Taking fun seriously with Veronica Roth

I’m kicking off a month-long miniseries for the 87% club with an interview with author Veronica Roth. She’s written more than a dozen books, most notably the Divergent series, which she’s actually revisiting with a new series that comes out later this year.

Her latest book is called Seek the Traitor’s Son (print | audio), and it’s one of my favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy books of the year. It was a pleasure to read, and my brain sort of exploded when I listened to Veronica’s acknowledgements at the end of the book:

“I started writing this book almost six years ago with no intention of publishing it. I had it in my head that a book that made all the pleasure centers of my brain fire at once just couldn’t be a serious project. But when I told two of my friends about it, they pointed out that there was no reason that should be the case. The world is too dark, and life is too short, to spend it resisting things that bring you joy. So why not write a big, romantic, indulgent, genre-straddling story?”

Of course, I immediately thought about how this plays into the idea of 87 percent, and when I pitched the topic to Veronica, she was super excited to talk about it. So that’s today’s episode!

1. It is August, and this month, we’re reading Land by Maggie O’Farrell! (print | audio)

   Congrats to Emily and Marjorie for winning copies of Land! Because of scheduling complications, Maggie wasn’t available for an interview, so that’s partly why I’m doing the miniseries this month. I won’t have a discussion episode either, but I AM still hosting the Zoom conversation -- that will be on Sunday, Aug. 23 at noon CT. Email me if you’d like the link!

2. I also am hosting two bonus discussions for Sarah Wilson’s book I Eat the Stars (print | audio). This book profoundly impacted how I see the world and I loved the conversation I had with Sarah about it. I want to keep that conversation going, too. So if you’re interested in participating in what Sarah calls an “island of sanity,” let me know! I’m hosting conversations on Sunday Sept. 6 and Saturday Oct. 3, both at noon CT.