Q&A with Bex Hogan

  

 

 

Bex Hogan is the author of the new young adult novel Owl King. It's the second in her Faery Realms series, following Nettle. She lives in Cambridgeshire, UK. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Owl King, and how did you create your characters Lyla and Ilsette?

 

A: When I was working on Nettle, the first book in the Faery Realms series, I would sit mesmerized by the birds coming to my window feeder. It reminded me of the frequent roles that birds played in the traditional fairytales that I was raised on, and I knew then that they would be an important part in my next faery book.

 

Two of my favourite stories from Grimm’s Fairy Tales - "The Juniper Tree" and "Aschenputtel" - both have birds central to the plot, which I had always loved.

 

There was also a local legend in the village I grew up in, about an owl man. He was said to be half-man, half-owl, with piercing red eyes, and was seen flying over the ancient church on the headland. So he definitely was a part of the inspiration for the Owl King himself!

 

As for Lyla and Ilsette, I had wanted to write about the relationship between sisters for a while, having two daughters of my own. I wanted the love story at the heart of the book to be that of sibling love rather than the romantic kind, as it’s such a unique and strong bond.

 

Q: How would you describe the relationship between this novel and your book Nettle?

 

A: Owl King absolutely isn’t a sequel to Nettle, but they are part of the same series, set in the same world. With Owl King I wanted to take the landscape I’d begun to create in Nettle and expand it, because a world as magical as Faery shouldn’t be just one thing.

 

So this is very much a continuation, to develop the history of the realms and introduce new rules – for example, the faeries in the Realm of Never Moon can transform into birds, which the faeries in Nettle cannot.

 

There are little nods to the previous book in this one, but you can read them in whichever order you prefer, as they are both standalone stories.

 

Q: How did you originally create the world in which the novels are set? 

 

A: I grew up in Cornwall, which is in the southwest of the UK. It is a small county, filled with a unique beauty. I think spending so many years surrounded by its natural magic has profoundly shaped me as a writer, and absolutely made imagining a faery world easy.

 

When I picture the Faery Realms, it is the untouched pockets of Cornwall I know, the ancient bluebell woods, thick with atmosphere and history. Or the wild moorland, dense with gorse and windswept trees.

 

I’m so fortunate to have grown up in such a beautiful place, and to have been so inspired by it. It makes my job far easier!

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: My main hope with any of my books is that my readers will enjoy themselves! My prime objective is always to spin a tale that allows them to escape to another world and lose themselves there for a while. It is what I love most about reading and hope others will have that same experience with my books.

 

Beyond that, I hope they will discover the power of nature, the strength of love, the importance of being yourself.

 

This is true of both Owl King and Nettle, as they feature similarly flawed yet determined protagonists, who make mistakes and don’t always have the answers. But they are guided by love as they navigate the dangerous unknown.

 

I wish I had been that brave when I was younger, and hope the books inspire young readers, who are in many ways travelling their own paths through dark forests.

 

Q: What are you working on now? 

 

A: I am busy with copyedits on Rowan, the third book in the Faery Realms series, which is coming out in the UK later this year. Beyond that, I’ve just finished drafting another YA fantasy which I’ve been working on in my spare time as a project just for me, and have another thousand ideas just waiting to be written!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: In my research for writing The Faery Realms, I’ve become somewhat obsessed with the history of fairytales. We think of retellings as something quite new, but when it comes to fairytales, they’ve been told and retold for centuries.

 

It’s fascinating seeing how they’ve changed and adapted for different audiences and cultures, and also discovering who told them originally – and for whom.

 

So if you have an interest in the tales we’re so familiar with, I encourage you to seek out their origins, and trace how they’ve evolved. You’ll never look at them the same again!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Maria Giesbrecht

  

 

 

Maria Giesbrecht is the author of the new poetry collection A Little Feral. She hosts the poetry community Gather. Born in Durango, Mexico, she lives near Toronto, Canada. 

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the poems in your new collection?

 

A: Oh gosh, I’m terrible with keeping track of these kinds of things, admittedly. The oldest poem is well over five years old, and the newest one made it into the manuscript a week before I handed it in to my editor.

 

Q: How was the book’s title--also the title of the first poem in the collection--chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: When I write, I often sit at my desk well into the afternoon before I change out of my pajamas, especially if I’m really in a flow-state. My partner used to come to my office and joke that I was being “a little feral.”

 

Then, one day, during a walk in our neighborhood, we saw a car with the bumper sticker “a little feral” and had a lovely giggle. I wrote a poem about it, and all the ways in which I sometimes live my life in a sort of messy, defiant way.

