How did “One Heart, Lost and Found” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

This story had its roots in something I saw years ago, an article on the strangest things people had ever turned in to New York Subway lost and founds. (Caveat: this story originated so long ago, that I may not even be remembering the details of its origin story correctly. Do you think I can turn a lost inspiration into a lost and found?) Anyway, I remember there being a lost and found snake. And I decided I wanted to write a story about a weird lost and found. It took me a while to get it right.

Did you get stuck at any point while writing this? How did you get past that?

I did, yes! Or, well, not so much stuck, as I’d get to the end, and I knew or strongly suspected that it wasn’t right. I rewrote. I put it away. At one point, I put it away for so long I forgot about it. (Does that count as something in a lost and found?) But apparently, that was the thing I needed to do, because once I refound it, the revision process went very quickly, and I knew I had it right that time.

What is your writing space like? What do you like to have around for optimal creativity?

My current apartment is the first place I’ve lived that has a dedicated writing space (rather than my desk in the middle of the living room). I have a little den, and it’s bookshelves on all sides, and stocked full of notebooks and pens, and I love it. I believe in beautiful writing supplies and good scented candles and so you will find both of those here. There are also two cat beds, but Maeve can usually be found on the desk.

What led you into writing genre fiction?

Part of it was that was the kind of literature I’d grown up loving. But also, I love being able to push on and stretch reality, to make metaphors concrete. I think working in speculative fiction lets me play with language and meaning in a way that I particularly love, and find resonant and useful to work with. For me, it feels like I can put more in a story, and I love that.

What are you working on lately? Where else can fans look for your work?

My latest novel, A Sleight of Shadows, just came out. It’s the conclusion of my Unseen World duology, and I’m very pleased to have it out in the world. I’m also working on a new novel, and that’s all I’m going to say about that, as I don’t really like talking about works in progress—superstition. If fans would like to dig into past works, they can find them on my website: kathowardbooks.com