A Life in Books: Kresley Cole

Posted by Goodreads on August 8, 2016

Furious debate divides fans of Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles over who should win the heart of Evie, the series' supernatural power-wielding heroine. On one side is Team Jack, which believes Evie's former classmate, Cajun bad boy Jack Deveaux, is the one for her (the only problem is that Jack may or may not have died in the cliffhanger ending to book three, Dead of Winter). Shouting them down is Team Death, which wants Evie reunited with Aric (aka Death, aka the Endless Knight), the gorgeous killer who longs for human contact. Thank goodness the latest installment, Arcana Rising, is here! The love triangle has been a key feature of Cole's postapocalyptic series, along with its Tarot card-inspired characters, dark mysticism, destruction, and fear. Evie, who started out as a regular high schooler, is now the Tarot Empress and one of a group of 22 teens representing the Major Arcana, the Tarot deck's trump cards, who must fight it out in a deadly war between good and evil. In Arcana Rising Evie finds herself separated from her allies—there's no sign of Aric or Jack—and turning increasingly to the darkness within her. Cole describes the books that inspired her portrayals of death and darkness and the book character she'd most like to be.

What was your first favorite book?

When I was in elementary school, I hated reading. I mean, I loathed it. I couldn't imagine why anyone would voluntarily undertake such a chore. Around the time I was 12 years old, some of my friends were passing around Night Shift, a collection of short stories by Stephen King. They were so passionate when discussing the stories, debating which one was the best, the scariest, etc. I had to know what they were talking about! As I read Strawberry Spring and The Ledge, I felt as if my brain had caught on fire (in a good way). I devoured Night Shift and never looked back.

In Arcana Rising Evie is tempted by the darkness within her own soul. What book made you fall for epic good vs. evil clashes?

The Watchmen made me fall for good vs. evil clashes—with a twist. After that book, I was hooked on nuanced darkness. I enjoy epic battles with clear-cut victories, but I love when the characters' motivations are more ambiguous.

If you could swap lives with any book character, who would it be—and why?

Belle from any of the Beauty and the Beast versions. Romance writers adore this type of love story, with good reason (Death & Evie's romance shares traits). But if I swapped lives with Belle, I'd tell Beast, "Don't go changin'."

It's not so weird to actually like Death (or even be Team Death) after reading your Arcana Chronicles books. What book inspired your depiction of Death as a character?

I love antiheroes, those bad boys of fiction, and Death is probably an amalgam of all the bad boys I've read and enjoyed. But the first book that hooked me on the antihero was Interview with the Vampire. Anne Rice presented a specific picture of Lestat de Lioncourt in that book, then masterfully revealed more about his complex character in later books. In the Arcana Chronicles my goal was to convince readers that Death was a bloodthirsty monster, then later make them love him.

What are you currently reading?

I'm about to start Beautiful, the last book in the Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren (the fabulous Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings). To put it mildly: Their books make me happy. All of them. I know I'm going to love this installment, but it'll be achingly bittersweet since this is the final one.

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