Have you heard? Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley has been chosen as the Spring 2021 Reese’s Book Club YA Pick! It ALSO just happens to be one of our most anticipated thrillers of the year. But if all of that is somehow not enough to convince you that this groundbreaking debut novel should be at the very top of your TBR list, be sure to check out this interview with the author herself! What makes Daunis fierce? Daunis has a fierce heart! She loves fiercely - loves her family, friends, community. So when she learns about the threat to her community and loved ones, she leaps into "protector-mode." There is a reason why she is Bear clan; they are the protectors and healers in our Ojibwe clan system. If you could give Daunis one piece of advice, what would it be? I'd give the same guidance that Aunt Teddie gives Daunis: Trust yourself to take in only the guidance that resonates with you and leave the rest behind for someone else. What's the strangest thing you learned while researching Firekeeper's Daughter? Well, I learned how to make meth and identify clandestine meth labs. That was really bizarre.  If you'd met Daunis as a teen, would you have been friends and why? Yes. We'd both be part of Tribal Youth Council and play Bigotry Bingo together. What's one fun fact most people don't know about you? I walked the 2014 Honolulu Marathon. It took me 9 hours and 48 minutes. An elderly lady—wearing what looked like loafers/slippers—passed me around Mile 20. She was fierce! What's your favorite part of being an author? When readers message me on social media to share how deeply Daunis' journey affected them. What's the most challenging part of being an author? Writing on deadline. It took 10 years to write Book 1; readers won't wait that long for Book 2. Which 3 YA characters would you want by your side if you had to solve a deadly mystery? Assuming I can't pick Daunis . . . 1) Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince by Holly Black); 2) Maggie Hoskie from Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse; 3) Ellie from Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger What 3 words would you use to describe Firekeeper's Daughter? Love, courage, truth.