I am thrilled to have Victoria Schwab on the blog today answering some of my questions about THE UNBOUND, the follow-up to THE ARCHIVED. Come by tomorrow to see my thoughts on this wonderful book!
Here’s a little bit about THE UNBOUND, which is available January 28th:
Last summer, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, almost lost her life to one. Now, as she starts her junior year at Hyde School, she’s struggling to get her life back. But moving on isn’t easy — not when her dreams are haunted by what happened. She knows the past is past, knows it cannot hurt her, but it feels so real, and when her nightmares begin to creep into her waking hours, she starts to wonder if she’s really safe. Meanwhile, people are vanishing without a trace, and the only thing they seem to have in common is Mackenzie. She’s sure the Archive knows more than they are letting on, but before she can prove it, she becomes the prime suspect. And unless Mac can track down the real culprit, she’ll lose everything, not only her role as Keeper, but her memories, and even her life. Can Mackenzie untangle the mystery before she herself unravels? With stunning prose and a captivating mixture of action, romance, and horror, The Unbound delves into a richly imagined world where no choice is easy and love and loss feel like two sides of the same coin.
THE ARCHIVED was one of my favorite books of 2013 and I believe you were writing THE UNBOUND as you saw people reacting very favorably to book one. How heavy of a burden is that when you are writing a sequel?
I think a sequel is a heavy burden for multiple reasons, and one of those is definitely the weight of the first book, though it’s less the weight of outside reaction (the draft at least is usually done by the time the first book hits shelves) and more the weight of returning to a familiar world and making it new. Authors always joke about sequel angst, but it’s a real thing. The deadlines feel tighter, and the pressure feels higher, and for me personally, the subject matter was much, much harder. I knew what I wanted to do from the beginning, where I wanted to go, both plot-wise and emotionally, but it was still very hard.
I am not alone in shipping Mac/Wesley, but it seems to go a bit deeper than just “I like you.” What is it about their friendship (maybe more) that makes them so compelling together?
😉 I love them so much. But I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create a complicated friendship, one in which there were feelings, but there were also neuroses (neither is good at letting people in) and more pressing issues than “Do you like me?” I love a romance as much as the next person, but it couldn’t be the thing at the front of THE ARCHIVED. That wouldn’t have been true.
You have a big year coming up! If you had to narrow down your focus into three key words for 2014, what would they be?
Oh man, let’s see: WRITE MORE WORDS. But honestly, my three key words would probably be: FOCUS, ADVENTURE, BALANCE.
Will there be a book 3? Please say yes!
This is a more complicated question than it seems, so I can only say I hope so. And I hope that, in the interim, readers enjoy book 2! THE ARCHIVED is not a trilogy in the traditional sense–each book has its own arc–so while there is a bigger picture, I hope for now they all enjoy the next installment 😉
Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say “tom-ah-toes,” “like,” and “y’all.” She also tells stories. She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.
Find Victoria Schwab online:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
I loved this book sooooo much, I am giving away one copy of THE UNBOUND to a lucky winner. You must be 13+ to enter and it’s open internationally. Good luck!
I loved Victoria’s answers! The Archived was a lovely novel and I have an e-ARC of The Unbound waiting to be read (and I’ll read it very soon)! Also, thanks so much for the giveaway, Kate! 😀
Thanks for the giveaway!
Ah this one looks great! Thanks for the giveaway and I adored reading the interview 🙂
Looks like a great read!
Just recently finished and absolutely loved The Archived, so winning this one would be amazing. Thanks for a giveaway! 🙂
I was so excited when I heard her news about moving!!! Eep! I cannot wait to read The Unbound 😀
It’s interesting to hear that, although there might be a third book, it’s not cast in stone like so many trilogies are. If the stories keep coming, they’ll keep getting written down, I like that.
God I cannot wait for The Unbound!! Victoria sounds so cool too – she’s so inspiring to me (being a hopeful writer).
Thanks for an awesome giveaway!!!! This looks very interesting!
