Claire Nicholls

It's wonderful to talk to you again.

On ABC Radio National, this is The Book Show.

I'm Claire Nicholls, and Veronica Roth is here now.

She's had an enviable career.

She came up with her first novel, Divergent, when she was still at uni.

And as you no doubt know, that dystopian novel became a series, which has now sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.

Now, 15 years after Divergent was published, Veronica Roth has just released the first in an adult sci-fi fantasy series.

It's called Seek the Traitor's Son, and it follows a young woman fated to save her people in a world divided amongst those that worship the so-called fever and those that don't.

Veronica Roth joins me now from Chicago.

Hi, Veronica.

Hi.

I love a map at the start of a book.

And this one made me sit up straight away because one of the key locations in this book is Narm or Melbourne in a place that you call Ostra or short for Australia, I'm guessing.

So before you tell us why Melbourne has made its way into this book, perhaps you can tell us about your relationship with this place.

And you know what?

Readers from NAM or Melbourne will love the fact that even in a future ravaged by disaster, the coffee in Melbourne is still really good in this book.

Yes.

Yeah, it did make me chuckle that, you know, it's the one place in the world where you can still get a decent cup of coffee.

But you've also called it NAM in the book, which shows a really great, you know, cultural awareness, especially coming so far away from Chicago.

How did you get across all of that?