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Hi! I’m Kristen Simmons ( @kris10writes ) - half of the brain behind SET FIRE TO THE GODS! Sara ( @seesarawrite ) and I are so excited to be taking over the HarperTeen twitter today! Sara will be taking the reins later this evening, but for now you’re stuck with me...MWAHAHAHA!
What is SET FIRE about? A boy who is abandoned by his father for showing no earth divine magic...a girl who has pledged to kill the god of fire for what he’s done to her mother...both wind up in the arena as gladiators on opposing sides of a war, with a dark purpose to unite them
If you like:
elemental magic (Avatar, anyone?)
epic gladiator battles
enemies to lovers
gods with anger management issues
found families
girls who set things on fire
boys with secrets
(and of course) kissing
This one is for you!
elemental magic (Avatar, anyone?) epic gladiator battles enemies to lovers gods with anger management issues found families girls who set things on fire boys with secrets (and of course) kissingThis one is for you!
SET FIRE is my (Kristen’s) 16th novel (the first I’ve co-written!). Some of my others: the Article 5 series, THE GLASS ARROW, METALTOWN, PACIFICA, and the Vale Hall series (THE DECEIVERS), but writing with @seesarawrite is the absolute best. (Thanks @fictionfare for the pic!)
A bit more about me (Kristen). I am totally a dog person (slightly distrustful of cats. Sorry.). I drink green jasmine tea by the gallon. I love hiking and teach Jazzercise (not a joke, I promise!), and have an amazing husband and 8 year old son.
(This means I know more than any person needs to about Pokémon, and I’m a master builder of all things LEGO.)
Here’s me with one of my pups, Hundley. Any other dog people out there?
This is what writing looks like for me most days. Serious side eye. (This is Pika, as in Pikachu. I told you we’re all about Pokémon.)
I just finished reading RECIPE FOR PERSUASION by @Sonali_Dev and WOW WOW WOW. It was so amazing!!! Before that I read THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA by @tjklune and absolutely loved it. If you’re looking for books to try, I highly recommend both of those!
What are you reading?
What are you reading?
SET FIRE has been such an amazing project to work on - 100% bc @seesarawrite and I got to do it together. Writing can be such a solitary venture, but when you create a story with someone, you have this amazing opportunity to get in their brain and see how they work.
Every time one of us got stuck, we called each other to work through it. When you write solo you can explain the problem to someone else but they aren’t as close to the project as a coauthor. Figuring things out together made any challenges a million times easier to work through!
Best co-author ever!
SET FIRE is about gladiators who fight in the arena using elemental magic for one of their six gods. If you has a magical gladiator power, what would it be?
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Animals
Plants
Doughnuts
(Is my answer obvious?)
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Animals
Plants
Doughnuts
(Is my answer obvious?)
(Just to be clear, there isn’t really a god of doughnuts in our book, but now that I’m looking at it I realize what a missed opportunity this was.)
In SET FIRE, Madoc is a street fighter who was abandoned by his father as a child for showing no sign of earth divinity. He’s grown up with an adopted family that has his back no matter what.
Who would you pick to fight beside you in the arena? I’d pick @seesarawrite of course!
Who would you pick to fight beside you in the arena? I’d pick @seesarawrite of course!
(Yes. We are posing with cupcakes. That’s how we roll.)
We had a lot of inspiration for SET FIRE (Avatar and Gladiator, anyone?) but one of my favorite pieces was from a trip I took last year to Spain. There is a town outside Seville called Santiponce, where there is Roman amphitheater that’s stood since 206 BC called Italica.
My husband and I made the trip out and it was AMAZING!
This was exactly where I imagined setting our great gladiator battles in SET FIRE. (You might recognize this place from a very important scene in Game of Thrones!)
I just had to take a bunch of videos and pictures in Italica for @seesarawrite - here’s one!
If you can’t hear the video, I’m squealing, “SARA I FOUND THE ARENA!!”
And here’s another. There is a very important scene in the book that takes place inside the gladiator preparation room. Lots of scheming happens here!
(If you cant hear the audio, I’m saying, “Ok, here’s the preparation room...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!”
There is something absolutely magical about finding a setting for your book in real life.
There is something absolutely magical about finding a setting for your book in real life.
Italica was absolutely magnificent in every way. I never wanted to leave! (Except that it was 110 degrees that day so, ok, yeah I was getting a little warm.)
