392: World Building and Character Friendships in a YA Fairy Tale Retelling - Interview with Leslie Vedder

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Leslie Vedder.

Leslie Vedder is a queer ace author who loves fairytale retellings with girl adventurers and heroes! She grew up on fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies and met her true love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in creative writing and currently lives in Colorado with her wife and two spoiled house cats.

When she's not reading or writing, you can find her watching anime and sci-fi shows, walking in the woods and pretending they're enchanted forests, or playing old video games. She always collects all the Skulltulas in Zelda and all the Dalmation puppies in Kingdom Hearts.

Her debut YA novel The Bone Spindle released in January 2022.

 

In this episode Leslie Vedder and I discuss:

• What genre inspired her and helped her keep a fast pace throughout her novel.
• Why she loved blending science and magic and how her characters approached each.
• How she approached varying levels of character relationships—both romantic and friendship.

 

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/392