The Soul Keepers by Devon Taylor
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 28th, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
“A fantastic high-stakes adventure on a ghost ship sailing forever into eternity, where every soul is (literally) worth fighting for—what’s not to love? Devon Taylor weaves an endearing tale of friendship and loss with heart-stopping action and a whole lot of terrifying monsters. You’ll root for Rhett and his fellow reapers through every twist and turn!” —Rin Chupeco, author of The Bone Witch and The Girl from the Well
Full of danger, stormy otherworld seas, ghost ships, and terrifying monsters, this thrilling debut novel is perfect for fans of Taran Matharu and Neal Shusterman.
Death is just the beginning.
After dying in a terrible car accident, Rhett awakens in the afterlife and is recruited to join the crew of theHarbinger, a colossal seafaring vessel tasked with ferrying the souls of the dead. To where exactly, no one knows. But the crew must get the souls there, and along the way protect them from vicious soul-eating monsters that will stop at nothing to take the ship and all of its occupants.
Rhett and his new friends have a hard enough time fighting back the monsters that grow bolder and more ferocious every day. But then a new threat emerges, a demon who wants something that Rhett has. And if she gets it, it could mean the end of everything… for both the living and the dead.
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, The Soul Keepers is a pulse-pounding, cinematic adventure by debut author Devon Taylor.
~AUTHOR INTERVIEW with Devon Taylor~
1) What gave you the
inspiration for the storyline?
The two biggest
influences on the story of The Soul
Keepers are good ole Greek mythology and the novel The 13 ½ Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. I’ve always
been super interested in Greek mythology (because how can a person not be??),
and I love the story of Charon ferrying the souls of the dead across the River
Styx. It’s such a vivid image, and I wondered what that would look like in a
modern day setting, with a much bigger population. And Captain Bluebear was a random secondhand store find that my wife
thought I’d enjoy—I did! Like, a lot. There’s a ship in that book that very
much inspired the Harbinger in my
book. Also, Captain Bluebear is one
of those books that really shows how limitless the imagination is, and how far
outside what we consider to be “normal reality” you can take a story while
still keeping your readers invested. It’s the kind of book that gave me the
confidence to try and write something that I’d never read before.
2) Are there any hidden themes
in the book that you hope readers will discover?
Absolutely!
Although I don’t know how hidden they are. The major theme that I was shooting
for with The Soul Keepers (along with
its forthcoming sequel) was second chances. The idea that everybody can change
and redeem themselves even in the wake of terrible decisions. And of course I
hope that every reader will find something in the book that they can relate to
and can take with them after they’re finished with it.
3) Are any of the characters
based on real people you know?
I can’t say that
any of the characters are too specifically based on people I know in real life.
But some of the relationships in the book are definitely inspired by my own
personal experiences with family and loved ones. Most of all, the tiny bit of
romance that happens in the book is inspired by my relationship with my wife,
who’s my real-life partner in crime and without whom the book probably wouldn’t
exist at all.
4) Who has influenced you most
as a writer?
In terms of
authors that have influenced or inspired me, I’m a gigantic Stephen King fan
(kind of a cliché, I know, but what are you gonna do?), along with his son, Joe
Hill. Some YA authors whose books have really inspired me include (but are in
no way limited to) Claudia Gray, Rick Yancey, Victoria Aveyard, JK Rowling
(duh), Victoria Schwab, and many, many others. As far as people I actually know
who have inspired me, my parents were always super supportive, along with a
slew of creative writing teachers over the years who have been instrumental in
buoying my confidence. And my wife and kids inspire me every single day.
5) If you could have any three
literary characters over to your place for game night, who would you invite,
what would you play, what would you serve, and why?
This is a GREAT
question! I’d have to invite Captain Bluebear (obvs), Carrie White, aaaaaaand
because I guess he’s technically a literary character, the Grim Reaper (also
obvs). We’d play Connect Four (mostly because I want to see Carrie put the
pieces in with her mind). And I’d serve Taco Pasta (my favorite recipe). It
would be a weird and delightful time.
6) Do you feel that you can
ever have too many books?
As someone who
recently moved and packed up about 25-30 boxes of books, I’d have to be a hard
no on that one.
Author Bio:
Devon Taylor was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two daughters. His day job consists of sneaking around the house with ninja-like stealth to avoid waking up his kids. When not writing, reading, or tediously typing out text messages with all the correct spelling and punctuation, he spends his time with his family. THE SOUL KEEPERS is his debut novel.
Thanks for hosting today, Jen!
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