INTERVIEW: Nalini Singh on Archangel’s Resurrection, Her Series, and Her Love of Books
I’ve been reading Nalini Singh’s riveting books for sixteen years, and am a big fan of several of them. She has published a lot of novels across a variety of genres, with a remarkable degree of consistency. In this interview, we talk about these topics and more (including my recent favorite couple, Illium and Aodhan!). –Janine
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Alexander and Zanaya’s story, Archangel’s Resurrection, is coming out tomorrow. What can you tell readers about the book, and their romance?
This is an unusual book, both in terms of its structure and the sheer span of time it covers. But at the heart of it, it’s very much a sprawling and epic love story– a romance between two juggernauts who can as easily smash each other to smithereens as they can battle to the death to protect each other.
Theirs isn’t an easy story, but it is very much theirs. The love story of two beings who have lived a long, long, long time. So long that it’s beyond our comprehension.
I’ve often said one thing about the angels in this series – that they don’t always act “human” or relatable because honestly, they’re not like us. They live too long, have too much power. In this book, we see both the price they pay for such long lives filled with power – and we see the gifts bestowed by immortality. And we see a love that endures even as it breaks.
I love this book (and Zanaya and Alexander) with all my heart.
What was the most intriguing aspect, for you, of Zanaya and Alexander’s relationship, and what scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
The sheer span of their love – and its intensity. Theirs is a flame that burns even when they’d rather it didn’t. It’s uncomfortable at times – and yet, it’s also a glory. Is it all worth it? And who are they to each other once they strip away all the rest, all the trappings of being archangels? I loved exploring the complexity of such a long and complicated relationship.
In terms of the most fun – the epilogue makes me laugh just thinking about it. Without being spoilery, it reveals a piece of information that brings me much amusement.
As a longtime reader of your two paranormal series, I’ve been struck by how subtle clues and beginnings are seeded early on and later come to fruition, both in terms of character relationships (Hawke and Sienna, Illium and Aodhan) and in terms of the overarching plots that deal with the world (Kaleb’s rise to topple the Psy council, for example, or Shoshanna and Henry Scott’s development of the mind control neural implants, which are still having an impact many books later). How much of that is planned and how much develops organically? Is the larger external arc in all your series pre-plotted, and / or are there times when something surprises you on the page and you follow it where it leads? And how do you balance the two?
I always know the beginning and ending of a story arc. So for example, with the Psy-Changeling series, the beginning was Silence – a world where the Psy live lives devoid of emotion under the Protocol. The ending I foresaw [spoiler!] was the fall of Silence.
Knowing the beginning and the ending is what I need to keep me on track. I don’t usually write it down, but I must know it. Before I wrote Silver Silence, I spent a long, long time considering the next story arc.
I knew we needed a second arc, because the events at the end of the first arc brought up all kinds of questions – but I wasn’t about to write that second arc until I knew exactly where I was taking my readers. Because for me, the fun of a journey like in this series, is that there is a payoff. All the pieces of the jigsaw fit in the end, so that if you go back and reread, you’ll see the path laid out from book 1.
So I guess the short answer is that I plot out where we’re going, but how we get to that point? It’s organic. The breadcrumbs get laid organically. But because I know where we’re heading, I don’t tend to head off on tangents. Like a road that has lots of side roads, but I don’t turn off, because those don’t lead to my destination. That doesn’t mean those side roads are forgotten – rather, I explore them in novellas, short stories etc.
And yes, my process means there are surprises.
In general, the surprises tend to be more on the emotional end of things. I believe in letting my characters grow and develop and reveal themselves. I don’t know every single detail of every single character with the first book – that’s an impossibility, given that each character only gets a certain amount of page time per book. Some might not appear for three books, then pop in for two, then go off-page for another. To me, it feels like getting to know friends. Some are super open and easy to know, others are shy, others are basically impenetrable walls for a long time (Arrows, I’m looking at you).
So with Aodhan and Illium, at first I saw only what they showed the world – their friendship. It was only as I began to spend more time with them – more scenes, more glimpses – that I began to understand that things were shifting between them, that their relationship was undergoing a sea-change. Though, I think, “surprise” isn’t really the right word here. It all felt very organic, with a sense of inevitability to it.
In terms of balance, I go with my gut and trust my instincts.
The Psy/Changeling series is a futuristic paranormal romance series; the Guild Hunter books an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance/Fantasy blend with elements of thriller and horror; contemporary romances comprise the Rock Kiss and Hard Play series; and recently you’ve published two thrillers, A Madness of Sunshine and Quiet in Her Bones. You’ve also written a fantasy romance, Lord of the Abyss, and a handful of category romances for Silhouette Desire. What motivated each divergence and do you have your eye on any genres that you haven’t explored yet?
