What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Cozy Vales is a shared cozy fantasy world with multiple scribes contributing stories and more.
The idea for a cozy fantasy anthology about a magical wishing tree spontaneously surfaced in Season 1 / Episode 5 of our podcast, The Cozy Hearth. Melissa Gunn mentioned a fantasy story she’d read as a kid where a tree would grant a wish for every falling leaf that was caught.
The other scribes on that recording all agreed it was a lovely autumnal concept and decided to propose it as a future Cozy Vales anthology. One year later, that proposal became a reality (though with a decidedly Cozy Vales spin on it)!
https://cozyvales.com/podcast/season-one-episode-05-autumn-traditions
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
Mary Stephenson Su: I’m not sure, but it would have a harp. Or maybe a lyre. And a flute. Like the kind of band that would play for a lord at a feast in the main hall.
Elida Denton: When I sat down to write my story, the song “The Four of Us” by John Sebastian popped up on my Spotify. I went back and listened to the whole album. The song itself is a full album side and is a number of connected songs about a journey he and his wife took across the US when he was on tour back in the 70s, when the hippies did things like that. It was timely because the story I originally envisioned was “stuck,” and I wasn’t sure it would get unstuck. Then Gwenyth’s story just unfolded as the musical journey did.
Melissa Gunn: I feel like this song would suit the Brocken in my story, with its minimal instrumentation and storytelling vibes: Diguedin by Les Charbonniers de l’enfer (https://open.spotify.com/track/6wsrJWypK94AVbnwD3QA1j), and Annalirra, the main character in my story, would probably sing along to this one (written by my singer-songwriter sister): Every Day Is A Dance by Claudia Robin Gunn (https://open.spotify.com/track/0ToVKgF95Q5YB0nsc0FRg7).
Changes made: Removed the escape character from “I’m” and capitalized “Spotify.” Added a comma after “70s” and placed commas around “stuck” for clarity.
What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
The Cozy Vales Scribes enjoy reading – and writing – cozy fantasy (obviously!).
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
Mary Stephenson Su: The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst & Death Meet Cute by J Penner
Selina J. Eckert: Slime Sweets and Dungeon Treats by Pandora Pierce & The No Kill Dungeon by AE Hearth
K M Jackways: The Late Night Witches by Auralee Wallace, The Deadly Life of Diana Penn by Shawn Inmon and Kirsten McKenzie, & Contracts and Cats by Toni Binns
Melissa Gunn: My TBR pile is enormous, but at the top right now is Field Guide for the Formerly Villainous.
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Selina J. Eckert: I loved writing a scene where my 2 characters have to wait out a rainstorm in an old cabin! G Clatworthy: My favorite scene to write was the cafe scene where Lief gets proposal ‘advice’ from lots of different characters in Saffron Vale. Is it all helpful? No. Was it a lot of fun to write? Yes! Elida Denton: My favorite scene to write was when the leaves fall over Gwenyth, forming a sort of multi-colored quilt on her journey. 🙂 L.A. Scott: The opening scene when my heroine finds herself invited to a meeting that does not go the way she thought it would (at all).
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
Mary Stephenson Su: I wake at 5am to find time to write between working full time and having school-aged kids. Selina J. Eckert: I ditched most habits after having a baby 😂, but I am picking up a new/old one where I have to write 1 sentence every day (hopefully), even if that means emailing it to myself for later. G Clatworthy: My writing ritual is a cup of tea, my wrist supports on, standing at my kitchen counter looking out over the garden. No music, as it really influences my words. K M Jackways: I write best in cafes, with people talking around me. And lots of coffee, of course!
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
The Cozy Vales vision is: “Foster individual creativity within a fun, collaborative, supportive, and friendly cozy fantasy community, so that we can share cozy and comforting experiences with the world.”
ML Dunker: I have two signs in my office that I see whenever I write. The first reads, “Adventure Awaits,” and the second reads, “Traveling. It leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller.”
L.A. Scott: You can fight the waves or ride them. One is a lot easier than the other.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
Mary Stephenson Su: That sometimes wishes can come true.
Selina J. Eckert: One thing for readers to remember (from my story specifically): Telling people what you need gives them the chance to help you. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable with the people who care about you.
G Clatworthy: You don’t need wishing magic to make your wildest dream come true!
Elida Denton: The takeaway for my story is really about relationships and communication. Imagine if Hrothgar had listened to Gwenyth instead of trying to solve her issues. A friend who read an early version of the story commented that she loved that she didn’t know if Gwenyth became immortal like Hrothgar, if he aged like her, or if they found a happy medium to that problem. She loved that they knew they were OK and that was enough for her as a reader, and that happily ever after for now is an underrated place to be. This fits in with my motto: I just want to live happily ever after every now and then.
ML Dunker: We all get by with a little help from our friends.
L.A. Scott: Magic can still happen!
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