Acclaimed Calgary author Ben Berman Ghan joins Iranian-Canadian author Hollay Ghadery to talk about the speculative fiction renaissance in Canada and beyond, because what are borders anyway? And doesn’t speculative fiction so often blur and dismantle them? Most recently, Ben has authored The Library Cosmic (Wolsak & Wynn) , a fascinating collection of stories to follow up on Ghan’s debut novel The Years Shall Run Like Rabbits. From golems minding libraries that span millennia, to ghosts pursuing each other across deserts, to robots piecing together texts from lovers in a far future world, these are epic stories, sure to delight readers looking for magic, wonder, and compelling story telling.

Hollay’s fourth book and debut novel, The Unravelling of Ou (Palimpsest Press), tells the story of Minoo—a woman exiled from Iran to Canada after a teenage pregnancy. The story features first-person narration by the protagonist’s sock puppet. This approach provides a unique lens for the examination of female shame, neurodivergent experience, and the courage required to break free from internalized oppression.

Hollay realizes her initials spell HAG and as a middle age woman, is enthusiastically leaning into the dark whimsy they conjure—especially for this conversation on speculation fiction.

Hollay Ahktar Ghadery (HAG): I for one never start writing fiction thinking it’s going to be speculative. That’s something that happens because of how I want or need to approach an issue or perhaps there’s something about our world that doesn’t feel like it’s adequately equipped to explore how I experience life. For instance, with my novel, The Unravelling of Ou , I had no intention of having any speculative element to it, and perhaps some people would read the book as completely based in reality. But the fact of the matter remains  that I see my sock puppet narrator as a separate entity, or at least as a distinct symbiotic entity. I needed to slip the confines of restrictive heteronormative, patriarchal, and Neurotypical, thinking to access what I felt was a lived reality for my character Minoo. Enter the sock puppet. Enter speculative fiction.

What about you? Is speculative fiction something you set out to write deliberately?

Ben Berman Ghan (BBG): I am enmeshed in genre, in the study of it, the reading of it, its culture and production and creation. So yes, I go into a new story already thinking about where it sits, what my work is playing into or subverting, what I am in conversation with. Most often, I get described as a science fiction writer. This makes sense to me, though there is very little science in my stories. Increasingly I have turned towards horror, and the gothic, and the weird. It isn’t everyone’s approach, I know, but I think of literature as a really, really slow conversation across the decades, and it matters to me to know what is being said in a conversation I yearn to contribute to. I wrote most of the stories in The Library Cosmic between 2021-2023, and then spent years editing. But the stories in this book were looking towards were speculative just as often as not. Arkady Martine’s A Memory Called Empire, and Jack Kirby’s Eternals, and Jeff VanderMeer’s Dead Astronauts are on my mind somewhere in these pages, but so is Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, and so is Kim Fu’s Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. Genre has a wonderful capacity for metaphor, don’t you think? If a writer feels despairing, or lonely, their character may find themselves the only living person on a desolate, empty planet. If a writer is feeling hopeful, twinkling stars can appear in the sky, and magic can be real.

HAG: Absolutely! And speaking of metaphor, the way that you opened your novel, The Years Shall Run Like Rabbits, is indelibly imprinted on my brain; the image of an angel kneeling in a garden on the moon. It’s gorgeous and haunting. I was delighted to see you flex the same muscle in your short fiction collection, The Library Cosmic. Your work is airy but also intense and it’s a heady mixture. Tell me about the process of entering these worlds that you created and staying in them—especially staying in them because I found it exhilarating, but also consuming to stay in the world of my novel.

BBG: All-consuming seems like a good description! But I’m really only happy when I’m enmeshed in a story. The times between writing, the times between having a good idea to pursue and chew on, these are probably the times when I’m my most unpleasant, my most frustrating. I like being in these worlds. I usually just kind of fall into them. I don’t think about worldbuilding when I first start crafting a story, to be honest. Imagery and character and feeling come naturally, and then the world around it logically follows. The worlds in The Library Cosmic follow something of a stranger series of moods than the novel that came before, perhaps, caught between the extremes of hope and nihilism that I spent a lot of the pandemic in. Once I’ve fallen into the world of a story and I have the characters and the moods and the images, then I take lots of notes, I build things out and build things up. It is important that you, the writer, knows how everything works and how every little thing ends up where it is, even if you aren’t going to tell your readers, or at least, I think so. Really the biggest problem with my need to fall into a story, is that it is always the next story no satisfaction from the last thing done, no lingering intoxication. I am always chasing that next high, the act is the thing, I suppose. Is it like that for you?

HAG: Oh definitely. I always say I’m going to take a break after a book and then I never do. I need that next bump. I haven’t even quite finished a collection of essays I have due to publishers in the next few weeks, or the poetry collection I received a grant for after that, and I’m thinking about my next novel, which will definitely be speculative. But I never set out to write speculative fiction, unlike you. As this next story started developing in my brain, before I wrote anything down, I realized that if I wanted to investigate the themes I wanted to explore, the only way I could do that— the only way I could explode the systems and conventions and pick through the mechanism—would be to slip the (false) consensus of reality. I feel like it’s not just me who is increasingly drawn to speculative fiction, though. There is a speculative renaissance, and I’m noticing many Canadian writers have tapped into it. I’ve already circled why I think literary artists, like myself, might be drawn to this genre right now, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. And why do you think Canadian writers in particular seem increasingly drawn to spec fiction? If you agree with me at all about this part.

BBG: In terms of if/why more “literary” writers are drawn towards speculative fiction, I’m not sure how much I have to say about it. I was always drawn to this. I have always loved it. It is good more people have caught on, but I can’t say why, because I didn’t have the revelation with them! I don’t enjoy the term “literary” fiction to be honest, it is so restrictive, yet so vague. What makes something literary? There is artful and beautiful writing in literary spaces, there is terrible writing in literary spaces. There’s artful and beautiful writing in speculative lit scenes, and terrible writing in these scenes.

However, what I can say more about is I am encouraged by how much speculative fiction Canadian publishers have put out in recent years!! Just recently, Geoffrey D. Morrison’s The Coffin of Honey over at Coach House Books, Whitney French’s Syncopation: A Novel in Verse at Wolsak & Wynn, and A.D. Sui’s Our Infinite but Inevitable Ends which is forthcoming with ECW. All beautiful works, all very spec, very genre. It is good to see how much less closed off genre writing is from “literary” writing. I get very frustrated when people from one “camp” refuse to read the other and vice versa. Maybe that’s what feels different, really. Not the writers, but the readers. Readers seem far more open to finishing the new Sally Rooney or Rachel Cusk, and then picking up the new Jeff VanderMeer or Stephen Graham Jones or the new Isaac Fellman (look at me sneaking in my faves all throughout this answer hehehehe) from the same shelf, and not really thinking about how the genre lines may divide these books! If anything, I’m sure that has helped open up more writers to exploring different kinds of writing in their own work. I’m hesitant to say this is a uniquely Canadian affair either. It has happened here, it has happened all over. “Literary realism” as we think of it today, isn’t really that old or well defined a genre. “Literary” as fully separate and serious and altogether apart from the fantastic It is a microscopic blip in the history of art.

HAG: As someone who works in publishing, I’m definitely seeing speculative fiction more in Canadian books and I’m noticing—talking to other Canadian writers—that more writers are thinking about venturing into speculative realms more often, which perhaps has something to do with what you’ve touched on about genre lines being blurred and noticing readers aren’t fussy about genre divides.

Based on conversations I’ve had and I’m still having, I’m aware of writers who have always been drawn to speculative fiction, but who have stayed away from writing it because they felt there might not be taken seriously or there’s no serious market for it. These writers seem more ready to write it themselves, and I agree: it may be due to the heartening agility of readers. Of course, you are right that possibly it’s not just in Canada, but that’s where my career focus is and that’s where I’m noticing the change.

I feel like Canadians can sometimes have an inferiority complex—and this isn’t just related to art, but I’m most interested in how this plays out the way we talk about our culture. My interest is not born in any sense of nationalism either. Rather, I’m fascinated by the way people relate to and communicate about the spaces and places they are from. Speculative fiction is an infinitely exciting prism through which I can interrogate this preoccupation.

[To Ben: if you feel like I’m getting off topic here or straying too far, feel free to redirect and I’ll edit. I’m so jacked up on antihistamines right now. I’m not sure I’m even thinking straight.]

[To Hollay: This makes sense to me! I’m just gonna have to think about my answer. And oh no! I hope you feel better soon]

[[we should keep this exchange in the interview]]

[To Ben: Considering my new allergies I thought to be the result of human made climate change and this is a discussion about speculative fiction, it seems fitting to try to leave it in. I’m on my first day without Claritin, though my doctor assures me taking it every day even with my SSRI is perfectly safe, but these days nothing feels perfectly safe, you know?]

BBG: I’m not really interested in “CanLit” the way some people talk about it, as an ongoing project, as something nationalist and unique. I am interested in literatures in Canada, and what work people are contributing and what work is flourishing here. It is hard for me to think of speculative literature as something that adheres to a national writing scene. When I think of the magazine culture of spec, and the reading culture of spec, part of my hope and my delight is that Canadian speculative writing can find a place not in a “national” writing scene but in a writing scene without borders. One that, like speculative fiction itself, allows us to step into a bigger and more wondrous world. Something that’s been so interesting looking at our moment of Canadian speculative fiction is, like you said, the way writers are communicating with spaces and places. There’s something prickly and interesting seeing the specific way authors are transforming spaces like Toronto, or Montreal, or Vancouver, or Calgary through these works. I think the way I turn Montreal into a space for eco-cultists in Church of the Hot Pink Jesus, or the way that Andrew Sullivan can turn Toronto into a horrible sludgy hell in The Marigold, or the way Larissa Lai can transform Vancouver into the city of Tiger Flu, or the way Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves rips through Ontario. That I think, is one of the big strengths of speculative fiction in Canada, in the capacity to consider place, and how our positionalities may be affected by place.

HAG: Love this answer. I think it’s a perfect way to wrap up this conversation, but first, want to shout out some speculative books we’ve loved? I’m going to keep mine to Canadian and Indigenous authors, but you can, of course, recommend anyone you’d like.

• As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories, edited by Terese Mason Pierre (House of Anansi).
• Call Me Stan & Stand On Guard by K.R. Wilson (Guernica Editions)
• Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, edited by Joshua Whitehead (Arsenal Pulp Press)
• The Cross series (there are four of them!) by Peter Darbyshire (Wolsak & Wynn)
• The Monster in the Mirror by KJ Aiello (ECW Press)
• Countess by Suzan Palumbo (ECW Press)
• Gitwaałtk by Crystal AJ Smith (Gordon Hill Press / The Porcupine’s Quill)
• Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive by Alison Gadsby (Guernica Editions)
• The Haunting of Modesto O’Brien by Brit Griffin (Latitude 46 Publishing)
• The Years Shall Run Like Rabbits and The Library Cosmic by Ben Berman Ghan (Wolsak & Wynn)
• NMLCT (poems) by Paul Vermeersch (ECW Press)

BBG: Omg I think you’ve actually stolen a lot of the Canadian ones I wanted to say!! So I will just throw in a few more here both Canadian and otherwise. Boy, I do love books. Unfortunately, I’ve already mentioned a whole bunch throughout our interview, so apologies for some repeats here!