I keep threatening to write a historical, but alas, I’m not too keen on historical research, lol. Though I might one day finish the novella I wrote a while ago set in the time of the Territorial Wars in the Psy-Changeling series.
The divergence has been very natural, just stories I’ve been compelled to explore. One thing many people don’t realize is that I’ve always written contemporary and PNR/SF, from way back when I was a teenager writing my first books. And a lot of my work has mystery elements, so diverging into thrillers wasn’t a major stretch.
The one big change was learning to think outside the rhythms of romance – my second thriller in particular, has no romance in it at all. And that was a conscious learning curve, me pushing myself to bring the story in my head onto the page in all its haunting darkness.
This year marks 20 years since I sold my first book (Desert Warrior) and I’m still as excited every single day that I get to do this for a living. I think a large part of that comes from giving myself room to “play” – my rock star books were born out of a play project, as was my first thriller. As was Angels’ Blood. No one ever knows of these projects until they have shape and form. There’s no pressure.
Any writer who’s been around me for five minutes has probably heard me wax lyrical about the importance of such projects – the places where as a writer, I go to figure things out, delve into new genres, and honestly, get things wrong without any consequences. And so, like my characters, I grow.
You’ve written well over fifty books and that’s not counting your many novellas, short stories and newsletter extras. How are you so prolific? Can you give the rest of us some productivity tips? ;-)
Well, in my early years, I was obsessive. Especially as I was writing first around university, then around full-time work. My friends (lovingly) called me the hermit. After switching to full-time writing, I suddenly had enormous swathes of time compared to what I had before. It would’ve been easy to fritter it away, but those early days where I only had bits of time here and there really taught me great lessons in terms of how to maximize my writing time.
One practical tip is to keep a small notebook* with you, and scribble down any thoughts about scenes as they come to you through your day – then when you get to your keyboard, whether you have ten minutes or forty-five, you just look at those notes and write scene after scene. Basically, use time where you can to think through the scenes so all you have to do is put them down. Washing dishes? Think about the book. Making lunches for your kids? Think about the book. Stuck on the subway? Think about the book.
It makes it much, much easier to write even if you’re mentally tired at the end of a long day of other work. You’ve already laid the groundwork. This same tip works for full time writers who want to increase productivity – do your initial thinking the day before, jot down some notes on at least one scene that you want to write, then when you come to the computer, you’re not starting from scratch. You can just go. Because starting is often the hardest part.
And if you can learn dictation, do it. While it can raise wordcounts, I didn’t do it for that reason, but to protect my body, which is critical to long-term productivity. Writing thousands of words per day or week can be hard on the wrists/shoulders/back. Being able to speak my drafts is worth all the months it took me to train the software to my voice, accent, and speech rhythms. So don’t give up if it doesn’t work straight away! Think long term impact.
Beyond all that, at the very core of it, it comes down to my love of writing. I enjoy what I do. I want to do it. I urge every writer to nurture that love, to find projects that challenge you, interest you, and speak to your heart.
(*You can use your phone to keep notes, too. The reason I prefer a notebook is that it acts as a cue to write or think about writing simply by existing. It is a dedicated writing prompt for your brain.)
Whenever I read your books, I’m impressed with how consistent and sprawling your worlds are, and with the number of moving pieces there are in the plots and subplots. How do you keep track of it all? Do you use a series bible, charts, maps, storyboards, and/or collages?
I have a detailed story bible (I used to maintain this on my own, but now my assistant keeps it updated), an overall series timeline, plus timelines for each book, birthdays for all major characters (helps with maintaining time continuity), maps, and tagged copies of all the books (physical copies tagged with Post It notes). I redo the tags for each new book I’m writing in terms of relevant information. (I also, of course, have full electronic files for reference, too.)
If it’s a character that’s been mentioned previously in the series, my assistant will pinpoint every single mention of them in the series, so I can reread those sections. This not only maintains plot continuity, it maintains character continuity.
A lot of it, however, is still in my head. I know the characters as individuals, and I remember them all the same way I remember my friends. As unique people. The plots are nowhere except in my head – each series is a vivid internal movie, full of color and life.
(I should state that the series’ (and their movies) are constantly humming at the back of my brain, pieces slotting into place, storylines developing. I’m not only thinking about them the months I sit down to write a particular book, and I’m not always thinking in linear time. Heart of Obsidian (book 12) for example, was set up in Visions of Heat (book 2). I actually wrote the first chapter of Heart when I wrote Visions. Again, it all comes back to knowing where I’m going.)
