Today on the blog, we’re excited to host Megan Reyes, author of several exciting fantasy series for kids, including Llama Quest and the Heroes of Havensong. I had the pleasure of reading the newest book in the Havensong world, the third installment in an epic fantasy that follows four unlikely heroes who are bound by the Fates to save their world—and magic itself—from being destroyed. Read on to get insight into this latest adventure from Megan Reyes.
Thanks so much for joining us here at the Mixed-Up Files, Megan! This book was such a quintessential fantasy adventure, full of magic (or should I say Magics?), dragons, prophecies, and a band of dedicated friends who are also unlikely heroes. On your website, you mentioned that Ender’s Game is still one of your all-time favorite books, but do you have any other favorites that watered the seeds that would grow into the world and characters of Havensong?
Thank you so much for inviting me to chat today! When it comes to Heroes of Havensong, there were a few authors who inspired me greatly: Kelly Barnhill (The Girl Who Drank the Moon, The Witch’s Boy), Jonathan Auxier (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes), and Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities series). Each of these authors are magical when it comes to crafting fantastical stories.
You mentioned that you’re an outliner, though you do allow your characters to take the story where they like. Were there any unexpected or surprising changes when River, Blue, Wren, Shenli, and the others started running around in the plot?
Absolutely! I do love a good outline, especially when I’m working with a series. But, like you said, even though I usually have an idea of the basic plot bullet points, my characters sometimes surprise me. This usually happens when I’m writing dialogue between characters. One example, off the top of my head, is Blue mentioning in Book 2 that wood carving used to be one of his hobbies, back in Gerbera. Honestly, I didn’t know this about him until I was writing the sentence! This hobby ends up tying into his love of music and certain musical instruments. I love when little surprising details like that make their way into the story.
Themes of loss, grief, and overcoming come through strongly in almost all of the storylines in this book, but there are many great reflections of what it means to be a hero or a villain, accepting all parts of yourself, and doing the right thing even when it’s the most difficult option. Are these threads ones you planned on for this point in the series, or did your characters reveal them to you?
I knew certain things would be happening to cause grief to each of the four Heroes. But honestly, I didn’t know how they would deal with their grief until I started writing. Particularly River, in Book 3, deals with what it means to walk through grief, feeling as though hope and joy are both a thing of the past. And poor Shenli! I have put him through some difficult situations throughout the series that have forced him to make impossible decisions. But I believe this is a reflection of all of us. We all have to make choices, and those choices will have consequences on others. The best we can do is be true to ourselves and follow what our gut is telling us is the right thing to do. But this is often easier said than done.
With so many fantastic plot threads being woven together with characters who all have their own motivations and goals, how do you balance the internal and external conflicts and make sure everyone has plenty of time to shine?
It is a lot to keep track of! This is where my outlining comes in handy! My outlines for each book include the main cast of characters (both major and minor) and what each of their internal and external conflicts will be. Then I’ll organize everything by chapter, making sure each character gets their turn to shine. Also, my incredible editor, Liesa Abrams, helps me find the very best nuggets of story for each of my Heroes. She asks great questions as we go through our rounds of edits.
In this book, the third of the series, we get to learn a lot more about the characters and their destinies. River in particular discovers a lot about herself in this installment, but so many of the kids seem to have a gift or ability that makes them profoundly unique. It seems like the book is saying that all kids have something special about them. Was that an intentional theme?
It was intentional, yes. And this has been a fun journey for me to see who each of the four Heroes have grown in self discovery. For example, River starts out in Book 1 fairly confident in who she is. But her fierce independence sometimes leads to stubbornness, so she has to learn to trust those around her to help. Later, when she learns more about her abilities, she has to learn that there are different ways to be strong. There is physical strength, sure. But more so, she learns what it means to be emotionally strong: to make space for her feelings and what it means to be true to herself. In a similar way, all four Heroes learn about their strengths and what it means to trust yourself and know your own worth.
Were there any aspects of the world you wish you could have spent more time with? I personally thought the sand sharks were fabulous (and so unexpectedly polite)!
