully with all the gemstones and everything. What gemstone is your favorite? Like, what aspect of that room would you want in real life? Oh, this is a fun question. I, my favorite gemstone, probably. I really love the color turquoise. So anything in that kind of color family.

00;08;35;20 - 00;09;02;03
Unknown
But yeah, when I was thinking of, I was like, what would a room in this rock kingdom look like? How would they make it opulent when, you know, all they have is rocks? And it just I was like, wow, it'd be so cool if it looked like the inside of a geode. And so, I mean, I don't think it's very practical for like comfort purposes or anything like that, but I would love to have maybe like, statement wall or maybe like a gilded mirror or something.

00;09;02;03 - 00;09;19;29
Unknown
Right. With like the rocks on it. I think it would be really beautiful. That goes really well with the, like little marketing box that they send out to the influencers with the Bedazzling kit, which did not. I was just like, oh, Bedazzling is for a trend. I did not realize how connected that was to the story. Right.

00;09;19;29 - 00;09;27;07
Unknown
They were genius. That's perfect. So what was it like for you when you found out that they were going to do something like that for your book?

00;09;27;09 - 00;09;29;19
Unknown
I lost my mind. I was like,

00;09;29;25 - 00;09;38;13
Unknown
oh my gosh, the fact that they were doing like a PR box at all was really exciting. But then when I saw that it was the Bedazzling, I was like, oh my gosh, they get it.

00;09;38;13 - 00;10;00;19
Unknown
Like they fully understand the book and like what this means. And yes, it's a trend, but also it was so on brand for this book and just seeing all of the bedazzled books that people have been posting on Instagram after they've done it is has been so fun. They're beautiful. Yeah. And you're also a crafter. I hear you like to make crochet mini plushies, yes I do.

00;10;00;19 - 00;10;17;26
Unknown
So how did you get into that? And how does crochet help you in your creativity as a writer? So it's all my kids. I have three little kids and actually one of my really good friends. She started crocheting her kids plushies and my kids found out about this and they're like, mom, why don't you crochet us stuffed animals?

00;10;17;29 - 00;10;37;12
Unknown
And I, in all my spare time? I was like, oh, of course I can do that because I like a good challenge. So I did it thinking I would just make them one thing each and then it would be really bad. But then it ended up being so therapeutic, like there's something so nice about just being able to crochet and crochet my worries away.

00;10;37;12 - 00;11;01;04
Unknown
I tell my husband it's cheaper than therapy, yarn is much cheaper than it's cheaper. But I do find it's really it's a good time to reflect and think about my plot and like, just even inadvertently, I feel like just giving my mind that kind of blank space. I figure out a lot of problems when I'm crocheting. So even though my husband is like, stop wasting time, I'm like, nope, I'm making important connections.

00;11;01;04 - 00;11;01;15
Unknown
Right now.

00;11;01;21 - 00;11;24;10
Unknown
It's using the yarn, but it's in your head. Yes, it's like a murder wall, but your feet, my head, it goes into your head. Oh my gosh, that's my favorite, murder wall with my fingers. Do do do do do I building the murder wall. Oh, goodness, I'm already crying. That's great. Yeah. So achievement unlocked. Normally, I make other people cry.

00;11;24;10 - 00;11;45;09
Unknown
It's not the other way around. This is brutal. I don't like this. But you mentioned your three kids, and you also have a plethora of animals I do. So how do you stay sane and focus on your writing when you have so much chaos in your personal life? I do not stay sane. That is, I want to point that out first and foremost.

00;11;45;12 - 00;12;04;05
Unknown
But yeah, there's just a lot of chaos and I embrace the chaos. I just know we are not going to be like an Instagram family. Someone is always naked, someone's always screaming, the dog is always jumping on the counter. And that, like, that's okay. I've just accepted that part of my life. And I just try to compartmentalize.

00;12;04;05 - 00;12;28;24
Unknown
I have, you know, kids come first, animals come next, and then whatever time I have left, then I finally get to write. What are you writing now for the future? So I am working on another Y.A. fantasy mystery mashup. That's that's like my new favorite thing I have discovered. So it is very, very early stages, but it's another standalone and I kind of want to explore.

00;12;28;24 - 00;12;55;05
Unknown
So Indira goes to this enemy kingdom and burn the kingdom down with like, you know, righteous vengeance seeking revenge. And I kind of want to explore the inverse, like, what if someone went to a different kingdom and they were accused of a terrible crime, right? How do you defend yourself somewhere new, somewhere where you know no one? And, what if it wasn't actually your fault in your setup?

00;12;55;05 - 00;13;01;29
Unknown
Or maybe it was your fault, right? So does it have an estimated timeline for release? It does not.

00;13;02;02 - 00;13;18;02
Unknown
It depends on my said children and animals. Darn it. Come on, kids, get in line. We need more books, right? My youngest goes to school in a year, and then that will speed up the process considerably. That'll help. Last question we always ask because this is literary hype.

00;13;18;02 - 00;13;39;12
Unknown
What books are you hyped about right now? Oh gosh, I am really loving, What We Did to Survive by Megan Lally. That one is super fun. I love the tense atmosphere out on the ocean survival story with murder of course. And what else do I want to recommend? Rita? Like, kind of for a burn the kingdom down.

00;13;39;15 - 00;13;48;16
Unknown
I always kind of pitched it as the Shadows between us. I really love that book, and I recommend it if you're looking for something similar.

00;13;48;19 - 00;13;55;16
Unknown
Awesome. Well, thanks so much for hanging out with literary hype from your list. Thank you so much, Stephanie.

00;13;55;19 - 00;14;09;11
Unknown
Thanks again to Addie for hanging out with me at Yale. Let's talk all about Burn the Kingdom Down. If you want to get your hands on a copy of this book, which you definitely should, because it is such a good time, the links to do so are down in the description for you, as well as where to find her on social media.

00;14;09;17 - 00;14;18;10
Unknown
If you enjoyed this conversation, don't forget to subscribe to Literary Hype Podcast. Give us some stars and share it with a friend. Thanks so much for listening to the Literary Hype podcast.