This interview originally appeared in the May/June 2024 Horn Book Magazine as part of the Publishers’ Previews, an advertising supplement that allows participating publishers a chance to each highlight a book from its current list. They choose the books; we ask the questions.

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Set in the same fantasy world as the author’s Raybearer duology, The Maid and the Crocodile presents a new hero, a girl who finds herself in uncomfortable company with the gods and ghosts of her city.

Photo: David Suh.

1. Ever felt haunted?

Yes! Growing up in a fundamentalist religious environment will do that. As a kid, I thought spirits could attach themselves to toys, “naughty” books, and scary movies. My childhood terror gave me a wild imagination, which I use to write fantasy. Now, if something was haunting me, I’d be indignant that it wasn’t putting its powers to good use.

2. Did you, like the Brontës, create imaginary worlds in your childhood play?

Constantly. I was a lonely homeschooled kid and ran imaginary kingdoms with tragic heroes and palace intrigue. Our living room couch saw a lot of state funerals.

3. What is the relationship between this book and the ­Raybearer/Redemptor duology?

It takes place ten years after Redemptor, but it’s a standalone story. Readers new to the world of Raybearer can understand it; readers familiar with the world will see some fond faces. The Raybearer books star a magical empress, and The Maid and the Crocodile stars a disabled domestic worker. There is so little overlap between their worlds, and yet one controls the other so completely.

4. High fantasy requires a lot of invention — does it ever feel like a burden?

I enjoy dreaming up details, but keeping them all straight takes a massive amount of energy. Realistically, a world’s magic and culture would permeate every level of interaction, but you can’t write that story without getting into the weeds. I focus deeply on the internal lives of my characters, because that’s what interests me the most.

5. What book would your readers be most surprised to find among your favorites?

Probably Sophie Kinsella’s Confessions of a Shopaholic, nestled among my high fantasy tomes and heart-wrenching coming-of-age novels. I love lighthearted books about women. The heroines I write tend to be burdened with glorious purpose, so I’m dying for a change of pace by the end of the day.

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