 

Being a little feral, to me, signifies being awake. To be awake is to be a little feral. Feral defined as “in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity.”

 

Q: How did you decide on the order in which the poems would appear in the book?

 

A: I spent a few days alone in an Airbnb in a cute little town near me. I brought over 150 of my poems, printed out, with me. I spent a few days exploring which themes were coming through and which story arc I wanted to tell.

 

Once I firmed up the sections, it was a big, tiring game of Tetris, seeing where each poem clicked into place. I really needed the alone time to listen to what the poems wanted to say.

 

Q: The Foreword review of the book says, “With a tongue-in-cheek tone, the book ponders the value of breaking the rules when settling on a personal identity...” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I love it. I believe living out a life that feels honest to you never comes without a cost. We must sacrifice something. For me, it was the comfort of a community that no longer supports us. I’m grateful that when I left the Mennonite community, I had the constant companion of words to guide me and hold me.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: This summer, I am working toward a first draft of a linked short story collection. My first story, “The Day of the Dog,” was a finalist in the 2026 Narrative Short Story contest, and I’m excited to build upon Chrissy’s world with more stories.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I will be touring North America in May, visiting Toronto, NYC, Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle, Victoria, and Calgary. Tour dates can be found here. I love meeting folks in person, and would love to see you there!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Jill Rosenberg

  

 

 

Jill Rosenberg is the author of the new story collection Now I'm Photogenic and Other Stories I Tell Myself. She is a professor of creative writing at Montclair State University, and she lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the stories in your new collection?

 

A: I wrote drafts of a couple of the stories in graduate school, which was over 20 years ago; the most recent story was written about three years ago.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: There’s a story in the collection called “Now We’re Photogenic,” and I thought that also made a nice title for the whole book, but because so many of the stories are about feelings of alienation, using a singular pronoun made more sense.

 

I also wanted to indicate that the title is somewhat ironic—I can’t imagine that any of my central characters would enjoy being photographed, and therefore, I doubt they’d be photogenic, but they might disingenuously claim to be.

 

I’m also interested in the way character is revealed through the stories we tell about ourselves, whether they’re true or not.

 

Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “Surreal images and emotional realities collide in this debut collection.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I’m pretty happy with it! I’m always reminding my students that surreality shouldn’t be employed simply to entertain. It should be used to spotlight aspects of reality that cannot otherwise be revealed—in particular, the emotional reality of being a real human in the real world.

 

Q: How did you choose the order in which the stories would appear in the collection?

 

A: I knew I wanted to start with “The Logic of Imaginary Friends” because I see that story as a Rosetta Stone for the collection, and I knew I wanted to end with “If I Could Have Anything, I’d Only Choose This” because that story is sad but ends on a really hopeful note, with a character summoning the kind of courage that I’d wish for all of my characters and for real struggling people too.

 

Everything in between I arranged the way I’d make a mix tape or playlist. I wanted one story to lead interestingly to the next, but I also wanted to highlight connections between the stories, so I tried to pair stories that have similar subject matter but a different emotional impact, or characters with similar traits who have very different experiences.

 

The stories are quite emotional and intense, so I wanted the experience to be a little like a roller coaster. I tried to strike a balance in which the troubling stories are offset with playfulness and fun. I hope I did that within each story as well.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m writing a memoir and revising a novel.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: There’s one anachronism in the collection which I’d like to confess. In “16 Days of Glory,” which takes place in the summer of 1984, the characters eat Ben & Jerry’s Super Fudge Chunk, but that flavor wasn’t released until 1985. I just really like the name Super Fudge Chunk.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with John Trautwein

  

 

 

John Trautwein is the author of the new book The Will to Live: How One Family Turned Tragedy into Healing, Hope, and Purpose. The book focuses on the death of his son Will. Trautwein is a former professional baseball player, and is an international business executive, motivational speaker, and co-founder of the Will to Live Foundation.  

 

Q: First of all, I’m so sorry for the loss of your son… 

 

Why did you decide to write this book?

 

A: From the day my son took his life, and throughout that first week, I started keeping a small notebook with me so that I could write down all the wonderful acts of kindness that I (and my family) was experiencing - they were truly incredible. 

 

It was such an awful, sad, and emotional time for me that I was afraid I would forget all these acts of kindness, so I started a journal. Over the first year, this continued, and as we started the Will To Live Foundation, my family and I kept experiencing these acts of kindness, and love and hope. 

