Meet Tomi Adeyemi
Named one of TIME magazineβs 100 Most Influential People, Tomi Adeyemi is a Hugo and Nebula Awardβwinning writer, speaker, and model based in New York, New York. After graduating Harvard University with an honors degree in English literature, she received a fellowship that allowed her to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil.
She then went on to write her groundbreaking, instant #1 New York Times bestselling series, which includes Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, and Children of Anguish and Anarchy. The trilogy has sold over 3 million copies around the world.
Tomi can be found kicking ass in her local boxing gym.
Tomi was featured in April 2018 for her debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone. The box hint was "African Princess Magic" and included three wrapped gifts to open as you read the novel.
A Conversation with Tomi Adeyemi
In 2018, author Tomi Adeyemi was part of a Q&A with Fierce Reads and answered some questions about her new book, Children of Blood and Bone. These responses were posted on fiercereads.com. Please enjoy this transcription to learn more about this novel.
Describe your book in 3 words.
Tomi Adeyemi (TA): Black. Girl. Magic.
What makes ZΓ©lie Fierce?
TA: It would be easy to say that what makes ZΓ©lie fierce is her badass skills with a staff, but I think what really makes her fierce is her commitment to her friends and family. ZΓ©lie is the type of person who would go to hell and back to protect the people she loves, and her true strength always comes through when sheβs put in those situations throughout the book.
If you could give ZΓ©lie one piece of advice, what would it be?Β
TA: This feels like a trick question because I actually have the ability to give it to her!Β But if I was sitting in a room with ZΓ©lie, I think Iβd give her the advice a best friend once gave me: Let yourself feel everything youβre feeling and donβt assign guilt or negativity to any of the things youβre feeling. ZΓ©lie beats herself up a lot, so I think this would be the best thing I could tell her.
If you'd met ZΓ©lie when you were a teen, would you have been friends?
TA: I definitely wasnβt cool enough to be ZΓ©lieβs friend as a teen (lol). Her and Inan wouldnβt give me the time of day. However, Amari and I would be besties because weβd always be looking for food together and a natural kinship would evolve out of that.
What's the strangest thing you learned while researching Children of Blood and Bone?
TA: I donβt think I encountered anything I found strange, but the most surprising thing I learned was that the hometowns I chose for my four main protagonists were the hometowns and birthplaces of my parents and grandparents! That was cool because it felt like the themes of the book working through my own life!
Which 3 fictional characters would you want on your apocalypse squad?
TA: 1. ZΓ©lie to kickass and carry us to victory/survival. 2. Kaz Brekker to do the same as ZΓ©lie but also make out with me. 3. Prince Zuko to do the same as ZΓ©lie but also the same as Kaz.
What's one fun fact most people don't know about you?Β
TA: I spent three beautiful years of my childhood watching the Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham every day. I am not exaggerating. Every single day for three years, I would watch this three-hour movie. I knew all the songs and dances (and still remember most of them).
What's your favorite part of being an author?
TA: The readers and the friends! The few interactions Iβve gotten to have with readers have been some of the most validating experiences of my life, and the wonderful author and publishing friends Iβve made because of this career have brought me so much love and joy. So really, the people are the best part!
What's the most challenging part of being an author?
TA: Balancing the internal parts of the job with the external parts of the job. For me, writing is very internal, and I write best if Iβm in a dark cave with no communication with the outside world. However, bringing a book into the world is extremely external, and it involves frequent communication with your publisher, your agent, your editor, your critique partners, your fellow authors, your readers, booksellers, librarians, etc. I enjoy both parts a lot, but switching back and forth between the external and the internal in short windows can be challenging for me!
A special thank you to fiercereads.com for posting this conversation. Please visit fiercereads.com for more.
Featured Books
Children of Blood and Bone
Tomi Adeyemiβs West African-inspired fantasy debut, and instant #1 New York Times bestseller, conjures a world of magic and danger, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir. Featured in April 2018.
