Rebecca Yarros Interview LIVE at Denver’s Paramount Theatre

Summary

Episode Summary: Fantasy Fangirls Podcast Featuring Rebecca Yarros at Denver’s Paramount Theatre

Episode Information:

• Podcast Title: Fantasy Fangirls
• Hosts: Nicole and Lexi
• Special Guest: Rebecca Yarros
• Episode Title: Rebecca Yarros Interview LIVE at Denver’s Paramount Theatre
• Release Date: February 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this special episode of the Fantasy Fangirls podcast, hosts Nicole and Lexi engage in an exclusive live interview with bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Recorded at Denver’s Paramount Theatre during Yarros' Onyx Storm tour, this episode delves deep into the intricacies of Yarros' acclaimed book, Onyx Storm, part of the Empyrean series. Fans are treated to an intimate conversation covering character development, world-building, and the creative process behind Yarros' captivating fantasy universe.

Interview Preparation

Before diving into the interview, Lexi provides essential information for listeners:

• Spoiler Alert: The interview contains spoilers for the entire ACOTAR series. Yarros instructs listeners to skip certain parts using "earmuffs" if they haven't completed the book to avoid ruining their reading experience.
• Exclusive Access: The podcast team received special permission to record this audio interview, a rare opportunity that Yarros and her team are excited about.
• Additional Content: Fans can find video clips of the interview on the Fantasy Fangirls Instagram and TikTok accounts.
• Upcoming Event: On Saturday, February 8th, Nicole and Lexi will host an "All Things Onyx and Rebecca Yarros Tour Q&A" for their fan club, offering behind-the-scenes insights and further discussions on theories and experiences from the Denver interview.

Live Interview at Paramount Theatre

Welcoming Remarks

• Nicole [03:32]: Opens the stage with a warm welcome to the audience and Rebecca Yarros.
• Lexi [03:37]: Expresses excitement about the interview and thanks sponsors like Tattered Cover and Paramount Theatre.

Character Development: Violet

One of the standout discussions revolves around Violet, the protagonist of Onyx Storm.

• Lexi [05:56]: Asks Yarros about her favorite aspects of writing Violet.
• Rebecca Yarros [06:28]: "My favorite thing about Violet is she's so much more confident in this book. She's realized that the problems and shakiness she experienced in Iron Flame don't matter to her anymore." (06:28)

Nicole echoes this sentiment, highlighting Violet as an instant favorite among listeners.

Signets and Lore

The conversation shifts to the lore of the Empyrean series, particularly the concept of "signets."

• Lexi [08:43]: Inquires about hints regarding Colonel Atosis' signet.
• Rebecca Yarros [08:43]: "No." (08:43) Emphasizing the mystique surrounding the signets.

As the discussion progresses, Yarros elaborates on how signets complement each other and their appearance throughout the series.

• Rebecca Yarros [13:42]: "Nature plays into balance. When nature realizes something's going to happen, it brings certain powers back for necessary times and necessary timelines." (13:42)

She explains the significance of signets in maintaining the balance of power within the series' magical framework.

Interpersonal Dynamics Among Characters

Yarros delves into the relationships between the central characters, addressing fan questions about their interactions.

• Nicole [11:19]: Asks about the interpersonal drama among the first six characters.
• Rebecca Yarros [11:26]: "Wouldn't you like to know?" (11:26) teasing fans without revealing too much.

Later, discussions about Jack Barlow and his knowledge of Feather Tales surface, though Yarros chooses to keep specific details under wraps to preserve the reading experience.

World-Building and Geography

A significant portion of the interview focuses on the world-building elements of Onyx Storm, including geography and magic.

• Lexi [14:16]: Questions the mechanics of magic on the continent versus other regions.
• Rebecca Yarros [14:16]: "There is magic on the continent. In other locations, there hasn't been any." (14:16)

Yarros explains that magic is concentrated on the main continent, with varying influences based on geological features and the presence of magical beings.

• Rebecca Yarros [22:35]: Discusses how Colorado's scenery inspired the geographical layout of the fictional world. "I love the mountains and our topography and our geography and how we have the plains and then we have the Front Range and we have the valleys and we have the high plains and we have the rivers and the waterfalls. We have such beautiful scenery. And it really plays into Bisgayeth, but it mostly plays into Orisha." (22:35)

Pets and Companion Characters: Broccoli

The introduction of Broccoli, a beloved pet character, sparks lively discussion.

• Lexi [35:00]: Asks about other pets in the world and their roles.
• Rebecca Yarros [35:00]: "Broccoli is safe. I'll kill a dragon, but I feel like cats are off." (19:15)

Fans delight in Broccoli's adorable presence, leading Yarros to joke about the character's unexpected popularity.

Writing Process and Inspiration

Yarros shares insights into her writing process, highlighting challenges and inspirations drawn from her personal life.

• Rebecca Yarros [47:33]: Reflects on how writing Onyx Storm helped rebuild her confidence after the demanding process of Iron Flame. "Going into Onyx Dorm, it was like, no, no, no, no. I know what I'm doing. This is the role. This is the story. This is it. And so I think I love it because, one, I love to go places and do things." (37:48)

She discusses balancing deadlines with creative inspiration, emphasizing the importance of passion in her storytelling.

Fan Interaction and Questions

The live interview features numerous fan-submitted questions covering a wide range of topics:

• Favorite God/Goddess: Yarros mentions Malik as her favorite deity in the series.

  • "Probably Malik. Cause he's just you meet him, and you're done, I think, because everyone kind of fears him, and I kind of love that everybody fears him." (36:14)

• Desert Island Books: Yarros recommends East of Eden by John Steinbeck and the Children of Blood and Bone series by Tomi Adeyemi for fans looking to explore beyond her works.

  • "I would probably take all of, like, J.R. Ward books, man. I really love Children of Blood and Bone. That whole series." (46:36)

• Mental Health: Discusses the analogy of a chilled pond ice to describe mental health struggles, inspired by her children's outdoor hockey activities.

  • "I think anyone who disassociates does that a lot. It's a very, like, it's a very universal emotion." (45:47)

• Favorite Characters and Underrated Heroes: Yarros highlights Sawyer as an underrated character who faces personal struggles.

  • "I think it's really hard, especially when you're a first person point of view and you have an unwieldy cast, which is what I call like the Empyrean series. It is an unwieldy cast." (44:11)

Upcoming Projects and Adaptations

Yarros provides tantalizing hints about upcoming books and the anticipated TV series adaptation of the Empyrean series.

• TV Series Adaptation:

  • "I've read the pilot. I've read a couple drafts of it. It just gets better. I can tell you that the lines that you guys love are there, and a lot of the dialogue is the same... I'm just really glad it's in her hands." (64:23)

  Yarros praises Moira Wally Beckett's handling of the adaptation, expressing confidence in the creative direction.

• Future Books:

  • "I know exactly what happens at the end of book four and the end of book five. I'm always moving toward those points." (37:53)

  She hints at the evolving nature of signets and character development in future installments.

Closing Remarks

As the interview wraps up, Yarros extends heartfelt gratitude to her fans, acknowledging the overwhelming support and enthusiasm.

• Rebecca Yarros [73:30]: "Just want to say thank you. This is... like, you've blown every expectation I ever could have had or hope or dream out of the water. So thank you." (73:30)

She emphasizes the collective experience shared between authors and readers, celebrating the vibrant community that has formed around her works.

Conclusion

This episode of Fantasy Fangirls offers an in-depth look into Rebecca Yarros' creative journey, character insights, and the enchanting world of Onyx Storm. Listeners gain valuable perspectives on the complexities of fantasy writing, the importance of character depth, and the magic of community among fans. Yarros' candid responses and enthusiasm provide a memorable experience for both long-time followers and new enthusiasts eager to delve into her mesmerizing fantasy realms.

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Notable Quotes:

• Rebecca Yarros [06:28]: "My favorite thing about Violet is she's so much more confident in this book. She's realized that the problems and shakiness she experienced in Iron Flame don't matter to her anymore."

• Rebecca Yarros [13:42]: "Nature plays into balance. When nature realizes something's going to happen, it brings certain powers back for necessary times and necessary timelines."

• Rebecca Yarros [22:35]: "I love the mountains and our topography and our geography and how we have the plains and then we have the Front Range and we have the valleys and we have the high plains and we have the rivers and the waterfalls. We have such beautiful scenery."

• Rebecca Yarros [36:14]: "Probably Malik. Cause he's just you meet him, and you're done, I think, because everyone kind of fears him, and I kind of love that everybody fears him."

• Rebecca Yarros [73:30]: "You've blown every expectation I ever could have had or hope or dream out of the water. So thank you."

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Timestamp Reference: All quoted segments are referenced with their respective timestamps from the transcript for authenticity and context.

Transcript

[Rebecca Yarros]

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[Lexi]

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[Rebecca Yarros]

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[Lexi]

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Fantasy Fangirls Podcast where two sisters dive deep into beloved fantasy lore, character themes, theories and more Today. I never thought I'd say these words.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But we are so excited to bring.

