Interview: F.C. Yee, author of THE RISE OF KYOSHI, brings new life to the world of AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER

Today, BroadwayWorld is excited to share an interview with author F.C. Yee, who has given the world of hit Nickelodeon tv series TV series Avatar: The Last Airbendernew life in THE RISE OF KYOSHI, available now.

Last fall, BroadwayWorld Books announced a partnership between Nickelodeon and publisher Abrams Children's Books, and we're thrilled to continue the journey with you today and chat more about this brand-new release.

The original series concluded in 2008, then spawned a companion series entitled The Legend of Korraset 70 years later. The series has lived on in graphic novel form and now, it continues in a series of prequel novels. It is also in development to become a live-action Netflix series with the show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

The new YA series is a prequel to ATLABand centers around Avatar Kyoshi, who lived long before Aang (The protagonist of the original animated television series) and has made appearances in the series as one of the past Avatars. The first book, THE RISE OF KIYOSHI, just launched on July 16, 2019. It was written by F.C. Yee and series co-creator DiMartino. Yes recently debuted his first novel, THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO, based on Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. DiMartino began writing original novels in 2016 with the launch of his middle-grade series REBEL GENIUS.

Come sit down with us and F.C. Yee to chat about how Kyoshi's story came into existence!

How did you get involved with creating THE RISE OF KYOSHI?

I was at a conference promoting my debut novel, THE EPIC CRUSH OF GENIE LO, and the publisher of Abrams randomly asked me if I was a fan ofAvatar. I told him I was, in no uncertain terms. And then after that we didn't talk about it for a few months.

The next time we did was to inform me that Abrams had submitted a proposal for a two-book series about Avatar Kyoshi with me as the writer to Nickelodeon, and they agreed. I think he didn't want to get my hopes up prematurely, which was a good idea in retrospect. If you're a YA novelist and someone in publishing asks you if you're a fan of a particular YA franchise, it's hard not to let your imagination run wild.

How much wiggle room did you have when it came to fleshing out Kyoshi's life and the people who surrounded her?

I had all the room in the world! Michael Dante DiMartino, Nick editor Joan Hilty, and Abrams editor Anne Heltzel let me pitch my own conceptions of the character and a ton of my own ideas during the outlining phase. As long as the ideas were internally consistent with the universe and could lead to an interesting story, they were fair game. I had a tremendous amount of leeway when it came to humans, history, and motivations, and for that I'm grateful to Mike for the trust he gave me.

How does the writing process change when working in tandem with another writer, in this case, series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino?

In this case, Mike acted as another editorial voice on the outlines and drafts I prepared. We were in touch a lot during the preparation phase, where the general direction of the tone and the book were established, but after that he let me run with the ball. I think the initial conversations were the main difference from the solo books I've written, and they helped a lot. When trying to convince a partner that an element of the book will work, you arrive at the truth a lot quicker than trying to convince yourself.

What was the hardest aspect of taking a well known property such as Avatar: The Last Airbenderand making it your own?

The hardest aspect was trying to add appropriate details and world-building structures that would have logically produced what we see in the universe so far. A cool, colorful detail might have created inconsistencies that not even the passage of time during Kyoshi's long life could explain away.

Which was your favorite scene to write? Which was the hardest?

My favorite scene to write was the one where Kyoshi juggernauts through an entire village. I like scenes in movies and TV where characters exult in freedom of movement. The original shows do this so well. However, Kyoshi's not as graceful as Aang at this point, so for her the quickest way from point A to point B is bulldozing a straight line.

The hardest were the scenes where Kyoshi thinks about her parents. It's hard for her as a character to do so, and her reactions to them could be incredibly varied depending on which way I went. Had she put them to the back of her mind, or did they haunt her constantly, etc.

One of my favorite moments in THE RISE OF KYOSHI is when she sets off on her own and forges her own path. I love the way you took items that would become so iconic later on in life and showcased their origins. This moment gave me goosebumps and I don't want to spoil it for fans who deserve to have the same reaction, but I would love to know how you developed that moment and figured out how everything was going to work together.

I think I knew that the moment was going to represent her pushed to the edge and forced to acknowledge a darker part of herself that she'd rejected long ago. It marks the point where the book becomes a revenge story, and it shows her fully unleashing her great physical strength. She knows fully well as she's gathering the items for a quest that's the opposite of noble. So to that end, you could say I was inspired by a certain scene in the original John Wick movie ?

I loved how different Kyoshi's origin story was when compared to other Avatars. She wasn't identified at birth and another Earthbender much better at bending the element than herself was later considered the Avatar. Did Kyoshi always walk a different path, or were some of these elements compiled as the novel went into development?

One of the foundational ideas for the book was everything going as wrong as possible for the Avatar. Based on that, other ideas sprang forth, such as the very transition between one Avatar to the next being muddied. Kyoshi not being a great Earthbender and the manner in which she isn't was conceived as a way to make someone who is astonishingly capable as an adult more vulnerable in her youth. We did consider what ways her origins could differ from Aang and Korra; some of those were planned and some were opportunistic.

Are there any secrets you can share yet about the sequel to whet everyone's appetite for more about Kyoshi?

Book Two is going to see Kyoshi thrust from the lowest rungs of society into the highest, where she'll have to deal with political challenges and situations she can't simply overpower. She'll face the question of what shebelieves it means to be the Avatar. And the cliffhanger from Book One will definitely be addressed.

Thank you so much to F.C. Yee and Abrams Children's Books for today's excellent interview. THE RISE OF KYOSHI is available in stores everywhere!

ABOUT AUTHOR F.C. YEE:

F.C. Yee grew up in New Jersey and went to school in New England, but has called the San Francisco Bay Area home ever since he beat a friend at a board game and shouted "That's how we do it in NorCal, baby!" Outside of writing, he practices capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts, and has a day job mostly involving spreadsheets.

ABOUT THE RISE OF KYOSHI:

F. C. Yee's The Rise of Kyoshi delves into the story of Kyoshi, the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar. The longest-living Avatar in this beloved world's history, Kyoshi established the brave and respected Kyoshi Warriors, but also founded the secretive Dai Li, which led to the corruption, decline, and fall of her own nation. The first of two novels based on Kyoshi, The Rise of Kyoshi maps her journey from a girl of humble origins to the merciless pursuer of justice who is still feared and admired centuries after she became the Avatar.

ABOUT AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER:

Aang, the last Airbender, is also the long lost Avatar. It's up to Katara and Sokka to help Aang face his destiny and save the tribe.

With the Fire Nation on the brink of global domination, a young girl and her brother discover a 12-year old Airbender who reveals himself as the Avatar. Will this irresponsible kid accept his destiny in time to save the world?