Nicki Pau Preto is a fantasy author living just outside of Toronto—though her dislike of hockey, snow, and geese makes her the worst Canadian in the country. She studied art and art history in university and worked as a graphic designer before becoming a writer full-time. She is the author of the Crown of Feathers trilogy, and the forthcoming Bonesmith .
Welcome to the Hive, Nicki. Let’s start with the basics: tell us about Bonesmith – why should readers check it out?
Bonesmith is Gideon the Ninth meets Game of Thrones meets The Witcher, featuring a disgraced ghost-fighting warrior who must journey into a haunted wasteland to rescue a kidnapped prince.
Give us an insight into your characters, who can we expect to meet? Do you have a favourite child?
Honestly, Wren is my favourite child. She’s our heroine, and she’s bold, brash, arrogant, and funny, and I absolutely adored writing her. She has a lot to learn, so this book is like a crash course of adventure and intrigue as she fights her way through.
Her enemy-turned-reluctant-ally, Julian, is an excellent foil—strong and silent and unimpressed by her posturing, but the two of them have the potential to make a great team, if they can stop fighting with each other long enough to realise it.
And Leo, our prince, our damsel in distress. He is funny and charming and roguish, but there’s more below the surface—if only people would see it!
Tell us a little something about your writing process – do you have a certain method? Do you find music helps? Give us a glimpse into your world!
I am a thorough outliner; I love to prep and plan and brainstorm, it’s the most magical part of the process for me! That being said, I never stick to my outline—things change during the writing process, and I always want to let myself pursue cool and exciting ideas as they come to me, so while it comforts me to know I have a plan and I’ve thought things through, I have to remain flexible as well.
Speaking of worlds, what inspires your worldbuilding? Do you have a magic system/s? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?
World building is one of my favourite parts of writing, so I spend a lot of time thinking about my world—its history, its politics, and its magic, which informs everything else. I used to study art history in school, and I think my interest in the past definitely informs how I build my own worlds.
As for my magic, I was definitely inspired by elemental magic systems, but I wanted to do something slightly different. I knew I wanted to use metal, and I played with other naturally occurring materials that come from the ground, like stone and wood, but it wasn’t until I thought of using bone as a material that the world and the magic system really started to take shape.
If you were transported into your own fictional world, how do you think you would fare?
Oh boy, probably not well! Hopefully I’d wind up with some useful magic, but I would not want to be a bonesmith, dealing with ghosts and rotting bodies. Make me a rich goldsmith, and I’d be happy