[Lexi]

You our Rebecca Yarros interview from her Denver stop on the Onyx Storm tour. Screaming, crying, throwing up. It's fine. It's great. First, a few housekeeping things before we dive into the interview. Number one, spoilers for Onyx Storm. There are a few times where Rebecca Yarros in the interview says earmuffs and you can absolutely just skip those parts if you have not finished the book. However, if you want the full experience, which we highly recommend, please listen only after you have finished Onyx Storm. We don't want to spoil anything for you. Next. We were so fortunate to get special permission to record this audio from Rebecca Yarros and her team. We are still baffled and so excited because this was not a normal instance with her tours and we feel so so so honored that they trusted us to get this recording. However, if you want the video clips of this interview because remember what you're about to listen to is just audio, please head over to Fantasy Fangirls Pod on Instagram or TikTok and you'll see a bunch of video clips on there with crazy reactions, Rebecca's amazing facials, all that good stuff. And to round this out, Lexi and I this weekend, Saturday, February 8th, are doing an all Things Onyx and Rebecca Yarrows tour Q and A just for our fantasy fan club. This will highlight our experience interviewing Rebecca Yarros and the behind the scenes as well as some of our theories with context from this interview because, wow, our heads were spinning. So if you would like to join us on this live Q and A, head over to fantasy fangirls.com fan club or click the link in the show notes. The Q and A is available for all three fan club tiers. And now, without further ado, it is time to head to the Paramount Theater and interview the wonderful, the incredible, the gracious beyond all belief, Rebecca Yarros. What's up everybody?

[Nicole]

How's everybody doing this afternoon?

[Lexi]

First things first, can we give the biggest, like, cheer of gratitude for Tattered Cover and Paramount Theater? Cause this is amazing. And secondly, if you did not get a swag bag, please DM or email Tattered Cover and they are going to ship you a bag so you have a special bag for yourself.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

And now welcome, welcome, welcome to the.

[Lexi]

Onyx Storm tour where we, a fantasy fangirls and you incredible audience interview the.

[Nicole]

One, the only, Rebecca Yarrow.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hi, guys. Oh, my God, this is so surreal. Cause I've been to so many shows here, so standing on the stage is. It's weird, but.

[Nicole]

Hi.

[Rebecca Yarros]

How many of you guys flew in? Are you drinking water? Okay, everyone, all the locals, grab yourself a visitor. There we go. It's your job to make sure the visitors are drinking their water.

[Lexi]

Facts. That is true.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It's like the number one thing about Colorado. But are you drinking enough water?

[Nicole]

Absolutely. Well, first of all, welcome home. So. Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Thank you. It's so nice to be home. Like, it's just. It's even being on stage, which is weird. Again, it's just nice to be home.

[Lexi]

There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I know.

[Lexi]

It's so the best.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Other than I had nightmares that I wasn't gonna make it here in time. So I'm hoping when I get home tonight, my bed's like, now.

[Lexi]

You were here before us. You got here by me in time.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Well, I figured you guys wouldn't start without me, but there's always like the off, you know, always the off chance.

[Lexi]

That's a lot of power you're giving us. We have a bajillion questions for you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, good. Okay. Okay.

[Lexi]

I promise. I hope we're not that scary. So first up, one of the fandom's favorite parts of Onyx Storm was Violet and her Journey. What did you love most about writing Violet in this book.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay? So first up, who in here has finished Onyx? Yes. Okay. Who in here hasn't?

[Nicole]

All right.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay. We're gonna do our best to keep it spoilery free. But. But.

[Nicole]

Boo Boo in.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hey, hold up, hold up. We are one book community, and we do not shame people who read slower than we do. Secondly, there's gonna be a couple spoilers. It's the last show on the tour, so we're just gonna say earmuffs. Okay? Is everybody satisfied?

[Nicole]

Good. All right.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay. So it's not a spoiler. My favorite thing about Violet is she's so much more confident in this book. Of course. You know, I think if you haven't read Iron Flame, you're sol. Okay, Iron Flame's on the table because of what's happened to Zaden. She's so much more confident and so much more determined in what she has to do. And so the problems and the shakiness she experiences in Iron Flame doesn't matter to her. Are those broccolis?

[Nicole]

Wait, wait, hold on.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah, you got it.

[Nicole]

Okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Thank you.

[Nicole]

This is the first time vegetables being thrown on the stage is a good thing.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm like, you guys know I have adhd, right? You can just derail this whole thing. So let's just. Okay. So thank you. Thank you for my broccolis. So, yeah, my favorite thing is how confident she is and that she has very much. She's realized. And spoiler not spoilery. They can't punish her. They can, but they can't really, because what are they gonna do? She has Taryn. She has Andarna. So that's my favorite thing.

[Nicole]

Love it. I loved her so much. In fact, she became our favorite FMC instantly.

[Lexi]

Yeah, absolutely. All right.

[Nicole]

That was an easy question. We are dying to know Daddy. Atosis. Excuse me? Colonel Atosis. No, it's a whole thing. It's not a whole thing because we have poppy card.

[Lexi]

Not where you're going.

[Nicole]

And then daddy.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Totally get it. But you bring in daddy, and I'm.

[Nicole]

Like, oh, no, not like that. Okay, Sorry. How come you're always in my head with Puncus?

[Lexi]

You had an eyes on me moment with Dane. Sorry. Different type of daddy. Okay, okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I was checking. Cause I was like, oh, wait, no. Okay. This is going awry. Okay.

[Nicole]

This is like an actual bad daddy anyway. All right. We are dying to know his signet. Any hints about what it is?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Nicole]

All right, follow up question. Can you give us a song that represents it?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Lexi]

I have a feeling we're gonna get that a lot today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Nicole]

We should make it a drinking game.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But I'm getting better at it. I'm getting so much better at it. Cause I would, like blubber and then apologize. And now I'm just like, nah, we love it.

[Nicole]

Next question.

[Lexi]

Without needing to say who it belongs to. Any other second signets you can share with us?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Lexi]

What are some signets we haven't seen yet? We got a reaction.

[Nicole]

Peer pressure. Peer pressure?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, I think because I'm right at the drawing back where I haven't started plotting before. Like, I know what's gonna happen, so I'm not gonna get, like, one. I know you guys have a good time theorizing about things, and I'm not gonna, like, steal your theorizing fun. Do you know what I mean?

[Lexi]

Thank you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But I have a whole wealth out there, so I'm not going to narrow them down yet. But just imagine what you could do with magic and then have a good time with it.

[Lexi]

How about this? Okay, follow up to the follow up question. Is there a reason we haven't seen it yet?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes. Because you only see the world through Violet's eyes. Except for earmuffs when you don't. So really, I only want you to know what she knows and what she takes notice of. So if she's not taking notice of it or has a reason to think of it, you. You don't think of it if you're in a third person book, like, anybody throwing a glass? Fans. Fuck. Yes. Yes. Yes. Oh, I swear. Just so in case you didn't get that from, like, the first page of Fourth Wing. Yeah, and it doesn't change that I have a kid here in the audience. I still swear. And he's like 15. Don't stress. I've heard him gaming. Okay, I know what happens there. But third person, you get to know so much more. You might know things that the other characters don't, but in first person, you only know what Violet does, and the second I tell you, it is automatically in her brain and goes into her train of thought.

[Lexi]

Makes sense.

[Nicole]

Yep. Also why the map is like it is.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes. Yes. The map is like it is because it is supposed to expand as Violet's knowledge of the world expands. It is not. You guys have no idea how much you scare me when you murmur. Okay. And it's not fully expanded earmuffs. It's not fully expanded in. Because we thought it'd be too. Spoilery.

[Nicole]

Yep, exactly. All right, stop murmuring.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It's like a threat.

[Nicole]

Give Us, the tea. What's some of the interpersonal drama between the first six besides lira disagreeing?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Wouldn't you like to know?

[Nicole]

Come on.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think about them a lot.

[Nicole]

Me too.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think about them in many ways that if I were to tell you their interpersonal relationships, maybe it wouldn't make other things as fun because I come from a world of interconnected standalones where when you look at a secondary character, you think, what's their history? Who are they? What's their story? So.

[Nicole]

So we are going to get more. Maybe. All right.

[Lexi]

Why did Jack Barlow know about Feather Tales before threshing?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Because it's. Because up until then, they just hadn't bonded. So everyone knew that Feather Tales existed. They just didn't know that they were children because that's what was protected by the Empyrean. So they just knew that they wouldn't bond and they weren't anti war, which kind of comes back full circle. It's so weird when you have. Okay. When things happen on places. So that's like a kind of a known fact.

[Nicole]

Well, so follow up question to that. Is it connected to the Venin by any means? Because that's a theory out there.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't listen to theories.

[Nicole]

I know you don't. That's why I'm telling it to you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But what's the theory? The theory is that Heather tells Venin.

[Lexi]

It's that Jack was like in a. I'm really gonna paraphrase it, but it's basically that Jack was in a Venin horde of people before coming to Bestguath. And he got all the tea about the Feather Tales and all that kind of stuff. So when he got to Visgaeth, he was like, oh, I know things.