I’m a big Illium and Aodhan fan so I have to ask this: After Archangel’s Light came out, you mentioned in your newsletter that this was only the beginning for them. Does that mean another whole book focusing on them (please please pretty please)?
Yes, they will get a second book.
Yay! You have no idea how happy that makes me.
Spoiler (maybe): Show
Which of the characters we’ve already encountered in the Psy/Changeling series you are planning future books for?
Many, many! Malachai, Miane, Adam, all the bears (only slightly joking), and Remi, to name a few.
Spoiler (possibly): Show
The next two questions come from Kaetrin:
Are you planning more books in the Hard Play series?
If so, will there be a book for Viliame? (Please say yes).
The Hard Play series is complete.
However, I do like Vili a whole lot, as I do a number of other rugby players we met in that series. So there’s a chance I’ll go back and do a separate series focusing on players from both the Southern Blizzard and the Harriers. A spin off vs a direct continuation.
No promises yet though as I’m currently heavily scheduled to write other projects.
And here’s one from Jennie—
The majority of your books are set in alternate realities – is it easier to write books set in ‘the real world’ or are there challenges involved in having to hew more closely to reality?
I’d say it’s a case of different challenges rather than one being easier. With alternate worlds, I have to keep track of continuity on an intensive level – because those details are what brings the world(s) alive. For example, I don’t want to say “some time ago” – I want to say “three days and forty-seven minutes ago” – that level of detail adds immediate impact. I keep track of everything, from the layout of roads, to where people live, what their aeries or apartments or other residences are like, and more.
With real-world settings, I have to put in the same level of detail – but I have to research it to make sure it’s factual. For my second thriller, I had to make sure that the long and winding road from which I have a car going off and crashing into thick native forest, to be submerged for ten years, did in fact have spots where this could happen. Where a car could vanish without a trace.
In both cases, it’s detailed research.
Now for two purely selfish questions.
Years ago, you recommended Mary E. Pearson’s YA SF novel The Adoration of Jenna Fox. I read it and really liked it. So—what books have you read in the past few years that you love or that have excited you?
Oh, I remember that book!
So, for this, I’ll take the opportunity to shout out a few books that are more recent reads:
Breathless by Amy McCullough – a thriller set on a climb of one of the tallest peaks in the world, this debut took my breath away. Amy is an experienced climber, so there’s a level of realism in this book that had me racing through it.
Dance with the Devil by Kit Rocha – this book is the third book in KR’s Mercenary Librarians trilogy, so there’s a full story arc across the three. Their post-apocalyptic world is brilliantly built and peopled with a fantastic set of characters, and is deeply romantic. I hope they do write more in this world.
Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray – this is the darkest and quirkiest cozy mystery I’ve ever read. The protagonist (from the descriptions we get in the book) appears to have Tourette’s, makes “macabre” cakes complete with bloodshot eyeballs and sugar cobwebs, and doesn’t really like people – but beneath that outer layer is a painful vulnerability. The writing is lyrical and lovely, and even if I’m not sure I always understand Arya, I find her fascinating as a character. I’ve already preordered book two.
In terms of authors who were new to me in recent years but who I now follow: Martha Wells and her Murderbot books (can’t get enough of Murderbot’s voice!), P. Djeli Clark’s work (I started with A Dead Djinn in Cairo and just kept going!), Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop Mysteries (love both the mysteries and the sense of family), and Sharina Harris’s books about friendship and family and romance (she just hits straight at the heart).
Along similar lines, what are the books you loved as a kid? And what are the books that turned you on to each genre you now write in or that made you say, “I can do this”?
Hmm, this is hard to say because honestly, I devoured every book I could get my hands on as a kid. Maxed out my library card and was done within the week, then read the newspaper or the cereal box or my dad’s TIME magazines!
I have a tome of beloved fairy tales that I was given as a birthday present and that I read over and over, so clearly, I’ve always loved other worlds.
Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey were definitely seminal authors during my teen years – they taught me how to build worlds by doing it so seamlessly that I didn’t truly understand the beauty of what they’d done until much, much later. At that time, I was just swept away by their storytelling.
Then I discovered Mills & Boon romances and in some part of my brain, I began to realize that the two (romance and speculative fiction) might be able to exist in the same space. Still took me a long time to stumble onto PNR, but that didn’t stop teenage-me from writing what I now know was SF romance.
