Hi friends!

I’m very excited to share my interview with Kalyn Josephson, author of The Library of Amorlin. A brilliant con artist and a secretive librarian collide in Kalyn Josephson's enchanting adult fantasy debut, The Library of Amorlin, packed with twists, tricks, slowburn romantic tension, and magical creatures—perfect for fans of S.A. MacLean, Mai Corland, and K.A. Linde.

Kalyn Josephson is a NYT and USA Today Bestselling author, sometimes-baker, and full-time consumer of too much tea. She lives on the California coast with two tiny black cats in a house in constant need of repair. She is the author of several fantasy series for kids, teens, and adults, as well as the owner of The Cove Books.

For aspiring writers, Kalyn is now offering query critiques and consultation calls. For more information, visit her website.

Q: Where did the initial kernel of inspiration come from?

A: I wanted to write a magical library book! It’s a trope I really love, but one I wanted to put my own spin on, hence the addition of magical animals. That magic is where all of my story ideas begin, and I build out character and plot form there.

Q: The Library of Amorlin is told through two points of view, Kasira’s and Allaster’s. How did you approach developing their distinct voices and telling the story through different perspectives?

A: I think the main differentiating factor in their voices are the things they think about and focus on. Kasira sees a hundred meanings in everything someone says, is constantly looking for ways to spin words, and is always planning ten steps ahead. Allaster desperately wants to trust her and looks for the best in her in hopes that he can do just that, and is fundamentally focused on protecting the Library and doing what’s best for beasts.

Q: Kasira is sent to infiltrate the Library of Amorlin. Sentiments of the Library being “a cesspool of sin, the Librarian its dark conductor” surround her, but her mother had “taught her to look at beasts and feel wonder in place of fear.” How did you approach shaping Kasira’s perception of the Library and the Librarian throughout the story, given her preconceived expectations?

A: This was actually tricky for me, because so much of this story is about regaining that wonder we lose as children, so I wanted Kasira to have had that love of beasts when she was young, and lost it. But I also knew that I only had so much space to work with, so I didn’t want her to have go full beast hater mode. Instead, she begins in a place of uncertainty, which I think reflects well her theme of being able to define her life on her own terms for the first time.

Q: The slow-burn romance between Kasira and Allaster was captivating, filled with banter, tension, “He falls first,” and “Who did this to you?” Would you share your process for developing their romance?

A: oo this one’s easy. I quite simply wanted to write the slowest slow burn to ever burn slowly. It takes a long time for them to even begin to think to trust each other, and I wanted that development to feel realistic timeline-wise.

Q: Kasira is brilliant at pulling off cons, and I love how her skills influence her mindset throughout the story. How did you approach developing her history with cons and plotting the story’s main con?

A: I thought really hard, confused myself, and then laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling a lot. The cons were hard! I studied a lot of con artist and heist media, and ended up going with a mix of an approach from Burn Notice (where a spy narrates and explains his actions) and Ocean’s 11 (where the viewer isn’t always in on the con) to both make the reader feel a part of the con and outside it at the same time.

Q: The Library of Amorlin incorporates numerous magical creatures. How did you approach developing the creatures?

A: I have a degree in Ecology and Evolution which I’ve done nothing with my whole life, so this was my opportunity to put those skills to use! I wanted the creatures to feel as real and integrated into their world as the animals we know and love, so I went for specificity in their designs.

Q: What has been one of your favorite moments while publishing your adult debut?

A: Getting to chat with bookclubs that chose Amorlin and read it. Often times when doing events, they’re during release week, when no one has had a chance to read the book yet. It was so fun getting to chat with readers about things that would normally be spoilers!

Q: After readers finish The Library of Amorlin, what books do you recommend they read?

A: THE PHOENIX KEEPER or VOIDWALKER by SA MacLean, which if you smash into one book, equals Amorlin.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

A: Find other writers who are near the same stage as you! One of the hardest parts of the writing process is the isolation, and it helps to surround yourself with others who understand.

Q: What can readers look forward to in book two?

A: Not being mad at Kasira the whole time.