[Nicole]

And that's why he wanted to kill her.

[Lexi]

Cool.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Nicole]

All right. There you go.

[Lexi]

I thought we got something.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm so sorry. It's why I don't go in. I also. Sometimes I'll see. It'll be like Empyrean Theory and I reel. Like, I scroll immediately. Because I'm kind of scared I'll go in there and disrupt your joy and be like. Nah. Be like, I see your points. You very well thought out. Nah. But I want to leave you your joy.

[Lexi]

Thank you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

This is fun. All right. I know we're kind of going like really rapid fire here because I speak really quickly.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So do we.

[Nicole]

What can you tell us about this? Excuse me? What can you tell us about how the signets complement or counter each other or show up when needed at Certain times in history.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So I think nature plays into balance. Nature. It's like when nature is realizing something's going to happen and bringing certain powers back for necessary times and necessary timelines. Which is why it says you haven't. That echo is high. Which is why it says you haven't seen the most powerful six in centuries.

[Nicole]

That chapter two epigraph is pretty cool, huh?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, is that too. Okay.

[Nicole]

Yeah, only just because I went on a whole rampage. Dbtide 5 minutes an episode.

[Lexi]

1. How does the magic on the continent work versus elsewhere?

[Rebecca Yarros]

There is magic on the continent.

[Nicole]

No sh.

[Lexi]

Words.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So in other locations. There hasn't been any. Until you get to places there might be some. God, sorry. Next time we're doing a tour, like, a month after, it's going to be like, everybody reads now. Everybody joins. But I don't ever want you guys feeling you get to buy two copies either. So. Yeah.

[Nicole]

All right, here's one I think you can answer. May you please share Riddick and Aotram's threshing story? Because the memes are memeing.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Not today. But I would consider doing. I would consider doing a bonus scene.

[Nicole]

Oh, yeah.

[Lexi]

Here. Could you at least answer? Was it love at first sight? Was it like the. Like.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, no. You gotta know. I mean, the dragon has to speak to you first, right? So you gotta kind of get, you know, some like. Hey, hey, hey, hey.

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hey.

[Lexi]

Very Hamilton. Hey.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes. Hey. Exactly. So. No, not exactly. But then, yes, like, imagine, like. Cause we just become best friends. You know what I mean? But you have to speak in order for that to happen.

[Nicole]

They are just my absolute favorite. I love them so much.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I love the different relationships because the dragons are people to me. They're just like, in dragon cosplay kind of thing. So. Also, I've seen you. I totally leaned out the window and saw you guys. And you guys all look so cute. I was like, look at them in cosplay. I've seen Venin. I've seen people dressed up as Violet. Like, you guys are all. It's. There's a chocolate cake. Shut up. Stand up. Stand up.

[Lexi]

Oh, my God.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Nicole]

That is amazing. That's incredible.

[Rebecca Yarros]

You just made my whole day. Thank you. Okay. I don't even remember where that was going because I just got so distracted by the chocolate cake. I think that's it. That's all I've got. Oh. But I love seeing the different relationships because they're people to me. So it's like, who do you bond with? Why do you Bond with that person. How? Because not all, like, curmudgeonly in my hair is sticking to my lip gloss. Then I'll curmudgeonly like Taryn.

[Lexi]

I always picture Aotrom like a frat boy. That's like, he's in my head. He is a frat boy. Yeah, absolutely.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Very much. Like, he's not really mature enough, but he's like, dude, I'm gonna whirl.

[Lexi]

Absolutely. He's, like, playing Fear pong and crushing it. Yeah.

[Nicole]

Well, the two of them together playing it, oh, my gosh.

[Lexi]

They'd be unstoppable. Oh, yeah, Absolutely. All right, since we're. I want to lean away from Onyx Storm, so I'm just going to do for fourth Wing and Iron Flower.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay. Most don't quiz me, for God's sake.

[Lexi]

No, I won't. I promise.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I will say it's been a long two weeks.

[Lexi]

We did just do a trivia recently. We did not do very well.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Really? Whoa, whoa, whoa. It was a hard one.

[Lexi]

It was a really hard one.

[Nicole]

I beat Nicole, first of all.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

And then I got fifth place, which fifth place is not that bad. Out of, like, five, I was.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Wonderful place. Yeah. This is good.

[Lexi]

It was good.

[Rebecca Yarros]

And you can totally tell sisters, man, because I would brag about beating my sister.

[Lexi]

Oh, she's not quiet about it, but neither would I be, so it's good.

[Nicole]

Well, it's only because I got something out of it with the idea. Anyway, we had beds also with Onyx Storm and stuff like that, so. Oh, yeah. Oh, and Iron Flame. Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Screw.

[Nicole]

Sorry.

[Lexi]

Oh, it's my favorite. Well, it's kind of your fault.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But.

[Nicole]

In a nice way.

[Lexi]

All right. Most satisfying kill of 4th Wing and Iron Flame.

[Rebecca Yarros]

What did I say about the murmuring Verish? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Just because, like, I knew where that was going. So when I was writing 4th Wing and I knew how Dain's arc was gonna go, I knew that was coming. And so I was preparing for that moment and that moment for how Dane. When you read it one way, it looks like he's gonna kill Violet. When you read it the second way, knowing what he's really saying is, if you had just trusted me, none of this would have happened. If you just trusted me, you know, in his heads, like, Liam wouldn't have died. All these things wouldn't have happened if you had just trusted me. So it's written. Killing me Smalls. So it's written so you can read it both ways. Yeah.

[Nicole]

That really tripped me up. I remember reading that it was like 3:00 in the morning. And I'm sure you're familiar with our gfdd. And after that, it was like, oh, my gosh, everything just flipped on its head.

[Lexi]

What do we call him now?

[Nicole]

Golly freaking Daddy Dane. But in a good way.

[Lexi]

Really?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Because I thought it was Onyx that did that. Suddenly I come out of Onyx and there's like all these memes that I see. I was like, holy shit, what's going on with the fandom now? I was like, here, it's eight day now you want to jump him? I'm not sure where it's going. I'm very confused. I have feelings, Daddy Dane.

[Nicole]

Exactly. Exactly. All right, can you please give us one character besides Jessenia who is safe for the entire series?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Absolutely not.

[Nicole]

Okay, how about broccoli?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm not gonna kill a cat.

[Nicole]

There you go.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay.

[Lexi]

Broccoli is safe.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'll kill a dragon. But I feel like cats are off. You know? It's like killing dogs. You don't kill dogs. You know what I mean?

[Nicole]

You also don't kill dragons.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I mean, I think fourth wing would have taught you otherwise.

[Lexi]

All right, so as we are reading, which epigraphs do you hope we pay the most attention to in Onyx Storm?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Dude, all of them. Because I stash so much fun stuff. You do. You really do. And I was just saying backstage, like, my favorite, because I think I'm funny and I'm really not, like, I'm not like, a humor writer, right? Like, I just. I could never write a rom com. People would end up dying. But I love that Panchak writes a memoir as a lieutenant, and then he writes, like, a second one because, like, what the hell do you know about life as a lieutenant? But this man's like, I have enough to fill a memory, to fill a memoir. But the epigraphs really are, like, my most valuable space. Either to bridge time or to remind you of characters that aren't there or to keep romance alive in a chapter where perhaps you don't have both your characters on stage or just hide stuff.

[Nicole]

Is it always really important with the chapter that each epigraph goes to? Or, like, what would you say the procedure is of it applying specifically to that chapter?

[Rebecca Yarros]

It usually has something to do with the chapter, but then it usually has a double meaning, right?

[Nicole]

Yep.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

Oh, don't we know. All right, this one's a tiny bit spoilery, so earmuffs for anybody who has not read, like, halfway through Onyx Storms.

[Lexi]

Very Light.

[Nicole]

Why did you choose each of the zinal gifts for each person? Or at least a few of them? Please.

[Lexi]

1.

[Nicole]

No, more than one.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm sure you would love to know, however. So I laid those in there for a purpose.

[Nicole]

All right, we have two more books.

[Lexi]

Okay, Two more books. I guarantee you this is gonna be a no. But I have to shoot my shot. If one was to wonder about a new family member, like a brother, what might you wish we pay attention to a little closely?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Ah, man. I would pay attention to who's missing at the end. I would pay attention to someone who feels like whatever they have been given is not enough, which is always the case when you turn venom. When you turn venom, it's always because you need to reach for power beyond your own. You weren't given enough power. Like, it's just. It's always the. It's not a spoiler.

[Lexi]

For God's sakes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Did you read Iron Vent?

[Nicole]

I'm so happy that you just gave us even that little bit right now. Thank you. All right, everybody, we're done.

[Lexi]

That's it.

[Nicole]

All right, can you give us some insight into how Kaori's records for dragon and rider bonds are incorrect?

[Rebecca Yarros]

So what makes you think that members of the Pyren always give the correct name to give to the writer? Or what makes you think the writers aren't aware that it's a different name? It's the writer that tells you the dragon's name for record.

[Lexi]

So they're like, my name is blank. But don't tell them it's actually this, like, little sneaky secret.

