We are so excited to be a part of the blog tour for The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell! Before we share our interview with you, we want to tell you a bit about the book!
The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell Published by Simon and Schuster on July 18th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Prejudice & Racism, Social Themes, Time Travel, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 512
Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.
In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.
Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.
But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past.
Describe The Last Magician in 5 words.
Gangs of NY with Magic
How did The Last Magician come about, what was your inspiration? What made you think you had to write this story?
I had the idea to write a thief who could see in bullet time about 5 years ago. I’ve been pulling ideas together for it for about that long, too. Once I decided to set it in turn of the century NYC, though, I knew I could do a lot with the parallels between immigration then and now. I’m the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, so that story is really close to my heart.
What was the hardest scene for you to write in The Last Magician and why?
The hardest scene was probably the last scene—getting all the moving parts right and the time travel rules consistent and making it clear but also a surprise for the reader. The book had a different ending right up through to copy edits because I was still tweaking the world building and rules.
Can you share (without spoilers) a line or section of The Last Magician that is your favorite?
“Control is about making them think it’s their idea.”
Since we’re talking 2017 books, what upcoming 2017 release (besides your own) are you most excited to read?
I’m really looking forward to AMERICAN PANDA by Gloria Chao, THIS MORTA COIL by Emily Suvada, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE by Christina June (already out). So. Many.
When you’re not writing, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
What is this “spare time” you’re talking about? 😀
I don’t have a lot of time to just loaf about, what with the full-time job, the kids, and the writing. But I LOVE cooking. Love it. So my family tends to eat really well, because I like to use the necessary obligation of making dinner to prepare bigger or more elaborate dinners. I also took up roller derby last year, and now that we bought bikes for the whole family and both kids can ride, I really like going out on bike trips with my guys.
What are you currently reading?
Roxanne Gay’s DIFFICULT WOMEN
Any advice for aspiring writers?
It’s never too late to start.
Read everything.
Finish something.
Don’t take NO for your final answer. Just keep going.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything right now that you can tell us about?
I am hard at work on the sequel for THE LAST MAGICIAN. I also have a dark little Middle Grade that I’m working on revisions to, so we can go out on submission with it.
Favorites
Favorite Song (right now):
Highway by Bleeker
Favorite Book (right now):
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Favorite TV Show/Movie:
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Favorite Word:
Superfluous
Favorite Color:
Purple
Favorite Curse Word:
F*ck
Giveaway!
US/Intl Okay
One winner will receive as THE LAST MAGICIAN swag pack! (One swag pack winner from all the tour stops will win a Signed copy of The Last Magician too!)
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