Hah! I love the sand sharks too. I’d love to go dune surfing! In my mind, the world of Haven is so much bigger and more detailed than I could ever put on the page. If I could, I would love to explore the Mountain District and visit the Lands Across the Sea. There are so many more adventures to be had!
I loved this quote from Alma, the Fourth Mage: “There is a language to magic. It is communicating all the time, for those who know how to listen.” Do you think readers can find magic in our world this way, too?
Yes! I absolutely believe we can find magic in our world. To me, magic is a mix of joy, beauty, and wonder. Recently, I came across a term called “glimmers.” Glimmers are tiny moments of joy that are discovered in everyday, ordinary things: Looking up at the moon on a peaceful night, listening to the sound of rain on the roof, smelling freshly-cut grass, or feeling your cat purr happily as they sleep in your lap. All of these moments of joy–these “glimmers”–are glimpses of magic in the real world.
Of course, we have to talk about one of the most memorable lines from the book: “Friends make the best rainbows.” It’s so true! Could you share with us a little about the origin of this gem?
Aww, thank you. To me, a rainbow symbolizes hope and joy, after (or sometimes even during) a storm. And that’s what my friends have been to me, particularly these last few years. There was a season in my life where I had a rough go of things. It was a painful and difficult time and sometimes it seemed like hope was lost. But then a friend would call or send me flowers or show up at my door. They were my hope and joy during life’s storm. And in that way, my friends have always made the best rainbows.
It definitely seems like the four heroes have more dates with destiny in their future! Can you give us any clues as to what they might be up to in the next book?
This is a bit tricky to answer because the fate of any book series is left up to the powers that be at the publisher. At this moment, there are no hard plans for a fourth book, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be sometime in the future. I have all my fingers crossed that we’ll get to see Blue, River, Wren, and Shenli again someday!
You mentioned it took ten years to get a literary agent and hundreds of rejections before you broke into the industry. If you could give writers any advice on how to keep writing even in the face of rejection or overwhelming odds, what would it be?
It’s true! At the time I signed with my agent in 2020, I had written five different books, and received over 250 rejections from agents over the span of ten years. There were a lot of no’s before getting my first yes. As you can imagine, this was very dejecting at times! My advice to writers is to always have something new to work on. And also: write the story you’re most excited to tell. If you’re feeling stuck on a particular manuscript, maybe play around with some ideas for a new story. You can always go back to the first one, but it helps me when I’m focusing on something I’m really excited about. Sometimes all it takes for the spark to happen is to dive into something new. And as long as creating stories is bringing you joy, keep writing! Do it for yourself. And you never know what “yes” might be around the corner.
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson, Bloomsbury
Like All the Blues in the sky, Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman is a novel-in-verse. This one is about a girl reeling from the divorce of her parants and a move from India to California. But on the beach in her new home she finds and injured harbor seal and a new friend. Together they inspire their community to join in beach clean up. Fans of Lindsay Moore’s Yoshi and the Ocean or A Whale of the Wild will enjoy this tale of forging a bond with the wilderness and the healing power of friendship.
Romance novels are gradually making their way into the middle grade space, and here is a sweet one for young teens just experiencing their first love. As You Wish by Nashae Jones is a charming friend-to-sweetheart story with a dash of magic from the West African Anansi tradition. The trickster grants a wish that backfires in all the most embarrassing ways–great fun! This is a second novel for Nashae Jones.
And finally, I’m thrilled to be doing a book event with Waka Brown this week to celebrate her new book Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar Summer. This one struck a chord with me even though my kids were dancers rather than athletes. A move to a small town for the summer throws Japanese-American Rick into the sphere of a high stakes youth baseball team where winning is the centerpiece. The coach ruthlessly organizes his practices and game strategies around the win and not the development of each player’s talents, even coming at the expense of player safety. I think the professionalization of youth sports plays a role in the rise of anxiety among children. I hope this book spurs conversation and change in the family culture that surrounds the ultra competitive sports scene.
