By Caitlin Taylor So
It was awesome to be able to ask Emma Jackson questions about her debut YA dark academia mystery novel A House of Vipers, which comes out today (April 28)!
Enter an elite New England boarding school steeped in a long history of secrets with Sutter Heyward as he sets off to look for clues to solve his brother’s disappearance. It’s been a year and a half since Lawson disappeared and everyone has given up—except Sutter.
The clues lead him straight into the heart of the Order of the Vipers, a deadly clandestine society on campus.
Feed your intrigue with high-stakes puzzles, buried truths, underground tunnels, and locked doors to inch closer and closer to the truth until you realize maybe — just maybe — there are some things that were meant to stay buried.
Be sure to get your hands on A House of Vipers now and read my interview with Emma Jackson!
CAITLIN TAYLOR SO: A House of Vipers features several points of view, namely Sutter, Fallon, and Grayson. What was it about these characters that made you want to explore their distinct points of view? What did your writing process look like? Did you often switch between the different points of view while writing or did you stick with one character for a long period of time before writing for another?
EMMA JACKSON: I love this question, because deciding who your viewpoint character will be is one of the most important choices a writer can make! I spent quite a bit of time agonizing over how many points of view there should be in A House of Vipers, whether to write in first person or in third, and how to ensure their voices stayed distinct.
This story belongs to Sutter in so many ways, but to accomplish the “found family” goal I had in mind, I knew we needed to hear from his friends, too. Having Grayson and Fallon in the mix allows the audience to experience more action than if we are limited to one point of view, and it opens up the door for a deeper look at the love triangle plot.
I also wanted to explore how Fallon and Grayson’s individual backstories led them to a place where they have such intense loyalty to Sutter (and each other). In this book, I think seeing Sutter from an outside perspective is important for readers. Sutter’s determination to find his brother is a pillar of his motivations; as a result, he becomes so laser-focused on his goals, I knew we might lose sight of what else is going on without other viewpoints to jump into.
I always write my stories in chronological order; I’ve found that if I jump around from one point in the story to another, it’s a demotivator for me. There are usually certain chapters I have in mind from the beginning that I’m really excited to write, and I can’t give myself the instant gratification of writing them without having laid all the groundwork to reach those moments. This meant that while writing A House of Vipers, I jumped from one viewpoint to the next each time I started a new chapter. I had to make sure I was locked into the next character’s point of view before I started writing!
CTS: There are many intriguing puzzles and clues throughout as the characters uncover the mystery at the heart of this story. What went into the process of coming up with them? How did you balance giving just enough of a hint while also not making it too obvious or easy?
EJ: The puzzles and clues in A House of Vipers evolved a few times over the course of revisions. There are only a few that remained the same from the first draft to the last, and those are the ones I’m most proud of! I decided to lean into the use of poetry for many of the riddles and clues because it felt fitting for the dark academia setting, but also because poems are so versatile and come in various forms. They can rhyme and feel whimsical, or they can be more rhythmic and unsettling. I took a poetry course in college, so I was able to borrow from some of what I learned there, but I did a bit more research on different poetry styles during revisions to help me flesh out my ideas more. Fitting the right words into the right places almost felt like I was doing a puzzle of my own—it was really fun!
It can be tricky to strike the balance of planting hints while also not giving the solution to the mystery away. I believe what makes a great mystery is leaving breadcrumbs that will give the reader a real chance to solve it themselves. I truly do want to give people the information they need to figure out what’s going on, but I also want to have a few surprises in store that still feel satisfying. The key is that a surprise won’t feel satisfying if that new information is uncovered without any hint at it in the story beforehand—it just feels like you’ve been cheated! In my books, the most effective breadcrumbs are left in nonchalant, passing moments that the reader might miss, if they aren’t looking out for it. If even a small interaction seems out of place…a clue may have just been dropped!
CTS: A House of Vipers includes a stunning map of Meddlehart Academy. Can you tell us more about what went into creating this map? Did you already have a draft of what the campus looked like for yourself as you were writing?
EJ: I did draw myself a map when I wrote the very first draft of A House of Vipers! I’m not great at drawing, but I realized pretty early on in building the world that I needed a visual representation of where each building is located on campus. My original version wasn’t pretty, but it did the job! It helped a lot with keeping track of things and making sure descriptions in the story stayed consistent—I referred to it quite often as I wrote the first draft.