[Nicole]

Wait, the dragon. I'm sorry, there's an echo here and I can't always hear.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So when the writer appears after thrashing to give the dragon to give the name. So the person who's recording the bonds, it's the writer that says the name, not the dragon.

[Lexi]

That is something that will keep me up at night tonight. Thank you.

[Nicole]

Zaden does not have a mysterious grandmama who had some kind of crazy affair.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, well, I mean, I'm not discounting that.

[Lexi]

All right, Rx Signet. We won't say what it is, but did it manifest before or after the Quest Squad?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Before.

[Lexi]

Sorry, before. Like Iron Flame?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, like Onyx. But he doesn't know. He doesn't understand what's happening.

[Lexi]

Okay, all right, but is that like a reread and. And parse through the text?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm sure. I'm sure if you go in there knowing, like, you're looking for it, there's a Couple things he says where he's just got, like, you know, gut feelings.

[Lexi]

Love that.

[Nicole]

We will do that.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Listen, we're in Colorado, and this is my home, and spoilers are gonna happen. I'm sorry.

[Lexi]

We won't share the last page of the book. How's that?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, but it was my favorite.

[Nicole]

Well, and the way that it was formatted is it's like. Then you, like, flip to the next page, and it's like.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, okay. That wasn't intentional. That was not intentional. So what happened was I was asked because, okay, one day I swear I'm gonna do, like, a podcast on publishing and what actually happens behind closed doors. Because it's a business, right? And you guys only see, like, tea smudge. So I was asked to write a book around or to write it around 200,000 words because iron Flame is substantially longer. And it depends on how many books you can put on the shelf. Okay. It's called, like, a pocket. Like, the size of the pocket. I went over, so. Because I went over and we took chapters out trying to cut it down to that.

[Nicole]

Are they gonna be in the next book?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, because we just. We shifted something. It's at. What? Oh, no, because it would change because we changed the plot in order. We had an entire chapter, I guess, you guys, the only people know this. We had an entire chapter of the squad going forward for Mr. Soren Gales, as I'm kind of calling Papa Sorrengales.

[Nicole]

Which, by the way, that was a bet of ours, and I won.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So the entire squad was going for that. And then it was decided that that could go and just have Dane. Have Dane give it to her, because it was important to me that Dane gives her the research, because that's part of his character arc. So he was on that trip with the whole squad to go get it, but that got cut for sake of space and time. And so what happens is formatting. They try to fit all these words onto these pages. Because I went over. So it just happened to be where formatting left you at the end of that page. I would never have done that to you. I would have been, like, halfway. I would have been like, change the font size on the last. But I didn't see it until it got to my house. Sorry.

[Lexi]

It was one of those moments where it's like, okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

What? Yeah, I really. I didn't. I didn't know that until, like, Until I think I saw. Saw, like, a video or two, because even I didn't, like, thumb to, like, the last Page of my own book to see, like, what it looked like.

[Lexi]

It was. It was a good kind of torture. I'm not gonna lie.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It felt so funny to them. I'm sure others might feel differently.

[Nicole]

All right, again, we're not going to say what it is, but Violet's second signet. I know that you've said, especially in the Variety article, about how it really is going to be evolving. So we've only seen kind of the beginning. Like, the beginning part of it here. Can you give us, like, a percentage of its full capacity that we have seen so far?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Like, 10? Yes. Like, because. Oh, girl. Earmuffs. I don't know. Earplugs. Like, just for, like, 30 seconds. Just count it down. Okay. Because it's something that she would be killed for, and so any other writer that had manifested would have been killed for it. So you have no idea what it can do, what it can't do, who can train or who can't. There's probably one person alive that can train her. No, wait.

[Lexi]

Okay, hold on. So then. No, wait, wait.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No. I follow up.

[Lexi]

Zaden's signet. How? Second signet. Specifically, how much, percentage wise, have we seen of his?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Like, 50, 55? Zero.

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Nicole]

All right, all right.

[Lexi]

What about Taryn, signet to Violet?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, she's got, like, 85%, but it's more of how. Because she wields power, it's just more comfortable for her to wield it as lightning. So what she really has to do is figure out how to wield power, which is kind of like the whole point of learning how to aim, learning how to use the conduit, learning how to stretch that power between her and the conduit. She's just got to get some better control, which is gonna.

[Nicole]

She's only a second year, so of course that's gonna come with time.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Well, I mean, she's at the end of her second year now.

[Nicole]

That is true.

[Lexi]

What made you choose lightning out of curiosity?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I thought it was just. I loved the idea of pure power. And because she is frail and she has eds and we. Yeah. Do we have zebras in the house? Yes. So because we break, we snap, we bend. I wanted her to have the most powerful thing out there because I wanted to see the power dynamic flip. I wanted to see her to go from the one they all picked on and the one they all said would never make it to the one they all feared.

[Nicole]

All right. Was this the first time Venin have infiltrated Byzgaeth disguised as scribes?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

I'll let you take this.

[Rebecca Yarros]

See, I'm giving you some things. You are?

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay.

[Lexi]

I highly doubt I'll get this, but I'm gonna shoot my shot again. Is there a suspicious reason, then, why Nasia was always asleep in Iron Flame?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Dude, Bros is narcoleptic.

[Lexi]

Oh, hey.

[Nicole]

Okay. There we go. But no, it wasn't the first time.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It's a very rigorous course of studies. Like, I mean, being a scribe is just. I mean, I'm a history major. Right. So, like, when you're a history major.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

For all the historians, I think we're forced to read so much. Right. That I think he's just tired.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Like, he just disassociates and falls asleep.

[Nicole]

So. In Iron Flame, there is a moment when Violet sees a scribe with her hood up, and it's right before she goes into battle. Brief. And that is when everything's all crazy with De Vera having. Was that. I thought that was always a scribe, like, helping her with that. But was it?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Is that correct? It's a scribe helping her. It's a scribe helping get the. Get the news things about Zolia and all that.

[Lexi]

Have we seen a scribe who is actually a Venon on the page previous to Onyx Storm?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No comment.

[Nicole]

All right. Is it Markham? I know, I know, I know, I know.

[Lexi]

All right, we'll do a few more of us, and then we're gonna turn it to your audience. The question.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I will say, I think it's fascinating people who. Who are still evil without going Venin, though.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't think Venon is like, and now you're evil. I think people just have a natural degree of good and evil.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

Pivoting slightly into book four.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, Lord.

[Lexi]

Which we are very patient for.

[Nicole]

Right, everybody?

[Lexi]

Very patient.

[Nicole]

Thank you. Yes.

[Lexi]

Yes. If you. Yes. Mental health matters.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Thanks, guys. Because my kid's in the audience, so I think he kind of misses his mom.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

The what? Yes. I'm trying to. I got home in time to see him play hockey yesterday. It was the best thing ever.

[Nicole]

And they won, too.

[Lexi]

And they won. If you could use only a Taylor Swift song to describe Violet at the beginning of book four, what would it be? Goes through catalog.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Any Taylor Swift song off any album.

[Lexi]

Any album.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, man. The world is your oyster. Look what you made me do.

[Lexi]

Awesome.

[Nicole]

All right, so while we're on Taylor Swift songs, can you expand on why Bode's song is I Look in People's Windows? Because, man, you really trip people up with that.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think. I think he's always on the outside. He's always Zayden's shadow. So he's always raised to be in Zayden Shao. He's always raised to be the heir. He's always raised to be the moralistic person who will be there. He's the spare.

[Nicole]

Yep.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Does that make sense? So it's always about Xaden, but he's a spare?

[Nicole]

Yep.

[Lexi]

Let's pivot to some of yalls questions because I'm reading through these and these are epic. Oh my God. Alrighty, from Gen W, where are you?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, so the easiest thing to do is to stick up your phone.

[Lexi]

I see a slice. Hi.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes, how's it going? Hi.

[Lexi]

What prompted you to write broccoli.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Earmuffs?

[Lexi]

Sorry?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Cause I wanted to scare the crap out of you and then be like, no, just kidding. So if you read that scene, you'll get it.

[Lexi]

Okay, so follow up question to that then. When you were in that particular part of the book, how much fun was.

[Rebecca Yarros]

That to write in the place where things happen?

[Lexi]

In the place where things happen?

[Rebecca Yarros]

It was the most fun because I knew it was gonna happen at the end of it, but it was the most fun because where they are and what it symbolizes. God, this is so hard to talk around it because where they are and what it symbolizes. I had a lot of fun, but I knew I had a lot of room, a lot of room for growth, a lot of room to, to plant things, a lot of room just to kind of see where we were to go on that aisle and especially because, you know, some things work there.

[Lexi]

That was so fun to read.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes, I'm so glad.

[Nicole]

What do you think it is about the world? Oh, excuse me, this is from Melissa.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where are you?

[Lexi]

Are there multiple Melissa's?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, we're going to start the question and if it's you, just stand. Woohoo.

[Nicole]

Hello.

[Lexi]

How's it going?

