Guide to Categories – Author Interview – an interview with an author, if there is no review from me, I have not read the book and cannot speak to its appropriateness for a school library

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About the Book

Book: Crack the Stone

Author: Emily Golus

Genre: Fantasy

Release Date: September 22, 2023

I am Valshara, the black stone born of fire. Break me, and my edges turn into knives.

Condemned to a slave camp for her crimes, goblin convict Valshara Sh’a makes a death-defying escape to freedom. But navigating Vindor’s treacherous cavern system is only the beginning of her troubles. An encounter with a rogue king turns her world upside down, and a bargain with fairy tricksters leaves her with a human child she doesn’t know how to care for.

As she tries to smuggle the boy through the walls of a barricaded city, Valshara can’t let down her guard. Because somewhere in the darkness behind her, a bounty hunter rises—relentless as nightfall and merciless as death itself.

Emily Golus re-imagines Victor Hugo’s beloved Les Misérables as an epic fantasy adventure about suffering, redemption, and the extraordinary power of love.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author – Emily Golus

Emily Golus is an award-winning fantasy author with nearly 20 years of professional writing experience. Golus aims to engage, inspire, and show how small acts of courage and love create meaningful change. Her books feature diverse cultures, authentic characters, and cinematic fantasy settings.

Her first novel, Escape to Vindor, won the 2018 Selah Award for Young Adult Fiction, and a spin-off novel, Crack the Stone, won the 2024 Kudos Award for Fiction. Golus lives in Greenville, S.C., with her husband, Mike, who is her greatest supporter. They have two active little boys and enjoy hiking, making Thai food, and exploring small towns in the Carolinas.

 

More from Emily Golus

Crack the Stone is a fantasy re-spinning of Victor Hugo’s redemptive masterpiece, Les Misérables. I’ve taken the major themes and characters of the original novel and recast them within the fantastical world of Vindor. The heart of the story is the same—a stone-hearted convict on the run from the law finds unexpected redemption—but there are new twists and turns along the way.

The Jean Valjean character—now a fierce goblin warrior named Valshara Sh’a—finds herself fleeing through treacherous caverns, an ensnaring forest, and a West African-inspired city under siege. Her pursuer, an expert bounty hunter who has never failed to catch his quarry, is dead-set on returning her to slavery.

Complicating everything is the human boy Valshara rescues from a fairy ring. The precocious and chaotic child not only jeopardizes the goblin’s escape, but starts to melt her obsidian heart.

Crack the Stone focuses primarily on Hugo’s themes of scandalous redemption, legalism, and the transforming love between a mother and child. Other elements of the novel—lovesick Éponine, the red revolution flag, the barricade, the Elephant of the Bastille—have been remixed in unexpected ways to support the redemption arc.

If you’re a fan of the book (or the musical!) you’ll enjoy the fun Les Mis “Easter eggs” throughout. But even if you’re not familiar with the original, you can still get swept up in Crack the Stone’s epic story of suffering, love, and light in the darkest places.

My Author Interview with Emily Golus

When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?

I’m a mom of two boys (6 and 4), so my hands are pretty full! When I do have free time I enjoy hiking, role-playing games, counted cross stitch, and discovering new outdoor restaurants with my husband, Mike. 

What is your favorite genre to read? What about that genre draws you?

I really enjoy science fiction—especially “hard” science fiction based on real astronomy or scientific theory. Because fantasy is the genre I write, it can be harder for me to read it without overthinking everything. So science fiction gives me the imaginative creativity I love, but with worldbuilding that’s new to me. 

How does your faith play out in your writing?

I see fiction as a way to explore ideas in a fresh new way. One of my goals is to illustrate biblical principles—but not in the clichéd or predictable way that we often think of them. For example, in Crack the Stone, I wanted to explore what it looks like to have characters who show hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), generously care for the poor and hungry (Matthew 25:34-40), and refuse to oppress foreigners (Exodus 22:21)—even when their broader culture pressures them to do otherwise. And, of course, the main theme of Crack the Stone is the life-changing effect of radical mercy and grace, and how it can transform even the hardest-hearted sinners. 

As a former K-12 school librarian (and since this blog is geared toward school librarians) I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe really ignited my imagination as a child. It’s a beautiful tale set in an ancient African world that you just don’t see represented enough in literature. I also really love Anansi and the Moss-covered Rock by Eric Kimmel for its surreal humor and clever storyline. I recently introduced my childhood copy to my two boys and it was a delight.

Of course, the Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel are wonderful for all ages. Some of the situations—like declaring how you need willpower to stop eating cookies while continuing to shovel cookies into your mouth—are way too relatable for me as an adult.

Young Author’s Days were an important part of my work as a school librarian. What advice would you give to a child or teen who wants to be a writer?

I think the most important thing to do as a young writer is to have fun and enjoy the process! Make time to be creative. Discover which part of the journey brings you the most joy. Keep creating and having fun.

There’s often a premature pressure for young writers to prepare for publication—which is totally unnecessary, in my opinion. When a child picks up a guitar or a paintbrush, we don’t start talking to them about getting ready for their first paid gig or getting into a gallery.

Like music or art, creative writing is a form of expression and meant to be enjoyed. Maybe one day you’ll “go pro” or maybe you won’t—but if you’re having fun, then you’re absolutely doing it right. 

Emily, I love this advice. Thanks so much for sharing with my audience today.

Views expressed in this interview/guest post do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog host.

Blog Stops

The Lofty Pages, September 21

Vicky Sluiter, September 22 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, September 23

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, September 24 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, September 25

For the Love of Literature, September 26 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, September 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 27 (Author Interview)

Through the Fire Blogs, September 28 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, September 29

Guild Master, September 30 (Author Interview)

A Reader’s Brain, October 1 (Author Interview)

Back Porch Reads, October 2 (Author Interview)

Just Your Average reviews, October 3

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 4 (Author Interview)

Denise L. Barela, October 4

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Emily is giving away the grand prize of a paperback copy of Crack the Stone, an obsidian arrowhead pendant, two Vindor stickers, a Vindor mini-map, a Vindor bookmark, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf5447

Read more Author Interview posts

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