Kalyn Josephson is a fantasy author living in the California Bay Area. She loves books, cats, books with cats, and making up other worlds to live in for a while. She is the author of Ravenfall, the Storm Crow duology, and This Dark Descent.

I had the opportunity to interview Kalyn, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me! My name is Kalyn Josephson, and I’m a young adult and middle grade fantasy author located in California, where I live with two little black cats who tend to feature in my stories. Max from Ravenfall is inspired by them!

What can you tell us about your latest book, Hollowthorn? What was the inspiration for this story and the original Ravenfall series?

This story was inspired by my love of magical mysteries. I’m a huge Scooby-Doo and Supernatural fan, and I always wanted to write a fun, spooky mystery like those. Toss in a love of all things autumn and you get Ravenfall! In contrast, Hollowthorn is very wintery, with a focus on Jewish mythology, and follows the two main characters from Ravenfall on a magical mystery into the Otherworld.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, specifically middle grade and speculative fiction?

I’ve just always loved getting lost in magical worlds. Creating them is my favorite part of being a writer, and it’s why I’m so drawn to speculative fiction. I didn’t realize how much I’d love writing middle grade until I gave it a try, but the mix of humor and heart that makes up the age category really drew me in.

How would you describe your writing process?

Methodical—I have a pretty nailed down process that involves a notebook for each novel, an outline, and a whole lot of whiteboard brainstorming.

Growing up, were there any stories in which you felt touched by/ or reflected in? Are there any like that now?

So, so many. The ones that really stuck with me usually had some sort of animal component, and definitely a bit of magic. Halloweentown and Scooby-Doo in particular had an influence on Ravenfall, and in today’s books, there’s been a recent flux of Jewish fantasy that has been amazing to see and has really stuck with me, such as The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid and The Ghosts of Rose Hill by RM Romero.

As a writer, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general? 

The first author who comes to mind is Laini Taylor, whose novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone inspired me to try writing a book of my own. But largely my inspiration comes from movies and TV shows!

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging? 

My absolute favorite element of writing is worldbuilding. That initial rush of brainstorming and developing a new magic system is what always ignites a new book for me. The most challenging I’d say is pacing, as after reading a book twenty times, it can be difficult to tell how it flows!

Many authors would say one of the most challenging parts of writing a book is finishing one. What strategies would you say helped you accomplish this?

Breaking it down into manageable pieces! This is why I actually enjoy outlining, because I can easily say, ‘Today I am going to write this scene or chapter’ instead of being daunted by the whole book before me. It also helps with decision fatigue, in that by having things already decided, I can focus on the writing itself rather than deciding what needs to happen next.

Aside from your work, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I am an avid baker, anime-fan, and collector of journals I’m too afraid to actually use less I ruin them.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Oo I’ve always wanted to talk about the IP properties I’m interested in writing for, which are intellectual properties like Star Wars that authors write books for. I’d love to do something for Scooby-Doo or Supernatural of course, or pretty much any animal-related Disney movie (think Robin Hood or Aristocats). Basically if it’s got animals and magic, or magic and mystery, count me in.

What advice might you have to give for other aspiring writers?

Find other writers who are at the same stage as you to connect with. Community is one of the most important parts of this journey, which is often isolating and very difficult. It helps to have someone who understands the industry and what you’re going through!

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

There will be 2 more books in the Ravenfall series! I’m also working on the sequel to my young adult fantasy, This Dark Descent, about a dangerous enchanted horse race and the cast of characters forced together to win it.

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

I’ve read so many good ones recently, but here are just a few:

• The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem
• I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me by Jamison Shea
• The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by Mary Averling