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By AJ Eversole

I have seriously loved every title I’ve read that comes from the JoyRevolution imprint, and this YA Dystopian—featuring Black main characters who have to bring down the corporate overlords all while riding a forbidden, tension-filled romance—had me on the edge of my seat. I knew I wanted to feature debut author Jill Tew, and was so happy that she agreed! The Dividing Sky (JoyRevolution, 2024) releases on October 8th!

What is the heart of The Dividing Sky?

Starting with an easy one, I see! I had to think about this for a while. I’d say the heart of The Dividing Sky is the idea that constantly striving for productivity can rob you of true fulfillment. Real joy isn’t found in money, or status, or a gold star for jumping through the hoops that someone else says are important. Often those things that we think will finally make us happy end up leaving us emptier than ever.

Can you share with us a bit about The Dividing Sky?

The Dividing Sky is a story set in a near-future, hyper-capitalist Boston, about a girl who uses her neurochip to illegally deal happy memories, and the handsome rookie determined to arrest her. It’s set in a world I lovingly refer to as “Jeff Bezos’s fever dream,” where wealthy workaholics hire lower class people called Proxies to modify their brains and bodies, so that they can help their wealthy clients get the most out of life without missing work. Proxies raise the upper class clients’ children, run their errands—things we’re used to. But they also read books for them, or go on dates on their behalf, and transfer those memories and emotions back to their clients via neurochip. All of this in the name of achieving greater productivity for LifeCorp, the company that everyone works for.

How did the neurochip and concept of selling memories come to you?

Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked several high-demand jobs. There was always more work to be done, and I found myself outsourcing parts of my life—grocery shopping, pet care, laundry service—in order to make more room. But I always filled whatever time I got back with more work, never with anything truly fulfilling. I found myself wondering about a world where technology advanced so that we could potentially outsource every aspect of our lives… at what point, if ever, would someone say enough is enough?

This is a dystopian romance. What’s a writing tip you have to balance drama with romance where one is not overpowering the other?

The closer you can link your romance with the rest of the plot, the higher your tension will be and the more cohesive the story will feel. In The Dividing Sky, Liv and Adrian are on opposite sides of the law, so their falling in love has natural consequences for both of them.

Beyond that, the technology in Liv’s brain is exactly why she’s on the run, and exactly why Adrian ends up chasing her in order to arrest her. It’s a set up where the romance wouldn’t make sense without the worldbuilding; the two are inextricably linked. I think that makes for a more exciting read.

I love your cover, the colors are so pretty! What is your favorite part of your cover?

Thank you, I love it, too! My favorite part of the cover is Liv and Adrian’s hair texture– especially Liv’s curls. We worked really hard to capture the texture of natural Black hair in a silhouette, still giving major sci-fi vibes but also proudly telegraphing that this is a dystopian story with two Black leads—something you don’t see a lot.

Do you celebrate after you finish writing a chapter or a book? How do you celebrate?

Usually after I finish a book, I celebrate by sleeping for as long as possible! I also don’t watch TV or even read that much when I’m on deadline, so I like to reward myself with a week or two of binging everything I’ve been meaning to see. It helps me fill my creative well back up for the next story.

You’re building on a large backlist of dystopian novels that are popular for the age group, what did it feel like putting out a new dystopian book in 2024? 

I’ve always loved dystopian books, from Orwell to Butler, to the more modern additions like The Hunger Games [by Suzanne Collins, Scholastic, 2008] and the Arc of the Scythe series [by Neal Shusterman, Simon & Schuster, 2016-2019] (and so many more!).

I love how this genre, and science fiction in general, can shine a light on elements of our society that may just be little kernels today, but can grow into something much more insidious if we’re not careful. Fortunately or unfortunately, in this day and age, I had a lot of source material to work with! 

I felt passionately about the things I was hoping to say with The Dividing Sky, but mostly while I was drafting, I was worried that the time for dystopian books had passed and that the market wouldn’t be interested. I’m so thrilled that Joy Revolution picked it up, and now I’m seeing a bunch of dystopian-lovers stepping into the light for the ‘YA dystopian renaissance’! We’ve been starved for so long!

Your imprint, Joy Revolution, is focused on romantic novels with BIPOC characters from BIPOC authors, what does that mean to you?

It means the world, truly. Especially growing up in the YA dystopian heyday, I read all of these stories that asked big questions about society, and had things to say that still feel universal, about the human experience. I wanted to write a story with questions just as big, but which happened to feature a Black main character, a Black love interest, and an all-BIPOC cast. We, too, are part of the universal human experience, and we have things to say.

What do you hope readers take away from the story?

I hope readers slow down, and take more pleasure in the simple sources of joy around them. I hope they think about who is benefiting from their short attention span and their addiction to quick bursts of pleasure, and work to wean themselves off of that type of stimulus.

What is your favorite part of writing for this age group?

I love the way YA books can be critical, but rarely jaded. Everything still feels possible. 

What has been your biggest anxiety during the debut experience?

The second you get a book deal, all of the wise, experienced writers tell you not to burn yourself out on self-promo, because nothing you do can move the needle as effectively as what your publisher can do for you. And it’s true! 

And yet, haha. 

It’s hard to relinquish that control, knowing that as a debut you’re only this bright and shiny once, most likely. I’m trying my hardest not to push the promo too hard, but you do get hooked on that feedback loop of likes, follows, etc. The same things I caution against in my book!

How do you celebrate your successes?

A nice dinner or champagne is always good, for the big things. For the little things, when I was doing the Odyssey Writers Workshop, at the end the instructor Jeanne Cavelos gave me a tiny notebook, for writing down all of the victories, big and small. It’s so helpful to have that notebook to refer to, on days when I feel like I still have so far to go. The truth is so many things have happened that I never could have possibly dreamed of!

What are you working on next?

I’ve got a middle grade novel coming out with Freedom Fire / Disney Hyperion in April, called Kaya Morgan’s Crowning Achievement. It’s the story of a 12-year-old Black girl growing up in suburban Atlanta, who longs to be crowned queen of her local Renaissance Faire’s summer camp. It’s a love letter to my young, Black, nerdy self, and it’s a lot of fun.

And then next up for Joy Revolution is An Ocean Apart! It’s a standalone prequel to The Dividing Sky, about a girl from a water-starved community who sneaks aboard a wealthy water heir’s ship and enters a dating competition to steal his heart (and his wallet). Think The Selection [by Kiera Cass, HarperCollins, 2012] meets Waterworld, with a love triangle that will have readers screaming in my DMs, I’m sure. Look for that next fall!

Cynsational Notes

From a young age, Jill Tew was destined for speculative fiction nerddom. She grew up watching Farscape, Hercules, and The Tribe every week, and always had the latest copy of the Animorphs series tucked in her backpack. Now she writes the kinds of stories she loved as a kid, with characters she wanted to see more of— Black heroines asking big questions, saving the world, and occasionally falling in love along the way.

A recovering business school graduate, Jill enjoys belting showtunes on the way to Target and baking in her spare time. She is also a co-host of Afronauts Podcast, which provides writing tips and community for Black aspiring speculative fiction writers. Jill lives in Atlanta with her family. She is represented by Jen Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency.

Find her on X and Instagram at @jtewwrites, and TikTok at @jilltew.

AJ Eversole covers children’s-YA writing, illustration, publishing, and other book news from Indigenous authors and illustrators for Cynsations. She grew up in rural Oklahoma, a place removed from city life and full of opportunities to nurture the imagination. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and writes primarily young adult fiction. AJ currently resides in Fort Worth, Texas; with her family. Follow her on Instagram & Threads @ajeversole.