We chat with author Leslie Vedder about The Labyrinth of Lost Souls, which is a darkly inventive fantasy for fans of Tim Burton about a girl who can see Nightmare creatures from the forbidden Labyrinth of Souls.
Hi, Leslie! Welcome back! How have the past two years been since we last spoke?
I can’t believe it’s been two years! It’s been such a turbulent time. There have been a lot of ups and downs, both personally and in the world, and it’s kind of surreal to have a book coming out right now. Finishing The Bone Spindle trilogy last year was definitely a highlight, though.
With it being a new year, do you have any goals or aspirations for 2025?
I feel so lucky that I get to keep writing books—especially for young people. At all the toughest moments of my life growing up, I escaped into books. They were my friends, my teachers, and my haven when the world was just too much.
I hope my books can be that kind of refuge for someone, and so one of my goals is always to keep improving as a writer. I want to get braver with what I put on the page, and to keep writing books that are just spilling over with big feelings and fun characters and all the magic I’ve found in books over and over.
Your middle grade debut, The Labyrinth of Souls, is out February 11th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Spooky, thrilling, creature-filled fun!
What can readers expect?
The vibes of The Labyrinth of Souls are sort of the magic of Ghibli crossed with a dark Alice in Wonderland. It’s a very Halloween Town world, with spooky places like Spindlecrook and Mistmorrow, clothes spun by Arach-Needleworkers, and so many ways to lose your soul. Not to mention, it’s chock full of fun Nightmare creatures like Blackout Bats, Mistcats, and Stubbed Toads!
At the story’s heart is the forbidden Labyrinth, where dangers lurk around every twist and turn. There’s also a fierce friendship between two Nightmare girls and a brilliant bookworm boy, who get in a lot of trouble on their way to saving the kingdom. Like all of my books, The Labyrinth of Souls is set in a queer-normalized and accepting fantasy world, and I loved being able to create a found family around Ix Tatterfall and her friends.
Where did the inspiration for The Labyrinth of Souls come from?
I’d toyed with the idea of a dark, dreamy labyrinth for a while, but the seeds of this book really burst to life with the concept for the creatures. The mysterious Labyrinth of Souls is a place that exists outside of our world—a place literally ruled by our emotions, personified in the form of the Seven Sorrows, like Wrath, Terror, and Despair. It’s also filled with Nightmares, which are creatures tied to our feelings. Like the adorable Weighty Sloth, which climbs onto your back and becomes an ominous, crushing weight (best shaken off by tackling small tasks on your to-do list). Or the Seething Serpent, which grows bigger as your anger runs away with you.
I’ve always been a person who struggles with big emotions, like anxiety. A lot of The Labyrinth of Souls is about the way we deal with those big feelings, what we do when we’re scared or miserable or angry. Just being able to name those emotions is powerful. Navigating the Labyrinth is not about banishing those feelings, but learning not to be overwhelmed by them. (Which is definitely something I’m always working on!)
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The main character, Ix Tatterfall, ended up running away with my whole heart. She’s a girl who is a little odd, and a little unsure of herself, and she has powers that make her feel different.
It can feel lonely to be different—especially if you think you need to hide part of yourself, like Ix does at the beginning. But then she meets these other kids, Morrigan and Ollie, who have their own challenges and struggles. I really enjoyed digging into the friendship between these characters and seeing them learn to work together, to accept each other and themselves.
Also, the Seven Sorrows! They’re more like third parties in the story—not exactly villains, not exactly allies—and I had so much fun with all their scenes. Especially Chaos the Grinning Cat, who’s lovingly inspired by another stripey, riddly cat. One of Abigail Larson’s gorgeous illustrations features four of the Sorrows, and it just blows me away.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
This is the first book I’ve ever written with such a big a cast of characters! I wanted the world to be immersive, and I especially wanted the magical school, Candle Corps Academy, to feel rich and full—like a place kids could really imagine themselves going. So that meant teachers, students, classes, cursed paintings and castle cats and so much more.
It was a lot to balance, and it took me several drafts to get it right. For the first time ever, I also made a spreadsheet just to keep track of everyone’s name and grade and traits, so I could double check myself and not have characters spontaneously morphing halfway through the book—which nearly happened several times!
The Labyrinth of Souls features illustrations by Abigail Larson. Can you tell us a bit about the process in weaving her stunning art throughout the book?
Let me start by saying that having illustrations in this book is a total dream-come-true! My editor was the one who brought up the idea of including illustrations, and from the moment she showed me Abigail Larson’s portfolio, I knew her art was perfect for this book. She captures all the creepy, terrifying, and heartwarming scenes and brings them to life. Especially the Nightmare creatures!
The only difficult part was that I got to see multiple concept sketches for several of the illustrations, different ways Abigail was thinking of going, and I usually wanted them all!
With this being your middle grade debut, what was the shift like going from your YA trilogy to The Labyrinth of Souls?
I really enjoyed writing for middle grade. It took me a while to find my middle grade voice, and I had to pay attention at first to keep from slipping back into old patterns. But ultimately, I so enjoyed the heart and humor of writing MG, and I had the most fun just letting go and letting the characters be silly!
It reminded me how the books I grew up on, like Dealing with Dragons and Ella Enchanted, were packed with charming details and such wonderful fun that truly made me fall in love with reading. Still, as someone coming from YA, I definitely penned my first draft way too long and had to do a lot of difficult cutting.
What’s next for you?
I’m happy to say The Labyrinth of Souls has a sequel, The Nowhere Beast, which is coming out next year. It’s been so amazing to continue writing Ix and her friends—and coming up with more Nightmare creatures!
I’m also lucky to be working with the amazing artist Karyn S. Lee on a graphic novel. The Princess and the Outlaw is a Sapphic Robin Hood retelling with a roguish girl Robin, a dangerous Lady Marian, and a whole heap of whimsical forest magic.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
It’s a great year for spooky MG! Here are a bunch of books I can’t wait for:
The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay by Mary Averling
The Underwild: River of Spirits by Shana Targosz
Ghost Scout’s Honor by Carey Blankenship-Kramer
Spirit Service by Serena and Sasha Nanua
I’m also looking forward to The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah. It’s the sequel to The Stardust Thief, which is a brilliant fantasy full of fun characters and banter in a sprawling and vivid world.
