A Mirror Mended is the next installment in USA Today bestselling author Alix E. Harrow’s Fractured Fables series and we chat with Alix all about this new release, 2022 book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Alix! Thanks for joining us once more! How has the last 18 months been since we last spoke?
Oh that’s easy! Time is totally fake, and I’m starting to entertain suspicions about space as well.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I wish it was something artistic and profound—some moment of pure enlightenment—but actually it was in first grade, when we were going in a circle sharing what we’d written. The teacher paused before mine and said “okay everybody, get ready for a real story.” And in that moment, some terrible goblin part of me awoke, and never really bedded back down.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
My Father’s Dragon was the first chapter book I ever read to myself (silently! In my head!). Watership Down made me want to become an author, and I can’t stop thinking about Emily Tesh’s forthcoming Some Desperate Glory.
Your new novel, A Mirror Mended, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Aarne Thompson Uther Index #709.
What can readers expect?
One hundred and forty-four pages of pop culture references, lightly interspersed with plot. A little bit of romance. A smidge of horror. Swears. A pair of women shackled to their old, bad stories, determined to break free—no matter the cost.
Where did the inspiration for your Fractured Fables series come from?
I walked out of the the theatre for Spider-Verse and told my husband–with the light of divine inspiration in my eyes–that I was going to multiverse a fairy tale. I sort of wonder if there were dozens of versions of that same conversation happening simultaneously, given the recent boom in multiverse content.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I am a person of immense privilege; the only challenges I face are the ones I’ve personally created (my children). I was able to overcome these challenges with the assistance of my single greatest privilege (my husband).
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Over the last two years, I’ve begun openly, intentionally, joyfully reading romance novels. Now—you may or may not know this—but many romance novels include something called banter. Those tense and revelatory volleys between two characters who have finally, finally met their match. I love banter! But none of my previous work has had much room for it. I’m pleased to report that I finally got to try it for myself, and it was exactly as fun as I’d feared.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
The worst advice is always sounds like it came from the back of a mac n’ cheese box: write 1,000 words every day; simmer one year; adhere to the three act structure and serve hot. The best advice is all basically the same: read.
What’s next for you?
Starling House, my third full-length novel, will be out in June 2023! My editor described it as “Faulkner’s great-great-niece did a movie with Guillermo del Toro,” which is so flattering I just dug out the old email to make sure she really said that.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
OH BOY, DO I! If you liked Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, you’ll like The Siren Queen even more: queer glam Old Hollywood with a supernatural overlay. The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes, by Cat Sebastian, is perfect for people who like historical romances but also like to be gay and do crimes. Nona the Ninth is everything you’re hoping it is, plus some. Nicola Griffith’s Spear made me remember what it was to be young, dreaming of swords in stones.
