Marieke Nijkamp is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels, graphic novels, and comics, including This Is Where It Ends, At The End Of Everything, and The Oracle Code. Marieke’s short stories can be found in several anthologies. We caught up with her to talk about her recent book, At The End Of Everything.

So what is At The End Of Everything about? How would you describe it to some one who’s just started to get into genre fiction?

At The End Of Everything is a survival story about a group of teens in a juvenile correctional facility, who are left abandoned during an outbreak of the plague, and who have to learn to trust themselves and each other if they want to survive.

In terms of genre, it straddles the lines between current events and dystopia (basically: a familiar world, but everything is just a bit worse), so it’s very accessible to people who are just getting into genre!

When did you first come up with the premise for the novel?

January/February 2020, after I returned from a trip to the US. Obviously, everyone was already talking about Covid, but most of us—I think—didn’t quite know what was going to happen yet. And it fascinated me, and it scared me. I’ve studied history enough to not be too excited about the idea of living through historic times. But at some point, seeing what was happening sparked the idea for a story, because I was curious what an outbreak might mean for particularly vulnerable groups—such as the kids in the (very much fictional!) Hope Center.

How have current events affected the story?

I’d say current events affected the world around the story. Not so much the plot itself, but how the plague played out in the world, how people responded to it, how they talked about it, acted on it, a lot of those details were very much influenced by what I saw around me. And aside from that, a lot of anger at seeing and experiencing how people were left behind found its way into the story as well.

How different is At The End Of Everything from This Is Where It Ends?

I think, out of all my books, At The End Of Everything is closest to This Is Where It Ends. Both books follow a group of teens trying to survive the worst and finding ways to save each other in the process. They both have multiple narrators. And they’re both heart-breaking in their own way.

Is there a different approach to writing a novel like this compared, to say, a tie-in book like Kith and Kin?

Not really, at least not in terms of process. Generally speaking, tie-in books require detailed outlines before you get to drafting, but I outline my original work too, so that comes naturally to me.

What character is the most fun to write?

In At The End Of Everything? Hm, I’d say Grace, because she’s so driven by anger. And she uses it for all the right reasons—most of the time—but she’s constantly balancing around that breaking point, and that was a really fun dynamic to tap into.

Which character seriously needs to have word with themselves?

Ha, so many. So let’s stick with Hunter, who is Hope’s resident bully. Where Grace wants to find a way to protect everyone, Hunter wants to take advantage of the situation by just getting out of there, which leads to a deadly situations.

Also, Emerson’s parents, for the cruelty of kicking their nonbinary teen out of the house.

If this was a graphic novel, what would be different?

Ooh, interesting. I think if this were a graphic novel, it would have a different main character than the three who currently headline the book. There’s a side character who spends a lot of time sketching, and I think she’d be perfect to tell this story from another perspective.

Is the genre world more accessible these days?

I love seeing how the genre world is expanding, both in terms of the stories told and the authors who are telling those stories. There is an absolute wealth of speculative fiction out there across all kinds of different media, and I don’t think there’s a better time to get sucked into the genre world.

Which writers inspire you?

Writers who tell their own stories passionately.

What tropes do you personally avoid the most?

I don’t generally set out to avoid any tropes (unless they’re harmful stereotypes, but that seems a given?). It really depends on the story what works and what doesn’t.

How would you describe your process?

My writing process is incredibly structured. The creation process is so very chaotic.

Simpsons or Futurama?

Honestly not that into either, but Simpsons wins purely for their dramatic re-enactment of The Raven.

Archer or Venture Bros?

Neither

Tigers or Spiders?

Tigers

Truth or Beauty?

Truth, no question.

At the End of Everything, published by Sourcebooks, is available to buy from all good bookshops instore and online.