Hey guys! I'm so excited to share this interview with you all today! I read The Goblin's Daughter a few months ago, and loved it, so I was so excited to be able to interview the author, M.K. Sawyer, and I had so much fun interviewing her. Without further ado, let's get to the interview!
Introspective, quirky, imaginative, empathic, artistic.
Do you remember when you first decided you wanted to become an author?
I don’t! I’ve loved books and stories since I was little and I actually can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an author. I’ve always made up stories in my head and when I learned to read and write as a child, I started writing them down. I always knew what I wanted, so becoming an author was kind of inevitable.
What's something you couldn't live without?
Excluding my husband, family, and friends (is that cheating?), I’d probably have to say my laptop. That’s a boring answer, but without it I couldn’t write or publish my work. I mean, I could probably write by hand, but no one in the world, myself included, would be able to read what I wrote because my handwriting is so bad!
What made you decide to write this genre?
I actually wrote The Goblin’s Daughter without a genre in mind. I love creepy stories and fantasy, but I just wanted to tell a good story about a girl who doesn’t fit in. The magical stuff just found its way in as I developed the story.
When it came time to pick a genre, I decided “paranormal fantasy” covered it pretty well, but that still doesn’t feel like a perfect fit. The fantasy part is fun, but when it comes down to it, the book is really about the characters, the relationships, and that feeling of being different that everyone can relate to.
If you could pick three songs to represent your book, which would it be?
I actually have a Spotify playlist for the book!
My top three songs for The Goblin’s Daughter:
“Running Up That Hill” by Placebo
“Breathe Me” by Sia
“Lazarus” by David Bowie
Those capture the mood pretty well.
What does your bookshelf look like? Is it chaotic and messy, or organized and clean?
My bookshelf is an absolute disaster. Definitely not Instagram worthy! I don’t own a ton of actual books because I love libraries and I read a lot of ebooks these days, but I have a decent variety. I have a whole shelf dedicated to Harry Potter (books and merch), and the rest is a mixed bag.
I have lots of poetry and Shakespeare plays, some contemporary fiction and horror, a little fantasy, the entire Dark Tower series, a few biographies, and some nonfiction books. I read a bit of everything and my bookshelf reflects that really well.
I also keep my fancy teacups on my bookshelf, because tea and books just go together.
Who is your favourite character from your book? Why?
I love them all so much, but Nolin really has a special place in my heart. There’s so much of me in Nolin, because I used to be the weird kid that played alone at recess and escaped into books.
I also think she’s the character people relate to the most because she embodies that universal feeling of yearning to belong that so many people feel. I’m also inspired by her strength. She does what she believes is right, even if it gets her in hot water (which it often does). She is treated cruelly but doesn’t become cruel herself. She’s also deeply scarred because her natural caring nature is twisted into guilt and even self-destruction, but she never tries to be something she’s not.
I loved discovering her layers as I wrote the book over several years.
What was the hardest part of writing The Goblin's Daughter?
In the middle of the editing process, I ran into this terrifying point when I realized how huge this project was and that it could go so many different directions. That’s when the doubt settled in, because I knew I had an amazing story to tell, but the manuscript was a mess and I didn’t even know where to start.
Which ideas do I pursue? How the heck do I fix this pacing problem? Why isn’t anything working?! (I just hit this point in my next project, so this has been on my mind a lot!)
But I kept chipping away at it, doing whatever felt doable on any given day, and eventually I ended up with a solid book that felt as perfect as I could get it. That was a rough period to work through, and I think it happens with every big project, but I’m really proud of how the book turned out!
How do you get through writer's block? Any advice?
Writer’s block has so many faces. It can come from self-doubt, fear, or from just not knowing what happens next in the story. I’ve experienced all of it, and I’ve found the best thing is to just allow myself to write garbage. Keep writing, even if it sucks and you have to trash it all.
I’m not a planner. I usually have a general idea of where I’m going with a story, but for the most part I figure things out as I write. If I ever get stuck, I just have to keep writing and digging around until I strike gold.
What is a book/series you would recommend everyone to read?
Harry Potter of course!
Other than that, I love Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, and I think it should be required reading for being human. It’s not even just for “creatives,” but for anyone who wants to live a life of passion and joy. It helped me learn not to take my writing so seriously (which also helps with writer’s block) and to just have fun with my creativity instead of putting so much pressure on it.
What scenes are your favourite to write and why?
I love any scene that gets really deep into a character’s mind.
One of my favorite scenes in The Goblin’s Daughter is the chapter told entirely from the Shadow’s point of view. This is where we get into her history with the goblins and dig deep into her driving desire. It’s dark, gritty, and brutal, and it’s the scene where that character really clicked for me. It’s when she becomes three-dimensional.
Coffee or tea?
I love both so much. I drink coffee every day, but I love a steamy cup of Earl Grey too!
Fantasy or contemporary?
Both! The Goblin’s Daughter is a blend of the two. It has the deep characterization and universal themes exploration that I love about contemporary, but with the magic and mystery of fantasy.
Bad boy or boy next door?
Boy next door, hands down. Give me a Drew any day!
Author links:
Title: The Goblin's Daughter
Author: M.K. Sawyer
My rating: 4 hearts
Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Pub. date: June 30th 2018
Publisher: Self-published
Synopsis: the forest beckons
the Shadow watches
Nolin doesn’t know why her mother is terrified of the forest— only that is has something to do with her, a cold night, a baby crib, and an open window.
Throughout her life, Nolin struggles to gain the love of her crazed mother, all while grappling with recurring dreams of a twisted, ancient tree, and the perpetual feeling that she’s being watched by a dark presence in the surrounding forest.
After a childhood mental breakdown, Nolin returns to her hometown as a grown woman, ready to face her mother to put old demons to rest. When Nolin stumbles across disturbing details of her mother’s past, she ventures deeper into the mystery of her own identity, the related causes of her mother’s illness, and learns of violent, ancient creatures who live in the woods. . .
Book links:
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