We chat with author K.A. Linde about The Wren in the Holly Library, which is set in an alternate, fantastical NYC filled with monsters and it’s a dark, spicy romantasy, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo.
Hi, K.A.! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi there. I write as K.A. Linde (Lynn-dee) but you can call me Kyla. I’m the USA Today bestselling author of 50 books in contemporary and fantasy. In my spare time, I teach and take pole fitness classes, love reading (of course!), and hanging out with my husband, one year old son, and Italian Greyhound dog, Hippo.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I have always been a lover of writing. But I wrote my first book when I was 14 as a freshman in high school. We had an assignment in Geography to write a short story about a place we were given, and I enjoyed it so much that I wrote a 90,000 word novel afterward. My friend Megan and I would pass my notebook back between classes as I wrote it!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Matilda by Roald Dahl
- The one that made you want to become an author: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Vicious by VE Schwab
Your latest novel, The Wren in the Holly Library, is out June 4th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Villains, heist, spicy, found family
What can readers expect?
A lively adventure through the dark streets of Manhattan as a thief makes a brutal bargain with a monster. Think training sessions, magic lessons, and heat all in the name of preparing her for the biggest heist of her life.
Where did the inspiration for The Wren in the Holly Library come from?
The original inspiration was when I was in Dublin with my mom on a trip to look into our Irish roots. We were touring castles and cathedrals and came upon a story about the heart of Laurence O’Toole that was trapped in a metal container and had been stolen out of Christ Church Cathedral. That immediately sparked something in me that I wanted to write a heist like that. Something mythical and enticing and later set amidst New York City.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I have a deep love for all of the characters in this world. But Kierse’s best friend Gen has macular degeneration and she reads tarot cards with a touch of sight. She seems soft and fragile on the outside, but she’s actually the glue to the entire world. She saved Kierse and their friend Ethan’s lives and gives them a new one with her. She provides stability and a backbone to the brash reality of her friends. She’s a delight.
But my favorite moment to write was probably a vault break that the heroine has at a sex party in Chicago. It’s hot. It’s dangerous. And she gets to show off her skills.
The Wren in the Holly Library is set in an alternate NYC. Can you tell us a bit about any setting research you did and what it’s like to weave fantasy into a real place?
For the setting, I had always had it planned to be set there. It just felt right for where the war would go down in our world. I’d been to NYC dozens of times before I wrote the book, but after it was finished, my husband and I went to New York for a week and I walked every single place in the book. I took the subway where she would take it and took photographs and videos where she walked. Then I came home and edited the whole story again with that feeling close to heart.
Can you give us a little tease as to what comes next for The Oak and Holly Cycle series?
I’m not sure how much I can say, but the next book opens the world up more. In book one you’re mostly in New York, but you get to see other cities. Also, as shocking as this is to say, there’s even more romance.
What’s next for you?
Currently, I am working on the final book in my Royal Houses series, which is about a half-Fae who has to help her enemy, a dark Fae prince to win a dragon tournament.
Lastly, are there any books you’ve enjoyed reading this year or releases that you look forward to getting your hands on?
I really loved A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen, Brides on High Hill by Nghi Vo, and Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire.
I’m looking forward to Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Buried Deep by Naomi Novik, and Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire.
