Interview: A.J. Hartley

 Today I have the amazing A.J. Hartley on our blog!  He graciously answered a few questions about his latest novel Steeplejack which released today!!

Welcome A.J.!

 

1. How did you come up with this intriguing story line?
The core ideas actually shifted a number of times as I worked on the book. At one stage there were more fantasy elements, at another (very early on) the hero was a boy. I think a lot of the world of the story came together as I planned and went on a trip to South Africa and Swaziland. But in a broader sense, I feel like the book has elements of stories and genres I’ve been working with all my life and that they intersected here—mystery, fantasy, adventure, Victoriana and social issues. At the beginning I think I was thinking of what became Steeplejack as two different books, one a fantasy, the other a fairly realist and more “literary” mystery, and then I realized that the two could be woven together to make something that felt (to me, at least) new and compelling.

2. This is the first book I've ever read where the main character is a steeplejack, how did you come up with that idea?
Steeplejacks were still a part of the world I grew up in, since I was raised in Lancashire, a place that still had a lot of old Victorian factory chimneys which had to be maintained or taken down. I live in Charlotte, NC, now, and the first idea came from spotting an old and abandoned factory chimney which had a bush growing out of the top. It got me thinking about steeplejacks in general and I quickly came up with something very like the cover art for the book! I didn’t have a story idea yet, but I could see this character (a boy at that time) scaling one of those chimneys, and I loved the visual drama of the thing.

3. Which character was the hardest to write?
Hmmm. Tricky. Since the story is told in first person, everyone is mediated by Ang, the protagonist, so I guess it has to be her. In fact I didn’t consciously feel great difficulty writing her because I intuitively felt like I understood her, but I needed to modulate my sense of how she would think of her situation and the people around her because her social situation is not mine: I’m living in the twenty first century, I’m, white and I’m male. She is much younger than me, female, effectively Victorian and of an embattled racial group. All of those things had to be navigated very carefully and I relied on input from other readers to make sure I was getting it right.

4. What was your favorite scene to write?
I like the opening scene of the book because it does so much in terms of presenting the core issues, the world, the key character and the looming mystery, but other more action driven scenes (like the one at the opera house) were fun too. And anything involving Dahria is fun because she’s funny. To me, at least

5. Can you share what you are currently working on?
I’ve just finished the first draft of the second book in this series, but I’m also working on another multibook YA series called Cathedrals of Glass, which is part of my partnership with Tom DeLonge (of Blink 182/Angels and Airwaves) which I think of as Lord of the Flies meets Alien 

 A.J., thank you so much for stopping by!  Steeplejack was a definite 2016 favorite of mine and I cannot wait for the sequel!  I am also VERY intrigued with Cathedrals of Glass!  It definitely sounds like my kinda book and well I'm a huge Blink 182 fan so having Tom DeLonge on the project with you is an added bonus!  So excited!

Find A.J.

Twitter / Facebook / Website / Goodreads

 

Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release Date: June 14th, 2016

Purchase: Amazon

My review: HERE

Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga, Ang for short, repairs the chimneys, towers, and spires of Bar-Selehm, the ethnically-diverse industrial capital of a land resembling Victorian South Africa. The city was built on the trade of luxorite, a priceless glowing mineral. When the Beacon, a historical icon made of luxorite, is stolen, it makes the headlines. But no one cares about the murder of Ang's new apprentice, Berrit—except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician, who offers Ang a job investigating Berrit's death. On top of this, Ang struggles with the responsibility of caring for her sister's newborn child.

As political secrets unfold and racial tensions surrounding the Beacon's theft rise, Ang navigates the constricting traditions of her people, the murderous intentions of her former boss, and the conflicting impulses of a fledgling romance. With no one to help her except a savvy newspaper girl and a kindhearted herder from the savannah, Ang must resolve the mysterious link between Berrit and the missing Beacon before the city is plunged into chaos. 

Review: Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley

Steeplejack by A.J. Hartley
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: June 14th, 2016
Purchase: Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga, Ang for short, repairs the chimneys, towers, and spires of Bar-Selehm, the ethnically-diverse industrial capital of a land resembling Victorian South Africa. The city was built on the trade of luxorite, a priceless glowing mineral. When the Beacon, a historical icon made of luxorite, is stolen, it makes the headlines. But no one cares about the murder of Ang's new apprentice, Berrit—except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician, who offers Ang a job investigating Berrit's death. On top of this, Ang struggles with the responsibility of caring for her sister's newborn child.

As political secrets unfold and racial tensions surrounding the Beacon's theft rise, Ang navigates the constricting traditions of her people, the murderous intentions of her former boss, and the conflicting impulses of a fledgling romance. With no one to help her except a savvy newspaper girl and a kindhearted herder from the savannah, Ang must resolve the mysterious link between Berrit and the missing Beacon before the city is plunged into chaos.

My thoughts:
Wow I am quite impressed with Steeplejack!  It wasn't at all what I was expecting and I really enjoyed the overall plot!

This story at it's core is very political and racial which surprised me.  I wasn't expecting that at all and at times it felt a little forced honestly.  I think the author was a little heavy handed with all the "white" and "black" descriptions.  I would have still gotten the message if he had left those out. I get why it was all important, but it was a bit much and took away from the story at times.

That being said I think the story was really well done.  There was so much evasiveness going on that I wasn't ever quite sure what was really going on.  At one point there were three story lines going on at once and I was totally into each of them!  It takes a skilled writer to be able to pull that off and A.J. Hartley did it brilliantly.  He wove in a tight story centered around a stolen item, a land on the brink of war, a girl who only wants vengeance for who killed her apprentice, and family drama that will leave you glad you don't have their problems.  I am very intrigued by the Drowning where Anglet is from and I would have loved more from that side of the tracks. 

As for the characters I really liked Anglet.  She was a strong character that even when she didn't know what she was doing improvised and managed to land on her feet.  She needed help and I liked the crowd she turned to.  They all had their own agenda's but on the street that seemed normal and inevitable.  She chose her help wisely and I am glad she trusted who she did.  She was fierce and just a great overall character.  She stood up for her people and did what she had to do to get the job done.  

I did have a few problems though.  One being Willinghouse.  I liked his character, but I felt he wasn't given enough page time.  Ang is working for him, but she never really goes to him unless she is in trouble.  Wouldn't he want to hear her progress??  I was left a bit frustrated that he wasn't a bigger player in the overall story.

My second issue is a small one, but it bugged me immensely!  When Ang has the baby she just leaves it for long periods of time!  This is a newborn and even if you've never had a baby you still know that newborns wake up all the time and every time she would leave this poor baby all I could think of was HURRY!  The baby needs you!!  This ruined the chapter for me each and every time this happened.  I was so glad when she took steps to help the baby.  I was so relieved I could finally focus on the story without having that whole thing over my head!  I know she was young, but still not okay.

Other than those two things I really did enjoy this story.  It was fresh and very unique and one that I hope will continue on with more adventures!  I will say one more thing, I am really starting to love reading books written by men.  As you know I am not into romance at the moment and well men tend to leave most of that out and this book was no exception.  There are sparks with a few people, but no drama and I appreciated that so much. 

4 snowflakes