• The Marigold by Andrew Sullivan (ECW Press)
• The Coffin of Honey by Geoffrey D Morrison (Coach House Books)
• The Annual Migration of Clouds (and its two sequels!) by Premee Mohamed (ECW Press)
•  Syncopation: A Novel in Verse by Whitney French (Wolsak & Wynn)
• Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera (Tor Publishing)
• The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Simon & Schuster)
• The Practice, The Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tor books)

Ben Berman Ghan is the author of The Library Cosmic (Buckrider books 2026), The Years Shall Run Like Rabbits (Buckrider Books 2024), and more. His work has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, Strange Horizons Magazine, and The Ancillary Review of Books. Ben is a PhD Candidate at the University of Calgary, and lives in Calgary with his partner and his cats, and is the co-editor in chief of Paper Bill Press. Find him at www.inkstainedwreck.ca

Hollay Ghadery is an Iranian-Canadian multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. Her acclaimed memoir Fuse (Guernica Editions 2021) won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. She is the author of Rebellion Box (Radiant Press, 2023), and her short fiction collection Widow Fantasies (Gordon Hill Press, 2024) was a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards. She is a host on The New Books Network and HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM, and serves as Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com

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The authors sat down to recall how their partnership began, the pros and cons of writing as a duo, the challenges of writing in a second language, and time travel. Well, sort of.

Ilana: Let’s start at the beginning—after all, it’s “a very good place to start.” I guess everyone is dying to know how we met. Care to share?

Alessandra: I wouldn’t go so far as to say “everyone”, but to those who are curious, we met at work, back in Brazil. We joined our workplace at the same time, and there, our paths took us to different countries. We were both living in Africa when the pandemic hit (you, in Kenya; while I was in Namibia), we got in touch for some random reason and ended up bonding over literature and writing. I wanted to try NaNoWriMo for the first time; you were my accountability partner and also my inspiration to write.

I: That was such a fun time! We texted every day and cheered on one another; it absolutely made up for the isolation months. Then, we started following the wonderful #WritingCommunity people. Remember that six-figure book deal we saw on Twitter? You were so moved by it that you joked we should switch to romance and get us a sweet deal, too.

A: Yes! I was writing high fantasy while alpha-reading your superb lit fic. I’m so glad you accepted my proposal to join forces and co-write 37 Questions; you fell immediately in love with the idea and I just had to have you with me. Then we created our alter-ego, June—because we were both born in the most beautiful month of the year—and ever since we’ve been doing most of our writing together. Speaking of which, since you had way more experience than me in writing alone, what is your favorite part of writing as a duo?

I: Way more experience, wow. That makes me sound like a veteran writer, which I’m definitely not. Writing is a solitary craft, so having someone to share the happy moments—and the not-so-happy ones—is awesome! I love that we are built-in critique partners, so we review each other’s chapters as we write them. At the same time, it always fascinated me how we could plot something together, so I knew what was going to happen in that scene, but when I finally read what you had written, you surprised me with some witty wording, small plot twist, heart-melting romantic gesture, or even just things happening in a way I hadn’t imagined. The beauty of writing is that creativity flows in different ways for each person.

A: I agree with you! I’ll also say that having different writing styles, as we do, makes writing together more interesting.

I: In your opinion, is there a drawback to writing as a duo?

A: The best part of writing as a duo is having someone to share everything. The worst part is… having to share everything. Because we try to make everything together, every single decision needs to be discussed, which often takes some time because of our busy schedules as moms, wives, and workers. Collaboration doubles our brainpower but slows down decision-making. I don’t consider it a bad thing, it’s just the one con that comes to mind. I mean, I love writing as a duo, and appreciate having you to share every single (and small) step of the complex process that publishing a book is. It wouldn’t be the same without you! I am so grateful you convinced me to write in English, too, even though it’s not our first language. Was it challenging for you?

I: It certainly was. When writing in a foreign language, the limited vocabulary, and the lack of cultural nuance can make it difficult to convey ideas as clearly (or as poetically) as you want them to be. My browsing history and the dictionary I have pinned in my browser are testimonies to my struggles! The funny thing is that I always thought I used those tools because English is not my first language, but I’ve been seeing many English-speaking writers on social media making funny videos about their Google searches, how much they rely on thesaurus and… well, I guess writing is challenging for everyone!

A: Maybe now’s a good time to talk about what inspired our book baby? Because, even though the initial idea was very different from what our story became, the backbone never changed—the famous “36 questions to fall in love” article by the NYT, which was based on a 1997 scientific paper. I don’t think you’d heard of it when I suggested we write a story using it as a framework…?

I: Exactly! I guess I was living under a rock or something. Now, I recommend everyone I know to try it. All you need is the list, a willing partner, and 90 minutes. Of course we did the questionnaire between us, first through our characters and then as ourselves. When I asked you the first of the 36 questions (“Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?”), you said you’d invite your 10-year-old self. If you could tell her that one day you’d be publishing a book in the US, how do you think she’d react?

A: I think she would be perplexed that her then-dream of becoming an actress would not happen (perhaps vicariously through Aiden), but as a true Gemini, she would also be fascinated by the idea. Even though she probably wouldn’t understand exactly what it meant.

I: Mine would say, “Yeah. Sure. I knew it.” I was way more confident when I was a child than I am today! Especially because, when I was around ten, I dreamed of being a writer. Later on, as a teenager, my life changed, and I ended up in law school, keeping connected with my old dream by posting poems on a blog. But the world turned and here we are, publishing a book. Thanks to you. <3

A: Awn, it takes two to June! Sharing this road with you has been a delight. But now that our book baby is out in the world, what is your expectation about 37 Questions?

I: My biggest expectation is that readers enjoy the story, fall in love with the characters, and interact actively with the questions as they read the book. Can they relate to any of the characters’ answers? Would they know the answers of their partners or friends?

A: Yes! I’d also love for the book to promote meaningful conversations about love, friendship, and self-awareness. My goal is to create a fun and emotional experience that encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships while having a good time reading our story. The questions in the book aren’t only a way to get to know someone else—they’re also a powerful tool for self-discovery. And who knows? Maybe it can inspire our readers to fall in love, too.

The post Co-Authors Alessandra and Ilana On ‘37 Questions’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Both originally from Yorkshire, Chris and Jen met as undergraduates at the University of Oxford. They hold PhDs in Science and Technology Studies (Chris) and Victorian Literature (Jen), which goes some way to explaining Victoriocity (at least in part because of the mixture of books cluttering up their home). The pair were part of the writing team behind the BBC Sounds weird fiction anthology series Murmurs, and they have also spent many years writing and performing scripted and improvised comedy around the UK.

About High Vaultage: From the creators of the acclaimed podcast Victoriocity comes a hilarious novel set in the greatest, most chaotic city in history. Twisty, inventive, and joyously funny, High Vaultage is perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch, Tom Holt, Douglas Adams, and Terry Pratchett.

Jen: Hello, Chris.

Chris: Hello, Jen.

Jen: I just want to say what an enormous pleasure it is to interview you, my husband.

Chris: I’m sure it is.

Jen: Thank you for being here.

Chris: You’re welcome.

Jen: This is strange and great. Let’s get to it. We are married to each other but we also write together, and our debut novel High Vaultage has just been released in the USA and Canada, which is why we’re doing this interview. Why don’t we catch readers up: tell them what the novel is about, Chris.

Chris: High Vaultage is a detective thriller comedy set in a reimagined, technologically advanced Victorian London. In this world, two private investigators – ex-Scotland Yard detective Archibald Fleet and journalist Clara Entwistle – have set up the first detective agency in the city and are trying to solve a mysterious kidnapping. The person who witnessed this kidnapping has turned to Fleet-Entwhistle Private Investigations because the police are too absorbed by a series of impossible bank break-ins across the city to help.

Jen: You mentioned our setting is an advanced Victorian London, and I think that is one of my favourite elements of the book. The London of High Vaultage is called “Even Greater London” and is essentially a megalopolis that never stopped expanding and has grown to cover the entire lower half of England. That was your idea originally. Where did it come from?

Chris: I think it’s from a mixture of things. I was reading some Victorian sci-fi, including HG Wells, and so I was very in the mindset of that Victorian sense of technological ambition where anything seemed possible, and I started to think, well, what if there was a Victorian world where they really did have something close to our technological capabilities. Beyond that, I think the idea was also sparked by a more biographic psychological place, which is the presence of London in the United Kingdom. For people reading outside the UK, it’s hard to overstate the degree to which London dominates the UK economically, culturally, politically. It would be like if, in the USA, instead of Hollywood being in LA, your government being in Washington DC, and finance being in New York, it’s all in one city and it’s all at one end of the country. This tends to have the effect of certain institutions (the government or media, for example) treating London as by far the most important, or even the only important, part of the UK. And I think I thought it was interesting to play that idea out physically with a city that, instead of metaphorically reaching across the country, in fact physically did span across a huge part of England.

Jen: Yes, that idea fits very well with the Victorian spirit of ambition and technological possibility you mentioned earlier – the idea that the Victorians absolutely would just have kept building until they hit the coast if no limits had been placed on them. And, in the world of Even Greater London, a lot of limits are removed by the fact that the city itself is powered by a tower that beams wireless electricity out across London and has effectively allowed the conditions for this expansion. I also really love this world as a playground for our detective protagonists who have just set up their detective business together in this bonkers city. For me, that is a big source of humour in the novel: a grumpy detective and his upbeat, sunny detective partner solving crimes in a completely baffling and overwhelming city.

Chris: Yes, when we describe the setting it can make the book sound quite serious, but it is principally a comedy. Where else do you see the humour coming from, and what were your influences, Jen?

Jen: Oh, great question. In terms of our influences, comedically, I think The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a huge inspiration, as well as British comedy shows like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Blackadder, French and Saunders and The League of Gentlemen, certainly for me anyway. I should add we also love our American comedies too! And in terms of the humour, we tend to write a lot of character-driven comedy, I think in part because we are interested in human foibles, but also because we have a background in improvised comedy and are so used to dreaming up funny and ridiculous characters. A lot of the humour comes from these characters clashing against the mad world we have created. I think we kept asking the question: what if the Victorians but, you know, even more bonkers. And that led to the creation of so many fun locations in the city, like our reimagining of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens as a 19th century Disneyland on acid. We’ve also got the Midlands Boundary Forest, designed to keep Northerners out of London, not least because it has been populated with 33,000 wolves to discourage crossings.

Chris: And the Thames Glacier.

Jen: Oh yes! The Tower which beams electricity through the city and is responsible for its prosperity and progress comes at the price of the River Thames becoming irrevocably frozen. So the Frost Fairs – which really did happen in the past when the Thames froze over in the winter – are now a permanent feature and people can go down on their lunch breaks for a bit of skating and hot chocolate. Or, you can go at night and bury bodies so deep in the ice that no one will ever find them. Chris, you are also responsible for a lot of humour in the novel through your depiction of a series of increasingly rubbish automata.

Chris: Well this is the thing, I think it’s very important to know that just because you have unlimited electrical energy to power your ideas, it doesn’t mean things are going to work. Fundamentally it’s still humans making them, and it’s still companies cutting corners, and so if you buy a robot receptionist, it’s going to speak to you in exactly the ways it’s been programmed to, because it’s not worth anybody’s time making it so intelligent that it can actually converse like a human, or help detectives figure out what they’re trying to figure out. So yeah, everything’s simultaneously amazing and half-broken.

