The Bursting Bookshelf: Wildefire

Interview with Karsten Knight, Author of Wildefire

Today I have a very special treat for everyone! I got the chance to interview Karsten Knight about his debut novel Wildefire. Lets get started!

1) Wow, your debut novel Wildefire was just amazing! I loved it! Where did you get the idea to use all of that mythology?

Thanks! Part of my heritage is Norwegian, so I grew up fascinated with Norse myth. The study of that eventually directed me to all the other mythologies of the world, and I had a thought: What if, instead of focusing on just a single mythology, the gods and goddesses of all the pantheons were reborn every hundred years, to coexist on earth among mortals?

2) What was your initial reaction to finding out that you would be published?

Shock that lasted for about a month. It was a Monday morning, and it happened really fast. I woke up at 9am, took a shower at 9:05,got a call from my future editor at 9:15, and had an offer memo in my inbox by9:30. I was completely blindsided.

3) Did you use any parts of your life as inspiration for your novel?

You mean aside from my turbulent youth as a Polynesian volcano goddess growing up in the suburbs? There really wasn’t much real-life inspiration for Wildefire. Neither of my sister are sociopathic storm goddesses. I never had a steamy affair with a local park ranger.

4) Who was your favorite character to write?

Ade (which is pronounced “A-Day,” not“Aid”) was absolutely one of my favorites. He’s funny but also contemplative, and about halfway through the novel, you discover a dark part of his history when he grew up in Haiti that’s been burdening him for years. The conversation between him and Ashline in the chapel was one of my favorite scenes to write, too.

5) If you could have one of the abilities featured in Wildefire, which one would you choose?

I’d probably choose Lily’s abilities. To be able to manipulate plants, and create forests from nothing? Think aboutit—you’d never have to pay for a landscaper again. Mosquitoes bothering you in your backyard? Instantly grow some Venus fly traps.

Unfortunately, in reality, I don’t have a greenthumb—I actually have a black thumb. For a while I was growing pumpkin vines that never produced any pumpkins, and the palm tree I got for my office slowly withered away. The only plants I should be let around are plastic ones.

Thanks to Karsten for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions!

10:43 AM
2 Comments

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

5/5

Title: Wildefire

Author: Karsten Knight

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release: July 26, 2011

Pages: 393

Series: Wildefire #1

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada for the Advance Copy!

Synopsis:

Every flame begins with a spark.

Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. She’s struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eve’s violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in California’s redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesn’t go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new school—being captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park ranger—Ash discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwood…and she’s one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and she’s got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more time… And when warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm.

Review:
When I recently saw this book on another blog I had to go read the synopsis immediately. When I read the synopsis I knew that I HAD to read this book. And then... SURPRISE! It showed up in the mail about a week later from Simon & Schuster Canada (it's like they can read minds!). I started it within seconds of recieving it and could not believe all of the shocking twists and turns that the story took!

The cover is such a good representation of the main character and all of those around her. She was a burning, beautiful flower whilst most around her are dull and normal. I also really loved the colour scheme as it was purple and eye catching. My two favourite things in a cover. Did I mention I really want to grow flowers just like that now? Well, minus the fire and smoke.

The characters of Wildefire were all unique and featured depth. They all had very intricate relationships with each other, especially for a group of individuals who were could not be anymore different. That group of individuals went through some serious drama from the first time they were all thrown together. I was very much a fan of the diversity that this book demonstrated in cultures. You had everything from the California surfer to the Haitian boy to the Japanese girl, all of whom just want to leave their dark pasts behind them. When you throw all of these characters together you get a stew of personalities that make for an awesome cast of characters.

Oh my goodness, the ending! It was so freaking unexpected and awesome and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! The writing was fantastic and always kept me on my toes and brain. One fact I didn't like too much was how much swearing there was at times, but apart from that, I always enjoyed the style of writing that Karsten had. It was interesting because it was quite descriptive. The story kept going at a crazy pace, always twisting around and throwing curve balls at you when you least expected them. Did I mention the ending?

I think that Wildefire was an awesome debut for Karsten Knight and I will definately be getting the sequel and any other books he writes for that matter. Wildefire gets a huge 5/5 for being one of the best debuts I have ever read.