Escape from Meanderville Gardens follows a sharp eight-year-old who wakes up late for school and ends up in a strange, gated garden shaped like a giant brain, where she must solve puzzles to find her way out. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The idea of a young, sharp eight-year-old girl navigating a surreal garden shaped like a giant brain was a great way to explore curiosity and problem-solving. The setup was inspired by a mix of childhood memories, my love of gardens, and a fascination with how our minds work. I’ve always loved stories that turn everyday challenges into extraordinary adventures. Combining that with a mysterious environment allowed me to create a space where logic, imagination, and a child’s perspective intersect. It’s a metaphor for growing up, learning, and finding your own way, one puzzle at a time.

Ryder feels very real—dramatic, clever, and messy. How did you develop her voice?

Ryder’s complexity is something I really wanted to capture. Her voice grew out of a mix of deep empathy for her struggles and a desire to reflect how messy and unpredictable people like her father and the many characters she encounters in the gardens can be, especially when emotions run high. I tried imagining her internal contradictions and letting that shape the way she speaks and reacts, which I think helps her feel both clever and vulnerable.

The maze mirrors different brain functions. How did you weave science into the story without making it feel like a lesson?

I wanted the science in the maze to feel like a natural part of the story’s world, not an overt explanation. I focused on showing how different parts of the maze reflected various brain functions through experiences and emotions the characters face. This way, readers can sense the underlying science intuitively, rather than being taught directly.

Would you ever expand this into a series exploring other “mind worlds”?

Exploring other “mind worlds” could open up such rich, imaginative possibilities and deepen the themes already touched on. While there’s nothing set in stone yet, the thought of expanding this concept into a series is something I may consider exploring further down the line.

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