Kamilah Cole is the bestselling author of So Let Them Burn and This Ends in Embers. A graduate of New York University, Kamilah is usually playing Kingdom Hearts for the hundredth time, quoting early SpongeBob SquarePants episodes, or crying her way through Zuko's redemption arc in Avatar: The Last Airbender. Her latest novel is An Arcane Inheritance, and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for An Arcane Inheritance?
It was a variety of things over many years. My love for dark academia and the critical eye that the benefit of hindsight has given me for my college years. Inception and The Conjuring. Ninth House, A Lesson in Vengeance, and Babel. And, randomly, the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty as a retelling of that was a way I was originally going to tell this story.
Are Ellory, Hudson, Tai, Cody, Boone, Liam, Colt, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
None of them were inspired by or based on specific individuals, but I did weave in several references or nods to things that actually happened to me in college or that I overheard there.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters, scenes, or stories that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
When I sold An Arcane Inheritance on proposal, which essentially means the book was incomplete when my editor picked it up, it was supposed to be a thriller. However, it didn't take me long to write the first draft to figure out it didn't have the pacing of a thriller. Instead, it's more of a "gothic," in that creeping atmosphere and morbid revelations take center stage over nonstop action or twists. Hudson originally had three roommates instead of two, a woman who fixed his cars for him instead of Boone, and she was cut because every role she played could be handled by Liam or Boone. I always hate cutting female characters!
Ellory's experience as a student is pretty stressful (even without the magic!). What was your experience as a college student like?
It was only slightly less stressful. Unlike Ellory, I didn't even try to apply to an Ivy League school. My Journalism Club would take us to talks at Columbia every year, and there was just such a level of anxiety there that put me off. I went to New York University, where I was an overachiever like Ellory, but it was diverse and a little more relaxed than the vibes at Columbia, Princeton, Yale, and Cornell (all of which I visited or stayed at for various reasons). I also had supportive, present parents, who let me major in Journalism and write for the paper.
Did you write for The Washington Square News while you were a student at New York University?
I sure did! I began as a reporter, and then, due to my dedication to my articles and in showing up for meetings up to an hour early, I was promoted to Music Editor and received a stipend. Unbeknownst to them, I showed up an hour early because I had a crush on someone there, but I was still very dedicated, I promise
Have you ever attended, or participated in, a seance? If so, can you tell us about it?
I haven't, and, honestly, I never would. I'm with Tai and Cody on this one: I don't mess with supernatural forces!
Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever had an encounter with something paranormal?
I do believe in ghosts, because I believe in the existence of most things, inasmuch as it involves respecting their rules and not messing with them, but I've never had a paranormal encounter that I know of.
If you could choose, would you want to be able to possess magic? If so, why? If not, why not?
Oh, absolutely. In a world with the magic of connections and money, possessing real magic would feel like a way of evening a widening gap between the haves and myself (a have-not).
In your Acknowledgements, you describe how you met your best friend, Lauren, and that if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be publishing books. Can you tell us a bit about Lauren and how she helped/encouraged you to become a published author?
Lauren was my first real friend. We met when we were fourteen, and we remain friends to this day. She would always see me writing in my notebook, but I brushed her off when she asked what I was writing, because at the time, I thought a friend was someone who kept you from being lonely at school, not someone you shared things with. But the first time she read something of mine, she lit up and asked for more. She was my first fan, my biggest cheerleader, and she still has every unfinished work I've ever given her printed out and kept in a folder in her room. Every book I write will be dedicated to her. I don't have the words to explain how much she's done for me. I wouldn't have the courage to be myself if I didn't have her loving me every step of the way.
If/when An Arcane Inheritance is adapted to film or a television series, who would your dream cast be?
While writing, I visualized Alyah Chanelle Scott (Sex Lives of College Girls) and Jordan Fisher (To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You) as Ellory and Hudson—and that's about it. I didn't really picture anyone else while writing the other characters, but I would hope that, if it were adapted, young BIPOC talent would be nurtured by being cast in the show. Seeing the way shows like Heated Rivalry have changed the careers of lesser-known actors like Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, I would want An Arcane Inheritance's adaptation to do the same for young people of color.
What's currently on your nightstand?
I'm filling this out at my parents' house, so a bunch of things that don't belong to me as well as a copy of She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth and Son of the Morning by Akwaeke Emezi. I love reading upcoming books, especially by debut authors (shoutout to Bound by Fury by Noelle Monét and A Curse Carved in Ink by Tzeyi Koay, two of my favorite reads), and of course books by authors of color (shoutout to Until the Clock Strikes Midnight by Alechia Dow and The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
Maggie Stiefvater, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Tara Sim, Tamora Pierce, and Susan Dennard are the most influential. My top five favorite are Tracy Deonn, Kalynn Bayron, C.S. Paca, Chelsea Abdullah, and Kelly Andrew.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
In The Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce and Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. If we're going back even further, I was a Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, and Cam Jansen kind of girl.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
Rainbow Boys by Alex Sánchez, but I hid that from everyone because I was like thirteen and didn't want anyone to know I read queer books.
Is there a book you've faked reading?
To this day, I have never actually read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm sorry that I lied, but that's the only summer reading book I absolutely couldn't get through.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo and Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers, both of which are berry-toned with a gorgeous Black woman in 3/4th profile on the cover. I've never bought a book so fast.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Havemercy by Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett, which combined queerness with dragon lore in a way I hadn't seen before and would eventually lead me to write my first novel, So Let Them Burn.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
Timekeeper by Tara Sim. It was my first historical fantasy that didn't make queerness/being in the closet one of the central conflicts of the story, and I remember being so struck by the characters, the worldbuilding, and the historical liberties that only served to make the story better.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah. It was a thrilling fantasy adventure with low romance and high banter, accessible, fun, and magical in a way that has become rarer these days. I think about it all the time.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé is an absolutely masterful album by one of our greatest living artists. Steeped in Southern culture her whole life, Beyoncé finally took her opportunity to put out a country album, and despite the challenges of standing out and rising up the hostile charts, she absolutely did that. It's part of what led me to write my next book, a vampire romantasy (see more below).
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
I get to meet Zendaya and Law Roach and give them a copy of So Let Them Burn, which was partially inspired by the way he styled her as Joan of Arc for the 2018 Met Gala. I thank them, and I don't cry. This meeting happens in Italy, at my villa on the water, which borders a joint goat farm owned by myself and my agent, Emily Forney, who lives in the neighboring villa. Afterward, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Halsey, Sabrina Carpenter and Beyoncé again perform a private concert for me, and I fall asleep with my cat Sora cuddled up under my chin.
What is the question that you're always hoping you'll be asked, but never have been?
This was pretty comprehensive, actually. But I'd love to be asked about my favorite video games.
What is your answer?
Kingdom Hearts. It's Kingdom Hearts. My favorite of the series is Kingdom Hearts 2, but any Kingdom Hearts game is my answer. Lately, I've been playing Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Remake, so I guess the Final Fantasy franchise is up there as well. And I play Tiny Bookshop and Hello Kitty Island adventure on my switch, because I love cozy games to destress on deadline.
What are you working on now?
I'm currently working on the first draft of my next Adult book, Heir Undying. It's a paranormal romantasy about an ordinary girl whose life shatters when her estranged father dies and she learns he was the hidden world's vampire king... and she's his chosen heir. I've loved vampires all my life, and in the wake of the success of Sinners, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, and all, I had the opportunity to write my own take on them. I'm having so much fun!