Jen: Queen Victoria is also mostly a robot now. How many times has she been assassinated and revived by her Royal Medical Engineers?

Chris: Eleven and counting.

Jen: So, we’ve talked a lot about what’s in the book, but we often get asked about our writing process, because we write as a team.

Chris: I think there’s two or three stages to our process. The first one is outlining a structure. Although we write comedy, the structure of the novel is a detective mystery and escalating thriller, so the first stage is us brainstorming ideas and coming up with a complete plot and character arcs that would work effectively for a straight mystery-thriller. The comedy is layered on after that. When we have that outline, the next stage is to divvy it up, with each of us writing different chapters before handing them to each other to see what we think. We will then either give some notes on the chapter or edit it directly ourselves. We go backwards and forwards like that until we’re both happy with all of it. And that’s the key thing: we both have to be happy with all of it. It’s both of our work, so if one of us doesn’t like something, and can’t be convinced, it doesn’t go into the book.

Jen: I think it works really well. I mean, we’re not divorced yet so it can’t be working too badly.

Chris: ‘Yet,’ is crucial there.

Jen: Ha! Indeed. We’ve got a second book in the series to write so let’s see how that goes before making any grand claims.

Chris: Joking aside, I have really enjoyed working with you on this.

Jen: And I’ve enjoyed working with you. We do keep doing it – working together I mean – which must be because we enjoy it. What readers might not know is that the book itself is set in the same world as the audio drama podcast Victoriocity, which we also created and write together. You don’t have to listen to the podcast to read the book though, it’s completely standalone, but if you’re reading this thinking you’d like to listen – for free! – to a neo-Victorian detective comedy fiction podcast, then check it out on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or any other podcast app. But we’re not here to talk about the podcast – Chris, tell people why they should check out our debut novel High Vaultage.

Chris: I think these are dark times. Dark, dark times.

Jen: Strong start.

Chris: And High Vaultage is a light-hearted, funny detective mystery set in a bewilderingly chaotic Victorian megacity. So there’s lots of fun to be had.

Jen: Yes, I feel like we have written something that is a fun time. So if that appeals, it’s out now!

Chris: Thanks for reading, everyone.

Jen: Yes, thank you!

The post Co-Authors Chris Sugden and Jen Sugden On ‘High Vaultage’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Ellie: Rod, it’s no secret I’m a super fan of Agatha Raisin, so when asked whether I might be interested in having a conversation about our long-running cozy series, my immediate answer was yes! Agatha and her zany crew have captivated me and other readers for years. Killing Time is the 35^th book in the series. I’m curious how you keep the series fresh and engaging after so many books, and is there anything Agatha wouldn’t do to sleuth out a killer?

Rod: Hi Ellie – good to chat with you! Glad you’re an Agatha fan and continuing to enjoy the series. Keeping things fresh is a challenge but I have a small army of helpers in the shape of the cast of characters developed by M. C. Beaton over the years. They tend to take a greater or lesser role depending on the way they decide the story goes. I know that sounds weird, but I’ve not lost my marbles completely. The thing is, when regular characters are dropped into situations, there are things they can be expected to do or say, and things that would be out of character for them, just like real people. The interaction between the characters and any new protagonists always helps to keep the plot bubbling.

Funny you should ask about things that Agatha might or might not do in the course of an investigation, because that’s another key way to keep things fresh and fun. She will do practically anything. She goes out stalking quokkas (look them up – they’re so cute!) and lions in Down The Hatch; she takes up archery (briefly) in Dead On Target; and she even gets naked to infiltrate a nudist club in Devil’s Delight! In Killing Time, she spends a short time on the Spanish island of Mallorca, all in the line of duty.

Rod: So I’ve always loved the titles you come up with for Jules’s investigations in the Bakeshop Mysteries. M. C. Beaton’s first Agatha book was Quiche of Death, but you’ve turned the cookery puns into an art form. Muffin but the Truth is just brilliant and I think of Live and Let Pie every time the Wings/Guns ’n’ Roses tune comes on the radio! You’ve just released Sticks and Scones, which is the 19^th book in the series – how do you keep coming up with those titles and what comes first, the title or the plot? While you’re at it, I must know if you actually bake all of the recipes included in the books.

Ellie: The titles for these series are quintessentially cozy, aren’t they? I still have my well-worn copy of The Quiche of Death—it’s a classic! I think a clever title is important because it gives the reader a little clue about the book they’re about to crack open, and hopefully, the title gives them a good chuckle because, after all, cozy mysteries are meant to be light and fun. I tend to start with a working title and stay open during the writing process to see how the story develops and what Jules is baking at Torte. Once you get started down the path of a good pun, they begin to take on a life of their own. Titles have become a family affair—friends, readers, booksellers, librarians, my editorial team, and even strangers offer ideas and suggestions. I love that puns inspire such creativity. I read somewhere that people drawn to puns tend to be highly intelligent, so I’m sticking to that story.

In terms of the recipes, it’s true. I bake every recipe included in the books. Baking is my love language, so it doesn’t feel like work. The recipes are one of the final things I do when editing a manuscript. It’s such a sensory process to knead a sweet bread dough or whip up a chocolate souffle. I use my time in the kitchen to layer those details into the story. Although I will admit I’ve had my fair share of baking fails over the years, which I think both Jules and Agatha can relate to.

Ellie: I think the cozy is sometimes maligned and brushed off as fluffy. For any readers who aren’t familiar with the term—a cozy typically takes place in a small town or village (think the Cotswolds or charming Ashland, Oregon) and features an amateur sleuth where the focus is on piecing together the clues to figure out whodunit. They’re meant to be escapist reading, but plotting a mystery takes tremendous work. What are some of your challenges when it comes to writing, especially continuing such a beloved series?

Rod: I think that ‘cozy crime’ began as a term of convenience used by publishers to categorize books of a certain type. Because it so simply describes the genre, it soon reached the wider world. Some writers prefer to use the term ‘classic crime’ as they feel ‘cozy’ denigrates what we do. They believe their work is dismissed as having less value than other crime writing styles and I can see their point. It takes as much work to construct a cozy murder mystery as it does to create any other kind of detective story and we can’t rely on foul language, graphic violence or explicit sex scenes to shock our readers. Therein, however, lies the beauty of the term ‘cozy’. When readers see a book labelled in that way, they know just what to expect and, if they’re fans of that humorous, more gentle style, they can be confident they’re buying a book they’ll be comfortable reading.

When it comes to maintaining the style in a series that fans have enjoyed for years, I think that the established cast of well-loved characters is what drives everything forward. I’d include the setting as one of the most important ‘characters’ – Cotswolds for Agatha and Oregon for Jules – because local history, folklore and culture not only add flavour (quite literally in your Bakeshop series!) but can also provide inspiration and become integral to a new storyline.

Rod: Some things that characters do and the way they can influence the plot still surprise me during the writing process. What about you? How do you balance giving readers the familiar elements they love while introducing new characters, settings, or plot twists to keep things exciting? Are there secondary characters in your series that have unexpectedly become fan favorites or taken on a larger role than you initially planned?

Ellie: Yeah, I agree, it’s always a delight when characters take us in directions we didn’t see coming. That may be my very favorite part of writing. It feels like magic, and I don’t think a character has ever led me astray. The gift of writing a long-running series is having time and space to develop the secondary cast of characters. It’s not just Agatha’s antics that keep me coming back—it’s also Roy, Bill, Sarah… I could go on and on.

It’s a delicate balance to strike between not boring readers who have followed the series from the beginning and providing enough backstory for new readers. For me, I’ve tried to give each secondary character their own growth arc, rotating through who gets to take center stage (so to speak) for each book. Readers have their own favorites and email and message me often to share their thoughts. That’s the highest compliment I think we can receive. These fictional characters we’ve created in our heads resonate in real life. They feel like old friends to me, and I’m thrilled readers feel equally attached. Lance, the Artistic Director for the Shakespeare Festival, has certainly become a fan favorite, which is hilarious because originally I thought he was going to be a toss-away character, but he had other ideas!

Ellie: On the note of popularity, why do you think the cozy has passed the test of time and continues to remain beloved?

Rod: At the risk of sounding boring – and I’m brave enough to take that risk – the popularity of cozies all comes back, once again, to the characters. Readers like to be able to put themselves in the shoes of the investigator. In my case, that would mean male readers (I know of plenty blokes who read Agatha Raisin) squeezing into Agatha’s high heels but a little discomfort’s not going to put off the most dedicated fans. The point is that readers have a close affinity with the main character and will often see friends’ or relatives’ faces among the supporting cast. With so much invested in the characters, readers don’t then want to see any of their favourites doing anything darkly sinister, deeply disturbing or viscerally violent. They don’t want their characters giving them nightmares. That’s the sort of thing that might happen in other genres. Cozies are so popular because readers know they can be relied upon to provide an intriguing murder mystery that their main character will solve with the help of some familiar friends, wrapping things up in a satisfying manner without leaving anyone too traumatized. There’s a fun, feel-good factor to cozies that you simply don’t get elsewhere.

Rod: I guess all of that is what makes cozy mystery readers loyal to their favourites and so thoroughly engaged as fans. What’s the most memorable feedback or interaction you’ve had from a fan of your series?

Ellie: There’s nothing better than hearing from readers who enjoy our work. I’m sure you feel the same. I mean, I can’t even begin to count the hours of enjoyment Agatha has brought me. Over the years, I’ve made so many incredible connections and friendships because of the series. One standout is a reader who got a tattoo of the coffee mug from the cover of Mocha, She Wrote. I never would have imagined anyone getting a tattoo of my books when I started writing. For me, the most rewarding part of writing is hearing from readers who have sought solace in the pages of my books. Knowing that these stories provide a moment of escape during some of life’s hardest moments—grief, divorce, illness—and that our characters and stories are companions and sources of comfort fills my heart. It’s a testament to the power of storytelling to help us feel less alone, even when life feels overwhelming.

Ellie: I’m dying to know what’s next for Agatha. Can you give me a little insider info?

Rod: Well, despite the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful and peaceful areas of England, Jules can bet her bake shop on there being another murder or two in Agatha’s Cotswolds in the not-too-distant future . Following on from Killing Time, Agatha gets tangled up in the past lives of three women who have known each other since they were little girls. Sugar and Spite will be out in fall 2025.

Rod: What about for Jules?

Ellie: Sugar and Spite. Come on, that’s too good. I can’t wait! Jules is venturing out of Ashland in the next installment, Killing Me Souffle, which will be released in February. She and the team at Torte are heading to the southern Oregon Coast to help launch a new restaurant when they suddenly realize that murder is on the menu.

The post Authors In Conversation: RW Green and Ellie Alexander appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Katya: I’ve always wanted to edit an anthology! I find multi-author themed collections very effective because they offer something for everyone. As a horror writer and reader, I also appreciate clever takes on horror that challenge the status quo. All of these things have aligned in October 2021 when I came up with the idea for an anthology that reimagines old horror tropes in new and unexpected ways. I pitched this project to Lindy Cameron, the publisher at Clan Destine Press, but I remember telling Lindy that I’d only do it if I got to do it with you, Narrelle! I had stories included in two of the anthologies you’ve edited for Clan Destine and I’ve admired your writing as well as your editorial insights ever since. What was your first reaction when I invited you to co-edit This Fresh Hell with me? (And tell us how you came up with our anthology’s awesome title!)

