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Cosmopolitan
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Read V.E. Schwab's ‘Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil' Annotated Excerpt
Welcome to The Scroll, a new column that checks in with your favorite writers, asking them to exclusively reveal and annotate the best moments from their brand new books. We also get them to dish on their writing process and divulge a few plot secrets along the way. This round we chatted with V.E. Schwab, author of the iconic Villians series and The Secret Life of Addie LaRue. The author is changing what we thought we knew about our favorite creatures starting with a different kind of vampire story in her new novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Here, she shares an exclusive excerpt and talks about the power of writing hungry and vulnerable villains. I like to write fantasy that has a single point of departure, because you essentially start with both feet on the ground in a known place and then move from there. And I think I approach tropes the same way. My vampires do age, just on the inside instead of the outside. They wither and they decay morally, existentially, romantically until all that's left is the urge to hunt. 'The heart dies last' is part of that. The last piece to go for the vampire is also what was sustaining them emotionally. Sabine is a character that definitely strikes a very specific note. She is like, 'Kill first; ask questions later.' I think it's really important—especially when dealing with a villain—to show you that behind the curtain, there are still fears. It's showing you both her strength and her weaknesses. She is learning that she has something to be afraid of, but there is no moment where she is afraid. 'The heart burns last' is a lot of foreshadowing for every character in that scene, some in very, very literal ways and some in metaphorical ways. For an immortal, the passion, the hunger, the need, the desire is what keeps you going. It's the idea that once it's gone, there's nothing keeping you going. If you look at the three women at the heart of this story, hunger means a variety of things. The hunger to be free from the constraints of your life as it's been determined, the hunger to be recognized as a whole person, the hunger for rights, the hunger to be witnessed by somebody for what and who you really are. Sabine is driven by her hunger, in the literal sense, long before she's a vampire. Hunger is an insatiable thing. Hunger is like a moving goal post in life. We hunger for success and we hunger for recognition. We hunger for revenge, we hunger for everything. Hunger is at the heart of this book, in the traditional sense, because they're vampires. But there's also a really strong existential threat as there is with everything in this book. Each of the three women learn that, actually, no matter how much they feed, they will never feel satiated. At the end of the day, I am a fiction writer. I'm a fantasy writer. So I'm sure I got something wrong. Despite all of the research that I did, it's just inevitable. I am not a non-fiction historian, so I'm here for the vibes, right? I think I was so excited to look at three really distinct time periods and places, not only through the lens of history, but through the lens of queer history and closeting specifically. Queer people have always existed. It's not like we grew out of the soil a decade ago. These three women have such different historical contexts for their own identity and how they process it. I really wanted to talk about gay trauma and talk about queer joy. I really appreciate the need for both. I spent the first 15 years of my career not writing lesbian villains for that reason. But that's so reductive when we break it down because what we're saying is that queer people and queer characters don't deserve the same complexity and nuance as their straight counterparts. I write villains. That's what I do for a living. They're all messy, all accountable in different ways. These three women have moments where they are villainous and moments where they are heroic and moments where they are everything in between. I wanted to write somebody who made me feel seen. BOOK COVER: Courtesy of Tor Books. Excerpt and Annotations: Used with permission from Tor Books, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group, a trade division of Macmillan Publishers. Copyright © 2025 V. E. Schwab. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by V.E. Schwab will be released on June 10, 2025. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice: AMAZON AUDIBLE BARNES & NOBLE BOOKS-A-MILLION BOOKSHOP APPLE BOOKS KOBO TARGET WALMART POWELL'S BOOKS HUDSON BOOKSELLERS GOOGLE PLAY
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Kids' most mischievous age revealed - as parents reveal antics that left them red-faced
A poll of 1,000 respondents found children are deemed most mischievous at the age of four, with 59% of parents claiming their offspring are frequently up to mischief Parents have been spilling the beans on some of the most hilarious and cringe-worthy situations they've found themselves in, all thanks to their cheeky little ones. A survey of 1,000 parents with kids aged between 3-11 revealed that four is the age when children are at their most mischievous. However, 55% reckon a bit of mischief is a good thing, believing it fosters curiosity and a spirit of adventure in their youngsters. Nearly half of parents believe a touch of naughtiness can also encourage creativity and problem-solving skills in their kids, while 45% reckon it helps them understand boundaries and how far they can be pushed. One mum shared how her kid managed to strut all the way to school sporting a pair of her knickers over his trousers. Another tot decided to give their parent's shaving foam a new home, smearing it all over their face to create a snowy white beard, before announcing plans to 'shave' the family cat. Thankfully, a quick intervention ensured the cat kept it's coat. One poor parent who took a nap on the sofa after a long morning of parenting woke without realising they'd been 'made up' with lipstick and mascara. Their 'new look' wasn't revealed until the doorbell went, leaving a delivery driver very confused. Another, unsuspecting parent got a shock when they discovered their salt and sugar pots had been swapped, leading to a rather salty taste in their morning coffee. According to the poll, a whopping 55% of all parents confessed they've been left blushing in public after their child kicked off a fuss. While a quarter of parents can often find this type of behaviour frustrating, laughter is the most common reaction to their little ones' mischief. The study was commissioned by Petits Filous, who have joined forces with father-of-three, Adam Thomas, to kick off a competition in search of the UK's cheekiest child. Professor Sam Wass, director of the Institute for Science of Early Years in East London and psychologist on Channel 4 's 'The Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds', commented: 'An increase of mischief-making among three-five-year-olds goes hand in hand with children of this age becoming wise to the theory of mind – that the thoughts in their heads are not the same as the thoughts in ours.' 'They are experimenting with the juggling act of pulling the wool over someone's eyes. But despite this being a sign of healthy curiosity, we don't want things to get out of control.' The research revealed that among families with multiple children, the youngest is often labelled as the most mischievous. While 19% think the middle child is the naughtiest, and 11% point the finger at the eldest, although 14% reckon all their kids are equally naughty. The survey also unveiled that as many as three in 10 parents reckon their own little rascals are more mischievous than other people's kids. With 11% estimating it would take their children just five minutes to get up to mischief if left unsupervised. DR SAM WASS'S TIPS TO ENCOURAGE MISCHIEF WHILE KEEPING BOUNDARIES IN PLACE: Respond to humour and playfulness with more of the same: Children aged 3-6 years old often like to play little games. It can feel hard for us 'sensible ones' to join in, but clamping down on playfulness and curiosity can send the wrong message. Even if you're tired, or stressed, it's always worth trying to see the funny side. Explain consequences: It's rare that a child wants to hurt themselves - it's much more common that they just act without thinking. When they do that, it can help to make them aware of the wider consequences of their actions. But the more gently you do this, and the more understanding you show for what motivated the mischief-making in the first place, the quicker the lesson will sink in. Show your reasoning: If you're trying to encourage children to learn and to respect social rules, then it helps to show reasoning. For every rule that you have, you should be able to explain why it is in place: it's about logic, understanding and intelligence - not force of will.
