Know who I love more than anything in this world? My friends. Know what I love more than anything in this world? Shouting to the rooftops about my friends. Which is why I am here to holler at you about the paperback release of INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE, the un-put-downable, New York Times-notable, GMA-clubbing debut by my sis-from-a-different-miss, Emma Törzs.
I met Emma a decade ago through our mutual friend Lara. Immediate affinity evolved into a kinship as deep and trusting as any familial relationship I’ve had. Over the years we’ve traveled all over Europe together with her sister Jesse, and I’m on multiple group texts with her family. (Fun fact: Emma’s the one who got me to do Swedish reality TV!) I also LOVE Emma’s writing, and witnessed with joy and astonishment as she made the transition from realist literary fiction to fantasy, a transition Jesse urged her toward (little sisters know best!). Along the way she’s racked up a World Fantasy Award, a Minnesota Book Award, and a number of “year’s best” lists, hooray.
To celebrate her paperback release, and give you a taste of how great Emma is, on the page, and off, I pitched her a number of hard-hitting questions, Barbara Walters style. Here are her glorious replies:
So what's the deal with Emma Törzs? Tell us a little about yourself!
I am a stacked 18 year-old blonde on Sunset Boulevard.
I am also a writer.
Wait, no, sorry, that’s Eve Babitz! I am in fact a 37 year-old brunette in South Minneapolis (no comment on stacked or unstacked) (okay fine I am stacked). I am also a writer.
What's the deal with your new paperback, INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE?
INK BLOOD SISTER SCRIBE, my very first novel, came out last year, and is an adult fantasy novel (not that kind of “adult,” though, sorry to all you fans of horny dragon sex!). It’s about two estranged half-sisters who were raised to protect their family’s library of magical books, and must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection. There’s magic, mayhem, wretched British orphans, murder most foul, planes trains and automobiles, and a Pomeranian who comes to no harm. For anyone hesitant about fantasy, I’ll say this is more of a family story than anything else, so you may enjoy it even if you don’t typically go for the fantastic in your fiction!
3) In addition to being a great writer, you are also a great dresser. Do you have any hot shopping deals for fellow clothes horses?
I get fixated on certain items of clothing, and will stalk them incessantly online until I find a good price, cycling between Poshmark, eBay and heavy googling. The thrill of the hunt really gets my dopamine going. Also I feel like I am excellent at keywords? Recently, I saw a perfect pair of black cargo pants on a girl twenty years younger than me, and, using a long series of search terms like “stitched detail” and “skater jeans” and “ugly but also cute you know” finally tracked them down. They turned out to be discontinued BDG pants from like five years ago and I got a pair in my size for $15 on Poshmark. So yeah, I guess you could say I am a genius.
My suggestion for anyone wishing to emulate my success is to hyperfocus completely and never give up. I suggest you ignore your friends, family, yowling cat, crying baby, all work tasks, every creative endeavor, and any emails that aren’t eBay alerts, until you find that one, perfect, arbitrary piece of clothing at the arbitrary price you’ve decided you’d be willing to pay for it. Then you will be like me: late on all deadlines, but getting compliments from teens!
4) You're also a consummate thrifter. What's the best thrift store you've ever been to? What did you get? Do you think thrifting and writing have anything in common?
I lived in Missoula, Montana for graduate school, and every thrift store in that town was fantastic, especially if you like denim and indigenous-inspired patterns sold by white people as “Western wear.” I’ve since purged the latter from my wardrobe, but I still have about five pairs of Rocky Mountain jeans from the 80s. That 35” inseam!!!
I do think thrifting and writing are related in some ways. Both require patience, an exploratory spirit, and a willingness to try on and discard a great many things.
Sometimes I thrift by feel alone—I walk down a long aisle of sweaters with my hand out, feeling for the unmistakable whisper of cashmere. Sometimes I thrift by color, my eyes scanning the rows until I see that one chartreuse green I’ve been looking for. Sometimes I meticulously examine every dress on a rack, not sure what I’m looking for, but believing I’ll know it when I find it. I’ve had all these experiences while writing, too. Writing by feel, by color, by curiosity.
5) What's the deal with contemporary fantasy, and what do you wish more people knew about the genre?
I wish more people knew that contemporary fantasy fiction is as varied and complex as contemporary realist fiction! It’s not all wizards and swords, as per the stereotype (though there’s nothing wrong with wizards and swords, either). My favorite fantasy novels of the past year include an anti-colonial fever-dream gem (The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera), a tender joyride through the magic of adolescence (The Book of Love by Kelly Link), and a twisty political epic based on the Roman Empire (The Will of the Many by James Islington). Each of these novels use the fantastic in completely different ways, just as realistic novels use the “real world” in different ways. Whatever one loves in realism, one can find in fantasy, too.
Thank you, Emma, for your brilliance and candor and great taste. Now what’s the deal with me? Well, I’m happy you asked, ‘cause have I got some deals for you!
Preorder BIG IN SWEDEN on Tertulia and get 20% off, 50% with a membership! Code is SWEDEN.
Parts One and Two of my interview with Caroline Cala are live! You need a subscription for the second part, but at $5 a month, it’s worth it and then some. Caroline is doing incredible work to make the internet a smarter and more humane place.
Speaking of humane, would you like to watch a gentle three minute interview with me via CBS? No paywall here!
Or see Emily Nussbaum give me a shout-out in her Grub Street Diet? (Read an excerpt from her new book here!)
Or see the Star Tribune review BIG IN SWEDEN twice? (jk I can’t link these bc I don’t read reviews!)
Or preorder the audiobook, which MEG RYAN PERFORMS?
What about your Monday morning plans? ‘Cause if you don’t have any, and you live in Minnesota, maybe you want to sidle over to Fox 9 and watch me LIVE on The Jason Show!
Lastly, here’s a link to register for my FREE official book launch feat. Emma, Curtis Sittenfeld (yes that Curtis Sittenfeld!) and the musical stylings of Oron Stenesh. Don’t live in the Mini-Apple? Additional tour dates are below! I’d love to see you and give you a hug and talk about the truly incredible balloon arch I just purchased on Amazon for $14.
Much love from publicity land,
Sally