Of all the terrible just-out-of-college jobs that have been described on TK, Julia Fine probably had the worst. Later, she ended up leaving a good position to pursue an MFA, and the result is WHAT SHOULD BE WILD, a (wild) combination of fairy tale, folklore, mystery, road trip, and countless other inspirations. She and James talk about how she managed to juggle so many influences while avoiding genre expectations. Plus, Julia’s editor from Harper, Erin Wicks.

Julia Fine: https://www.julia-fine.com/

Julia and James discuss:

Annie Hartnett

Columbia College Chicago

Harper

Mercedes Lackey

Tamora Pierce

HIS DARK MATERIALS by Philip Pullman

Angela Carter

WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson

Robert Graves

FROM THE BEAST TO THE BLONDE by Marina Warner

Erin Wicks

Carmen Maria Machado

Kelly Link

SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell

THE TIGER’S WIFE by Tea Obreht

MR. FOX by Helen Oyeyemi

Benjamin Percy

Stephen King

MARLENA by Julie Buntin

Erin Wicks: @Erin_Wicks

Erin and James discuss: 

WHAT SHOULD BE WILD by Julia Fine (obviously)

SUNSHINE STATE by Sarah Gerard

BINARY STAR by Sarah Gerard

WAVE by Sonali Deraniyagala