Narrelle: I was very flattered to be asked, as I felt it spoke well of your experiences with me as an editor when you wrote for The Only One in the World and Clamour and Mischief. I also hoped that I would be able to share some of my thoughts, experience and advice with you and that I’d have things to learn in return – which I definitely did!

I loved the pitch, but I thought a sassier title might help it get attention. Since the idea was all about fresh takes on old horror tropes, the Dorothy Parker quote of ‘what fresh hell is this?’ sprang immediately to mind. The title is the answer to grumpy ol’ Dot – it’s THIS fresh hell, Ms Parker. Deal with it.

Katya: I love our title – and the beautiful cover art Claire L. Smith (who also has a story in the anthology!) has created for the book! This Fresh Hell was my first ever experience of putting an anthology together, but for you – it’s your third (and you have another co-edited project on the way!). How different was the experience of co-editing This Fresh Hell compared to your previous – solo edited – anthologies?

Narrelle: Co-editing is a very different experience, because we had different writing backgrounds, different tastes in some areas, and different approaches in others. Instead of taking half the time, it took about twice the time! But it was great to collaborate and share ideas and ways of approaching challenges, so that we had a shared vision to work towards. I think your idea for the anthology was so good that we had a pretty close joint idea of it right from the start, but I enjoyed the process of refining that.

Katya: I enjoyed this process as well! I learned a lot while working with you – some things I expected and was ready for, others not so much. I loved putting together a list of tropes and then working out which authors we were going to invite. Receiving the finished stories and getting that first feel for how each author approached the task of reinventing their chosen trope was also great… but the editing process was very labour-intensive. As a first-time editor, I felt very nervous about sending editorial notes to our authors! And while we had such a positive experience with our authors, I imagine it’s not always the case – do you have any tips on how to manage the editorial process effectively, especially when authors and editors don’t agree on the vision for the story?

Narrelle: It can be a delicate situation and both tact and sympathy are required. But it remains that, as an editor, the stories accepted have to meet your editorial vision, and from time to time a story you like in general may not work when it comes down to it. Some submissions are great, but not the story you need for that anthology. Some stories are not quite there but with a little collaboration can bridge the gap. And sometimes that gap can’t be closed to both your and the writer’s satisfaction. That doesn’t make the story bad or anyone wrong – it just means it’s not the fit either of you hoped it would be.

In the end, if you think structural changes are needed to better meet the brief/theme/your vision, or to bring out the potential you see in the story, all you can do is make the editorial suggestions. The author doesn’t have to agree with them, or maybe they can’t find an alternative way to address the issues. Discussion should always be open and welcome. But if you can’t find a resolution, it might mean that this time you don’t work together. That’s okay. The writer doesn’t have to make changes, but if as an editor you think it doesn’t meet your needs, then it’s also okay to decide that story is not for you. No shame or blame on either side. Sometimes things just don’t quite work out, and there’s always the next anthology!

Katya: wise words! …Horror is currently enjoying a much-deserved revival, and we’re seeing a lot of new takes on the old tropes, with stories interrogating the problematic aspects of horror and centering characters and perspectives that were previously marginalised. In This Fresh Hell we have stories from such a diverse group of authors, with a variety of identities represented, and this diversity is definitely reflected in the stories. What are the highlights of This Fresh Hell for you?

Narrelle: I loved getting stories from so many different cultural perspectives, and by asking for twists in the trope, we also go some wonderfully unexpected stories from the white western perspective as well. Occasionally that meant having to learn a lot, as an editor, to see unfamiliar folkloric traditions in a story and discover how best to bring out that background to readers who might be likewise unfamiliar. Gillian Polack’s ‘Ignore the Dead Bodies, Please’ is one I cite a lot as a learning experience, as I didn’t know much about Jewish folklore, but as editors we were able to collaborate closely with Gillian to get a really clear idea, and that terrific story really shines.

So, we have stories drawing on all kinds of tropes and different cultural inspirations that provide a set of textured stories. We have a Slavic take on vampire and werewolf legends; spooky swamp creatures from the Louisiana Bayou; rascals from Africa, and Australian takes on highway ghosts, haunted ships and the dangers of the Tasmanian bush! Cults, human sacrifice, gothic houses, hubris, curses, coming-of-age witches and legal contracts with the devil!

I think my favourite part of the anthology is how the twist changes the tropes for each story. Some themes are very dark yet that little twist often brings a notion of hope each time. That darkness can sometimes be embraced; that we have more choices than we sometimes think; that shadows come from light (and that light, of course, throws shadows). In short, life is complex and fundamentally unfair but that we don’t have to be powerless in its teeth.

Katya: Beautifully said! We have our own stories included in This Fresh Hell. I chose the haunted house trope because I wanted to tackle it from a fresh, new perspective by giving the narrative voice to the house itself. In most haunted house stories, we typically get a sinister backstory to the house but the moment that story is fully introduced we pretty much know how the rest will unfold. I decided not to focus on the house’s backstory so much but rather give perspective of how the house comes to the decisions whether to terrorise its new residents or not. But at its heart, my story – ‘House, Meet Your Match’ – is about love, family and belonging. You also chose a house-themed trope for your story, but it couldn’t be more different from my interpretation. How did you arrive at the trope for your story and how did you approach the task of re/interpreting it?

Narrelle: I used to follow an account on the now defunct Twitter, called Girls Running from Houses. They’d post little gothic ideas about the girls and gothic houses trope. It made me laugh, some of the things they’d post. When it came to my own story, I just got this notion stuck in my head – The girl is running from the house. The house is chasing her. So, I drew it out from there, throwing in the ‘rule of three’ trope of fairytales, and then, because I like it when girls fight back, had the three running girls meet and decide what to do next.

Katya: that’s such a clever interpretation! I love your story! …Horror is a very diverse genre, with some stories truly terrifying and bleak, and others hopeful and uplifting. I feel like This Fresh Hell gives our readers a great breadth of topics and emotional themes, and I think this is a perfect anthology for both established horror fans as well as those who are new to the genre. In my story I wanted readers to see the world from the point of view of a haunted house and, while I ended up with a quirky voice for my protagonist, there are still plenty of spooky moments and visuals. But in the end, I wanted to leave readers hopeful (this is unusual for me as I’ve been known for controversial endings of my books!) How did you want readers to feel after reading your story?

Narrelle: Amused, alarmed, surprised, disturbed, refreshed! I feel like an anthology is like a box of assorted chocolates – lots of texture and variety, and maybe you’ll like some more than others, but the flow and juxtaposition of stories and ideas will, I hope, bring each reader some new ideas and at least once or twice a sense of delight! You and I took a lot of time to choose the story order to provide that textured experience for the reader, so I hope they like it!

Katya: I really enjoyed the process of brainstorming the order of stories with you! So much went into this decision: the length and general style of stories, their themes and even settings! I’m very proud of this book of ours.

…But okay, let’s do a couple of random questions J So, I’m pretty boring in my writing habits – everything distracts me so I need silence and I need a space where I can close the door and just stare at the screen while I type very, very fast. What about you? Do you have any odd writing habits/quirks?

Narrelle: I… have been known to talk to myself, quite a bit, in trying out dialogue and whether big things might be better whispered or shouted. And I have occasionally been fuelled by far too many Tim Tams – the sugar rush has helped push out fast-paced action scenes more than once!

Because I, like most writers, also have a day job (I’m a self-employed commercial writer and editor) I don’t always have time to write an idea when it comes to me, as I have bills to pay and have to do that work first! So, my email inbox is full of little emails and voicemails I’ve sent to myself with ideas for current WiPs or new stories, so I can save them for my fiction writing time and not forget them!

Some of my favourite work is writing case studies, articles and other material for universities, especially for their science departments. I have, for brief periods, had a reasonable lay-person’s understanding of elements of astrophysics, new battery technologies, cryptocurrency, experimental economics and the interplay between architecture and social spaces. But then I move onto the next writing project and the details fade. I like to think of it all as random research that may one day be used in stories, though! So, Katya, I want to know: What was your weirdest gig?

Katya: Many years ago, I was a research assistant to a professor, and one of my first tasks was to go through this hundreds-of-pages long phone bill and call EACH NUMBER to check who it was. The professor said it was for tax purposes or something. But I think he was messing with me!… But tell me what’s your favourite non-writing/reading interest or a hobby?

Narrelle: Katya, I’m very sorry, but that professor was messing with you. He should at least have let you check everything off against his contacts list first!

Favourite hobby? I go to the theatre a lot, and love it. I dabbled in acting when I was younger, too. Now – an extension of some of my writing has been to write songs – I currently have nine songs (which largely come from some of my books which have musicians as characters) available under the band name ‘Duo Ex Machina’, professionally produced by Melbourne’s Golden Hour Studios.

I also started crafting during lockdowns in the last few years, so I make jewellery, crochet and cross stitch now as well. It’s lovely to have a hobby that’s creative without being word-related, and I can do crafts while listening to podcasts and audiobooks!

Katya: You have so many different talents – and you know I love your jewellery! Okay, one last question, do you outline your books or not?

Narrelle: Ah, the old Plotter Vs Pantser question! I used to just start writing without doing an outline, and that worked for a few books. But then it stopped working. So now I come up with the idea and high-level notes about where it’s heading. Then I write a bit to get a feel for the characters and tone before taking that back to a more detailed outline. As I write, I might go back and refine that outline more as the characters become more fully fleshed and I have a better idea how they will respond to different situations and the other characters. It’s very much a blended approach. What do YOU do?

Katya: this is exactly my process these days too! Just like you, I started off by being a total pantser but over time, and as deadline-driven contractual obligations became a THING in my life, I have no choice but to outline my books! I found that outlining is great for my anxiety – I like seeing a book’s entire structure more or less laid out before me, and I then I get to work and start drafting, which is the FUN part!

Aaand that’s a wrap!

About This Fresh Hell
A driver picks up a hitchhiker from the side of a road; a family moves in to a house that may be haunted; a visit to the cabin in the woods goes terribly wrong…

We all know how those stories end – or do we? In This Fresh Hell, every story begins with a well-known horror trope but ends with a twist, bringing new life and unexpected resolutions to old ideas. Our fears are interrogated, ghosts re-examined, and monsters reconfigured. Emerging and established authors from around the world reignite and subvert horror tropes in 19 wholly original, genre-bending stories.

Among these unexpected tales, a Slender Man is sent to offer help to a boy in trouble; a restorer develops an unusual bond with a cursed doll; a heartbroken influencer has her mettle tested aboard a luxurious cruise from hell; a haunted house hesitates to terrify its new residents… Ranging from the chilling to the quirky, these stories will appeal to dedicated horror fans as well as those dipping their toes into the genre for the first time.

Curated by Katya de Becerra and Narrelle M. Harris,
This Fresh Hell presents stories by: A.J. Vrana, Annie McCann, C. Vonzale Lewis, Candace Robinson, Chuck McKenzie, Claire L. Smith, Claire Low, Clare E. Rhoden, Elle Beaumont, Eugen Bacon, Gillian Polack, Greg Herren, Jason Franks, Katya de Becerra, L.J.M. Owen, Narrelle M. Harris, Raymond Gates, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Sarah Robinson-Hatch, Tansy Rayner Roberts.

