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S3E8: Stories Young & Old with Special Guest Gabriela Houston
Author Gabriela Houston returns to our show with fresh advice for crafting stories from myths and a new home-spun tale drawing from the Slavic folklore she grew up with. In her second novel, The Wind Child, a powerless half-human daughter of the God of Wind undertakes a dangerous forty-day journey to bring her father's soul back to the land of the living.
We talked with Gabriela about how she approaches writing for the middle grade audience, particularly when the central theme is parental loss and grief, and why it's important to address heavy themes in children's literature.
We also discussed writing and publishing during these strange times, as her first novel came out during lockdown and her second arrives amidst the newest wave of the pandemic. (Spoiler: she's writing other books as you're reading this).
The Wind Child comes out on February 3 from UCLan Publishing.
EPISODE RECAP
You'll hear about what we're reading and writing, and we'll talk with author Gabriela Houston about:
Writing for middle grade readers vs. adult readers
How marketing children's books differs from marketing to adult readers
Handling heavy topics like parental grief when writing for a younger audience
How she wove a cast of mythical characters into one cohesive tale, starting with a big idea
Why stories from myths and religions persist and connect with readers on a human level
And more!
IMPORTANT LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Check out reviews - and leave one yourself - The Wind Child on Goodreads
Follow Gabriela on Twitter, Goodreads and her website
Consider supporting indie bookstores by ordering your books through bookshop.org. And if you're an audiobook person, libro.fm supports indie bookstores, too.
Let us know if there’s anything you want to hear about later this season. Until then...
