Interview by Hannah Luppe
Heather Fawcett is the Sunday Times and internationally bestselling Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Grace of Wild Things, and more. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and somehow all include dragons in one form or another. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s in Archaeology. She lives on Vancouver Island.
1. Hi Heather! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions—we’re so excited to have you! You write fantasy for a variety of age groups, with books tailored toward middle grade and young adult readers, and you’ve recently ventured into writing fantasy for adults! What attracts you to the fantasy genre?
Thank you! I enjoy writing fantasy because that’s what I’ve loved reading since I was a child, and I think it’s important to focus on what you’re passionate about. I’ve always been a voracious reader of folklore and anything folklore-adjacent (I was really into Greek mythology when I was growing up) and fantasy allows you to play around with those stories. It’s also the genre where you have the most imaginative freedom—you can design the world however you choose.
2. In Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, your writing style is so magical. One of my favourite things about Emily is her descriptions and attention to detail. How did you go about finding her voice? Where did you draw inspiration from?
The primary inspiration for the book was An Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katharine Briggs, a British folklorist, which was published in the early 1970s. I was flipping through her encyclopedia while doing research for a different book and found myself wondering, “What would it have been like to write something like this?”
I think the epistolary format really allowed me to get in touch with Emily and her voice. It’s perhaps the “closest” of the narrative POVs, because the character literally dictates everything—as an author, you are constantly asking yourself, “Would my protagonist mention this?” “Would she describe this in detail?” and so on. It forces you to understand your character and how they view they world on a deeper level.
3. Your upcoming middle-grade novel, The Islands of Elsewhere (June 20, 2023), has it all: fairies, treasure, and magic, as well as realistic, emotional themes such as ageing grandparents. Here, fantasy seems to help convey the difficulties young readers may encounter in real life. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired you to write such a narrative?
I love MG and YA stories that centre around sibling bonds. At the heart of my YA series, Even the Darkest Stars, is a relationship between two sisters, and it’s something I frequently explore in my MG novels as well. One of my favourite MG series is The Penderwicks, which centres around four sisters having a variety of down-to-earth adventures, like writing and performing in a school play. The charm of that type of story comes from the unique personalities of the sisters and how they bounce off each other, and I’ve just always wanted to write something like that. I think those types of close bonds create a sense of warmth and homeyness in story, which can function almost as a kind of safe space to explore more difficult subjects, such as illness and loss.
4. What is your favourite part of the writing process?
Definitely writing the first draft. I know a lot of authors prefer revising, but I’d much rather be actively making stuff up, throwing my characters into challenging situations or interactions and seeing how they respond. I particular enjoy writing dialogue.
5. What MG/YA books or authors do you adore?
So many! I love Megan Whalen Turner’s The Thief series and anything by Diana Wynne Jones. Alice Oseman is also wonderful. I recently read Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim and The Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, which were both fantastic. In terms of contemporary YA, I’m a big fan of fellow BC author Sabina Khan, in particular Zara Hossain is Here. One of my all-time favourite middle grade books is Coraline.
For extra content, Heather chatted with our managing editor about fantasy, fairy tales, and more! Be sure to check out the recorded conversation on our YouTube channel!
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