As to when I thought, “I can do this”, I truly don’t know. I began trying to write books as a very young teen. It was just something I wanted to do, so I did it and didn’t really think about the next step (publication) until a long way down the track. (This was pre-Internet, with no ability to put work online in any fashion, which I’ve come to see as a gift. It meant I developed my voice as an author without any external input.)
By the time I began to think about publication, I’d already written multiple full-length books (and made my best friend read them!) so I figured, hey, why not? The worst the publisher can say is no. They did. Many times!
Lastly, can you tell us a little bit about the book(s) you have in the works right now?
I recently turned in the next Psy-Changeling book, and all I can say this early on is that it features bears. I adored being back with StoneWater, and I love the pieces of the jigsaw that become clear in this book.
Now, I’m beginning work on my next New Zealand-set thriller. Right now, I’m getting to know the characters and allowing the story to take shape in my mind.
Great interview with Nalini Singh. I love her books and I am looking forward to the release of Archangel’s Resurrection. Going through another mystery phase at the moment and am keen on finding new-to-me authors. Will definitely check out Vivien Chien’s Noodle Shop Mysteries.
@ShellBell: She was so gracious to answer so many questions. I’ve never interviewed her before and there was so much I wanted to know. I think I might ask to interview her again in the future.
I was thinking I should check out that Vivien Chien series as well. I highly recommend Murderbot also if you haven’t read it already. It’s very accessible and popular; even people who normally don’t read SF share my enthusiasm for it. And don’t be worried by the title, Murderbot isn’t a murderer and only kills in self defense. Most of the time they are snarky and just want to watch their favorite long running show. It’s a heartwarming series about how Murderbot gets free of the company that owns them and forges new connections and friendships. The books have a mystery component to them, so they might appeal to you on that level too.
I’m going to run a review of Archangel’s Resurrection soon, hopefully on Wednesday.
Are you an Illium and Aodhan fan, ShellBell? I was so excited about the second book.
@janine Love, love Bluebell and can’t wait to see more of him and Aodhan. I have started the first book in the Vivien Chen series (Death By Dumpling) and am really enjoying it so far and have noted down Murderbot to explore later :). Going to have a reread of the interview later – so much to absorb.
I hope you enjoy the Murderbot series if you try them!
What a fun and meaty interview! Thank you, Nalini and Janine.
Thanks to Nalini Singh and Janine for doing this interview. The questions and answers were very thoughtful. I especially enjoyed reading about Nalini’s writing process and writing tips. Thank you!
@Kat: Those are my favorite kind of questions to ask, I’m always interested in someone’s writing process. I loved her answers too.
Great interview, Janine! Glad to know we’ll be getting another Illium and Aodhan book. Of course she had to be cagey about what the time shift will mean! But nine years sets up Eve at just the right age to be a heroine…
I sent a teacher friend here to read the interview because she’s a huge fan too. I hope she remembers!
However, nine years probably isn’t long enough for I&A to safely ascend. But look out Elena, it’s going to be baby time. (I hope. Raphael will be a great father. He’s already raised Illium, after all.)
Looking forward to reading the book, but I really hope that she goes back to our New York crew for the next book. Those are the characters I’m emotionally invested in.
I appreciated her comments about her writing process. As someone who writes, I’m dealing with some of the same issues. (Currently writing on an iPad. Boy, does that have its ups and downs, but hopefully I’ll have a PC up and running soon.) What makes me hesitate to consider dictation as a method is all the weird names I have in my project, since it’s not set in our exact world. But Nalini’s names certainly can beat mine on the weirdness scale, so maybe I’ll have to reconsider that eventually.
@Kari S.: I know! I am hoping for an Eve book too. I hope your friend enjoys the interview.
I loved her advice about mulling your project as you are doing other things. So intuitive and yet so easy not to think of doing. And very simple and easy to do, as long as we stay away from our (non-writing) devices.
Yes, I do that all the time, think about my project when doing mindless things. But this can be a problem if I’m driving. More than once I’ve missed a turn because I was thinking about something else, though not necessarily writing.
My biggest current issue is that I start thinking about my saga when I’m trying to go to sleep. I’m capable of lying awake for hours just thinking of story elements! I’ve never been a person who can sit and think of nothing, and I’m useless at things like meditation.
@Kari S.: This is off topic but no one starts out good at meditation, it’s always tough at the beginning. As with many other things, it’s likely to get a little easier if you persevere. But even if it doesn’t, it still yields benefits, because you’re training your brain to focus and also building your willpower. Everyone’s mind is noisy and thinking a million thoughts, and wrangling your thoughts back to one focus over and over requires us to use our willpower, so in addition to its many other benefits, meditation is a good way to build your willpower. TL;DR, it’s supposed to be a challenge and it challenges everyone.
