Daniel is just so salt of the earth. And I loved seeing Alexis’s house through Daniel’s eyes. Alexis was completely oblivious to her own lifestyle. We never understand when we’re in her POV just how opulent and extravagant her life is—because she doesn’t realize it herself. She’s so used to it, none of it even warrants a mental mention. And then Daniel shows up there and he’s floored by the way she’s living. I feel like no matter how many luxuries I’m able to one day afford, I’ll never not appreciate it. And I don’t think Daniel ever will either. He’ll always appreciate the privileges in his life, because he comes from such a humble upbringing. And I can very much relate to that.
How did you decide on the name Wakan for Daniel’s town?
For the name of Daniel’s town I wanted it to be a word local Indigenous people would use, since so many places in Minnesota are still called by their original names. For this I contacted Native Languages of the Americas and made a donation to their Naming Fundraiser to have the town named. This fund-raiser benefits the preservation of native languages, which I loved. I wanted the name of the town to be something that indicated its magical properties. The area south of Minneapolis is traditional Dakota Sioux land. The best-known Dakota word for “magic” is “Wakan” （pronounced wah-kahn）。 This word means not only magic, but spiritual, sacred, or wondrous.
I also wanted Alexis’s world to have a hidden meaning. Royaume means “kingdom” or “realm” in French.
Things in Wakan aren’t always what they seem—the dragonflies, the changing stained-glass window at Grant House, the freak storms. What was your purpose in these details, and how does the town become a character in its own right?
Pops said it best: Things happen in Wakan that can’t be explained.
I wanted the town to have a touch of “maybe” magic. I loved the idea that Alexis and Daniel meeting was more than luck or fate—it was divine intervention. The spirit of the town sensing her presence, knowing she belonged there, and finding a way to stop her from driving on. And whatever omnipresent entity is guarding the town, it has a deep interest in Daniel.
Daniel has so much to do with the well-being of Wakan. He’s the groundskeeper in a long line of groundskeepers. And I think the magic would have a vested interest in his happiness and would do whatever needed to be done to help him. It’s protective over him and very much tied to Daniel’s emotions—and isn’t above playing wingman when needed.
There were a lot of little nuanced things I put in the book that you had to really be paying attention to notice. The stained glass on the landing is one of them. It’s never described the same way twice, because it’s changing, and nobody remembers what it used to be except for the reader who isn’t under the spell. It also has the ability to make you forget what you’ve seen, and it doesn’t allow itself to be photographed.
The dragonflies mean change is coming. We see the first dragonfly in the very first chapter when Daniel is towing Alexis out of the ditch. Once these two meet, wheels are already turning. We continue to see dragonflies throughout the book. They disappear in the tubing scene when Jake shows up because there’s no change in Liz’s situation, as she doesn’t feel able to leave him—but afterward one lands on her knee, giving us hope that maybe the idea is planted and there might be hope for change after all.
There’s a strong royalty component and a touch of Disney in this book. Tell us about that.
Daniel and Alexis are both royalty. He’s the last in his line, an impoverished prince on the cusp of losing his castle. She’s a wealthy, albeit reluctant, princess with an enormous and powerful kingdom, the heir to a prestigious throne. I loved drawing that dynamic throughout the book. Derek’s exit is very similar to Edward VIII’s abdication of the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. This was a huge scandal at the time, covered ruthlessly in the tabloids. Wallis was considered socially and morally unsuitable for the king, like Lola was for Derek, and Edward’s exodus left his younger brother George VI to take the throne, much to his dismay.
And I had a blast incorporating all the Disney elements into it as well. We have Alexis losing a shoe right out of the gate. She’s a redheaded, fish-out-of-water princess with a controlling father—The Little Mermaid, anyone? There’s some serious Aladdin vibes. The street that Alexis lives on, Chateau de Chambord, is named after the castle that inspired both the 1991 cartoon and the 2017 live-action film of Beauty and the Beast. I did this because Alexis is a beautiful, intelligent woman trapped in a castle with a monster. And of course we have The Princess Bride nods. I just had so much fun writing this book.