We chat with author Heather Fawcett about her latest release Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherworlds, which follows curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde when mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university and she must uncover their secrets before it’s too late.
Hi, Heather! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m the author of ten or so books (depending on whether you count upcoming releases) for various ages, most of which are fantasy, and all of which somehow include a dragon or two, real or metaphorical. It was not actually intentional for there to be dragons in all my books, which probably tells you a lot about me. I studied English Literature and Archaeology in university, and remain somewhat obsessed with both.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t actually remember, because I grew up in a family that loved books and stories; my parents read to me from a very young age. I decided I wanted to become a writer (I say “decided,” but it was more like I realized that I would love to be a writer, hypothetically speaking, because I didn’t have much confidence in my skills) when I got into reading fantasy and sci-fi. I was particularly enamored with Ursula K. Le Guin and Diana Wynne-Jones, but as a 90s kid I would also read all the Animorphs books I could get my hands on.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Hobbit.
- The one that made you want to become an author: A Wizard of Earthsea.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Spinning Silver.
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is the second insallment in your Emily Wilde series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A whimsical, epistolary Alpine fairytale.
What can readers expect?
They can expect Emily and Wendell to head off on another faerie investigation, this time in Austria, which will feature a few new faces and appearances from at least one side character from Book One that readers often ask me about. They can expect more danger, a sizeable amount of bickering, at least one major development in Emily and Wendell’s relationship, and, of course, far more footnotes than an ordinary person would think to include in their personal journal.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I always enjoy writing about the truly frightening faeries—a lot of faerie folklore could be classified as horror, in my opinion, and it’s been fun for me to represent that in the Emily Wilde series. That said, to go in completely the opposite direction, I also like to treat setting as character, and I love love love every time I get to write about a cozy cottage. The cottage in Map of the Otherlands is especially cozy, I would say.
Whilst you’ve published several novels over the years, Emily Wilde certainly attracted many readers. What was it like with that shift in attention and did you find it put any pressure on yourself when it came to this sequel?
It’s been wonderful to see so many people connecting with the Emily Wilde series. I genuinely appreciate every message I receive from readers and every post they tag me in. To be honest, though, it hasn’t altered my relationship with writing that much, because I’ve always been very much a “head down, just write” type of person—I don’t read online reviews or spend much time on bookish social media. I’ve also written over ten books at this point (plus a number of trunk novels) and doing anything over and over again creates muscle memory that makes it harder to do that thing badly, if that makes sense.
That said, I always feel pressure to write a good book, and that pressure can absolutely be a challenging thing to overcome. I’ve found that trying not to take your writing too seriously and having fun with the process is the best remedy.
With it being the new year, will you be setting and goals or resolutions?
Yes, I always aim to read at least 52 books per year, about half of those being SFF, ideally.
What’s next for you?
I have another kids’ book out in Summer 2024, a contemporary MG about two kids whose parents run rival whale-watching companies, which is called A GALAXY OF WHALES. The third book in the Emily Wilde series is also on its way, likely in early 2025.
Lastly, are there any 2024 books you’re looking forward to that our readers should look out for?
DRAGONFRUIT by Makiia Lucier, DREADFUL by Caitlin Rozakis, WE SHALL BE MONSTERS by Alyssa Wees, and the sequel to WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez.
