We chat with author Sarah Hogle about The Folklore of Forever, which is a steamy enemies-to-lovers romantasy about a paranormal skeptic who is roped into a ghost hunting romp by the charming boy next door . . . who might just show her what real fantasies are made of.
Hi, Sarah! Welcome back! It’s been about four years since we last spoke. How have you been and what have you been up to?
Hello!! I’ve been doing great. I’m back at home after visiting several bookstores during pub week, and I’m ready to get a good chunk of drafting done this summer.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I truly cannot remember a time before stories. I’ve always been gobbling them up. When I was little, I stapled sheets of construction paper together to create my own books – I still have the very first one I made, which was about animals and their anatomies. I misspelled everything, lol. I also did a LOT of Curious George plagiarizing.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I know this one wasn’t the first, but a book about the Titanic stands out in my mind. It was in my first grade classroom and I read it over and over. A friend and I would argue every day over whose turn it was to look at it.
- The one that made you want to become an author: There were so many! Chasing Redbird and Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech definitely had a significant impact on me. The books I read between the ages of 12 and 14 built so much of my imagination and shaped my own storytelling. This is one of the reasons I would eventually love to write middle grade novels. They’re extremely formative.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Fake It Like You Mean It by Megan Murphy. The romance is absolutely fantastic, and so is the depiction of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. These characters are going to stay with me forever. I recently got to meet the author and I was not chill about it at all.
Your latest novel, The Folklore of Forever, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Bantering, bookishness, and chaotic adventure!
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect to have lots of fun with this one. Some parts of it are like a fever dream, others an ode to storytelling; some parts feel like you’re in another world and others are very much rooted in reality, and will feel, I think, very relatable. Zelda and Morgan have a lot of banter. Morgan is particularly funny, in my opinion – Zelda is at turns enamored and annoyed with him. He’s a ball of energy that will keep you on your toes. Readers can also expect a cozy atmosphere, strange magic, and a tight-knit support system of family both biological and found.
Where did the inspiration for The Folklore of Forever come from?
I’m not exactly certain. I think it’s the result of a handful of ideas that snowballed into one another from various directions. The town was loosely inspired by the coziness of Stars Hollow in Gilmore Girls, the sister relationships were inspired by Little Women and Practical Magic, and the magic and atmosphere have sort of a Tim Burton quality to them.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There is a passage in the book that describes what Zelda loves about storytelling, and I think that one’s my favorite. But I also enjoyed a spooky scene in which Zelda and Morgan find themselves in an old cemetery in the woods, and what they see and hear is goosebump-raising. And another that involves code words. Basically, any time Morgan is being absurd. (He is always being absurd.)
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I experienced a lot of heartache and sadness while writing this book, due to losing my grandmother and my dog within a month of each other. I could see the draft deadline looming and I had no will or motivation to write; it was disorienting to have my dog by my side while writing 90% of the book and then suddenly he’s gone and it’s time to write the happy ending. There is a part of the book—I can’t give much away because of spoilers—that was designed specifically as a way to comfort myself and feel like my grandmother could still be around in some way. I made my dog part of Moonvillian folklore as well, which is subtle, but you might notice it if you pay very close attention.
What’s next for you?
Something quite different! I am busy working on a book that is not a romcom, which feels both strange and liberating. I love how it’s shaping up, so fingers crossed that it will be on shelves one day.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley, The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames, and The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton are up next on my TBR.
