SPFBOX Interview with N. P. Thompson

**Our SPFBOX interviews continue with N. P. Thompson, author of River of Crows.**

SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off) is a free online contest run by author Mark Lawrence. 300 authors compete across ten judging teams to see who will be the winner! You can read more about the contest [HERE]].

INTERVIEW WITH N. P. THOMPSON

Cover of N. P. Thompson's River of Crows. The cover is illustrated in an appealing, three-dimensional cartoon style. Two children stand in the centre of a rocky plateau as crows fly behind them and a magic bubble encircles them. A redheaded white girl in a purple shirt and jeans stands to the right and a black boy in a green sweater and jeans stands to the left. They both look ready to defend themselves. A glowing blue background hangs behind them.

Tell us a little about yourself and let our readers know which blog you’ve been assigned to for SPFBOX!

I’m a Canadian author writing for kids and my SPFBOX entry, River of Crows, was my debut novel. I’ve been assigned to Lynn’s Books.

What inspired you to write this book?

In the town where I live, there’s a huge flock of crows (tens of thousands) that roost in a field near one of the hospitals. Throughout the fall and winter you can see these crows flying across the sky in long, waving lines that look like a flowing river. It’s mesmerizing. They fly out from the roost every morning to go look for food, and then fly back to the roost every evening to sleep. That phrase, “river of crows” stuck in my head, and I thought it would make a great title for a book, so I wrote one!

Can you tell us a little bit about your writing or editing process? What’s most exciting to you about writing or editing?

I mostly do my initial drafts in Scrivener, but I’m old-school and also do a lot of writing in a notebook with a pen and then type it up later. Once I’ve gone through a bunch of revisions and I’m happy with my “final” draft, I will print the manuscript out and edit by hand. And once that stage is done, it goes to my editor. And then there will be more editing/revising once she’s sent it back.

For me, the hardest part is always getting that first draft finished. I’ve heard that a lot of authors really hate the revising part that comes next, but that’s actually my favourite part!

“I wanted to write something for kids that wanted a more complex, layered story, but didn't want romance or graphic violence.”

Who or what have been your major literary influences?

Oh no — I always dread this question because I know I’m going to forget someone important! I have had so many literary influences throughout my life, it seems kind of weird to single out just a couple. But I think the book that first made me want to write my own stories was Lloyd Alexander’s “The Black Cauldron”. I wrote a fanfic when I was in third grade in which Gurgi featured heavily because he was always my favourite.

What makes your SPFBOX book unique?

My book is specifically targeted to that gray area between middle grade and YA. I usually call it “upper-middle-grade” or “lower YA”. I’ve been told no traditional publishing company would ever pick it up because of that, so I supposed it’s a good thing I went the indie route. I wanted to write something for kids that wanted a more complex, layered story, but didn’t want romance or graphic violence.

Do you have a favourite character from your SPFBOX entry? Tell us about them!

Ty and Ayslenne are the main characters, but Sasha, my little blue-haired ball of irrepressible energy is my favourite. (Don’t tell the others, though!) Sasha is small for her age, outgoing and gregarious, and she has a heart of gold. She has a twin brother and an older brother, and she’s really good with a bow and arrows. And daggers.

“Throughout the fall and winter you can see these crows flying across the sky in long, waving lines that look like a flowing river. It's mesmerizing. They fly out from the roost every morning to go look for food, and then fly back to the roost every evening to sleep. That phrase, 'river of crows' stuck in my head, and I thought it would make a great title for a book, so I wrote one!”

How does your work fit into (or challenge) its genre?

It’s the first book of a series and is an action-packed classic Hero’s Journey, with a few twists that become more prominent as the series progresses. Crows feature heavily in the book (and series), which give it a unique touch. The villain in the story is a tyrant emperor with dark magic who transforms people, usually children, into crows that he enslaves in an enchanted army.

What do you hope readers take away from your SPFBOX entry?

I want readers to get so attached to the characters in this story that they HAVE to find out what happens next. Before I even start writing, I spend a lot of time making sure I understand who each character is — what they want, what they need, what makes them tick. I want them to seem real so that my readers are really invested in following along with their adventures!

What are you currently working on?

I’m currently working on book four of the series. Book three was just released in May.

River of Crows

A cryptic prophecy. A dangerous quest. An explosive family secret. And a crow with a white feather who is more than he appears…

Mortal peril is twelve-year-old Ty Baxter’s new normal when he teams up with the weird girl from school to help an injured bird and suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange, magical world.

Now the target of a brutal tyrant with unfathomable power, Ty grapples with a life-altering revelation about his past and the implications of an ancient prophecy. As he struggles to control his own emerging magical Talent, Ty embroils himself in a desperate gamble to help his new friends save their missing family before the emperor uses his dark sorcery to transform them into birds, enslaving them forever as soldiers in his enchanted avian army.

And if he survives all of that, he’s probably still going to get grounded—if he ever finds a way to get back home.

Purchase River of Crows on Amazon
Add River of Crows on Goodreads

Buy from Amazon

Add on Goodreads

N.P. Thompson lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her two awesome kids and a very lazy cat. When she’s not building web things you can either find her wrangling plot bunnies or binge-watching episodes of Doctor Who and Babylon 5. She enjoys talking to the neighbourhood crows (most days), but wishes they would stop nagging her about not having finished their stories yet.