Interview: Author Molly E. Lee talks Ember of Night

There’s a battle between Heaven and Hell brewing and it’s up to Harley to keep the world from falling apart with help from a mysterious new guy named Draven. Harley has always had it rough but upon her eighteenth birthday she learns that nothing in her life is as it seems, and nothing will be normal again. That’s the setup in Molly E. Lee’s new YA book Ember of Night.

Harley has been through more in her short life than anyone should ever experience. Her focus is on providing a safe space for her little sister as soon as she’s able to get out from under her abusive father. Learning that she might be the key to keeping the walls between Heaven and Hell from collapsing isn’t making anything easier for her.

Culturess had a chance to speak with Lee about her new book and how she came up with the idea for the story, how she developed her characters and the writers who inspire her.

Interview: Molly E. Lee talks Ember of Night

(Culturess) What inspired Ember of Night? How did you go about building this world for your characters? 

(Molly E. Lee) This story hit me in college while taking an ancient religions class. I was fascinated by the universal themes of good and evil and wanted to explore it further. What if you were chosen to save the world and you didn’t want to because the world had never been kind to you? What if you were endowed with divine powers to serve in a war you never knew existed? These are the questions that brought Harley and Draven to life. I loved playing with the dynamics that not everyone is wholly good or wholly evil and the choices one has to make when faced with situations that come with super high stakes. I fell in love with the supernatural world of demons and angels and warlocks and monsters and a girl who has been broken her whole life—one who has been asked to save everyone when no one ever bothered to save her. The choices she’s faced with are never easy, and in the end, that was the spark when sitting down to write Ember of Night.

Building the world was working off of this universal idea and sharpening it until the world shaped itself around Harley and her journey.

Harley has a very negative self-image. She calls herself a “weed.” How did you develop her character? Was she inspired by anyone in particular? How about Draven?  

Harley definitely has a journey with self-worth in Ember of Night! Thanks to her horrible upbringing, she doesn’t think she’s worth much. But she has this fierce love for her sister that helps keep her heart alive with joy. She also has a survivor instinct that is near impossible to crush. I drew on several inspirations for her character, some of my own personal experiences with non-familial abuse and the universal struggle most teenagers have to find their tribe, their place, their path. 

As for Draven? He walked onto the page pretty fully fleshed, attitude included LOL. 

Ray plays such a vital role in the story. She’s the light in Harley’s world and keeps her anchored when everything seems to be collapsing. She clearly has an important role in Harley’s life, but can you talk about the connection she has with Draven? 

Yes, Ray is essential to Harley’s journey. She’s the light to her dark, the joy to her despair. Until Draven came along, I truly believe Harley never considered being able to find someone other than Ray that could give her such…life. And that is what Draven offers her—beyond strength and support and just the right amount of challenge—he offers her a spark she wants to chase. There is something magical at finding someone who has a history that resembles yours, and Harley discovers that in Draven. I don’t even think she fully understands that connection yet, but it is intense and something that she can’t resist! 

Harley and Draven see themselves as damaged and not worthy of anything good. Despite Draven’s warnings, Harley gravitates toward him. Can you talk about their attraction and why she’s so drawn to him?

Harley is drawn to him because she recognizes some pieces of her own jagged history in him. Despite the walls he keeps up, she sees him and understands his need to push her away (or thinks she does) She credits it to her own standoffish attitude and how she pushes people away too. Her trying to break down his walls is kind of like breaking down her own, and the closer they get the more she brings down her own barriers and finds hope she never knew she had. I think it takes like individuals, or people who truly understand us without judgment, to create that new kind of hope, and that’s what Draven and Harley’s attraction and connection offer each other. 

There is instant tension between Kai and Draven. Both young men have Harley’s best interests in mind, but they have very different opinions as to what’s best for her. What’s interesting is that Kai has been around for a long time and Draven is the new guy. Can you talk about how this tension impacts Harley?

Definitely! The tension between Draven and Kai is wicked intense but that comes from a place of being polar opposites. They have different ideals, different goals, different methods for getting a job done. Poor Harley has to be stuck in the middle too. She sees something in Draven she’s never seen in someone else—a soul as broken as hers. But Kai has been there her whole life and has never let her down. It’s a hard struggle, one she definitely doesn’t need when her world is falling to pieces around her.

Ember of Night deals with a lot of complex situations. What were the hardest parts for you to write?

The hardest scenes to write were definitely the ones that centered around Harley’s awful home life. Any scene where her father is on the page was hard to breathe through. They are essential to her journey though, and a huge part of her character, so I couldn’t fade to black on them (even if I had to cry while typing them) It’s a hard topic—one that resonates deeply with me—but one that I feel deserves some attention for anyone who may read her story and relate. Harley would want those readers to not feel alone, to let them know that they are worthy and strong and will survive this and that it isn’t weakness to ask for help. So, those scenes were incredibly hard to write, but just as important.

Who are your literary influences? Who is your favorite heroine and hero in literature?

This is always SUCH a hard question! There are so many wonderful and amazing authors out there that have influenced my dreams of becoming an author! Kimberly Derting, Molly McAdams, Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black and so many more. I could go on and on! I also adore Stephen King’s book On Writing as far as craft books go. I’ve read and re-read that one so many times and I learn something new each time! As far as hero and heroine? That is also so tough! I think it changes for me with each dozen or so novels I read lol. I love Rhys and Feyre from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I’ve read A Court of Mist and Fury at least a dozen times and I fall hard every single time. I love Feyre’s unflinching strength and Rhys’s ability to be strong and passionate but totally supportive at the same time.

We want to thank Molly E. Lee for taking the time to speak with us. You can find Ember of Night in stores now.