Love this interview, thank you!
@Janine: that’s always reassuring to hear about meditation – its hard but I do feel better after the (very) rare times I manage to meditate
Great interview. I am not ashamed to admit I am a true Nalini Singh stan.
Also I love that you guys honed in on one of the things that have mightily impressed me about her series, the attention to detail and continuity, especially the nuggets about the events in Heart of Obsidian and how so many little things were set up in earlier books to get the payoff — and some things you didn’t even realize were breadcrumbs until you go back and re-read the earlier books.
Thrilled to know we are getting more books esp. in the Psy/Changeling universe and I would not be upset with more bears!
@TinaNoir: Yes, that always impresses me so much about her books. She does such a great job of keeping track of a huge cast of characters across her worlds in her two PNR series (I haven’t read the contemporaries, so I can’t speak for those).
The bears aren’t my favorite but I’m really excited about Malachi, Miane, Adam and Remi. Especially Adam, since he was the one I was least sure would get a book. And I hope Remi’s book shows us how a new pack is formed. I would love one about Kit’s roaming journey, a road romance of some kind, but she didn’t say, so he’s my next one to hope for.
Wonderful interview! Thank you for sharing and thank you Nalini for all your books! They are truly gifts to us readers and your stories sooth the soul and make my heart happy! I am SO excited to know that the next PsyChangeling book is gonna feature the StoneWater Bears and that Illium and Aodhan are getting a second book!!!
@Madscientistnz: Sorry, I forgot to reply. I have learned that even if i only have the time (or willpower) for five minutes of meditation it still makes a difference. I think even three minutes would. So if that makes it less intimidating it’s worth a try (not that I always take my own advice).
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Nalini in person no less than three times. Such a delight! I’ll never forget how she complimented my hair the first time. I’m a massive Psy-Changling and Guild Hunter fan and got my best friend hooked on Guild Hunter.
I’m a writer as well and when I reread Psy-Changling in particular I pay attention to the little world building things. I think the series is a master class in world building and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get better at that. I’m also a big believer in the mulling advice. Things are constantly working in the back of my mind, pieces rearranging until suddenly they click and I’m ready to go. It’s a truly magical process, IMO.
I actually write my first drafts by hand with my fountain pens. Then getting it into the computer also serves as first round edits. There’s something about the tactile nature of pen and paper, the feel of the nib as it moves across the page, that reaches far deeper into my abilities as a writer than working solely from a keyboard or driving myself nuts dealing with dictation. Because dealing with dictation is my day job and when I’m done I want the quiet of my pens and notebooks. It’s something I also recommend to new writers. Try out different things, see what works.
@Rachel Leigh Smith: That is interesting about the Psy-Changeling series and worldbuilding. I actually prefer the worldbuilding in the Guild Hunter books and feel that you can see that Nalini started that series after she had more worldbuilding experience under her belt. The worldbuilding there is more polished IMO.
Thank you for sharing your insights. Julia Cameron also gives that paper-and-pen advice in her bestselling book The Artist’s Way. I wish I could take it but alas, I have a wrist RSI and typewriting is a lot more comfortable for me. What I do to separate my writing for DA from my manuscript writing is give myself permission to be long-winded at DA, LOL. In my other writing I delete much of the flab (unnecessary words) when it doesn’t affect musicality or meaning, but here I’m a lot more relaxed about it. Adverbs galore!
I also separate my reading for my work from my reading for fun by reading no nonfiction whatsoever for fun. I read it all the time for work. I agree with you that it’s very helpful to find ways to separate your manuscript writing from other writing in whatever ways you can. It really helps get the brain in the right gear.
Great interview! After finishing Archangel’s Resurrection I was craving for some sort of a discussion / closure with Nalini Singh and was hunting for any book review / interviews she’s done and chanced upon this interview. So satisfying to hear her explanations for timelines (esp why and how it’s different in GH vs PsyChangeling) and thrilled to hear about a second Illium/Aodhan book. Esp after reading Archangel’s Resurrection I felt like that book was not as in depth as I’d have liked and I want there to be more stories and joy in Illium’s life.
@Ayesha: I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it. I loved reading her answers too. I’ve been wanting a time jump in the psy/changeling world but her explanation for why she can’t do one makes a lot of sense to me. It hadn’t occurred to me but of course she’s right. I’d still like some kind of big reset though, even if it’s something different.
When you say you wanted more joy in Illium’s life do you mean after Archangel’s Light? I loved that book to pieces but I also wanted more. When I heard that she’d be writing another book for them I jumped for joy.