Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview With Deva Fagan!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Deva Fagan, the author of The Mirrorwood, which is out now! She is also the author of multiple other MG books, including the 2021 release, Nightingale.

Would you please tell us a little about your book, The Mirrorwood?

Sure! The Mirrorwood was the book I wrote during the early days of the pandemic, and I basically crammed it full of all my favorite things: fairy tales, talking cats, enchanted forests, magical libraries, picnics, masked balls, owls, mushrooms, and castles. And, of course, lots of humor and adventure. It's the story of a girl named Fable who is cursed to have no face of her own, who must rely on borrowing the faces of others to survive. To break the curse and find her true self, she enters the magical, perilous Mirrorwood, where she is forced to ally with the fierce blighthunter who has been pursuing her. The Mirrorwood also an homage to some of my favorite fantasy movies of the 80s, but I hope it will bring modern readers joy and wonder and delight!

Nightingale recently released in paperback! Would you like to tell everyone a little about the book?

Nightingale is my ode to reluctant heroes. It started with the question: What would happen if someone got chosen to be hero of the realm and they didn't want the job. In the case of Nightingale, that person is Lark, who is a thief just trying to survive when she accidentally steals a magic sword that chooses her to be the hero. Nightingale was also partly inspired by my reading the book Radium Girls by Kate Moore, which tells the true story of the young women who worked in factories in the early twentieth century, who were exposed to dangerous amounts of radium at work.

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

Blue! I even dyed my hair blue once. :-)

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I'm currently drafting my next MG book, The Silverwood, which takes place in the same world as The Mirrorwood but features (almost) entirely different characters. It's about a girl from an enchanted forest who has to leave her home to rescue a unicorn from a wicked king. It's got animal transformations, ghost trees, witches, and a talking chicken, and I am having a ton of fun writing it right now!

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read recently? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

I recently read Leah Cypess's Glass Slippers, the second in her series of fairy tales retold by the younger sisters of the traditional main character. So in this case, it's the story of Cinderella's youngest step-sister. I loved how this book didn't shy away from the question of whether any character can be entirely good or entirely evil!

I'm really looking forward to the next book in Sangu Mandanna's Kiki Kallira series, Kiki Kallira Conquers a Curse. The first book (Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom) was so delightful and heartfelt and magical-- as well as being a really thoughtful and welcome depiction of a kid character dealing with anxiety. 

Thanks for having me stop by, Jessica!

Thank you to Deva Fagan for participating in this event! :)

Image Credit: Paul Van Der Werf.

Author Bio: Deva Fagan (she/her) is the author of Rival Magic, Nightingale, Circus Galacticus and other books for young readers. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog. When she’s not writing she spends her time reading, playing video games, doing geometry, and drinking copious amounts of tea.

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Instagram