Aubrey Hartman: I Never Grew Sick of This Story

February 24, 2025 EditioBooks

Aubrey Hartman grew up in Virginia just before the technology boom, when exciting weekend plans consisted of a library card and a few dozen ice pops. Her most beloved friends all lived the pages of her favorite novels, and if she’s being honest, they still do. After high school, she studied at Brigham Young University, earning a bachelor’s degree in advertising and a minor in art history. Currently, she lives in California with her husband and three young children. In her 30-some years, she’s lived many lives, and is currently in her medical-mom era—learning how to be an advocate for her youngest child, an objectively delightful baby with a trach and a feeding tube. She invites you to visit her at AubreyHartman.com and to follow her on Instagram.

In this interview, Aubrey discusses how a recurring dream from childhood helped build the world of her new middle-grade fantasy novel, The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Aubrey Hartman
Literary agent: Molly O’Neill
Book title: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release date: February 25, 2025
Genre/category: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Previous titles: The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor
Elevator pitch: Clare, a lonely undead fox whose job is to guide souls into the Afterlife, is visited by a badger who is unable to cross over. They set out on a treacherous journey, and what they discover forces Clare to face the unsettling truth about his own past, present, and—scariest of all—his future.

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What prompted you to write this book?

The setting came to me first (it always does). Deadwood—the forest of eternal autumn where Clare lives— was from a recurring dream I’ve had since childhood. In that dream, I stand at the edge of a quiet forest, puzzling over what makes it so eerie. I never step foot inside, but I think, “something dark lives in that wood,” and then immediately wake up.

One morning after this dream, I laid in bed and wondered, Who would live in this forest? The answer came right away (it’s my writerly hack to exploit this magical interval when our consciousnesses are still drowsy and logic is out of the way): An undead fox lives here. But what does he do, all alone in this quiet wood? And why is he undead? I sat up, grabbed my laptop, and began writing.

Since I’m not a horror writer, the voice that emerged was quirky and a bit macabre. To this day, those first pages of Deadwood remain practically unchanged. (Fun but perhaps unsettling fact: since I wrote The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, I’ve never dreamt of it again)

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It felt like a quick and straightforward process, but looking back at the timestamps, it took five years! In 2020, I sent the first chapter to my agent Molly O’Neill, who was blessedly enthusiastic. A few months later, we sold my first book— The Lion of Lark-Hayes Manor —, but I kept writing Fox between editorial deadlines. In March 2023, we submitted The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest to Little, Brown, and shortly after, I signed a contract. After this point, the premise and plot didn’t change in any drastic way, but my brilliant editor Ruqayyah Daud helped refine the pacing and flesh out the character arcs. Now, almost two years after selling the manuscript, and five years after its conception, we finally have a book!

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I had envisioned a very specific aesthetic and composition for the cover (doesn’t every writer?) and when the design team proposed Marcin Minor as the artist, I was ecstatic. He was perfect. His art is dark and whimsical and masterfully plays with light/shadow.

Even still, it took me a day or two to supplant the cover that I had imagined with the one that came across my desk. I came to see that it was, in fact, far better: inviting, whimsical, charming. And do not get me started on the interior art! Every chapter has a breathtaking full-page illustration.

All this to say: I learned that while it’s hard to give up control, it’s pivotal to trust the artistic director and design team. There is a reason it’s not a writer’s job.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Here’s what shocked me: I never grew sick of this story. Every other book I’ve written made me want to throw my computer into a fiery furnace by the end of revisions. But The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest … I don’t know why! It just delighted me all the way through.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I wrote The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest at a time of incredible change and grief in my own life. But I didn’t want to write a heavy story. I ended up writing a book that is a balancing act of humor, loss, and hope. My wish is that readers will laugh and cry and close the book with the sigh of bittersweet contentment, feeling like something small inside of them has healed.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Determine what scares your character more than anything in the world. Then, give them something worse to fear. That’s your story.

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