The Roses of Carterhaugh reimagines the old Tam Lin ballad through the lives of a noblewoman facing an arranged marriage and a knight stolen into a faerie realm. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I’ve always had a deep love for history and fairytales. In college, I was part of a reenactment group focused on researching and recreating the Middle Ages. Given my love for story and song, I was instantly drawn to the role of Bard. My Scottish roots introduced me to the Child Ballads, of which Tam Lin is one of the most famous. I eagerly memorized the popular version and presented it as part of my bardic repertoire, but there were so many unanswered questions to the story that the tale stayed with me for some time. I finally realized that I needed to reconcile the Anglicization of the tale with the history of the Scottish people. The research rabbit hole led me on some incredible adventures and gave me some interesting plot twists to explore.

Was there a particular scene that was the hardest to write emotionally?

This is an emotional story in many aspects. The characters face loss, grief, anxiety, rejection, and danger. Still, I think the hardest scene for me to write is the one where Jonet is attacked by the oak tree at Carterhaugh. I can’t give too much away as it would reveal something essential to the plot, but the scene was difficult for several reasons. Jonet, who is usually plucky and fierce, is vulnerable here. She lets her guard down, and she is worried. She doesn’t know she’s in danger until it’s too late. The terror she feels as she blacks out was hard to put to paper because imagining it made me ill. I always feel for my characters, but the downside to that is that I feel with them too.

The book plays with the idea that love is not automatically pure—that it can be leverage. What made you want to explore the uncomfortable side of devotion?

Love itself is a true and powerful thing, but the need for love can be a corrupting force. The imperfect nature of humans, and, in this case, fae, can use love as an excuse for selfish behavior.

The queen is the perfect example of masking generational trauma with love. She fears the loss of love and holds on too tightly. She cannot see a world where it is set free. Only an expression of sacrifice and devotion can correct the imbalance that her selfishness brings.

Jonet, who has also faced tremendous loss for one so young, makes so many sacrifices in the original tale just for the sake of her love; it was easy to conclude that the antagonists would see love in a different light. My story shaped around those elements naturally.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

My next book is a doozy of a research project. I’m writing a grandma camping fantasy set in the Pacific Northwest sometime in the near, post-war future. There will be misadventures, mystical creatures, and a stubborn corgi in tow. My goal is to finish the manuscript sometime next year and perhaps publish it in 2028.

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