I write from an outline, so there are rarely big changes or cuts, and my drafts tend to get longer in revision, rather than shorter. The story of the Phantom Ship didn't make it into Ninth House, but that turned out to be a wonderful thing because I got to bring it into Hell Bent. If I love a scene, I find a way to keep it, or I make sure to hold it in reserve for future books.

How did the novels evolve and change as you wrote and revised them? Are there any characters or scenes that were lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?

Not cruel, but careless with their power. And Tripp? Well, I think we all know guys like Tripp. Mercy was shaped by my friendships with a lot of people, including my own college roommates. I think I see plenty of my own anger and my longing for connection in Alex. Like Dawes, I'm an introvert who wants to be left alone to work on projects I may never finish. Like Darlington, I'm a snob who loves poetry and dreams of magic. Are Alex, Darlington, Dawes, Turner, Tripp, Mercy, or any of the other characters in the novels inspired by or based on specific individuals?Īt the risk of sounding like a bit of a narcissist, all of the characters have quite a bit of me in them. So, I thought, What if these places aren't just old boy drinking clubs or networking opportunities? What if they're repositories of occult knowledge? What if they wield magical influence right alongside social and economic influence? That's where the story began. They have these bizarre, wonderfully elaborate clubhouses all over campus that are called 'tombs,' and they produce so many powerful and accomplished alumni. What was your inspiration for Ninth House and Hell Bent? Her latest novel is Hell Bent a sequel to 2019’s Ninth House, and she recently talked about it with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog. She lives in Los Angeles and is an Associate Fellow of Pauli Murray College at Yale University. Her short fiction has appeared in multiple anthologies, including the Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Leigh Bardugo is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and the creator of the Grishaverse (now a Netflix original series) which spans the Shadow and Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, The Language of Thorns, and King of Scars duology-and much more.

Hell bent sequel