Astrid Scholte was raised on a diet of Spielberg, Lucas and Disney, and knew she wanted to be surrounded by all things fantastical from a young age. She’s spent the last fifteen years working in film, animation and television as both an artist and manager. Career highlights include working on James Cameron’s Avatar, Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin and Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Her debut YA novel, Four Dead Queens, was an international bestseller and award winner.
Today, to celebrate the release of her new YA novel, League of Liars, Astrid Scholte is on the blog to answer a few of our questions. Read on …
Astrid Scholte
Please tell us about your book, League of Liars!
AS: League of Liars is a YA fantasy thriller set in a world where illegal magic can be lured from any shadow to alter time. It’s about law-abiding 17-year-old Cayder Broduck, who plans to spend his summer as a legal apprentice to learn the other side of the law before studying to become a prosecutor. As part of his apprenticeship, he has to assist in defending three teenage criminals, all arrested for heinous crimes. Despite the overwhelming evidence stacked against them, Cayder finds himself siding with the criminals, and planning the ultimate jailbreak.
Where did you get the first spark of inspiration for this book?
AS: I was brainstorming ideas for my next book, and I wondered what kind of prison could hold the villain from Four Dead Queens (no spoilers!). I also really enjoy watching true crime documentaries and I thought it would be interesting to tell the story of a “true crime” but within a fantasy world. And that’s how League of Liars was born!
Everyone loves a thrilling heist or jailbreak novel. What’s your approach to creating and maintaining suspense with these kinds of plots?
AS: There needs to be some sense of reality, even when in a fantasy novel; if the plan is too far-fetched then you’ll lose the reader. I started by researching real-life jailbreaks and some stories were so outrageous, you’d think they were made up! I took inspiration from these stories to create my own jailbreak plan, while keeping within the boundaries of the prison I’d established. To keep the reader guessing and build suspense, I made sure that not everything went to plan … It definitely helps having characters who have often conflicting motivations and might not always get along.
This novel explores the theme of justice, particularly in relation to criminality and the legal system. Did the experience of writing this book challenge your own ideas about justice much?
AS: From the outset, I knew I wanted to explore the idea of what constitutes a crime, and how the characters would feel if these legal “goal posts” were moved. As I was revising the book, we went into lockdown here in Melbourne and new laws were put in place. It was strange to see how life could imitate fiction and how quickly things could change!
Who did you write this book for? Who do you wish would read it?
AS: I wrote this book for anyone who needs an escape. I revised League of Liars during the longest lockdown in the world and I definitely could relate to my characters missing freedom! Overall, I hope the reader enjoys the journey and also makes them think about the legal system and the difference between guilt and innocence versus right and wrong.
‘From the outset, I knew I wanted to explore the idea of what constitutes a crime, and how the characters would feel if these legal “goal posts” were moved.’
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey towards becoming a writer?
AS: Ever since I was five, I knew I wanted to tell stories—the more fantastical, the better. When I was fourteen, I spent lunchtimes in the school library and imagined my own novel on the shelves. I planned to be published by the time I turned eighteen, which sounded like an achievable goal at the time. However, it’s impossible to publish a book if you haven’t finished it!
After high school, I decided to pursue a career in visual effects and animation, my other passion, as the path to that career was clearer. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I finished my first manuscript, a paranormal YA. I approached publishers in Australia first, before querying agents in the US. It took me three manuscripts, and hundreds of rejections, before I signed with an agent. Soon after signing, I sold the rights to Four Dead Queens to Penguin Random House USA and the ANZ rights to Allen and Unwin.
Overall, it took four years from when I queried my first manuscript to when I sold my first book.
What do you love about writing and reading YA?
AS: I love YA because the books are plot driven and feature memorable characters and worlds. There’s an immediacy and strong emotional core that grips you as a reader. As a writer, you can blend genres, break rules and the stories are limited only to your imagination. They’re also just a lot of fun!
What is the last book you read and loved?
AS: I loved Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. It’s such a magical story and reads like a twisted fairytale.
What do you hope readers will discover in League of Liars?
AS: I hope readers will enjoy trying to work out who is telling the truth versus who is lying. I also hope they fall in love with the ragtag crew and want to read more about them!
And finally, what’s up next for you?
AS: I recently finished a sequel sampler of Four Dead Queens and I’m hoping to return to the world of League of Liars in the not-too-distant future!
Thanks Astrid!
—League of Liars by Astrid Scholte (Allen & Unwin) is out now.
League of Liars
Ever since his mother was killed in a freak edem-based crime, seventeen-year-old Cayder Broduck has had one goal: to have illegal users of extradimensional magic brought to justice. Cayder dreams of becoming a prosecutor and, when he secretly accepts an apprenticeship under the city's best public defender, he plans to learn every legal trick he can to one day dismantle defence arguments. Then he'll finally be able to make sure justice is served.
But when he meets all three criminals he is to defend, he finds they are teenagers, like him, and their stories are ... complicated, like his...
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