We chat with author Zoje Stage about Dear Hanna, which is a blood-chilling follow-up to international sensation Baby Teeth, taking readers back into the unsteady world of a young sociopath who’s all grown up.
Hi, Zoje! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I have long had a passion for trying to understand why human beings – who are capable of so many good and extraordinary things – sometimes gravitate toward paths that are destructive, to themselves or others. Examining this psychology is at the heart of what I do as a writer. When I’m not writing or reading, I love watching documentaries, taking virtual tap dance classes, feeding the woodland creatures who visit me in my backyard, and nurturing my three cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I started writing when I was very young, about six, but initially it was poetry. For decades I tried my hand at every conceivable form of writing – essays, short stories, poetry, stage plays, screenplays – before getting up the nerve to try writing a novel.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Piping Down the Valleys Wild (edited by Nancy Larrick)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Beloved by Toni Morrison (technically this is the book that made me want to be a storyteller, because at the time I had dreams of being a filmmaker).
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (because I’m afraid of it coming true)
Dear Hanna is the follow-up to Baby Teeth and it’s out August 13th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Dark humor, sociopath, lovable antihero
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a deep dive into the domestic life of a young sociopath who is trying her hardest to function as a “normal” adult. Unfortunately, Hanna’s moral compass is somewhat awry, and her ideas for solving family problems are…questionable.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I absolutely loved writing Hanna’s character! She is so interesting to me because she’s a blend of relatable desires and traits, combined with a lack of appreciating the differences between right and wrong. She is both vulnerable and, somewhat unintentionally, villainous. I loved exploring her creative way of thinking.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing Dear Hanna? How did you overcome them?
One of the things that was always on my mind while writing the novel was remembering who Hanna was at seven, and then trying to logically evolve her into adulthood. I wanted her to still have some of the characteristics that defined her in Baby Teeth, while presenting them as more sophisticated and adult.
Baby Teeth published six years ago. Did you always plan to revisit Hanna? How did the follow-up come to be?
I did not originally plan to revisit the characters in Baby Teeth, as I considered the trajectory of that story to be well enough established. But people have requested a sequel so many times that their interest in Hanna was always at the back of my mind. Then, during the pandemic, while I was home alone watching true crime series, I started to imagine what sort of “criminal” Hanna might grow into. I fairly quickly concluded many things about who she would not be, and at that point I got serious for the first time about discovering who she might be. I realize that some readers may want a return to a “bad seed” story, but the possibility that excited me most was imagining who that girl would become a little later in life. This approach also made it easier to avoid the pitfalls that might come with writing Baby Teeth 2.0, as Dear Hanna is its own standalone story.
What led to you writing within the thriller genre?
I’ve always been interested, even as a filmmaker, in creating realistically-drawn characters who are experiencing some sort of weird situation. And then there came a point in my life when it became clear that the books I most enjoyed reading had a strong element of mystery or urgency. I firmly committed to writing the types of books that I most wanted to read, and those were pageturners with relatable people in emotional or physical peril.
What’s next for you?
Fingers-crossed you’ll all get to read my eco-horror novella, which is currently looking for a home. In the meanwhile, My UnderSlumberBumbleBeast – the illustrated children’s book that is mentioned in both Baby Teeth and Dear Hanna – will officially become a real book on Dec. 3, 2024.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
So far, my favorite reads of the year are The Searcher by Tana French, Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison, The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, and You Will Speak for the Dead by R.A. Busby (which comes out in October). There are so many books I’m eager to read – including A Better World by Sarah Langan, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer.
