The Star Panel

Get ready to add a few epic novels to your summer reading list! Bestselling authors Tomi Adeyemi, Victoria Aveyard, and Sabaa Tahir spoke to eager fans (myself included) about their latest novels for Entertainment Weekly’s YA Fantasy Stars Panel. What a treat it was to visit my local Barnes & Noble Bookstore at The Grove, L.A., and see these three remarkable young authors speaking to a predominately female audience. I couldn’t have been more proud to sit in that intimate space on the third floor, listening to these writers share their words of wisdom.

The Authors & Their Novels

The significance of women from all walks of life telling their stories was palpable at the evening panel. Harvard Graduate and writing coach, Tomi Adeyemi is Nigerian-American and the author of debut novel Children of Blood and Bone. I have followed her career for over a year now. I can’t help but feel proud and inspired by her success. Her book is a #1 New York Times Bestseller, it’s been voted as the summer read for Jimmy Fallon’s tonight show, and much more. When I heard she would be in Los Angeles, I hopped on the chance to see her and tell her just what her book means to me. You can read my review of the breakout novel here.

Victoria Aveyard is the bestselling writer of the four-part book series, Red Queen. Originally from Massachusetts, she is an author and screenwriter. Aveyard was on the panel for her fourth and final book of the series, War Storm. American born and London raised, Sabaa Tahir is a Pakistani-American writer, known for her bestselling An Ember in the Ashes series. She discussed her latest of the series, Reaper at the Gates. Adeyemi acknowledged that reading the Red Crown influenced her while she was beginning to write her first unpublished book. I could feel Adeyemi’s enthusiasm for being a panelist with writers whose work she read and loved.

The Socio-Political Side of Fantasy 

During the panel, the authors shared what it’s like surviving the writing process, characters, and worldbuilding, dealing with audience reactions, and more. Yet, one of the most illuminating moments of the panel was when the authors spoke on the strong policial undertones of their novels. When asked whether each of them feel a responsibility in the current political climate to tell daring stories, they all had eye-opening answers.

Adeyemi’s response held so much gravity about the necessity of creating these tales of resistance from the perspectives of actual people of color. She was fearless, saying everything with uplifting humor. She said, “Fantasy and sci-fi, almost always these stories revolve around some type of oppression.” Adeyemi noticed as a reader of the genre that “people are telling the story of Black people, without Black people. How is that the whole genre?” Therefore, Adeyemi was very intentional in creating a fantasy epic that addresses Black Lives Matter and West African culture.

Aveyard’s statement was so grounding and genuine. She stated “I think we all agree that choosing to not have politics in a book, especial fantasy, and sci-fi, is a political act in itself” and that by denying such realities, “even if you’re trying not to, you’re saying this doesn’t affect you […] it’s irresponsible and dishonest.”

Tahir said that her Ember series “was influenced by world events, places that we don’t really focus on, especially in the Muslim world. I think it is a little bit easier to ignore those places. For me, it was really important to try and represent those stories”. The refugee crisis was on her mind during the production of their third novel, Reaper at the Gates. Which inevitably had an influence on the direction the story took and why the tone is darker than before.

Book Signing

I could only feel calm and overjoyed throughout the panel, knowing that by the end of the night I would have my book signed by Tomi Adeyemi. When it was time to meet her, I told her how I’ve been following her career and writing advice for over a year after randomly reading a post about her on Tumblr. She laughed and high-fived me, telling me that writing a book

isn’t some spark of inspiration, there are logical steps to it.

When I got home and read her inscription, you couldn’t pay me to stop smiling. Adeyemi inscribed “I wrote this for queens like you!”

Finally, I told the writers how beautiful it was to see them and the ripple effect of what they created by the enthralled women present in the audience. They were representing the diversity of literature right in that room. Aveyard, Adeyemi, and Tahir all inherently understand that fantasy does not, and cannot, exist in a vacuum away from the real world. As a reader, in my eyes stories that don’t address, to some degree, the real world are not as interesting to read because they lack complexity. Therefore, sci-fi and fantasy can humanize stories in a way most people don’t realize.

For details on this exclusive event visit my twitter: @kaiaida and Instagram: @kainthekayak!

Best,

Kai 😀