[Nicole]

All right. What do you think it is about the world you've built that appeals to such a broad audience, including people who don't typically read this genre?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Dude, if I knew, I would tell everyone. I really, I don't know what happened. I really, it was like, hey, do you, do you want to write fantasy? And it's like, heck yes. Give us five ideas. I was like, here's five ideas. And my editor was like, the dragons.

[Nicole]

I was like, the dragons.

[Rebecca Yarros]

And then I look up like two and a half years later and I'm here. I don't know. I like to think it's inclusivity. The what? What? Oh, yeah. No, no. Not gonna happen. But good try. Good try. Yeah. But I'd like to think it's the inclusivity. Part of me thinks it's just dragons. Like, I'm there for it, but I wish I knew Hot men.

[Nicole]

Well, I also love. Can I expand on that?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Go for it.

[Nicole]

Because also, not only with the dragons, but how the dragons have such personalities, too. Where in other books, as much as we love the dragons in them, they are kind of. I don't want to say like the pets, but a little bit more like that. And in this way, it's like, it's such a different dynamic and it's so much fun.

[Rebecca Yarros]

The humans are the pets.

[Nicole]

Exactly, yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Which is like the dragons are the superior beings. They only tolerate humans because they have opposable thumbs and can wield signets. I'm serious. So it's very much like the humans are the pets. Like, look at my little guy. Check him out. Like, it's very. It's very much that.

[Lexi]

So then what does that make? Broccoli.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Does that make broccoli? The pet of the pet?

[Lexi]

The pet.

[Rebecca Yarros]

The pet.

[Lexi]

The pet.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Amazing.

[Lexi]

Asking the real questions here. All right, from Molly. What would Taylor Swift's signet be?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I do not tell the queen her business. That's between Taylor and whomever she bonds. Okay.

[Lexi]

Okay, really quickly, Where's Molly?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, yeah. Where are you? Hi.

[Lexi]

Hi. Hi.

[Nicole]

We're gonna shoot our shot here with Kaelyn O'Brien.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where are you? Don't be shy. So it's just.

[Lexi]

Wait, I hear a.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where phones.

[Nicole]

There we go.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Bye, guys. But it's just us and TikTok. Fine.

[Nicole]

Tell us about the ring.

[Lexi]

Good luck.

[Rebecca Yarros]

That way we weren't spoilering like, I mean.

[Nicole]

Ear muffs.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Ear muffs. I had it made.

[Nicole]

Can I ask a follow up to that question?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

I'm trying to say this without big spoilers. How long had the ring been in existence before it came into the picture?

[Rebecca Yarros]

In the real world or the book world?

[Lexi]

The book world.

[Nicole]

I love your real ring. But in the book world.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Well, I would say when you notice that the blade is pulled in a certain area, it's not missing a stone. And then in it's in a book. And then she notices it is missing one.

[Lexi]

All right, from Aaron. Who is your favorite God? Goddess. And I'm going to add ny someone say Taylor Swift.

[Nicole]

And that's from Aaron.

[Lexi]

Aaron. Aaron. Hi, Erin.

[Rebecca Yarros]

That is the God we worship. Yes. Who's my favorite God? Probably Malik.

[Lexi]

And why?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Cause he's just you meet him, and you're done, I think, because everyone kind of fears him, and I kind of love that everybody fears him. So I kind of find that a little hot. I need therapy. I don't know what to tell you.

[Nicole]

All right, from Devin. What about Onyx Storm makes it your favorite book in the series?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Ooh, where's Devin? Hi. Are you having fun?

[Lexi]

Okay.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm really excited. Okay. Because I'm kind of nervous, so knowing that you're having fun is making it better. Okay. So it's my favorite in the series because my feet are firmly planted in the world, so I know what the rules all around me. So when I wrote 4th Wing, I wrote the rules as I went because I write character based. And so now I know what the rules are, and now I get to play. But now I'm firm enough in my own confidence as a writer. I just finished Variation. Thank you. And a lot about Iron Flame knocked my confidence out. A lot of that process just beat me to a pulp. It's fine. It's all fine now. So I wrote Variation. I got my confidence back, and going into Onyx Dorm, it was like, no, no, no, no. I know what I'm doing. This is the role. This is the story. This is it. And so I think I love it because, one, I love to go places and do things. And I find, like, I had so much fun with all the intricacies of the politics and the places where we do things. So that was, to me, just, like, the best. And I knew the ending page and what was gonna happen since I wrote Fourth Wing. And so, to me, I was just driving toward that, like, it was so much fun.

[Lexi]

Do we have more moments like that to come that you're driving towards?

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I know exactly what happens at the end of book four and the end of book five. I'm always moving toward those points.

[Nicole]

Can you tell us if it'll end with an epilogue?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No. I don't mean. No, it won't. I mean, I can't tell you because I haven't written it yet.

[Lexi]

I figured from Ashlyn, if Riddick had modern technology, what is the first thing he does on said modern technology really quickly? Avalyn. Ashlyn.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where's Ashlyn?

[Lexi]

I hear an up here.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hi. You know that boy downloads Tinder? Like, I don't even think he waits for, like, the Ethernet to be installed in the house. He doesn't wait for WI Fi. He's using straight up cell signal.

[Lexi]

Okay. What would his first photo be on Tinder? Like, of the photo 5 or whatever that you get.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, I think it'd either be a picture of him in Quest Squad to be like, oh. Or it's like a picture of him and Aatron, like, selfie wise. You know what I mean? Like, you just get like one of a Tron's eyes.

[Nicole]

I actually have a quick question about Quest Squad he had asked about. You know, I want a patch out of this. What would the patch look like?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think that's gonna be in another book. Did you really think I was gonna put them through that, not give them a patch? Come on.

[Lexi]

Deserved.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think it might look like a map section.

[Nicole]

I lost it.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Sorry.

[Lexi]

She got locked out of my phone. Hold, please. There you go.

[Nicole]

Thank you. Oh, I love this question from Mikayla. If someone wants to read your other books, which book would you recommend they start with?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where are you, Mikayla?

[Lexi]

Hi.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I came back. Hi. I mean, do you want to cry or no cry? You want to cry? I worry about you. Okay. If you really want to. I mean, if you really want to cry, you're going to go for the last letter or the things leave unfinished. Okay. But I do feel as though it's like those of you who get caught in the fourth wing to last letter pipeline, I just want to be like, are you okay? Because you went directly to my saddest book ever. So. And if you don't want to cry, I would say in the likely event variation. If you like interconnected standalones, go back.

[Lexi]

To full measures anytime from Sydney. Is there a character that you were writing and you just knew they'd be a fan favorite and you were right or you were wrong once the boob came out.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where's Sydney? Hi. How's it going? I see you back there. I knew that Riddick would only because. Only because he has the ability to look on the bright side and kind of also to say the things that we all want to say but don't like the things that we're like. I shouldn't say that right now. He just does. But you guys totally caught me completely unaware with Broccoli. Like, completely. It was like, I went to bed one day and then I woke up, and it's just. He's everywhere. So, like, yeah.

[Lexi]

Oh, he has taken over the Internet.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It caught me completely off guard. Like, I could. It was kind of a shock.

[Lexi]

I can only imagine someone who has not finished the book, and they're like, who is Broccoli?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I know. And it's so funny because I wrote him at, like, I think 4 or 5am because I mean I was working like 12 to 15 hour days. Totally unhealthy. Don't do that. But those 5am ideas are either like yes or they are like, no, no, go to sleep and just think about what you've done. So you always have to wait till like the next day and then be like, no, no, no, that can stay.

[Lexi]

Can you share a 5am idea that was like, oh, Rebecca, no, because I delete them immediately.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Like it's usually like the last couple sentences that I'll write and then I'll go into it the next day and be like, what was, where is this going? Or usually it's like, were you whining? Or Violet whining? Were you whining because you were tired? So then I have to like delete and like kind of edit, you know.

[Nicole]

From Ashley. What has been your favorite part about the tour?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where's Ashley? Hi. Okay, so I'd have to say it's probably right now, honestly, because I've sat right there and I've seen, you know, bands. So to be up here is surreal and crazy and to have my kid in the audience and know, like to see all of this is wild. But so that. And I love the people who bring their service dogs and they say service dragon on them.

[Nicole]

Wait, I think there is one here.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes. Do not pet. Do not pet. Do not pet. Do not pet. Working, working, working, working, working. Okay, but that's what I will think the whole time now is do not pet. Do not pet. Do not pet.

[Lexi]

From Kat. My mother in law was gifted fourth wing. She does not know anything about the series. Any advice for when she gets to the spicy stuff? She does not know. I read these kinds of books.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I see you. That's a confession. I see you. That is a bold strategy.

[Lexi]

Where's cat?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Bold. She's right up there.

[Lexi]

Oh, sorry.

[Rebecca Yarros]

She had a phone up. It's okay. I mean bold strategy. I would run the other direction but then in my defense I would hand her like haunting Adeline right at the same time and then mine looks tame.

[Nicole]

Fun fact. My father in law started listening to a fourth wing just the other day and I'm so proud of him. And I'm also like, oh boy.