Get your copy from the publisher This Fresh Hell or from your favourite bookshop!

Katya de Becerra writes atmospheric horror about complicated families in enigmatic places; including a host of short stories; and the novels What the Woods Keep and Oasis. Her forthcoming third novel, When Ghosts Call Us Home, earned a starred review from Kirkus, which called it “haunting, intense, and eerily spooky.” She has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology and teaches and researches at a Melbourne university.

Narrelle M. Harris is an award-winning writer of 11 novels; including The Opposite of Life, Ravenfall, Kitty and Cadaver, land the upcoming The She-Wolf of Baker Street. She is one of Clan Destine’s star anthology editors, responsible for the Sherlock Holmes anthology, The Only One in the World; the feast of corvids that is Clamour and Mischief, and the forthcoming Sherlock is a Girl’s Name.

The post Authors In Conversation: Katya de Becerra and Narrelle M. Harris appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Guadalupe: Hi, David! I’m excited about having this dual interview with you, since we are both having so much fun collaborating and dreaming up so many new projects. Because this is my first book collaboration, I have nothing to compare it to. However, I know that you’ve had other collaborations, and so I wondered: What is your favorite part of the process of “writing in collaboration”? 

David: Hey, Guadalupe! Great question.  Because the project is always what comes first for me, collaboration gives me the chance to tackle projects that are beyond the scope of my own abilities or experiences. It’s such a blessing to find a like-minded person who shares the same vision for a book and to bounce ideas off them until the two of you craft the best version of that literary dream. Then the energy of seeing the manuscript rolling twice as fast with two brains churning it out is really intoxicating, as is the challenge of living up to the amazing writing of your collaborative partner. To some extent, this synergy feels like an amped-up iteration of what an author experiences with a really insightful and hands-on editor, but with even greater investment on the part of the co-author.

With all that in mind, Guadalupe, and given that Secret of the Moon Conch is your first collaboration, I wanted to ask: What was the toughest part, for you, of co-writing this book with me?

Guadalupe: I have to admit the toughest part of co-writing this book was staying true to Calizto’s voice. A big part of my writing process is to give my characters a lot of leeway, letting them think and feel and do what comes naturally to them as people who live and breathe and share their experiences with me in my head. It’s a very visceral, almost spiritual experience, to go on this journey of life with my characters. However, for this book, I had to experience Calizto through your chapters, as a conception of your imagination and your heart. This, of course, made it harder for me to let him do what he wanted in my chapters, because he wasn’t my creation, my fictional child, if that makes sense.

So, when writing my chapters I had many moments when I questioned whether his words, his actions, and his reactions were accurate for him. I had to think more critically than I’m used to if I was going to stay faithful to your vision of this beautiful boy from Tenochtitlan. Though it helped that you and I are good friends, fully committed to writing the best book possible, because it gave us permission to revise our characters’ action, reactions, & dialogue sequences in each other’s chapters as we progressed. And speaking of Tenochtitlan, I have to ask: How did you capture the setting of an ancient, lost architecture so well?  

David: It’s so fortuitous, frankly, that you thought of me when you first had the idea for this book, because I was still deep in the weeds of my research into Tenochtitlan and the Tenochcah (the residents of that city, mostly ethnic Nahuas of the Mexica nation). As you know, by that time I had spent a decade and a half studying Mesoamerica and learning the Nahuatl language spoken throughout the Aztec Empire at the time of the conquest (and by 1.5 million people today). But most of my research had been cultural and linguistic in nature. I hadn’t dug into the physical and political aspects quite as much.

But when Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin reached out to me, asking me to be a translator and consultant on a mini-series depicting the encounter between Moctezuma and Cortés, I found myself really immersed in the particularities of life in Tenochtitlan at the time of the Spanish Invasion. Even though that mini-series was ultimately canceled during pre-production due to COVID-19, the work I did was fundamental in advancing my understanding of the very elements that would make Secret of the Moon Conch such a compelling exploration of the Isle of Mexico in 1521.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to Paul Guinan and David Hahn, whose amazing comic adaptation of the Spanish Invasion has produced the most accurate maps and graphics of the Aztec Empire in existence. Our book includes two of these, in fact!

Speaking of the challenges of writing outside one’s comfort zone, how did you grapple with the specific identity of Sitlali? You’re both from Mexico and came to the US, but her place of birth (in Veracruz) is quite different from yours (in Coahuila). I think you did a great job, but what were the challenges in that depiction? 

Guadalupe: What a great question! I think a big hurdle for me was trying to understand how her upbringing, her place of birth, and her specific way of life in Zongolica, Veracruz, influences her. The personal history, her family’s conflicts and social structure, that was easy, because I’m a Mexican girl who holds many of the same values. It was the other elements that were hard, because I come from Northern Mexico, our Borderlands, Piedras Negras, Coahila, specifically and I’ve never been to the interior.

So, like anything else I know nothing about, I got online and researched the place. There were articles, photos, and many videos I watched to get a sense of the beauty of that place, the lush selvas, the close ties to the Gulf of Mexico, and that’s how I got inspiration for some of the scenes in the book. When we first meet Sitlali, she is spending her last night in Mexico on the beach in Veracruz, spending time with old friends, reflecting on her journey, but also saying goodbye to the memories that come from having lived there all her life, memories she will take with her. This came from seeing videos of that beach. The next morning, when she is waiting for her ride at dawn, I had to envision where she would be standing. I saw pictures and videos of Zongolica and its lush jungles and that gave me a specific idea of where she would be standing, outside of town on that day.

The biggest hurdle was grappling with the language, because she speaks Spanish but also some Nahuatl. Of course, that’s where you came in. I looked up things, but most of the time, I relied on you to help me find “just the right word” for what I was trying to convey in moments where I felt she would be using Nahuatl.

A big question for me, when I’m writing a book, is wanting to know what the characters learn, which speaks to theme. Most of the time, this comes later for me, so I wanted to ask: What were some of the themes that emerged for you as you were thinking about Calizto’s journey? And how did you infuse those themes without disturbing or distorting the dual vision of our story?

David: I really wanted to explore what it means to not just survive but to contemplate the possibility of thriving even when oppressive forces have come to bear on all you hold dear. How does someone who has lost everything still cling to hope? The siege of Tenochtitlan, historically, resulted in the near total annihilation of the Mexica (though millions of other Nahua nations survived, including others within the Triple Alliance / Aztec Empire). But for the few that escaped the complete flattening of both cities on the Isle of Mexico, what awaited them was colonization and erasure. At the same time, in the modern day, both the mestizo descendents of 16th-century Nahuas and actual Nahua communities continue to exist (Sitlali is clearly one of these people, as are you and I, along with our families). So while I wanted to push Calizto to the very edge of endurance, as anyone in Tenochtitlan that summer of 1521 would have been, I also needed to give him a way out … And it needed to be something that could be echoed in Sitlali’s story as well.

I can imagine that some potential readers might prefer a book that just depicts the Fall of Tenochtitlan in all its horrifying finality. And others might want a romance that hews more closely to the ups and downs, the tropey angst and fun, of modern love stories. But to tell this story of how love can be the light in the deepest darkness, we had to find a middle road.

Due to all of that, I wonder—How did you manage to balance the messages you wanted Sitlali’s story to put across with the intense historical adventure with which it’s interwoven? Seems daunting!  

Guadalupe: Well, I definitely wanted to put forth a story that illustrated the hardships immigrants have faced historically in our Americas. However, this is a story that when taken as a whole presents an even bigger picture of the social issues and injustices that have plagued our community for centuries, because it shows the persecution, destruction, capture, torture, and abuse that Mexicans and Mexican Americans have faced from these two different points in time, 1521 and 2019. Because when presenting these two narratives together, as a whole, we get a mirror image of these issues and injustices as they relate and echo each other. We see it then and compare it to now, and by pinning these two micro-narratives against each other, we are getting a bigger bird’s eye view, an enlightening macro-narrative that illuminates the conflicts and issues in a more holistic perspective.

I think negotiating that balance, bringing it all together the way this story does, shares an important message about our culture and where the social injustices stem from, how they are embedded into our cultural history, but also how they have never really left us. It also asks us to think about the world we live in, to consider how we might shift this terrible, centuries-old narrative, how we might affect change in the world. I think that’s the best part of this book, how it has the potential to open reader’s minds and hearts. That’s why it was important for me to write this book. I think it was worth writing and reading and sharing with young people.

David: Amazing. I totally agree. Thanks! Now let’s get to work revising that second book, yeah?

Guadalupe: Absolutely! Hearts of Fire and Snow, here we go!

The post Authors In Conversation: David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Liz: Hello, Kathleen. Might I say what an enormous pleasure and privilege it has been to write not one, but TWO books with you over the past few years.

Kathleen: I wish I could say the same! Just kidding. One thing that I loved about creating The Agathas series with you was the way we always ended up laughing, even when the story was tied in knots and we worked out our writerly differences by doing terrible things to the other’s character. Collaborative writing is definitely an art form and one that you have to hone and polish.

Liz: Every time you pushed Alice out of a tree house, I knew something was up. And yes, co-writing is absolutely an art form. But it also means you only have to write half the book… so it’s well worth it.

Kathleen: Let’s catch readers up. The first book, The Agathas, about two very messy girls solving the murder of the richest girl in town, was written in secret. You and I write solo books that are often quite sad and touch on difficult topics and when we first started musing about *maybe* writing something different, and together, it was originally just a project to keep us writing every day. Mystery seemed a natural fit, since you love Agatha Christie and I love true crime. We were also determined to make this story of two girls, a seaside town, and a bucket full of lies an adventure to read.

Liz: We also had to plant a few small threads about other mysteries in Castle Cove, in case we were lucky enough to get a sequel. Which we did! Book two opens on a stormy night at Levy Castle, during the annual Castle Cove High School Sadie Hawkins dance. Alice Ogilvie has decided to take this rare opportunity inside the Castle to explore the life of Mona Moody, who readers might remember as the Hollywood starlet who fell to her death from a balcony in the 1950s. During her hunt, she stumbles–

Kathleen: Remember how collaborative writing is an art form, Liz? I’m cutting you off here before you give too much away. This is why we agreed to keep our dual POV chapters short, because we both tend to ramble. This is also why we work well together and why we could create such a good friendship between Alice and Iris.

Liz: True, true. Their friendship is something that is truly at the heart of the series, and it’s been so lovely hearing how readers respond to it. I will say that writing the second book, on deadline, was a wee bit harder than writing the first in secret, wouldn’t you say?

Kathleen: Absolutely, in terms of growing the seeds we planted in the first book and then planting an entirely new, twisty, devious garden around them. We had to keep track of things old AND new, remember to let Alice and Iris’s friendship evolve in believable ways, let The Zoners move a bit more to the front, and also flesh out Mona Moody’s character, which was a lot of fun and involved researching Hollywood in the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Liz: I will say that I think the mystery in book two is even more intricate than the mystery in the first. It was complicated as hell to plan, but oh-so rewarding once we got it all down on the page. Just like book one, first we worked out the plot in our spreadsheet (google docs rule!), trying to get the general gist of what would happen down, and then we dove into the writing.

