We chat with #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie about her spellbinding romantasy The Forest Grimm, which sees fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.
Hi, Kathryn! Welcome back! How has the past few years been since we last spoke in 2020?
I’m so happy to be joining you again! My life and writing have been a whirlwind since 2020. The first book in my last duology, Bone Crier’s Moon, released on March 3, 2020, which was a Tuesday, and that Friday everything shut down because of COVID-19. It’s no understatement to say that the pandemic was rough for all of us, and even though the virus is still looming, it’s wonderful to be able to do book events in person these days and meet readers and catch up with other authors.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I discovered my love for stories before I discovered my love for writing. I have a vivid memory of my dad playing the score of To Kill a Mockingbird on our record player while he told me and my siblings that story in his own words. I was so enthralled that at one point I got up and acted out the scene where Scout, Jem, and Dill sneak into Boo Radley’s yard.
As a teenager and young adult, I wrote lots of poetry and filled many pages in my journal each night, but I didn’t think of myself as a writer. I considered myself to be an actress and studied classical acting, especially Shakespeare.
Fast-forward many years later to 2009, I donated a kidney to my brother. The recovery was very difficult, and I struggled with depression for the first time in my life. I felt blocked from writing in my journal, and I realized I needed a different outlet. That turned out to be writing darkly fantastical stories, and I’ve been writing them ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Instead of fiction, I usually checked out volumes of mythology from the library. The one that especially imprinted on me was Gods, Men, and Monsters from the Greek Myths.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is the book that made me want to become an author. It’s a gorgeously written book about zombies.
I’m so late in the game on this one, but I finally read The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and all of her other books in The Folk of the Air series, and I’m smitten! I’m amazed at her ability to keep the enemies-to-lovers trope going so strong across the series.
Your latest novel, The Forest Grimm, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Fairytales, fate, forbidden, star-crossed, adventure
What can readers expect?
A romantic quest in a dark and enchanted forest where nothing is as it seems, including the people from the past that have changed into twisted versions of fairytale characters.
Where did the inspiration for The Forest Grimm come from?
I’ve always loved myths and fairytales, and I wanted to twist many of the Brothers Grimm fairytales together into one story, rather than several short stories. “Tell me again, Grandmère, the story of how I die” is the first line of the book, and it came to me months before I started drafting. From that line, I knew the grandmother in this Little Red Riding Hood-centered story would be a fortune-teller, and that Clara, my Little Red, would know about the terrible fate coming for her.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The scenes I enjoyed writing the most are in the middle of the book and have to do with a Cinderella-esque woodland ball, romantic dancing, strange visions, and magic mushrooms.
Can you give us a little teaser for The Deathly Grimm, the sequel to The Forest Grimm?
The Deathly Grimm is darker, wilder, stranger, more romantic, and has even more Brothers Grimm fairy tales added to the mix. Clara really has to take a hard look in the mirror and decide who she is and how hard she needs to fight to obtain what she wants.
What’s next for you?
I have such a cool book idea that I’m dying to write next and have already started “dream-planning” in my head. I can’t say much except it’s a mashup of two of my favorite kinds of stories.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Anything by Stephanie Garber, Leigh Bardugo, Sabaa Tahir, and Holly Black. Other than that, some of my throwback favorites are Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder, and The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson.