I really love her work and I can’t wait to read more of hers!
Awesome interview!! I have been DYING to read The Unbound! Thanks so much for the chance to win! 🙂
Oh interesting! I love author interviews! Her answer about a 3rd book is intriguing 😀
Thanks for the chance to win!
*crosses fingers for book 3* I loved The Unbound even more than The Archived. I think Victoria excels at creating interesting, well rounded, unique characters that I come to think of as real. Her world building is so tangible I can see/feel it being a complete possibility. Beautiful interview! I can’t imagine the pressure of the second book
So freaking excited for this book. I adored The Archived and of course Mac and Wes are adorable. Can’t wait to read this, after The Archived and Vicious, I can’t imagine anything less than amazingness coming from the wonderful Victoria. Keep it up girl and can’t wait to hear of your adventures in the coming months.
Eep! I really want to win this book – the premise is so fascinating!
What a fascinating book! Thanks for sharing and thanks for the great giveaway.
The Archived is so interesting especially when the past is coming back to hurt you. I hope Mac will be able to beat it back into the books.
I love when books are able to be a complete story on their own, but can still have sequels or companions that incorporate the same world or characters. This concept reminds me a lot of Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles!
How exciting, these books have such pretty covers, and I can’t wait to finally read them
Haven’t heard of this book but it looks interesting. I really love the ones that are different.
Omg, Victoria’s comment about Book 3 has me freaking out. I mean, I don’t know what the ending to The Unbound is like yet, but there haaaaave to be more books with Mac and Wes. Two is just not enough! 😉
I’m so excited, I thought the Archived was such an interesting concept and I can’t wait to see what happens to Mac next. Thanks for the giveaway
I just stumbled across your blog today (from your blog tips on NetGalley), and it’s honestly so adorable. I love the layout, and your reviews are awesome. You’ve found yourself a new follower! ^-^
I haven’t read the first book but hopefully I’d get a copy soon and win this giveaway as well. 😀
Sounds like a great book. I thoughts I heard that the rights to this book were sold to make a movie. Is that true? IDK, but I’m pretty sure I saw that in my twitter feed.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed these books so much! Nearly everything I’ve heard about the Archived especially has been very positive, and I’m definitely excited to check out these books! I have a feeling that this series, along with Vicious, will put Victoria Schwab solidly in my favorite new authors pile. Thanks for the awesome interview and giveaway!
I’ve been meaning to read The Archived–the concept always really appealed to me–and this definitely motivates me even more! 🙂
So awesome I can’t wait to read!!
I absolutely adored The Archived, and have been waiting for this sequel for a long time. I can’t wait to dive back into this wonderful world! Thanks for being a part of the tour!
Ugh I just typed a comment and then it wouldn’t load so I lost it 🙁 ANyway The Archived was one of my top 5 books ever, and I LOVED the cover of it and the entire look and feel of the book. I can’t wait to read The Unbound – I need it NOW! 🙂 And I agree – I hope there is a book 3!!!!!!
I can’t wait for this book! I loved the Archived, it was such an amazing book and one of my favorites
Victoria is such an amazing author and I really can’t wait to read this by her. Also want to read Vicious since I heard so many good things about that book that I have to read it for myself!
I heard to much of this book! I need to read it and I loved reading the interview 🙂 Thanks for the interview 😀
The interview was very entertaining, I like the questions you asked! 😀
And thank you for such an awesome giveaway!
I love The Archived and i’m really want read The Unbound
I recently read VICIOUS and fully intend to seek more of Ms. Schwab’s work. Both THE ARCHIVED and THE UNBOUND are on my TBR, and I’m be thrilled to win a copy of the latter. Best wishes for continued success!
Thank u soo much for this giveaway!!!! I’m sooo excited about it :D!!!!!!
I just adore Victoria!! So excited for this book! Thanks 🙂
I haven’t read The archived yet but it is on my TBR/wishlist. So I have some catching up to do. Both the Archived and The Unbound sound so very unique and intriguing.