Kathleen: Yes. We traded chapters each day, tried to follow our intricate plot-map and made sure to be flexible story-wise, because sometimes in the midst of actually writing, you realize something isn’t working! We’ve gotten a lot of questions about what it’s like to co-write and I’d say the number one thing is being flexible. This isn’t one writer’s book; it belongs to two people and the story is shared. If you can’t do that, then I think cowriting is not for you. Also, cowriting is excellent because solo writing is often lonely; cowriting means chatting with someone else all the time about your absolutely bonkers and amazing mystery.

Liz: Things you will find in OUR amazing mystery, The Night In Question: 1950s Hollywood starlets, a road trip, mixed media, police transcripts, news reports, vintage diaries, more Levy Castle!, secret passages, a deadly dance, more Zoners, a maze, hints of romance…

Kathleen: And very, very bad people! Including some very bad elderly people. I tell you, Liz, old people…they keep a lot of secrets for years and years and years. Quite crafty.  Also, I love how in The Agathas and in The Night in Question, you open each Alice chapter with a quote from an Agatha Christie book. I was so jealous you got to do that for The Agathas that I was determined to wedge myself into that somehow with The Night in Question, so….each Iris chapter opens with a quote from starlet Mona Moody. Take that, Liz!

Liz: Uber competitive as always, Kathleen. (Just kidding!) I do love your Mona Moody quotes, though, very much. And finding the Agatha Christie quotes was so much fun, I can see how you would be jealous of it. Much like book one, in book two Alice and Iris use tips and tricks from their dear friend Agatha Christie to solve the central myster…ies at hand. That’s right, in book two, the girls solve not one, not two, not three… but FOUR crimes.

Kathleen: There is crime-ing all over the place in The Night in Question and you know what? The best part of all this misbehavior is that we, in wrapping up this book, actually planted seeds that might….someday come to fruition in a book 3? Maybe? Someday? I might not be ready to let Alice and Iris go.

Liz: I really hope we get to revisit Castle Cove in the future. Alice and Iris forever! Everyone, go get caught up with The Agathas and then jump into The Night in Question! Out May 30, 2023! Available in a store near you (or online! Or at your local library! Also on audiobook! And ebook!)!

CHAPTER ONE
Alice Ogilvie

February 11, 2023
9:02 p.m.

“‘I’m not often bored,’ I assured her. ‘Life’s not long enough for that.’” —Agatha Christie, Murder in Mesopotamia

Brooke Donovan is staring at me from across the room.

She’s wearing the dress we picked out in LA freshman year, when her mom drove us down there to go shopping for prom. The two of us were the only freshman invited that year, much to the chagrin of Rebecca Kennedy.

She looks good, Brooke, fresh and happy, smiling and carefree.

I crumple a cocktail napkin into a tight little ball in my hand. Whoever decided to hang a giant portrait of her in here should be stabbed.

Tearing my eyes away from Brooke’s, I survey the ballroom. It’s filled with my classmates from Castle Cove High School, all in various stages of celebration, all here for the annual Sadie Hawkins Dance. To my left, a group of guys from the basketball team huddle together in a circle, not-so-slyly passing a silver flask between them. To my right, couples are basically dry humping on the dance floor.

I frown.

We’re at Levy Castle, for god’s sake. Some respect should be shown to its past. The site of elegant balls for almost a hundred years, a place where Old Hollywood used to come and play. Charles W. Levy would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what this room was being used for now.

As Brooke’s best friend, I grew up listening to all sorts of tales about Brooke’s great- grandfather. He spent millions of dollars building Levy Castle. It’s five stories and 60,000 square feet of opulence. And with eighteen bedrooms, three pools, two kitchens, and secret passages extending throughout, it basically put the tiny town of Castle Cove on the map. It was also where the film star Mona Moody lived for a few short years, until her untimely death on Castle grounds at the age of twenty.

Mona Moody, with her platinum blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and the husky, sexy voice that made her famous. After several years starring in popcorn flicks, she was all set to break out in her first serious film as the titular role in Jane Eyre, but tragically fell off the Castle’s side balcony just before filming started.

According to the internet, she and Charles Levy had a brief but super intense love affair, and he was so broken up by her death that eventually his own life collapsed around him: he lost everything he’d worked so hard for over the years when he was arrested for embezzlement and spent the rest of his days in prison.

Ever since I was little, I’ve been fascinated by Mona Moody’s life and death, and tonight is my chance to sneak upstairs to see her private quarters.

I turn to find Iris when raised voices pull my attention to the massive DJ booth Kennedy’s dad had built for the dance. According to her, it’s the only way DJ Porcini would agree to play tonight.

I pop up on my toes for a better look, and I’m entirely unsurprised to spot the very same Kennedy arguing with my other former friend Helen Park. They’re both wearing this season’s Natasha Matte off-the-shoulder satin gown in blue, the only difference being the obnoxiously expensive necklace around Kennedy’s neck.

I let out a sigh. This won’t end well. Ever since Brooke died last fall, the two of them can’t seem to hold it together to save their lives. Clearly, they forgot to consult with each other about what they were going to wear tonight. Which is, like, Dance Etiquette 101.

Through the crowd, I spot Ashley Henderson. She’s watching them, probably trying to figure out a way to interject herself into the drama. She thrives on this stuff; says it’s good for her craft, since she desperately wants to be an actress. Mostly, though, I think she’s just nosey. I never really meshed with Henderson, so it’s a relief not to have to pretend to be friends with her anymore. Which goes for all of my former friends, if I’m being perfectly honest.

“What’s going on up there?” Iris says, sidling up to me. “Want one?” She holds out a plastic cup of sparkling apple cider and I take it, noticing Spike at her back.

Iris is wearing a 1950’s vintage prom dress, a black blazer, and Chuck Taylors. I adore the dress, but the blazer and shoes . . . they’re cool and all, but not exactly right for a formal dance. I inhale a calming breath, reminding myself I’m not that person anymore. The one who judges everyone by the labels on their clothing. I’ve evolved.

“Park and Kennedy are at it again.” I say, taking a tiny sip from my cup.

Cole Fielding materializes in front of me. “What’s going on up there?” he asks, echoing Iris. From somewhere outside the castle, there’s a loud crack of thunder.

Spike immediately glances at Iris, who’s whispering into Cole’s ear. Spike’s face falls. “Park and Kennedy,” I repeat loudly. “They are arguing, yet again.”

“Brooke’s murd—. . . err . . .” Spike’s eyes dart to my face as he realizes what he’s saying. “Without Brooke around, they’ve really fallen apart, huh?” he finishes.

I shrug. Kennedy tried to pull me back into their little circle after Iris and I figured out who was responsible for Brooke’s death, but I wasn’t interested. I have no desire to be involved in mundane high school drama, and I have Iris. That’s enough. For now, at least.

“Do you think they’re fighting over—” Spike starts but a familiar voice interrupts him and my stomach, my most traitorous of organs, does a little dance.

“Blini with caviar?”

I turn. “Hello, Raf.”

“Hello, Alice.” He smiles.

“Hey, Raf,” Iris says, taking one of the blinis off the tray and examining it. “Um, what the hell is this thing?”

He shrugs. “Hell if I know. I just bring out what they tell me; I don’t ask questions.” He squints down at his tray. “I think it’s like . . . weird little eggs or something?”

I sigh. “It’s basically a pancake with caviar.” I take one and pop it in my mouth. “They’re delicious.”

Iris bites a nibble off a corner. “Oh, that is good,” she says and nudges Cole. “Grab one.” Cole does as instructed, and as soon as Iris turns away, he wraps it into his cocktail napkin and stuffs it into his back pocket.

“How’s work going?” Iris asks Raf. Since Raf helped Iris and I out with Brooke’s case last year, we’ve all become . . . well, I guess the best word for it is friends. It’s odd; I’ve never been friends with a boy before, not really, so I’m not sure what to do about it or how to act with him, although Iris doesn’t seem to have that same issue. They chat all the time, or at least that’s what it seems like to me. Not that I care.

What I do care about, maybe a little more than I should, is that he has a girlfriend, now, who just so happens to be Cole’s older sister. She works for Splendid Spread Catering part-time, and (according to Iris’s intel) got Raf this gig so he could make some extra cash for college since the Castle Cove Police Department barely pays their interns.

He smirks. “Fine. I’m pretty much invisible to most of the kids here. Which works for me. Really don’t need to get recognized from my high school days, you know?”

“Okay, break it up,” someone—a teacher?—yells over by Porcini’s booth. I sigh again. I suppose I should go help calm those two down. It’s what Brooke would have wanted, after all.

“Be right back,” I say, and push past Reed Gerber and Mason Jefferson, two of Steve’s old buddies from the basketball team, to make my way through the crowd.

When I reach the front of the throng I end up next to Henderson and Steve, who are standing next to each other, watching the scene. Henderson’s mouth is tilted up into a grin, but when she spots me, she quickly rearranges it into a frown. She’s so transparent it’s laughable.

Steve, on the other hand, looks petrified. “Alice,” he says when he notices me. “You’ve gotta do something. They’re at it again.”

I haven’t seen him in two months. After I got him out of jail, he dropped out of school and moved down to LA. He’s only back tonight to catch up with some of his old friends. I bet he’s regretting it now.

“Fine,” I say, irritated that it’s the first thing he’s said to me tonight. I turn at the same moment Park leaps at Kennedy. She grabs a clump of Kennedy’s hair in her hand and yanks her head back, hard.

“Ow!” Kennedy screeches, trying to twist out of Park’s grasp. “Get off me, you brat.”

Ms. Hollister, one of the teachers chaperoning the dance, hovers on the other side of Park and Kennedy wearing a horrified expression. Ever since the stuff came out about Coach and all his lady friends, Hollister and a few other teachers have been going above and beyond the call of duty, kissing Principal Brown’s ass.

A hand clutches my arm. Iris. “I’ll help you, Alice.”

I look over at Park and Kennedy, now wrestling on the floor. “I’d like that very much.” And together, we make our way toward my ex-friends—the Mains.

CHAPTER TWO
Iris

February 11
9:14 p.m.

“All a girl wants is to put on a pretty dress and dance for a few hours. Is that too much to ask?” – Mona Moody, Matched Set, 1947

Alice and I manage to extricate Park and Kennedy, though not without difficulty. Park is quite flexible and keeps slipping from my grasp, though I’m finally able to subdue her by wrapping her in a bear hug just as Alice is able to yank Kennedy backward.

The instant the fight stops, a disappointed “Aww, no, they were gonna kiss!” rises up from the crowd. Of course, it’s from the boys because it’s typical (and boring) that when girls fight, all guys can do is stand there hoping at any moment it’s going to turn sexy.

Alice smooths her hair and glares at Park and Kennedy. Kennedy is inspecting her nails. “Jesus, Park, I spent fifteen hundred dollars on this,” Kennedy pouts. “What’s your problem, anyway?”

Park is huffing, trying to scoop her disheveled hair out of her face and straighten the neckline of her dress. She’s wearing a lacy pink strapless bra with tiny, embroidered hearts, which I find oddly endearing.

“I specifically told you I was going to wear this dress! I sent you pics! And you copied me, anyway! God, sometimes I wish you’d just shrivel up and die,” Park says.

Kennedy rolls her eyes and plays to the crowd. Phones are back up and filming. She’ll be on a hundred stories in about three minutes. This is her moment. “Sounds like a you issue to me, babe. Jealous much?”