[Rebecca Yarros]

My parents, like my dad promised he would never read it and then my mom had open heart surgery and so he started reading it waiting for her to come around and I felt like I couldn't and tell him not to while my mom was in open heart surgery. But the entire time I was like, because he's never read any of my books, right. And I'm just like, okay, okay. And then he closes. He's like, all right, so where are we going with the plot now? How is this? I was like, okay, all right. But, yeah, I don't look at him the same anymore.

[Nicole]

Ooh. From Annie, who do you think is the most underrated character? Where are you, Annie?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hi, Annie. How's it going? Sawyer? I think he's chronically underrated. Honestly. I love him dearly, but I think it's really hard, especially when you're a first person point of view and you have an unwieldy cast, which is what I call like the Empyrean series. It is an unwieldy cast. You are trying desperately to get to know everybody while not, you know, shortchanging for time. And I think that Sawyer, because he's recovering in a lot of Onyx, he gets underrated.

[Nicole]

I have a follow up question to that. Can you tell us about his relationship with Sleek in Onyx Storm? And because there's one line, and this isn't really a spoiler, but, like, he's like, sleek is. And then he kind of cuts himself off. Can you tell us about their relationship?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think mostly, like, not to. Spoiler warning. I guess a little spoiler warning. He's worried that he's dishonoring him. Like, he's worried that now he's no longer worthy of being a writer. And that's a very personal journey, I think, for someone to take. And it's kind of a journey that Violet takes and Fourth Wing, and you see her accepting those accommodations. And while I've never lost a limb, I've had to learn how to accept accommodations because I was diagnosed with EDS in 2020, which is part of the reason I wrote. I wrote Fourth Wing. And so his relationship there is very much him not wanting to listen to sleep because he can't get past his own. Like, I'm gonna swear he can't get over his own shit in that moment to realize that other people are there and other people are willing to accept and take those accommodations. He doesn't want to have to have them.

[Nicole]

But Sleek is all for it.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah. He's just waiting for Sawyer to come around.

[Nicole]

Oh, awesome. Poor Sawyer.

[Lexi]

From Katie, what inspired the analogy of the chilled pond ice to describe mental health?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hi. How's it going? My kids play hockey.

[Nicole]

Love it.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, I'm serious. My kids play hockey and they've played outdoor hockey. And I've had many thoughts of what is underneath that Ice. Cause my brain will immediately go to what is the worst possible scenario in any situation. And I often think about how fast they are on the ice versus how fast they are running and all those kinds of things. So really, it was just a very natural way to think. You could swim through these emotions and really experience them, which is what we're supposed to do as humans. Or you could just glide right over them, which I do a lot. I think anyone who disassociates does that a lot. It's a very, like. It's a very universal emotion.

[Lexi]

Retweet.

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yep. From Caitlin. What are your desert island books?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Caitlyn, Where's Caitlin? Hi. So I read east of Eden once a year by John Steinbeck. I know it's a classic, but always reminds me not to love one child more than the other. I'm serious. It's a parable. Cain and Abel. So it's always like, hey, check yourself. I would probably take all of, like, J.R. ward books, man. I really love Children of Blood and Bone. That whole series. I would take my Kindle and just cheat. Like, I'm sitting here just going through so many, and I'm like, no, it would just have to be the Kindle. Don't make me choose.

[Lexi]

Just download Kindle Unlimited and call it a day.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I would be like, downloading everything before the desert island comes. And then I would pray I have a power bank somewhere.

[Lexi]

From Sasha, you have changed so many of our lives with the books you have written. How has writing your books changed your life? And I'm going to open this beyond just fourth wing.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where are you? Hi. I think it's hard to think about, I guess, lives, I know people. People. I don't think people say that I've been working so hard for two and a half years that I really haven't taken my head up to look around. Does that make any sense? Like, I just. I wake up in the morning and I think I'm behind on a deadline. I'm behind on this. Someone needs this. Someone needs these edits. And my world narrows to my desk and my world narrows to whatever book it is I'm working on. And so I think to, like, pop my head up and see that you guys have made friendships and that you guys have forged communities. And like, holy shit. You all came here. It's mind blowing. But. But that being said, it hasn't hit yet. Like, I'm afraid I'm gonna go home and it'll hit there, but it's still just like, holy shit, what are you guys doing here? Like, that's kind of. That's kind of how it feels. And as for my life, man, the core of my life hasn't changed. It's still my husband and my children, and that is always the core of my life. Everything else just spins a lot faster. And there's a lot more people watching you to succeed or watching you to fail. And there's a lot more boundaries in place than I used to have. But it's changed, I would definitely say for the better. I have a two story library now.

[Lexi]

Do you have a ladder for two? Do you have a ladder?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I do. I have a ladder.

[Lexi]

Does it swivel?

[Rebecca Yarros]

It does. But here's the bummer. It's like I got on the ladder and I've told this. If you watch the other interviews, I'm sorry, you're getting a second story. I got on the ladder for the first time and I'm literally like, little town. It's a quiet village, right? All the girlies get it, but the.

[Lexi]

Ladder locks with your weight to protect you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So I'm like, little, do it. And I stop because the ladder's like.

[Lexi]

What are you doing?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't move while you're on me. So it was kind of like the death of a dream in that moment. But I do have a library with a ladder.

[Lexi]

I have a quick question in regards to what you were saying just a second ago with seeing all of our lives changed as well. Really quick. By show of hands or by Woo. Who has made a friend because of this series, who has learned something about themselves from the series. Thank you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I love you guys. It's like the best stop to go home on, really. She lost her question. We're gonna make it less awkward. How's it going? Yes. Everyone having a good time?

[Nicole]

Oh, I got it, I got it.

[Lexi]

I just.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm just, you know.

[Nicole]

All right, from Lily. Now that broccoli has been introduced, does that mean there are other house cats in this world? Dogs too? What pets did each character have growing up? Lily, where are you? This is amazing.

[Rebecca Yarros]

How many questions do we have in there? I mean, yes, I think it would definitely show you. We have domestic animals. Everyone knows we have sheep and goats, right? We don't keep them in our homes. But yes, I think it opens up to have pets. I just. We don't see them running around pezgaeth. You know what I mean? I definitely think Riddick had a dog, like, you know, like, growing up. But I hadn't really thought about which characters would have pets. Honestly, I didn't think broccoli was gonna be a thing.

[Lexi]

You guys, like, you know, like, I.

[Nicole]

Think about, like, different provinces. Like, maybe, like, have different.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes, you would have, like, ecologically different. Like, you would have snow leopards, you would have tigers. You would have different animals in different provinces. Absolutely. Just like any other geological or. Sloths. Sloths. Did you know we have a new baby sloth at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo?

[Lexi]

I did not.

[Rebecca Yarros]

That's right.

[Lexi]

Do you know its name?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't. Does anyone in the audience?

[Lexi]

It's nameless.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, we'll have to send a name.

[Lexi]

We're going to have to change that. Yeah, send an email from Lily, who is a character you love to hate.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where's another Lily? Wait, where are you?

[Lexi]

I heard an overhead. Hi, I can see you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Hi. I don't hate anybody. I don't. I think everybody except for Verish. I hated Verish just because he's two dimensional in his hatred and his need for power. But everyone else has a reason for what they're doing. Even, you know, if you hate, you know, general ATOS or you hate anybody like that, they have a reason and a stalwart belief in what they are doing and why. And I think if you don't have any villains or any people that you don't like in the series who don't have a reason why it's two dimensional writing.

[Nicole]

Can I ask a follow up question about that?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No.

[Nicole]

Jack Barlow.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah, he has a reason.

[Nicole]

Okay.

[Lexi]

Does a little part of you love Jack Barlow? I'm confused.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It's not that I love Jack, is that. I understand Jack. How many of us are bullied as kids?

[Nicole]

Oh, he was.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, no. I said, how many of us are bullied as kids? Bullies exist in the world, so they exist in that world as well. I mean, I was bullied relentlessly for being intelligent when I was in junior high. I just haven't given the names of those kids to my husband, so nor are they in any books. I know. No, we don't do that. But I think that bullies just exist.

[Nicole]

Yep.

[Lexi]

Yep.

[Nicole]

All right, real quickly, I just want to ask if I can ask that question.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Is it about my sex life? No, don't. You would be. You would be amazed at how eventually. Advice for a spouse going, okay, go ahead and ask us.

[Nicole]

Yep, absolutely. Do you have any advice for a spouse going through their first deployment? Also, thank you for creating the world that has been allowing me to escape. This one's from Mariah. Mariah, where are you?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where you at? Where are you at? Are you here? Are you not here? Okay, I'm gonna answer because I can't see you. I would say to any. Hi, I'm sorry. It sucks. That's the first thing to say is, it just really sucks, and I'm sorry. What got me through. I can't tell you what's gonna get you through, because everyone does it differently. Some people need more people. Some people need less people. Some people need to stay busy. Some people need to not be busy at all. I gave myself one good day to wallow and hate the world and hate everybody. And then I took a shower. And I told myself when I was showering, I was showering off all of that. And when I got out, it was time to get to work and time to live my life because he was gone so often. I read. I read. It was reading that got me through deployments. I had the unfortunate circumstance of having a husband who was injured, which made it really hard to sleep at night because, you know, notification hours are what they are. So I read. And if that is your escape, then go into that escape and read. And when you start to worry and you start to have that anxiety and you start to look for cars outside in your driveway, read. Do what it takes to get you out of that mindset, because the second you start spiraling into that mindset, it takes so much to pull out of it.

