What is the title of your latest release?
SKY ON FIRE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A grad student tries to get funding so she can continue her research by herself and gets caught up in a rebellion and people who are determined to befriend her, whatever it takes….in spaaaaaaace.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
“Decide” might be a strong word. I went to Iceland in 2017 and liked the ring road and the emergency preparedness. Then, in 2018, on the way home from Newfoundland, a series of texts with my editor made me realize that all my space stations were Norse islands.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely. Morgan is an expert at “parallel play,” so we could sit on the couch and read without ever speaking to one another. Perfect afternoon.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Smart, Determined, Introverted
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
This question is always a bit weird for me because I write books about things I’ve already learned. So, for example, I learned a lot about Icelandic volcanoes and Singapore’s food scene and Arthurian legends, but all of that happened before I started drafting.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit when I’m done drafting.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I don’t assign morality to food, so I don’t really indulge. I just eat things I like.
Describe your writing space/office!
My office is the front room of my house. It has wall to wall bookshelves, a cozy chair, nerd art, a collection of Lego, a giant BB-8 pillow, and my desk with my laptop and various fidget toys. Oh, and a Baby Yoda rug.
Who is an author you admire?
I really admire how Tamora Pierce has been publishing books for my entire lifetime and adapted as the market and society changed.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Yes. Literally too many to count. But most recently Martha Wells’s Murderbot series.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
SKY ON FIRE is the second book in a two-book contract that I signed in 2019, so to be completely honest with you: I do not remember.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Definitely Fantasy with Sci-Fi right behind it.
What’s your favorite movie?
Disney’s Three Musketeers.
What is your favorite season?
Fall.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Cake or pie, usually.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved Daughter of Tides by Kit Rocha (following Consort of Fire and Queen of Dreams).
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I have, like, a negative spice tolerance, but I like Indian food. I do my best.
What do you do when you have free time?
I play Dragon Age or watch animal documentaries and cross stitch.
What can readers expect from you next?
Murder. Well, fictional murder. You know how it is.
Aether Saga
A fast-paced and thought-provoking queer sci-fi/fantasy novel from #1 New York Times bestseller E.K. Johnston.
Morgan Enni has things to do. A science prodigy in a university full of mage-scientists, she’s notable for having no magical ability, which only increases her ambition and drive to prove herself. Her research has the potential to devastate every aetherworker in the galaxy and shake the crumbled foundations of the Stavenger Empire. It's no wonder she can't find anyone who wants to listen to her, much less fund her expedition.
But Morgan is stubborn, and eventually her work catches the attention of a group of rebels, who hope it might turn the tide in their favour. When they try to recruit the young scientist, they get much more than they bargained for. Morgan Enni has secrets of her own.
Set in the world of Aetherbound, E.K. Johnston continues to entwine Arthurian myth and the history of North Atlantic fisheries in a clever, character-driven space fantasy.
Science Fiction [Dutton Books for Young Readers, On Sale: July 22, 2025, e-Book , ISBN: 9781984816160 / ]
E.K. Johnston had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes.
Her books range from contemporary fantasy to fairy-tale reimaginings, from hopeful sci-fi to quiet epics, and from small town Ontario to a galaxy far, far away. She has no plans to rein anything in.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026