Park lunges at Kennedy again, almost catching Kennedy’s necklace in her fingers, an extremely expensive-looking thing with tear-drop shaped jewels. But Kennedy cackles and ducks away, then Park storms off.

Alice shakes her head and looks at me, her eyes drifting from my sea-foam green gown down to my sneakers.

“Gorgeous girl, gorgeous gown, and yet……………………………………… a blazer and sneakers,” she sighs.

I finger the lapels of the black velvet blazer. I just like to feel protected. And I was already nervous about other things concerning this dance, like Cole Fielding. I’d casually asked him if he was going to the Sadie Hawkins dance, definitely stressing the fact that it was a group thing. Ever since Brooke, and the investigation, and, you know, me accidentally accusing him of murder, we’ve been hanging out. Very casually. Roller-skating once or twice on his breaks at Seaside Skate. Maybe a coffee together at Dotty’s Doughnuts. Texting sometimes. None of which I’ve told Alice about, because her feelings toward Cole are well-known. She sees me sometimes chatting with him at school and that’s enough to get me some pointed looks. My mom doesn’t know anything but the barest details, either, because she’d flip out, especially if she knew about me riding on the back of his motorcycle along Highway one. I don’t know how to explain to anyone, even Alice, what’s happening inside me. Like something’s been knocked loose. I can’t stop thinking of Brooke’s body at the bottom of the cliff. I can still feel my father’s fist on my face. The whole time on the back of Cole’s motorcycle, I felt . . . free. Like nothing could touch me.

Brooke is dead, but she’s still here. The Thing is locked up, but for how long?

The only other place I feel like nothing can touch me is when I’m reading one of the many Agatha Christie novels I’ve borrowed from Alice, in a vain attempt to catch up with her knowledge of the Queen of mystery, losing myself in the spirals of deceit and deception. Or when Raf and I are talking about the Remy Jackson case, painstakingly reading the poorly put together case files about his cousin, who was found in a dumpster in downtown Castle Cove, wrapped in a trash bag secured with duct-tape. I’d like to see how Miss Marple would tackle that.

Alice isn’t happy about me hanging out with Raf, either. I can’t tell if she’s jealous or just . . . doesn’t want to get that close to a death case again, after Brooke. The Mona Moody thing she’s skirting around . . . it’s a mystery, for sure, but one that maybe Alice likes because it’s so far in the past, it can’t really touch her. Who knows? As long as I live, I’ll probably never fully understand Alice Ogilvie.

She snaps her fingers at me. “Helloooo?” “Sorry,” I say. “Brain fog.”

I take a deep breath to get my bearings, look around the mammoth Levy Castle ballroom.

I love this, actually. I didn’t think I would. The dance. But everyone looks beautiful, and shiny, and grown up, even Spike, gazing up at the chandelier glistening above us, mesmerized by what seems like a thousand twinkling lights. He seems different tonight, more mature somehow, dressed in his powder blue suit with a paisley tie. His hair’s grown out a bit. He’s been checking in on me regularly since last fall, texting me at night to make sure I get some sleep, and not calling me out for lying when I answer “Yep.”

I shake myself away from the tingling in my stomach. Spike? Stop, Iris. There are entirely too many hormonal things happening to me lately. I force myself to look anywhere but Spike.

The inside of Levy Castle with its golden walls and polished marble staircase is like something from a dream. That chandelier above us? A placard on the wall says it weighs almost 1,700 pounds and has 9,500 crystals. Above the grand, Spanish-tiled staircase to the second floor, a glossy banner hangs: The Films of Mona Moody: A Retrospective, March 29-30, 2023. All around the downstairs, hung carefully on the walls for tourists, are movie stills from Mona Moody films and placards with tidbits of information about the Castle when it was built: six suits of armor from Spain; a private zoo on the grounds for Levy’s daughter, Lilian, that included llamas and lemurs.

Shouts and laughter from the corner of the room distract me. The selfie booth has become a madhouse of photobombing, our classmates jumping in and out of each other’s frames, displaying some choice hand gestures and what looks like a lot of booty patting.

Alice suddenly frowns, staring at something in the distance. I follow her sightline.

I know we did the right thing. I know it’s a good that we found out who murdered Brooke Donovan, even though all hell broke loose.

But having Brooke stare down at us from the huge portrait in the middle of the room makes my heart sink.

“It’s gauche,” Alice says. “And it’s creepy. I know the Castle can do what it wants and they want to honor her with a permanent portrait. But it . . . feels weird.”

It’s been four months since Brooke died. Alice doesn’t talk much about her, but I know she’s hurting. I’m trying to let her have some space. Lately, she’s been throwing herself into odd projects, like learning how to pick locks. While I think all that is valid and interesting, I’m a little worried she’s not spending enough time on other things, like school. She hasn’t even started the Ancestry project in McAllister’s class and it’s due in two weeks.

“I might,” she says now, very smoothly. “Look around. Just while I’m here. Mona stuff, you know?”

In 1949, Moody was found dead at the age of twenty on the lawn of Levy Castle. From my casual internet sleuthing, old articles say her death resulted from a prolonged bout with tuberculosis; weakened, she lost her balance, tumbling off the second-floor balcony, but if you spend some time digging, there are whispers that maybe it wasn’t an accident. After all, she was young and beautiful with creamy skin and a sparkling smile—a film star in the making. She was also Charles Levy’s younger girlfriend and people love to gossip. He was powerful and wealthy and as my former babysitter Ricky Randall once told me, “The closets of the rich are positively ringing with skeleton bones.” But she’s a lawyer, and it’s her job to consider all angles.

“Alice,” I remind her. “This is supposed to be a dance. You know, something fun.” She fixes her ice-blue eyes on me. “It will be fun. Plus, you’ll be busy,” she says, nudging me. “With that.” I follow her eyes.

Cole Fielding is standing by the fountain (I still can’t believe there is an actual fountain inside this mansion), hands in his pockets, looking at me.

“I don’t approve,” Alice murmurs. “But you know that.”

From the corner of my eye, I see Spike. Our eyes meet. He smiles and flicks his hand toward the crowd of dancers. The song is a bop. Is he asking me to . . .

Just then, one of the Stitch Bitches, Tabitha Berrington, sidles up to him and slips her arm through his, tugging him toward the dance floor. He gives me a last glance as he disappears into the writhing bodies.

Why . . . does my stomach drop a little?

I look back at Cole. He tilts his head to the side, like let’s get outta here and I can’t help it. I just can’t. My whole body lightens at the sight of his smile, his tousled hair.

But there is also the tiniest part of me that wants to do what Alice is doing, what I know she’s about to do. Snoop around for Mona Moody stuff. I don’t know what we’d find; there can’t be much here but . . . you never know.

“Alice,” I say as she turns to walk away. “Wait—”

But she’s already gone, disappeared somewhere into the vast gold beauty of the Castle.

The post Authors In Conversation: Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

KELLY: Hi Joanna! I’m thrilled to talk to you about your first ever YA!

JOANNA: Hi, Kelly! I’m so excited to talk with you about PRIVATE LABEL, your upcoming YA. The cover of your next book is so beautiful, it is stuck in my brain. Can you tell me what it’s about and where the story came from?

KELLY: Of course! PRIVATE LABEL is my first YA romance! It’s about a 17 year old Chinese American girl Serene, whose mom is a fashion designer. When Serene’s Mom gets pancreatic cancer, Serene has to come in and take over her mom’s business. And in the process, she finds out a lot about herself and falls in love with a new boy in town (who could not be less fashionable). The story is inspired by my mom’s own diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. What about your book, THE SILENCE THAT BINDS US?

JOANNA: That sounds amazing! THE SILENCE THAT BINDS US is also about a Chinese American girl. Maybelline Chen loses her beloved older brother to suicide and in the aftermath of his death, city leaders turns against her family and the Asian community, claiming that it is the Asian culture that increases the stress and pressure in their schools. In effect, they blame May’s parents for their own son’s death. It’s the story of May’s journey of grieving, healing, and finding her voice when so many want to keep her silent.

I’m so sorry to hear about your mom’s diagnosis. That must have been such a difficult experience for all of you. Challenging personal experiences are often hard to live through, let alone relive by talking about them. What inspired you to build a story based on this painful experience?

KELLY: That’s such a great question. I have always thought of writing as a therapeutic experience. Growing up, writing was the way for me to process the world. Especially when my world felt like it was spinning out of control, which as a young immigrant was often. So I think about 3 months into my mom’s cancer journey, when some of the chemo was really starting to get to my mom, and I truly felt like I had no real tangible way of helping her, and it was a heartbreaking feeling, I started drafting this manuscript. Writing this book allowed me and my mom to think about something else besides cancer, allowed us to fall in love with the characters, to be able to connect through the lines, and LAUGH – because one of my characters is an aspiring stand up comic. It was such a healing experience for us. This story gave us strength and hope! And I am so glad that you are talking about suicide in your story, because I feel like both cancer and suicide are things that we don’t always talk about in the Asian American community but they’re so important. They’re things that so many families struggle with and these stories are so necessary.

For you, how did you get the inspiration for your book?

JOANNA: I wanted to write a book that explored anti-Asian racism. This was long before “stop Asian hate” became a slogan on protest posters, before it was a topic of public conversation. It was a way for me to explore my own experiences with racism, and also the topic at large. My high school community was racked with two teenage suicide epidemics soon after I graduated. Several years ago, I was at a group dinner and a wealthy white businessman stated that it was the Asians in the community that caused the stress and pressure and suicides. I was sitting directly across the table from him and was so invisible that he didn’t even see me. I began to wonder how it would feel to be a parent or a sibling to not only experience this deep personal tragedy, and then be blamed for them. To your point about silence in the Asian American community around mental health, cancer, and other difficult topics, I think racism is something we all know exists and we discuss behind closed doors, but don’t speak about publicly enough. I hope this story offers many openings to dialogue about topics we all need to discuss more openly.

How do you hope that PRIVATE LABEL lands with readers? What do you hope they will take from the story?

KELLY: I hope that teenagers reading PRIVATE LABEL feel less alone when life suddenly throws them curveballs and they find themselves in the eye of a storm they never ever saw coming. I had no idea my mom was going to get cancer, and suddenly we’d be on this journey. I have no idea what the future will bring, but I’m grateful for every day that we have. In some ways, I think her cancer has brought us closer together. We’ve been able to have some deeply honest conversations, just like in the book, about life, what coming to this country meant for her, and our hopes and dreams for the future. Ultimately, as much as this book is a love story between Serene and Lian, it’s also a love story between Serene and her mom, finally being able to bond, in the most unexpected of circumstances.

What is your greatest hope for your book?

JOANNA: Although the topics of suicide and racism are heavy and painful, I really hope this story offers a message of hope, healing and empowerment. I hope it offers a lens through which we can collectively examine the invisibility of Asians in our society, the nuances and challenges of working in solidarity, the value of speaking out about mental health, and the power of working together to change dominant narratives that have confined us for too long. Similarly to you, writing this book has also brought me closer to my mom. In some ways, it’s been a vehicle for me to learn about my own history and heritage and this has strengthened our bond.

You were able to create a story of love and laughter from unexpected and difficult circumstances. How do you hold on to that light in your own life?