[Lexi]

This is from Alexis. What is your favorite Onyx Storm vibes song that you shared with us on Instagram and Spotify? Great playlist, by the way. So good.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Thank you. It's like having a musical. Did you hear that, Brody, my son? I have good musical skills.

[Lexi]

Their favorite is Nightmare by Halsey because of how much it relates to Violet. What is your favorite is?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Which one? Nightmare.

[Lexi]

Their favorite is Nightmare.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah, so I always. There's, like, certain songs I always write in Parian too, and it's Nightmare by Halsey and Experiment by Me. Experiment on Me by Halsey. Those are always on Empyrean. There's a lot of, like, good Halsey vibes in Violet. A lot of Taylor. Like, a lot of happy, too, like Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince. But Onyx is very much Nightmare, and I would say that even continues into book four because she's found this confidence in this. Just. I find the end of book three very optimistic, though I understand that's not a commonly held feeling.

[Lexi]

I find it to be optimistic.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Sorry. But, yeah, definitely you nailed it with Nightmare.

[Lexi]

So with Circus being on the playlist because we were Listening to it as we were getting ready for the midnight release. And we were like, circus came on. And we're like, the what? Like, what is this? Was that Zenalia?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yes. It's very much like, all eyes on me. Right. And it's very much her idea that everyone's gonna get out of their way. They're either gonna come with her or they're gonna get the out of her way.

[Lexi]

Yep.

[Nicole]

Yep. As soon as we heard that, it's like, ah, there it is.

[Lexi]

I think I even said her like.

[Rebecca Yarros]

It'S circus, especially when she has to say thank you.

[Lexi]

Yeah. Ooh. This laugh. And thank you was really that the.

[Nicole]

Murmuring I've been saying as a fandom. It's like, you handed us Onyx Storm and you just slapped us. And we're all like, corset, thank you.

[Lexi]

But I gave you, like. And we say that with all the.

[Nicole]

Love in our hearts.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But, like, I gave you. So I'm also like, you served us, Rebecca.

[Lexi]

Thank you.

[Nicole]

Oh, man. All right, this one is from Maddie.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where's Maddie?

[Lexi]

Hi.

[Nicole]

If you could tell readers to reread one specific scene, and I'm assuming this is from Onyx Storm because it contains hidden meaning, which scene would it be?

[Lexi]

The whole book is not an answer.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Man. I'd probably say, like, the last hundred pages. I know. I'm sorry. But a lot happens in there. And a lot happens in there to set up for book four. And a lot happens in there to tell you what's actually happening in the world, because, remember, you're only looking through certain people's eyes. So I would say, like, the last hundred pages. And I'm sorry, it's not a scene.

[Lexi]

It's a lot of pages from Stacy. Can you expand on what it means to be dedicated? Stacy?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Where are you, Stacy?

[Nicole]

Up there.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah. So this is something I'll go more into in book four, but again, you're limited in word count and page numbers, so when you're dedicated to a God, you're given to a God in their service. And there are two gods that require a lifetime of service. So. Spoiler. It's not spoilery to say there's two gods that demand a lifetime of service, but to be dedicated is to be given to that God or goddess in their service.

[Nicole]

Thank you. Did you use.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Is that not the answer you wanted? Okay. It was helpful.

[Lexi]

Thank you. Genuinely.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay.

[Nicole]

We got a gift. Thank you.

[Lexi]

Thank you.

[Nicole]

Yes. This one's from Jessica. Did you use parts of Colorado Springs as an inspiration to use for the parapet and Gauntlet. Does Colorado Springs have giant hanging balls? That one's from me.

[Lexi]

Sorry.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think Colorado always plays into it. My office looks at the mountain. We live on the Front Range. I love the mountains and I love our topography and our geography and how we have the plains and then we have the Front Range and we have the valleys and we have the high plains and we have the rivers and the waterfalls. We have such beautiful scenery. And it really plays into Bisgayeth, but it mostly plays into Orisha is really, honestly, like, I just. I love the mountains and it's where I feel like I'm at home. So it just. It comes into my writing.

[Nicole]

I love Colorado too.

[Lexi]

Colorado.

[Rebecca Yarros]

If you're not from here, you should be, but you should also be drinking water.

[Nicole]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay. Okay.

[Nicole]

So I have a follow up question to that. When we look at the continent and the geography of it and all of that, can you kind of walk us through, like the northern hemisphere of it and kind of like the southern and kind of how, like, weather plays a really big role in Onyx Storm in particular. Can you walk us? Give us the weather report.

[Lexi]

Today's weather is going to depend.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I think as you spoilery. As you descend southern, you're getting closer to the equator. Does that make sense? So you can see, honestly, like in the book, when you cry, go places like Cordon.

[Nicole]

Like Cordon.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, I mean, Cordon's close, but it's not the equator.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But as you go, you're gonna have different weather patterns due to one, you have weather wielders. And you're also gonna have different weather patterns due to the different mountain ranges. So as you get, as you notice, like, you know, you're going up from very, very cold, where you're up Lucerys and you're coming all the way down. Right. So we're getting hotter and hotter and hotter. And you have different tectonic plates pushing different mountain ranges up, which also gives us more magic in areas.

[Lexi]

So with the Emerald Sea, that is.

[Rebecca Yarros]

That's in fourth wing. In fourth wing, Taryn flat out tells her that areas of more geological change hold more magic.

[Lexi]

So this is not in fourth wing. I apologize.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Or maybe it's Iron Flame. I think it's fourth wing, though. That's gonna be on TikTok. Okay.

[Lexi]

I think it's fourth wing. I can confirm for you. The. The Emerald Sea. Is that. What's that smile?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I just love that scene where she's like, it's that year you were obsessed with Emerald Sea piracy. You know, like, it's the things that you say between your friends. Like between her and Zane. Sorry, sorry.

[Lexi]

So, like, was it inspired by the North Sea? All I can think of is like the Yo Ho. Like those.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Like, like a little bit. But I tried to keep it as away from Earth as possible. So I tried not to like be inspired other than the fact that like Devarelli has like a lot of Turks and Caicos vibes for me. Just not with the topography but the watercolors. Cause but it's kind of got that guess the yoho because people don't come back.

[Lexi]

Is that why they don't come back?

[Rebecca Yarros]

That's in Onyx. I mean, it's not a spoiler. It's just in there as fact. God, I suck at this.

[Nicole]

There's also a mention.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm going to do this for a while.

[Nicole]

This is an out of context spoiler. There's mention of pirates in Onyx Storm. And then I think it's an iron flame that Krakens are mentioned.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Nicole]

And Heaton can breathe underwater.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

Do these things all go together?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I mean, I haven't written 4 and 5 yet. Could you give me a chance?

[Lexi]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

You know what I mean? I always lay things in there to go back and use or maybe not go back and use, but I always lay. I like to build worlds and put lots of world building in there that either I'll go back and use or I might use or I might not use in this series.

[Lexi]

All right, that was cruel.

[Nicole]

I have one more question that should be hopefully unrelated.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I should feel hopeful.

[Lexi]

We have two more audience questions and then we've got some closing questions. But this is from Caitlin. What else can we do to support. And I'm gonna just assume this is underlined and bold and italicized. Support you as an author.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Oh, dude, that's kind. Where's Caitlin? Where are you at? Are you in here? Are you in Caitlin? I hear it, but I can't see it. Yes. Hi. Hi. Oh, man. Just read other people's books. No, I'm serious. Have a good time. It's gonna be a minute before I get back to a period. I don't mean like a. Like don't freak. Okay. I'm not gonna like, run away and like, you know, just leave you hanging. I just wanna work 8 hour days and not 15.

[Nicole]

Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

So while. So while I am working 8 hour days, go read other people's books and fall in love with other authors. Because I can't write 365 books a year. But I know some of you can read three. And I want you to look out for marginalized populations, and I want you to look out for other voices that you wouldn't see. So go read other books with patience.

[Nicole]

I have a very important question from your son.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Which I'm like, dude, if you want pizza, it's fine. Just like, tell dad he'll order.

[Nicole]

Which one is your favorite son? And why is it Brody?

[Rebecca Yarros]

And why is it what?

[Lexi]

And why is it Brody Broderick?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't even know where you are in here. I don't even know if I want to know where you are in here, because I don't want you. Oh. Mm. Mm. Yes. My favorite child is who? Who is my favorite child?

[Nicole]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Whoever's sleeping. Okay. Never gonna change, baby. Never gonna change.

[Nicole]

That's my rule, too.

[Lexi]

All right, some closing questions. First and foremost, you have been amazing. Thank you so much. No, seriously, like, thank you guys for.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Entering.

[Lexi]

The TV series.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah.

[Lexi]

What can you tell us about it? Oh, my God, it's gonna be a thing. We know that.

