Chicklish interviews Amanda Lees, author of the Kumari trilogy. (Read our review of the latest, Goddess of Destiny, here.)
Hello, Amanda! Could you tell readers (those who might not have met her yet) a little bit about Kumari?
Kumari is a trainee goddess from a hidden kingdom who, in the first book of the trilogy, Goddess of Gotham, gets kidnapped and ends up in New York City. Along with her is her faithful companion, Badmash, a baby vulture whose name means ‘naughty’ and who develops an insatiable appetite for doughnuts. Having escaped from her kidnappers, Kumari makes friends, falls in love and finds a surrogate mother in the shape of the inimitable Ma but all the while she knows she must get back home and solve the mystery of her real mother’s death. That mystery extends throughout the trilogy, leading Kumari on the trail of the murderer even as she tries to save her Papa and the Hidden Kingdom from being destroyed. In the end, Kumari has to choose between destiny and her own desires. That’s why the final book, which is just out, is called Goddess of Destiny.
What would you have thought of Kumari if she'd turned up at your school when you were a teenager?
At first I’d have been curious but I would also have done my best to make her feel welcome. I know what it’s like to feel an outsider as I went to boarding school thousands of miles from my childhood home in Hong Kong. Kumari suffers from those same feelings at first but she soon wins friends and outwits the school bullies who pick on her differences. Of course, it helps that she can call upon some kick-ass powers although these don’t always go the way she plans!
If you could work magic and you had to create just one spell, what would you make it do?
If I could, I would create a spell that would allow me to go backwards in time. These books were written as a tribute to my mum who died shortly before I came up with the idea for the trilogy. I’d love to see her one more time and I’d love to know her reaction to Kumari. And if I could have a second spell I’d magic myself into the Davidoff advert so I could hurl myself into the waves alongside the guy who plays Sawyer from Lost…
Will there be more Kumari books? If not, can you give us a clue about what might be next?
No. I conceived the idea as a trilogy and I always think it’s wise to know when something is complete and leave it at that. Each book stands alone as a story and I think that’s only right as far as the reader is concerned otherwise it feels, to me, like you’re cheating them. The overall narrative arc, however, embraces all three books and the ending is very definite, as it should be.
As for what’s coming next – I’ve been training with the SAS and hanging out with spy boffins so I think you can guess it’s an action adventure but with a strong female heroine and one heck of a Lees-style twist…
Thank you very much, Amanda Lees.
Check out Amanda Lees website.
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