We chat with author Anna Bright about Wings of Reverie, which is set centuries after the events of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wings of Starlight, and follows two fairies who must battle a dangerous magic—and their growing feelings for each other—in order to save their home in the Winter Woods of Pixie Hollow.
Hi, Anna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Yes! I’m Anna, a writer, reader, crafter, traveler, walker, wife, and mom of 2. I take an iced coffee, my cross-stitching kit, and earbuds (for my audiobook, duh) with me just about everywhere.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I really don’t even remember. My parents say I used to play with my Little Golden Books before I could read them. But when I was in elementary school, our librarian let me bend the rules about checkout limits, and I used to read my Greek mythology and fairytale books under the table at dinner.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Berenstain Bears!! I used to hand my mom a stack and say READ.
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Blue Fairy Book (Andrew Lang)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis)
Wings of Reverie is the second installment in the Wings of Pixie Hollow series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Whimsical, surprising, banter-y, cozy, romantic
For readers who haven’t read Wings of Starlight by Allison Saft, what can readers expect? And for those who have, what’s to come in your Wings of Reverie?
We’re visiting the realm of the Tinker Bell films! This is Pixie Hollow, in Never Land, and we’re there focusing on different characters who we met in the movies. Wings of Starlight told the story of Pixie Hollow’s Queen Clarion’s and Lord Milori from long before the time period of the films and introduced us to the dangers of nightmare magic.
Wings of Reverie will focus on Periwinkle (later introduced as Tinker Bell’s sister) and Weaver, a surly sparrow man with a mysterious dream talent. Together, the two will contend with nightmare magic as it now threatens the Pixie Dust Tree.
Where did the inspiration for the story in Wings of Reverie come from?
Aside from thinking carefully about what stakes would matter in the Winter Woods, I actually drew a lot of inspiration from 80s-2000s romcoms! I love an insider/outsider romantic dynamic, especially when each of them perceives the other as a walking stereotype.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really did enjoy Weaver and Periwinkle getting past their preconceived ideas of each other. He assumes she’s vapid and selfish, and she’s not very sensitive to how excluded and lonely he feels, and they both grow so much.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Honestly, my issues were just the standard issues you hit when you’re writing a book—timeline problems, keeping plot developments in step with thematic developments, writing a whole scene about an issue and then trying to connect it with the previous scene about that issue and then realizing the previous scene covered it to begin with—and I had to resolve them the usual way (endless revision and triple-checking things and weird charts and checklists in my notebooks).
What’s next for you?
Several different things! In particular, a story idea I’ve been cooking for years—we’ll have to see what comes of that.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Two of my best friends, Laura Weymouth and Hannah Whitten, also have books out this month—The Castle and the Cloister (Weymouth) and Reliquary (Whitten). So whether you want Disney Fairies, political intrigue mixed with thoughts on religion/pacifism/motherhood, or smart girl horror, my friend group has you covered. I’ve also recently made a nuisance of myself over at Random House and snagged early copies of Mischief Girls (Aashna Avachat) and The Gods Will Sing Our Song (Autumn Krause) and I’m SUPER excited to read both.
Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed? Heir (Sabaa Tahir) blew my mind. And I’m on the brink of trying to hack Claudia Gray’s laptop to see if I can get the next Mr. Darcy & Miss Tilney mystery any sooner.