 

It was about a year later, I realized I had the makings of a motivational story that could inspire people to understand the power they have to deliver hope to each other. I felt my story, our story, could not only inspire people, but at the same time, in a positive way, could raise awareness of teen suicide and mental illness.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: The Will To Live. This title simply represents what I have been trying to do since the day my son lost his will to live. I want to create a culture where it is “okay to not be okay,” and by doing so, people talk - and relationships improve - and our Will To Live Increases. 

 

This became the name of our foundation as well. It was perfect, it represented what we wanted to do, and it very subtly incorporated my son’s name into something that I was doing as part of his legacy.

 

Q: The journalist and author Dan Shaughnessy said of the book, “In The Will to Live, John Trautwein takes the emotions of loss and turns them into a message of awareness and hope.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Dan’s description is exactly why I wrote the book. I wanted to raise awareness and deliver hope through our story.

 

Q: What impact did it have on you to write the book, and what do you hope people take away from it?

 

A: Writing the book was pure therapy to me. It made me “express,” it made me “talk about it.” Every day, it gave me “Will time” - it motivated me, it inspired me because I knew it was a very good thing I was doing and it would have a positive effect on people’s lives. It would make teens and their parents more aware of the fact that depression is common - and treatable and beatable.  

 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the power we have to deliver hope to each other.  Something I wanted the teens to understand, so they talk to each other - and parents to understand - that it is okay for us to not be okay - in fact it’s normal, so let’s talk. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: We are getting ready to launch the book - and at  the same time, I am very committed to the Will To Live Foundation and my speeches. This, coupled with a full-time job, keeps me busy!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: We have had great success with our “Life Teammates” message that resonates throughout both the book and our Will To Live Foundation. With my experience as an ex-major league baseball player and Division One college athlete, my message to athletes, their families, their coaches and administrators has been extremely well received and a key focus of mine today.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

May 8

 

 

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
May 8, 1937: Thomas Pynchon born.

Q&A with Andrew Forrester

  

 

 

Andrew Forrester is the author of the new novel How the Story Goes. He is a former English teacher, and he lives in Austin, Texas. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write How the Story Goes, and how did you create your characters Whit and Merritt?

 

A: In fourth grade, I had my first brush with obsessively reading a series. It started with Katherine Applegate’s Animorphs books, then expanded to include The Chronicles of Narnia, Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet, the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, and many more.

 

For me, this was a quintessentially childlike experience, because I had so much time to read, and I was able to fully devote myself to a book or series in a way that’s impossible now with all the, you know, life going on. But man, was it special back then.

 

Cut to a few decades later, and you have me, an English teacher on winter break, trying and failing to make a manuscript work. In truth, it was my fifth or sixth manuscript, and I had been trying for some time.

 

I needed a different creative direction, and I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but those early years of obsessive reading combined with other, more grown-up interests. Things like the movies of Nora Ephron, the small towns in cozy mysteries (minus the murder), and a working knowledge of the publishing industry (honed, yes, by years of disappointment).

 

The concept of someone having to finish his late wife’s masterpiece came to me pretty fully formed, but then I needed to inhabit that idea with good characters.

 

First came Whit, who was easy: who would be the most miserable in this context? He needed to be a writer, someone mildly grumpy and a little depressed but essentially loveable, et voilà.

 

Then I needed someone to balance him out, someone capable and funny who was at least partially defined by her love of reading. Merritt took a little longer to flesh out, but in the end (don’t tell anyone) she’s my favorite.

 

Q: Were your character Helen’s books based on a particular series?

 

A: They were mostly based on that cultural phenomenon we saw with Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson: midnight parties, fan websites run amok, stuff I don’t think we’ve really seen since. But that global blockbuster book series thing is what I was going for.

 

When I was imagining The Greenwood Castle Saga, I actually thought a lot about a book I read in my fourth grade Language Arts class called The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt (of Tuck Everlasting fame!) and then John Peel’s Diadem series, which is not super well known.

 

I honestly don’t remember a ton about their plots or characters, and I can’t speak to how good they are, but I do remember the feeling they gave me, about magical worlds and groups of heroes on important quests, and I carried that with me into Helen’s books about Ursula, Rupert, and Christabel.

 

Q: The writer Ashley Winstead said of the book, “How the Story Goes is a gift for book lovers.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Um, it’s my dream description, and I promise I did not pay Ashley to write it. Honestly, it’s what I was aiming for. I am such a fan of books about books. I mean, I am here because I like reading, and then when a book itself is about someone who also likes reading? It almost feels like cheating.

