We chat with author Eli Snow about The Divine Gardener’s Handbook, which is a sapphic dystopian fantasy of botanical sabotage, a questionable god named Saul, and a woman falling for the person most likely to ruin her life.
Hi, Eli! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a speculative fiction writer, editor, and former medical geneticist, based in rural Australia with my two cats. I am queer, genderqueer, and neurodivergent, and these are the perspectives I tend to write from.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My mum taught me to read before I’d even started school, so it’s always been there.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I couldn’t give you a specific title, but definitely an Animorphs book!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The masterful twist in Hiron Ennes’s The Works of Vermin!
Your debut novel, The Divine Gardener’s Handbook, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
City, plants, spite, gods & clones.
What can readers expect?
A dystopian sapphic romance featuring plants, fake gods, and robots.
Where did the inspiration for The Divine Gardener’s Handbook come from?
Watching too much Bladerunner and Gardening Australia.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing Saul (sorry, Saul). Without giving too much away, I love a good Shakespearean tragedy.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Hopeless optimism came in handy when having to read my own work many, many times, then bet on it with agents, then bet on it again with editors. I’ve also found it useful to be somewhat stubborn, so when chapter five isn’t working for the sixteenth time, I just roll up my sleeves and get to it again—that chapter will break before I do!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
This is my adult debut, so I was at least a little familiar with the process this time around.
I’ve been writing as a side quest forever. Eventually I sold a few short pieces, and this led to querying agents with longer work, and then signing with the delightful Allegra Martschenko, who helped me take my writing to another level and sell some books!
What’s next for you?
My sophomore YA fantasy, Selkies & Skeptics is out on November 17 from Page Street Kids, and I have a second adult science fantasy coming soon!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
One of the major perks of being an author is that you get early access to some stellar titles. I highly recommend A Viper Among Kings by Sydney Olivia, and She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove—both release later this year, so add them to your TBR lists!
