NEW YORK – Instead of asking about your Zodiac sign, Coco Mellors is more interested in your birth order.

The author of “Cleopatra and Frankenstein” is now celebrating her second book, “Blue Sisters” (available now). This novel follows three sisters, united by the surname “Blue” and their emotional journeys a year after their fourth sister’s unexpected death. The story unfolds in cities like London, Paris, Los Angeles, and New York, showing how the sisters navigate their complex relationships amid loss.

During a Spotify event focused on audiobook enjoyment, Mellors settled onto a couch and discussed her approach to weaving together three distinct narratives. The characters include Avery, a lawyer who is ten years sober; Bonnie, a former boxer turned bouncer; and Lucky, a model with a wandering spirit. Their deceased sister, Nicky, was the family’s golden child, leaving the remaining sisters in turmoil.

Traditional sibling roles – the responsible eldest, the peacemaking middle child, and the rebellious youngest – serve as a backdrop to their individual stories. “Blue Sisters” portrays the challenges of sisterhood against a backdrop of grief, addiction, and complicated parental relationships.

“Siblings shape our identities in ways that often go overlooked compared to our parents, yet they are critical to our sense of self,” Mellors explains. “I aimed to portray the intricacies of sisterly love realistically, without glossing over the emotional complexities that differentiate it from friendships.”

Mellors drew inspiration from music, color, and boxing while writing ‘Blue Sisters’

Nearby, a team prepares for “A Cozy Evening with Coco Mellors,” adorned with autumn-themed decorations and featuring notable BookTok influencers. Guests can even partake in tea tastings from Té Company, showcasing four unique blends inspired by the sisters and their respective cities.

Mellors applied this same level of detail to her writing process, immersing herself in specific sensory experiences to create each sister’s narrative. She played sad music while writing for Avery, rap for Bonnie, girl power songs for Nicky, and punk rock for Lucky. Each character was assigned distinctive color schemes – dark blue for Avery, red and gold for Bonnie, bubblegum pink for Nicky, and black with light green accents for Lucky.

However, crafting “Blue Sisters” required more than just mental exercises. To delve into Bonnie’s psyche, Mellors trained like a boxer for over a year, even sustaining a black eye during her training.

“It involved engaging in something I was curious about,” she shared with attendees at the Spotify event, noting her passion for boxing.

“Boxing is both physically taxing and mentally demanding; it’s like playing chess with your body,” she explained in response to a question from the audience. This rigorous preparation helped her flesh out Bonnie, who competes in the ring yet possesses a gentle spirit compared to her sisters.

Navigating addiction and grief as a family theme in ‘Blue Sisters’

Each sister offers unique perspectives in the narrative, but their shared experiences form a family bond. After facing grief in their disparate locations, the sisters are drawn back to their childhood home in New York City, where their lives begin to intertwine – borrowing each other’s clothing and adopting phrases from one another. Their distinct colors start to blend together.