We chat with author Nataly Gruender about Selkie, which is a beautiful and emotional story featuring a selkie: a mythological creature who can turn from a seal into a human.
Hi, Nataly! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m Nataly, I’m a lover of mythology (any kind), dogs (though I don’t have one), and reading (obviously). My reading taste skews mostly fantasy and science fiction, though I will branch out for a well-researched historical or literary fiction, especially if it’s queer. I recently took up knitting as a hobby, even though I already had an expensive hobby in buying all the books I want to read.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was actually a very reluctant reader growing up. My mom sat me down with The Hobbit a few times with little success, until something finally clicked for me and I began devouring every book she put in front of me. The first few stories I wrote were inspired by the books I had read, little adventures for the characters I loved and wanted to see more of, and from then on I knew I wanted to write my own worlds into existence.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket, which is the second book in the series, but I vividly remember when Violet was doing something sneaky and I turned the page to see a full block of “never, ever, ever, ever”s. I never forgot how that made me laugh.
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, of course!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, beautifully haunting and realistically hopeful, it’s a love story that would give anyone thalassophobia.
Your latest novel, Selkie, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Lighthouses, secrets, family, oh my!
What can readers expect?
My take on the traditional story of selkie folklore, in which a selkie is trapped on land by her husband until she is finally able to escape back into the ocean, but then I dove further into what would happen to her once she returns to sea. Selkie explores who she has become after being separated from the other half of herself and whether she can trust humans again. It is also a story of women taking control of their own lives amidst the many storms they struggle against.
Where did the inspiration for Selkie come from?
An episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved that covered the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keepers at the Flanan Isle Lighthouse off the coast of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. With only a few suspicious clues left behind, their disappearance inspired a theory that the men were lured or taken into the water during a massive storm by some sea creature. I’ve been obsessed with the selkie folklore since I was young, and the idea that the lighthouse keepers could have been taken by a selkie popped into my head before the episode had even finished.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
In addition to the selkie folklore included in the book, I also researched the Scottish legend of the washerwoman, or the bean-nighe. The washerwoman is an omen of death and humans will stumble across her washing bloodied clothes. The number of garments represents the number of deaths, and the one who spots her has the chance to approach her and find out who would die. I loved getting to read about this folkloric figure I had never heard about and expand the magic of the story!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I actually had to completely restart this story when I was maybe a third of the way in to give it a better foundation from the selkie’s perspective. I knew she was the one driving the narrative and she certainly took the reins once I came at it for the second time, but reworking the image I had of the book into the new foundation took a lot of sacrifices. In the end, the book is stronger for it, and lives up to its name.
What’s next for you?
I’ll keep dipping my fingers into the well of myths to take inspiration from as long as they’ll let me!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I’ve already read The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley twice this year and enjoyed it immensely both times, and I’ve also loved Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse.
Emily Wilson’s translation of The Iliad has been giving me the side-eye from my desk for months, and I’m determined to get to it! I’m also looking forward to Katabasis by R.F. Kuang, No Friend to this House by Natalie Haynes, and Cinder House by Freya Marske.
