![]() I sometimes think that’s a little overblown-so often we’re just holding a funhouse mirror to the present!-but there are works that stand out as… oh, not blueprints, exactly, but at least landmarks to a better future. TK: Science fiction is often lauded as anticipating the future. What is the role of literature and hope in the pursuit for an ecological civilization, and how does your writing fit in? KM: You recently wrote a hopeful comic about conservation after the apocalypse. A total lack of bugs would definitely worry me! Having lived through years where we have fewer pollinators than normal, it’s very upsetting, so it was a natural jump to why Sam in A House W ith Good Bones would be troubled by a total lack of bugs. TK: I certainly hope it comes through! Actually, I sometimes worry I go too far the other way-not every protagonist can be a gardener or an entomologist, right? (Right…?!) Often, I find myself writing horror about things that I personally would find scary. As an avid gardener, does your fine attunement to nature aid in the descriptive writing of these warning signs? In A House with Good Bones, the garden’s eerie lack of bugs unnerves the protagonist, Sam. KM: We know that nature provides a number of warning signs when danger is looming. Though in Thornhedge, I specifically wrote about European birds, so it’s not quite so out of place! No, I’m afraid I usually write about landscapes that I know! Many of my fantasy novels, while they have the Ye Olde Quasi-Medieval Fantasy thing going on, have natural landscapes that more closely resemble North America. Kingfisher: That… would actually make a lot of sense. Kyla McCallum: When imagining the natural world of your fairy tale retellings, what is the research process like? Do you draw on the fairy tale’s country of origin for inspiration? Orion ’s Kyla McCallum caught up with Kingfisher to discuss writing inspired by horticulture, anthropomorphic characters, and the scary questions prompted by children’s stories. Her upcoming release, Thornhedge, tells the story of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of a toad. In addition to works of original fantasy and horror, Kingfisher has also published retellings of Bluebeard ( The Seventh Bride ), the Snow Queen ( The Raven and the Reindeer), Beauty and the Beast ( Bryony and Roses ), and more. KINGFISHER IS THE CELEBRATED AUTHOR OF Nettle and Bone, a fantasy novel inspired by the tone and wonder of classic fairy tales.
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