I’m so glad my team agreed it would be helpful for readers to have this visual as well, because I really believe it will enrich the experience! Working on this map has been one of my favorite parts of the publishing process. When it came time to put the pieces in place, I made a digital sketch of where each location should be placed, along with written descriptions of the buildings and the campus itself, and the artist truly could not have done a better job at bringing my vision to life. It’s absolutely incredible! I shed some happy tears when I saw it for the first time.
CTS: You identify as a lover of young adult fiction. What is it about young adult stories that make them so timeless and appealing to readers of all ages? Do you see yourself only writing young adult fiction for the foreseeable future?
EJ: Growing up is a universal experience in many ways. For most people, that period of life is formative and feels very profound when you’re in the thick of it, no matter what unique circumstances you may be going through. I think young adult stories feel unifying because of that.
The reason why I love YA is very much rooted in my own experience; YA books were the thing I took shelter in when I felt lonely or stressed or sad during those years. I knew I loved writing from a young age, but as a teen, I realized I wanted to write stories that might provide the same type of escape for other young readers who need to get away from their own life for a while. That has remained my passion over the years—I still love to read and write YA! I will never close the door on writing for other age categories, because I really would like to do that one day…but I need the right story to find me first!
CTS: You cite The Hunger Games as a major inspiration for your writing career. Which of your characters from A House of Vipers do you think would most likely survive and become a victor of the Hunger Games? What would be their winning strategy and who from the original trilogy would be their allies?
EJ: I can’t bear to think of a single one of the Vipers crew not surviving the Hunger Games! They each have their own strengths that I think would benefit them in the arena.
If I think about victors from the series, Sutter reminds me so much of Katniss, laying it all on the line to save a sibling. I’ve talked quite a bit about his fierce determination and sheer unwillingness to give up, and this would no doubt serve him well in the Games.
After reading Sunrise on the Reaping, Grayson reminds me very much of Haymitch—he has a big heart underneath his steely exterior, and he will always stand up to protect his loved ones. And Fallon is reminiscent of Peeta to me, with her quiet strength and her inclination toward peace.
In this hypothetical scenario, perhaps I would be their mentor…and I would tell them to ally with Finnick. He’s invaluable in the arena—strong, courageous, a brilliant strategist…and he would have no problem with being the first to tell Sutter when one of his ideas is a bad one (because sometimes he gets ahead of himself in his plans!). It’s hard to say who would win, but if they were in the arena together, I know they’d each be doing whatever it took to keep their friends alive.
CTS: If A House of Vipers was adapted into a movie or television series, who would be a part of your dream cast? These can be real people (dead or alive) and/or fictional characters!
EJ: This is another tough question! For the viewpoint characters specifically, I have a few fictional characters I think are good comparisons. Fallon is an even mix of characters like Rory Gilmore, Velma from Scooby-Doo, and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Grayson has a lot in common with characters like Jess Mariano (except he’s a bit more of a softie at heart than Jess—maybe more reminiscent of Conrad Fisher!). One of the biggest inspirations for Sutter was John B from Outer Banks—he’s stubborn and unflinching and fights to achieve his goals, so I think capturing that vibe would be crucial for casting his role.
CTS: Can you tell us more about your upcoming second YA novel When Songbirds Bleed and what else readers might expect from you?
EJ: When Songbirds Bleed is a speculative thriller that follows a group of tight-knit childhood friends who endure a dangerous plane crash and are ultimately taken in by a wilderness cult to survive. Readers can expect an exploration of survival, coming-of-age, belonging, manipulation, and the many ways those in power can take advantage of people in vulnerable positions. For readers who enjoyed A House of Vipers, I hope they will pick up this book for another found family cast of characters and an even more complex (and heartbreaking) love triangle!
This book means a lot to me, and I’m so thrilled it will make it into the world! My goal in writing When Songbirds Bleed was to break out of my comfort zone, take some risks, and step things up a notch. I really believe this is a special story—I’m excited to see how readers respond to all the twists and turns it will take them on!
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Emma Jackson is the debut author of A House of Vipers. She wrote her first story at eight years old and knew immediately she wanted to be an author one day. Emma studied writing at the University of Oklahoma, where she focused on young adult fiction.
Purchase A House of Vipers here.
Born and raised in Queens, Caitlin Taylor So is a Chinese-Vietnamese writer who is passionate about prioritizing and amplifying marginalized voices. She graduated from Emerson College with a degree in publishing and marketing. Her writing can be found on Business Insider, PopSugar, WebMD, Medscape, The New Absurdist, and Her Campus Media.