KELLY: Great question! Well, I write next to a 60 lb fuzzy labradoodle, who always helps me see the humor and lighter side of life! I also have three rascals, Eliot, Tilden, and Nina, who remind me every day why I do what I do. Why I get up and I write, on the good days and on the bad days. It’s always to inspire the next generation. To show them that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes downright terrifying, but I’m going to keep trying, and I don’t know what is going to happen, but I’m going to approach it with love, kindness, and humor.

What about you? How do you hang onto the light?

JOANNA: My kids! Cookies! Nature! I eat a lot of chocolate chip cookies! I agree with what you shared also. My kids really remind me what matters and give me such hope for the future. Spending time with them is genuinely my joy and they fill my reserves, even if mommying can be exhausting! When my daughter is drawing leopard dots on herself with Sharpie in the middle of church, or my son is lecturing me about the ten million trains that he would like to own one day, I feel grateful to be their mom and this in and of itself is light and life for me.

KELLY: That is the sweetest thing! It’s such a joy and an honor being in conversation with you and I cannot wait for the world to read THE SILENCE THAT BINDS US!

JOANNA: I can’t wait to meet your three rascals, especially after I finished reading NEW FROM HERE! I can’t wait until PRIVATE LABEL is out in the world!

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Carlos Hernandez is the Cuban-American author of the award-winning middle-grade novels Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe). He has a PhD in English with a special focus on creative writing and is currently a visiting creative writing professor in Western Colorado University’s Master of Fine Arts program. He designs games, loves hot sauce, and lives in New York City with his genius wife.

Both Nicole Kornher-Stace and Carlos Hernandez have a penchant for adventures that take their characters beyond the world they know via scientific discovery. In JILLIAN VS PARASITE PLANET, Nicole explores the potential trials and tribulations of space exploration through the survival tale of Jillian and her nanobot sidekick SABRINA. Carlos bends the very substance of reality when his character Sal learns to reach into alternate universes as a means of dealing with grief and death.

Here, they talk science, friendship, and resilience in middle-grade books.

How did your books come about?

CH: I suspect Nicole and I approached our books from similar vantages: we found that middle-grade didn’t cover a few topics/ideas that we thought were important, and we covered them. Rick Riordan Presents as a publisher has the goal of introducing a wide range of voices to new audiences, so that part was baked in to Sal and Gabi. For another example, I also wanted to include diabetes as a formative part of Sal’s character, both because the Latinx community has shocking numbers of Type I and Type II diabetes, and also because middle grade could use more depictions of people with conditions or disabilities as being awesome, capable, as just as able to wield cosmic powers as anyone else. In terms of science, I think as a culture we are more able now than perhaps we have ever been of using science as metaphor and allegory. Using Many Worlds theory to explore grief is something now that our middle-graders are able to do: for the first time in human history!

NKS: Exactly what Carlos said! I wanted to write a science-forward hard(ish) SF adventure story for kids with a girl protagonist, because for whatever reason the protagonists of those kids’ stories are still usually boys. And I wanted her to have a generalized anxiety disorder because my kid has one and I was frustrated with how fiction tends to depict anxiety in kids as “shyness” at the exclusion of just sooo much more. But overall I knew that if I was going to write a kids’ book it was going to be an equal balance of Science! and Adventure! because I (and my kid, who I wrote the book for) love both of those things equally. Jillian vs. Parasite Planet has Science! in the form of green tech, nanobots, artificial intelligence, and mind-control parasites that are very much based on the kind of real-life parasites we have right here on Earth. I wanted to explore all these concepts in a way that was kid-friendly and integrated into the story without ever getting into infodumps or lecturing. After all, I’m in no position to do that even if I wanted to. I’m not a scientist (even if my dad is). I just think this stuff is fascinating.

CH: Nicole, I think your depiction of anxiety alongside Science! and Adventure! is a great and important contribution to middle grade! I’ve had kids and parents reach out to me to thank me for providing in Sal and Gabi simple meditation techniques. It is so important as a middle-grade author to remember how much good you can do in with your writing.

NKS: Oh wow. That’s really super cool that you were able to help kids directly (and got proof that it was working!!).

CH: Betcha you will, too, with Jillian!

Your characters deal with some very serious life-events. What do you hope your readers will get from reading about those events?

NKS: What I really want readers to take away from Jillian’s adventures–especially kids with anxiety–is that even though Jillian’s brain gets in her way a lot, and even almost keeps her from following through on her dream of going to space when she finally get the opportunity, it also helps her think her way out of trouble. The same part of her brain that likes to play the what-if worst-case-scenario game is also the same part that makes her good at planning and being prepared for those worst-case scenarios and not spiraling into panic when they occur. Incidentally, it helps in writing those scenes too–knowing a worst-case scenario to stick your characters into, and then making them think their way out of it, absolutely taps in to the same what-if part of the anxiety!brain that can make your life miserable sometimes. So I try to make the best of it. If I’ve got that kind of brain, I may as well try to make it work for me.

CH: Nicole, I love your answer on so many levels. One of the problems of ableist thinking is that it insists on single conceptions of the “best” way a thing can be done. The way you speak of Jillian’s anxiety hear reminds me of an article I read recently that posits that pessimism, melancholy, and what my genius wife calls “White Queening” (from Through the Looking Glass) is quite possibly a survival adaptation that has allowed for human flourishing! There are multiple paths through. There are many win-conditions, and most of them are ones we can define for ourselves. The reason that I brought up a number of serious issues in a comic novel is because when seriousness undergirds comedy, the characters in the story feel more like people and less like sit-com wit-spitters who are handsome humans written with zero interiority. Who has not suffered? There just isn’t such a thing as a person who hasn’t been shaped by their suffering, their worries, their grief, their losses, their denials, their dreams deferred. Even—as much as I wish it weren’t true—children. Children, however, often haven’t yet developed a vocabulary, a set of tools to help them understand and cope with their grief and setbacks. That is a second reason I included some pretty serious stuff in the Sal and Gabi books. I want to give children words and ways to deal with that which hurts them.

What would a friendship between Jillian and Sal be like? (I’m seriously hoping for a crossover fic!)

NKS: They’re very very different, but since when does that mean they couldn’t be friends? I love writing Unlikely Friendships, they are my whole jam. I feel like Sal is a lot funnier and better at people than Jillian is–honestly none of my protagonists are good at humor or people, but that’s why they need a foil like Sal to balance them. Yeah, I could see this working for sure.

CH: In some ways, I wonder if it would depend on what mood Sal was in when they first met. If he was in his full “showman” mode, I could see how he could be a little much for Jillian. On the other hand, I think Sal would see Jillian as “someone he could work with” because of her many gifts and talents. And I am remembering the way Jillian reacts (avoiding spoilers here) to a certain shapeshifting darling Nanobot Array, and I am thinking that, perhaps depending on the mood that she is in that day, there might be nothing Sal could do to surprise her! One thing’s for sure: Gabi would be friends with her in a heartbeat.

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Chandler Baker: I think one of my biggest accomplishments to date is that I somehow roped you into writing a book with me, without ever having met in real life. What’s your recollection of that first interaction between us?

Wesley King: Well, it was sort of a blind writing date. This was in the first couple of months of the pandemic and everyone was kind of casting around trying to figure out what we should be doing. Our agents had this idea that we might collaborate on something at some point, but it was very open-ended. You’d read a few chapters of an early draft of one of my manuscripts and then you called and we talked for twenty minutes or so. Like with most conversations back then—actually even now—the first fifteen minutes were filled with Covid-chatter. I think that’s probably why we ended up writing the book we did.

CB: I feel like 20 minutes was probably an eternity for you. You’re a hard man to get on the phone and I say that with love after having written a whole novel with you.

WK: I was worried you were going to be a writing snob. As soon as I knew you didn’t think you were Shakespeare reincarnate I thought: okay, this is a good start. That was Test Number 1.

CB: I mean, was that a serious concern? Why were you worried I’d be a writing snob? Does my author picture scream, “WRITING SNOB?”

WK: Maybe because you were coming off of writing books for adults. That seemed very grown up. Literally. I knew you had published a number of YA books, but how did you feel about transitioning back to young adult?

CB: Excited! I became a writer because of YA books. I fell in love with Lauren Oliver and Gayle Forman and John Green. You were transitioning, too, though, from middle grade. How was that?

WK: It was fantastic . . . though I did forget characters could swear in YA. In middle grade we have a lot of replacement words for swearing. Luckily, I had you to guide the way—I fed off your chapters and started developing a more authentic YA voice. So for me the collaboration process was key . . . not only because it was so easy, but because I was constantly reading your chapters, thinking, “Oh shit . . . this is good,” and upping my game. Did you see that? I’m still swearing in my writing. They’re going to kick me out of middle grade.

What were your biggest concerns about collaborating with another author?

CB: First, I’ll say, that I should have had none at all because writing this book with you was truly the most relaxed, pain-free experience. We got so lucky. Our initial plan was just to write a short story and e-publish it. But the project took on a life of its own, so my main concerns quickly became about logistics. Once it became clear we were writing a novel, I was thinking: Okay, but how?

The answer was ultimately: Google Docs. Our greatest nemesis (and reluctant ally).

WK: My eyes are still bleeding. Every new iteration of a Google Doc, we would each choose a new color to type in and it would become so unwieldy. But it was the only way to make sure we didn’t lose changes switching between documents.

CB: That’s right. We started with a number of brainstorming documents that we called the “No Bad Ideas Docs” and then when it was time to start writing the book, we wound up each taking a character. So can you talk to me a little about how you developed the character of Jonah?

WK: I knew my focus was going to be anxiety. It’s a tough topic to address in light of the global scale of this tragedy, but I knew from experience that anxiety sufferers were having trouble dealing and I wanted to present an honest portrayal of what it felt like . . . all of our formerly “false flag” fears were suddenly very real.

That was sort of the heart of the story I wanted to convey: the anxious response to this, and the idea that human connection remains an integral part of healing . . . in person or not. What was the heart of the story you were hoping to get across as you wrote Maxine, who goes by Max, in the book?

CB: At the time, I had a newborn, and having this new baby was such a bright spot amidst all the bad news of the burgeoning pandemic. I was fascinated by how both the tragedy of COVID-19 and the wonder of this new joy with my new baby could exist at once. Also, even then as I was living through it, I could tell I was going to have some degree of nostalgia for that time. We also had a then four-year-old, and my little hunkered-down family was really getting back to basics, playing Twister and charades. There was real happiness. But also missed moments. Like how both my husband’s and my parents didn’t get to see our new baby. And while that paled in comparison to so much of what was unfolding around the world, those moments also felt irretrievable in a way that seemed sad not to be allowed to be sad over. Max really represents those dueling impulses as well as the very real financial impact of the pandemic, especially on families living paycheck-to-paycheck.

I love that we each brought something completely different to the table with our two characters and really gave each other a lot of autonomy in developing them individually. Do you have any advice to writers thinking about collaborating?

WK: I’ll say what I think worked well between us as things would-be coauthors may want to emulate. Neither of us is precious about our work. That’s hugely helpful. Also, understand that you’re working with someone so that they bring something different than you would bring to the table. The end product shouldn’t be what you would have written alone. And like you said, we gave each other the autonomy to bring new perspectives and writing styles.

Okay, last question: Say someday we do get to meet in real life, what’s the first thing we do?

CB: We’re going to have a super awkward hug because I recently learned that you are incredibly tall, like 6’7”, and I’m very short. We’re going to be like the Odd Couple going on little adventures and it’s going to be adorable.

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