MB: I cannibalized a lot of old story concepts to fill in gaps. G: I’d love to know more about the moment it clicked for you that you wanted to write this specific book. Also, I can’t write nonfiction to save my life. Fantasy provides a much wider playground. It always feels fresh, inventive, or engaging, and I’m a sucker for inventive world building and fun characters. MB: Almost every single piece of media I enjoy is fantasy or science fiction. G: What drew you to writing fantasy in particular? My uncle recently unearthed an old photo album of me at 10 years old, with the note that “Mirah wants to be a children’s book writer and illustrator when she grows up.” The exact direction hasn’t always been clear, but the writing always has been. Mirah Bolender: I’ve been writing since childhood. Gretchen: What got you into writing? Did you grow up knowing you wanted to be a writer or come to it more recently? If you like fearless female protagonists and magical bomb squads, you’re going to want to check out City of Broken Magic. I also managed to snag an ARC (advanced reader copy) of her book, and she graciously consented to do an interview with me. While there, I got the pleasure of listening to debut author Mirah Bolender talk about her debut novel, City of Broken Magic. Of course, I couldn’t stay away from the panel entitled, “Fearless Women in Sci-Fi and Fantasy.” That’s my peak aesthetic.

A few weeks back, my city hosted a week-long book fair, complete with panels, book readings, sales, and a whole bunch of other goodies a book nerd like me can’t get enough of.

City of Broken Magic by Mirah Bolender