1 of 2 2 of 2 Wren Hartman puts a little magic into reality. Writing a mix of YA and adult fiction, the New Westminster-based author’s signature style is a mix of the paranormal and the mundane. Werewolves, fairies, and AI dystopias abound, juxtaposed with prep school socializing and small business management and crappy exes: an imagined alternate world with deep roots in this one.
Her new novel, A Midnight So Deadly (out August 28), is a cozy thriller set in Vancouver. When dream content creators Maeve and Peri realize that slumberland illusions are blending into the waking world, reality itself begins to crumble. In between hazy half-remembered slumberings and tounge-in-cheek descriptions of Main Street breweries, a mystery bigger than either of them begins to take shape.
Crafted with precise prose and an engrossing plot, it’s easy to get swept away—though, given the emphasis on what happens with your eyes closed, it’s perhaps not a before-bed book. Below, Handman tells us about her favourite duck pond, the allure of speculative fiction, and how writing runs in the family. Tell us about yourself.
I’m just a little bit obsessed with the written word, and I’ve been telling stories as long as I can remember. I’ve always known that I wanted to be a writer, though the shape of what that means to me has changed over the years. Being a professional writer means that I do a lot of different kinds of writing to pay the bills.
I’ve done everything from ghostwriting a guide to dating in a wheelchair, to helping programmers write articles about virtual reality. What’s something you want everyone to know about you? My favourite thing that I’ve written is my novel Wire Wings . It’s an exploration of grief and identity in a world where all of those things are changeable.
I wrote the first version of it in just three weeks, absolutely possessed by the story. What’s one book that changed the way you think? I often describe Catherynne M. Valente’s book Deathless as the book I’ve most loved that I also didn’t like.
It is the most stunning, powerful, lyrical book I have ever read, and her artistry of the English language is, in my view, absolutely unsurpassed. That said, I found the book depressing, and what it had to say about love and relationships was at odds with my own much more optimistic view of the world. That book made me want to be a more lyrical writer, and also opened my eyes to the ways novels set our thoughts on certain paths, and the paths I wanted my own writing to take my readers on.
What are you currently reading? I’m halfway through The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake, and loving the dark academia vibe. I generally gravitate to books that are a little lighter in tone and character, so it’s a nice departure for me. What’s your favourite book to give as a gift? The City and the City , by China Mieville, especially for someone whose taste I’m not sure of.
It’s a bit of a genre-bender, and I think it’s a great one to give to readers who are a bit reluctant to try on fantasy or science fiction. It’s a mystery that breaks all genre definitions, and the writing is crisp and sharp and accessible. How would you describe your book tastes? I love a speculative fiction book with beautiful prose and a cast of characters bumbling their way toward salvation.
I prefer light reads and those that reaffirm my faith in the goodness of people and the world we live in, and avoid anything too bleak or grim. And a cast of diverse, queer characters is the cherry on top of my reading sundae delight. What’s one book you can’t wait to read? I don’t have a TBR [to be read] shelf—I have a TBR bookshelf! I love buying new releases from my favourite authors, and they all go on the shelf until I have the time to read them.
Right now, I think I’m most excited to read How To Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, because I’m more than a little bit obsessed with time loop stories (despite never having written one myself). What’s one book you thought you’d love but didn’t (or vice versa)? I’m a huge fan of the movie What Dreams May Come , and when I discovered that it was based on a novel (by Richard Matheson), I was so excited! Unfortunately, as is often the case, it was less “based on the book” and more “inspired loosely by an element of the book.” Turned out it wasn’t quite for me.
Favourite book store in Vancouver? Cross & Crow Books on Commercial Drive is my go-to book hangout spot. It’s a queer-owned bookstore, and they’re constantly doing great events and hosting local authors. Favourite local author? Writing runs in my blood, which is why it’s probably no surprise that my brother is also an author.
Misha Handman is his name, and if you like supernatural mysteries, he’s your man. His first series is about solving mysteries in a post-industrial Everland, beginning with Shadow Stitcher . And speaking of genre-bending, I think that series might be considered a cozy noir! You’ll have to read it to tell me if you agree.
Controversial: are you someone who has to finish every book you start, or can you abandon ones that aren’t working for you? I have a really hard time giving up on a story. If I get far enough in and don’t like it, I often speed-read the ending just so that I can find out how it wraps up. The only time I fully DNF a book is if I can tell within the first 50 pages that it’s just not going to be for me.
What’s one book you wish you wrote? When I read Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher I remember thinking it was the most like my own writing style of any published book I’d read. I really enjoyed her story and I would have loved to have come up with it myself.
Where’s your favourite place in Vancouver to read? I live in New Westminster, and we have a beautiful park here called Tipperary Park. It has little waterfalls and a finding path through the trees, all nestled just a block from a major road but still so quiet and peaceful. There’s a duck pond there with a bench in the shade, and it’s the perfect spot to go for a quiet read at lunch time.
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