[Rebecca Yarros]

But I can tell you I've read the pilot. I've read a couple drafts of it. It just gets better. I can tell you that the lines that you guys love are there, and a lot of the dialogue is the same, and every time I read it, it's like I'm getting, like, an A on my report card. Like, she kept it. I can tell you that Moira Wally Beckett is brilliant. She is absolutely brilliant. Not only that, but she's taken the time to come out to a signing to Vancouver and meet some of the readers and meet you guys. She knows what's important. She knows what you guys love, and she's. She's capturing the essence of that. I'm just really glad it's in her hands. And I'll let you. As soon as I know more, you will know more. But there are stages that we go along, and we're at a very fun, exciting stage.

[Nicole]

And confirming. I know you said this in the Variety article, but they have not. They don't even have a casting director quite yet.

[Lexi]

Correct.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Stop casting, people.

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

No, we're not there yet. And my only caveat. And Moira fully supports me in this. Zayden isn't white, okay? So please. I love you. I love hearing from you. Please stop sending Theo James my way. Okay. Okay. Okay. And we're like 20, you know, 20s to 25. Let's just, you know.

[Lexi]

Okay. Theo James is a beautiful 40 year old. And she's a beautiful 40 year old.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I Know, because Zayden isn't white. So let's just keep that in mind.

[Nicole]

Is there a chance we might get sprayed edge? Sprayed edge. Special editions of Fourth Wing and Iron Flame someday?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Do you mean, like. Do you mean the.

[Lexi]

Matching edges?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, so, like, sprayed? Is that you guys? So, okay, I have a thing where I'm against special editions. Don't. Don't mock. Don't mock. I always feel like I don't want to ever make you guys buy more than one copy of a book. It's just something. But you guys want. You guys would want the dragons. Okay. I can tell you flat out, I will never. I won't say a loud. Because that sounds, like, really diva. Like, I would never encourage my publisher to ever put out another print run of the first edition. Only because I feel like. I feel like people have gone and sacrificed so much to get their hands on those books. And also, don't use resellers. Don't, like, just say no to resellers. I wouldn't. I can. I guess I can. I can ask. I can ask. I can ask you guys. One to match. Okay. Okay. Okay. Oh, follow up when Instagram comes for me. Okay. Okay, well, okay, I'll ask. I'll ask.

[Lexi]

Would we potentially get some bonus POVs in those chapters?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Ooh, I think it depends on where I'm at in my writing cycle, because I'm gonna write a contemporary next, which is what I always do. Don't panic. It just. Honestly, guys, when I'm writing contemporary, I'm always thinking about the next Empyrean book. So either I'm gonna give you a contemporary cause I'm thinking about the next Empyrean book, or nothing comes out. Cause I'm still thinking about the next Empyrean book. Make sense? It's just the way my brain cycles. But, yeah, I guess. I mean.

[Lexi]

Well, in that case, if there was a scene that you would. Or I'll give you, like, a few scenes if you'd like. Okay, from Iron Flame, let's go to Iron Flame. From Zayden's point of view, which would you love to write the most?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Would I love to write or will I write? Would love to. I would love to write him finding out that Violet's been taken up until the interrogation scene when he. Yeah.

[Lexi]

Ow.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Yeah. And it's. I would love to write that. But also, there are certain things that he can and cannot tell Violet for the sake of story. So I'm always careful with which Zayden chapters I pick and choose. Well, I mean, if it was dual POV and Onyx, you wouldn't have twists at the end. And understanding why things work. Does that make sense? It's a better story told from one point of view to get that twisty, twisty ending. Oh, geez. No, I know what it is. I know my publisher's excited about it. I'm excited about it. It's enough to put me back behind the keys. So that's all I'm willing to say right now.

[Lexi]

Your contemporaries are phenomenal, by the way. Thank you. Phenomenal.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I like to torture people.

[Lexi]

You do? And you do.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Big smile.

[Lexi]

Thank you.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I like to look at people and be like, what's the worst thing I could put you two through? What's the worst thing? Then how could I bring you through it?

[Lexi]

That's what I can't wait for the rest of this series.

[Nicole]

You sure you don't want to tell us who's safe? Like, safe, safe?

[Rebecca Yarros]

You already got broccoli. What more do you want?

[Nicole]

All right.

[Lexi]

What question have you rehearsed the answer to on this tour and you have not gotten the chance to share it yet?

[Rebecca Yarros]

A question that's been asked that I haven't?

[Nicole]

No.

[Lexi]

A question that you have, like, you're in bed and you're like, okay, if they ask me this question, you know how you practice, like, a speech in the shower?

[Rebecca Yarros]

I don't do that.

[Lexi]

Then you know how I practice the speech in the shower.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'd like to hear your speech from the shower.

[Lexi]

That's okay. What is a question that, like, someone that you expected to be asked and you have no problem?

[Rebecca Yarros]

No. You guys ask so much stuff that I'm like, wait, what? Like, how did that come through? I think the shockingest thing is someone asked me about birth control. Not mine, not mine, but Violet's. I think it was dressed in the Variety article.

[Lexi]

Uh huh.

[Nicole]

And I think that catches me off.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Guard, like, when I'm like, wait, what are you guys out there thinking? So I don't have the chance to think about what you guys are thinking because you've already thought so far past that that I'm like, where are we? Does that make sense?

[Lexi]

Yes.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Nothing's been asked that I would want to answer as much as I would just want to tell you that. Thank you for reading it. No, I'm serious. When I wrote 4th Wing, I really just wanted to sell enough copies to stay in publication to get the whole series done so that I could accomplish my dream, which was to write fantasy. This is so far beyond My wildest dreams. And to see, like, how happy you guys are, especially going on through tours and getting to see your faces. Like, it gives you that oomph. And I think I said it in St. Louis, but it's felt like I've been writing for deadlines and writing for publishing, and now seeing you guys, it's like, oh, I'm writing for you. So thank you.

[Nicole]

Thank you. All right, as we wrap this up, you have done such a phenomenal job again with all these questions and answers, and you have fed us readers. But now you're about to go on a well deserved, very well deserved break. Can you drop us, like, one more bomb before you leave us? Cinda Spiraling.

[Lexi]

Please torture us, Rebecca.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Okay, okay.

[Lexi]

All right.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Gosh, this is gonna get me. Okay. All right. I'm just gonna log off Instagram. Okay. I will give you, I would say the first two to three songs on the Book 4 playlist would be. You guys are gonna be so confused. Would be down bad. Would be, but Daddy, I love him and I can fix him. Or probably. And that's how.

[Lexi]

That's spiral.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I told you not to end on a downer question.

[Nicole]

Sorry, I have. Okay, I have one. One. I have two more. One more question. With the next book, could we potentially be Getting more Zaden POVs?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Depends on what he's doing. It really does. And the. What, does he have another dragon third segment? No, that's what I meant. Does he have another dragon I don't know about? No, I'm really not into, like. I mean, I think there's a very good reason that some of the marked ones have second signets, and it's laid in there to the, you know, into the code. Right. But I'm not about overpowering people. And I think one of the things with fourth wing is that you can't do anything by yourself. And if you overpower your heroes and your heroines, suddenly they can just go, like, win a war with a finger. As opposed to relying on their friends and the family that they've built and their squad and their unit.

[Lexi]

Last one. You ready to go? Go on a break and home and rest and relax.

[Rebecca Yarros]

I'm miss you guys. I'll send you, like, pictures of my garden, you know, and my desk when I'm back at it.

[Lexi]

This is not so much a question. Not so much a question, but more of a statement. Take the mic. Address the audience. What not to put you on. Like, I mean, there is a spotlight on you right now, but, like. But what is something you want to tell us as a fandom who has bought 2.7 million copies of this book in one week. Congrat. Freaking lations. That's amazing. What's one last thing you want to do to address the fandom before you go on a well deserved break?

[Rebecca Yarros]

Just want to say thank you. This is. Guys, these levels haven't been seen since Harry Potter. And the fact that like the fact that you're out here selling out theaters, that I usually watch rock bands playing and you're wearing T shirts and you're in cosplay and you guys get it and you see the characters and you're there with me. We have this collective experience and it's wild cause it's in my head, but it's in yours too. And so I would just say thank you and go hang out until I bring you back. I can't wait to bring you back and show you all the things that are coming for you in book four. But all I can say is thank you. You've blown every expectation I ever could have had or hope or dream out of the water. So thank you.

[Nicole]

I'm tearing up.

[Lexi]

I am too. I'm going to walk off stage before I blubber. Humans of the Paramount Theater, Rebecca Yaros, one more time.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Thanks, guys.

[Lexi]

At Don Miller Subaru west, we believe in being a positive force in our local community.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Together with our customers, we have been.

[Lexi]

Able to sponsor and support local charities and nonprofits.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Don Miller Subaru west has once again partnered with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

[Lexi]

Of the Upper Plains region. Our donations have helped fund cutting edge.

[Rebecca Yarros]

Research to cure cancer and improve the quality of life for so many, many.

[Lexi]

Helping those in need. That's the Subaru love promise. Don Miller Subaru west more than a car dealer.