 

I think that, if How the Story Goes has an aim, it’s to celebrate all the things a book can be for someone: an escape, a job, a way to connect, a balm for our hurts, and so on. So I’m really glad Ashley saw that in the novel, and I hope other readers do, too!

 

Q: The novel is set in New England—how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: I have a friend who’s read all my other manuscripts, and he mocks me relentlessly because the ones about teenagers are almost all set in, like, the bleakest parts of suburban Houston.

 

That’s where I grew up, and so much of young adult fiction is about that feeling of longing for more: what better backdrop than a six-lane freeway or the parking lot of a failing barbecue chain?

 

But for this book, a lot of the fun was imagining what my life like a writer could look like, and it turns out I would very much like to live and work in a town that is partially Stars Hollow and partially Three Pines, with a little bit of the Cape Cod town where my aunt and uncle live thrown in.

 

My hope is that the setting helps the book feel cozy and warm, while the stakes and characters balance out the charm with real-world problems.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Well, speaking of setting, I am revising a manuscript that is also set in Whelk Harbor, in which some of our friends from How the Story Goes may or may not appear… It shares the same cozy bookishness, but this time, it’s about a historian and an English professor trying to solve a literary mystery. And there are museums, lots of museums.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I’m just genuinely so excited that this book is coming out and that real people in the world will read it. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to dig into this little story I made up in my head. It means the world.

 

If people are interested in following along on my author journey, my website is www.andrewforresterbooks.com and my Instagram is @andrewforrester. I’m doing a mini-tour in a few cities, and I’d love to meet readers in those places.

 

I am also so down for visiting book clubs virtually (or in person, if you’re in the Austin area!). Please reach out through the form on my website or even over Instagram. Happy reading!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb 

Q&A with Laurie Frankel

  

Photo by Natalia Dotto

 

 

Laurie Frankel is the author of the new novel Enormous Wings. Her other books include This Is How It Always Is. She is a former college professor, and she lives in Seattle. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Enormous Wings, and how did you create your character Pepper?

 

A: When my grandmother first got sick with what we later learned was cancer, I was struck by how similar the symptoms were to those of early pregnancy (nausea, exhaustion, dizziness, brain fog, and a general sense of feeling off) and how much better, if weirder, news that she was pregnant would have been.

 

Like pregnancy, old age is a great – and much more unusual – lens through which to talk about issues of agency, choice, and bodily autonomy. These issues are such pressing ones, but we often only talk about them one way and through one lens, and that’s never good. 

 

Pepper really wrote herself. I kicked her off – I was very close with my grandmothers, and both of them are all over this book – but then Pepper really became her own person in the best way. It’s such a delight when that happens, and because the book really is about strength in people you least expect, it’s also especially apt. Pepper is a total asskicker.

 

Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: Enormous Wings has this element of magic or unrealism at the heart of its conceit (77-year-old gets pregnant) but is otherwise realism. Even that element of strangeness is grounded in realism (there have been a number of women even older than Pepper who’ve gotten pregnant and given birth).

 

One day, trying to explain all this to my husband, I was using as a metaphor Gabriel García Márquez’s short story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.”

 

I love that story not only because of that interplay of genres (magic realism) but because it observes that human reaction to the miraculous is often, well, the opposite, which is some of what happens in my novel as well.

 

I also love the winged imagery of flight, folded strength, lifting up, and spreading over. The title appears a number of times in the book, all very different from one another. I always like when I’m reading and come upon the title.

 

Q: The writer Leila Mottley said of the book, “Laurie Frankel has written a masterpiece of humanity with just the right dash of weirdness. This is the ultimate interrogation of abortion access in a red state set in the most unexpected place: a senior living community.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: Isn’t that the most amazing quote? I am so grateful to Leila for those words. This book is definitely weird, which I hope is a compelling reason to read it. (Here’s to weird books!!)

 

I love books that tell a different story than the usual, especially about topics, such as abortion, where I think I’ve already heard it all before, so I’m thankful Leila saw all of that in these pages, and I hope other readers will as well.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?

 

A: I hope they’re entertained and amused and moved and inspired to call their grandmothers and/or to be or aspire to be badass grandmothers themselves. I hope they see, be, and look for strength in unexpected places. I hope they consider matters of agency and bodily autonomy and aging and love and sex and family from new and surprising angles. But especially the part about being amused and entertained. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: The next novel. Always the next novel. They take too long (at least, they take me too long) to take much of a break in between one and the next, and besides, when the real world is senseless, it’s nice to have one mostly in your control.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Just that I’m grateful for this blog and these kind, smart questions. Thank you so much!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Laurie Frankel.