Thank you so much to Kalyn for joining me in discussing her magical debut here on Bindery, as well as at Smitten Bookstore and the LA Times Festival of Books! 🫶🏼

If you like Christmas, Victorian stories, and governesses gone wild...boy do I have the story for you! Read on to see what I loved about Victorian Psycho.

WHAT WORKED (for me!):

• Characters

  • Winnifred was hilarious

  • So were the kids

  • The parents were so funny too

• Setting

  • This felt so humorous Gothic lol

• Pacing

  • Perfectly paced for how short it was!

• Twist

  • While I did kind of see it coming, I love the way it unfolded!

WHAT DIDN'T WORK (for me!):

• Honestly? I DNF'd the first time I tried to read but that was a me issue not a book issue. I think this works well!

Thank to my dear friend Anny Wilkes for sending this my way, and to Naomi (of Boozhoo Books) for convincing me to retry it!

Till next time!

Happy Trans Joy Thursday, my friends!

I have so much to be thankful for this week in the bookish space, and I'm often reminded of that fact. I never want to take it for granted how amazing it is to receive books for free. I've been doing this since May of 2020, so for 6 years, I've been reading publicly - which has transformed to what it has become now - a Bindery, to which I hope one day will lead to becoming an imprint to publish our very own Not A Phase Books books. There's so many things behind the scenes I want to bring to life, and as I sit here and look at this week's book haul, I'm kind of ... emotional? I love this space, truly, and all of you who are along for the ride, too.

This week I received Mateo Askaripour's 2027 release of Pure Ox, with such a beautiful inscription inside to me. It left me in literal tears, sincerely. What a magnificent person Mateo is. I will be starting it soon. I also received a PR box, of Sonido Reyes' upcoming release of To Our Untamed Core, with some amazing goodies, which not only is it our Q4 book club pick, we'll also be speaking with Sonido in November! I also pre-ordered Aiden Thomas' book Cemetery Boys: Espiritu, and it will be signed and personalized... I just got the e-mail today that is has shipped... So now I wait by my window every day for the mail person to deliver my goods!

I wrote about this in Coming Home, but books will always be my first great love, my forever friends. Books have been there through my darkest times, and my happiest of times - literally, Alisha and I eloped in a bookstore and used our very first (queer) buddy read, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, as a prop! One day we will own a signed copy... until then, I continue to dream.

This week also marks the first week of school for my children, and if you're a parent, you know that while it is bittersweet to see them grow up, having a quiet house is also joyful. lol. I work second shift, so when Alisha goes to work/school and the kids go to school... I'm left with me time before work, which is a necessity for me. Summers are brutal because I don't get that. Sooo... I'm relishing in my routine being here again to recharge. It also hinders my creativity when I don't get enough me time to recalibrate.

With that said.. I'm looking ahead to 2027 because.. I'm nothing if not a planner. What are some books you'd like to read? While I can't divulge too much until I know for certain, I'm hoping I have Q1, in addition to our Behind The Book chat covered. So, stay with me as I wait for a response for that. Are monthly Beyond The Rainbow chats too much for you? Do you want me to speak to a particular author/person? What are you vibing with? I want to keep this space a place where LGBTQIA+ voices are amplified, celebrated, and also a place of encouragement to explore your own identity and gender in a safe community. Let me know in the comments your thoughts.

As always, the discussions are also welcomed in our Discord server always. We do body doubling, which holds me accountable to stop doom scrolling and do the things, we talk our book club books, general chats, food, music, etc. It's truly a welcoming community to discuss life and books, while also living authentically. I hope to see you over there if you aren't already.

As a reminder, we are speaking with DR. Kiki Fehling TONIGHT from 6-7pm CST about their book The LGBTQ+ Mental Health Workbook and I'd love to see you all there! I will post the zoom details at the bottom of this newsletter. I have also posted an event reminder in our Discord server, and in the appropriate channel there, as well.

As always, I hope you all find some trans joy today.
See you all tonight!

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole

BEYOND THE RAINBOW CHAT ZOOM INFORMATION:

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