So that’s a little about SET FIRE TO THE GODS and me (Kristen)! Does anyone have any questions? I’m happy to answer!
That’s it for me, friends! Thanks for hanging out! I’d love to chat more - follow me at @kris10writes on Twitter and Instagram!
Tomorrow night (8/4, 7PM est) we will be doing a virtual launch party through our much beloved local indie, @JosephBethCincy. We would love to see you!
Tomorrow night (8/4, 7PM est) we will be doing a virtual launch party through our much beloved local indie, @JosephBethCincy. We would love to see you!
Here’s how to join the SET FIRE launch party: https://www.josephbeth.com/event/sara-raasch-kristen-simmons-set-fire-gods
Now, please welcome my amazing co-writer and friend, the ultra talented @seesarawrite!!
Thanks again for hanging out! Hope you all love SET FIRE TO THE GODS!
Thanks again for hanging out! Hope you all love SET FIRE TO THE GODS!
YOU'RE MINE NOW, TWITTER!
Hey-o everyone! @seesarawrite here, taking the torch from my better half, @kris10writes, in this fiery Twitter takeover!
Hey-o everyone! @seesarawrite here, taking the torch from my better half, @kris10writes, in this fiery Twitter takeover!
I'm Sara Raasch, author of five other teen novels with HarperCollins. SET FIRE makes six!!
My others are the Snow Like Ashes trilogy and the Stream Raiders duology. Season kingdoms and pirates FTW
My others are the Snow Like Ashes trilogy and the Stream Raiders duology. Season kingdoms and pirates FTW
SET FIRE TO THE GODS is my first co-written book and boy oh boy was it AMAZING. Writing with @kris10writes was like having a whole extra brain which is great because I have only about 30% of my brain cells left thank you toddler life
Aside from her being brilliant and able to see solutions that I couldn't, @kris10writes is funny and supportive and just about the best all around person you will ever meet full stop
She's already done a great job catching y'all up on what SET FIRE's about, but I bet she DIDN'T tell you that it was BASED ON A TRUE STORY in which she and I FOUGHT TO THE DEATH
She probably skipped that part cuz she lost
I HAVE PROOF
She probably skipped that part cuz she lost
I HAVE PROOF
LOOK AT THAT
VICTORYYYYYY
VICTORYYYYYY
If you want to hear more about SET FIRE's SO VERY TRUE ACTUALLY REAL origins, tune in to our virtual launch party TOMORROW at 7PM EST! It's being hosted by the one, the only, @JosephBethCincy!
In SET FIRE, I ( @seesarawrite) write Ash, who is from the Fire God's nation and is trying her hardest to kill him without getting killed herself.
So, I gotta know: between @kris10writes's stonemason Madoc and my fiery gladiator Ash, who are you most excited to meet?
So, I gotta know: between @kris10writes's stonemason Madoc and my fiery gladiator Ash, who are you most excited to meet?
You may think it's unfair to pit two characters against each other like that, but I ( @seesarawrite) say BRING IT ON!
Actually, let's expand on this:
Between these two characters, who do you think would make it out of the arena?
Actually, let's expand on this:
Between these two characters, who do you think would make it out of the arena?
After that arena fight clears, we'll bring our next warriors — between these two characters, who do you think would walk away?
This is a tough one: if these two characters faced off in an arena, who would win?
And one final pairing: which character would be victorious?
I ( @seesarawrite) am gonna wrap up this AWESOME TWITTER TAKEOVER by shouting out some other 8/4 books: LOBIZONA by @RominaRussell and BOOKISH & THE BEAST by @ashposton are also awaiting you tomorrow!
And oh yeah that vampire book BUT ALSO THESE TOO OKAY DON'T FORGET US
And oh yeah that vampire book BUT ALSO THESE TOO OKAY DON'T FORGET US
And reminder: you can find me over at https://www.sararaaschbooks.com/ and also on TikTok, which I'm on like a lot as sara_raasch (also on Insta by that handle)
You can find @kris10writes at http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/ over on Insta at kris10writes!
You can find @kris10writes at http://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/ over on Insta at kris10writes!
Thanks for hanging with us today and be sure to SAY HEY-O to Madoc and Ash tomorrow when SET FIRE TO THE GODS releases in all its elemental gladiator glory!!
https://www.josephbeth.com/book/9780062891563
https://www.josephbeth.com/book/9780062891563
