S2E12: Folklore & Forgotten Passwords with special guest Gabriela Houston

Debut author alert! In Gabriella Houston's debut novel, The Second Bell, Salka the striga is born with two hearts and one chance to make her life her own amongst the community of outcasts where she lives. We had a great time talking with Gabriela about how she approached this novel specifically, and how she uses folklore as an inspiration for her writing in general.

EPISODE RECAP

You'll hear about what we're reading and writing, and we'll talk with author Gabriela Houston about:

• How she blended the story idea she wanted to explore with the Slavic legend of the striga to create her debut novel, The Second Bell

• Spinning ideas from legends and myths into your own unique tales

• Challenges and opportunities associated with writing based on Slavic folklore and legends

• Working with themes about suppressing emotions, grappling with cultural norms, and mother-child relationships

• The Bookish Take, Gabriela's new YouTube channel with fellow author, Caroline Hardaker, where they chat about their journeys from the initial idea up to publication with tips and advice based on their experiences

IMPORTANT LINKS FROM THE SHOW

• Pre-order signed copies of The Second Bell (ships from the UK - The Broken Binding bookstore)

• Pre-order The Second Bell (includes US shipping options)

• Check out reviews - and leave one yourself - The Second Bell on Goodreads

• Follow Gabriela on Twitter, Goodreads and her website

• Watch The Bookish Take Video Channel on YouTube

Consider supporting indie bookstores by ordering your books through bookshop.org. And if you're an audiobook person, libro.fm supports indie bookstores, too.

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Let us know if there’s anything you want to hear about later this season! Until then...