Interview with Lili Wilkinson – Deep is the Fen

Hi Lili, and welcome to the Book Muse

1. For those who haven’t read it yet, what is Deep is the Fen about?

It’s a rivals to lovers fantasy about Merry Morgan, a girl who has to team up with her nemesis in order to infiltrate an evil toad cult and save her best friend. There are resistance witches, swamp monsters and prize winning chickens.

2. When you imagined Candlecott and Merry’s world, did you imagine it was like a country or place that people might recognise?

It draws from a lot of UK folklore, especially from Scotland and Wales. I wanted Candlecott to be very cosy and recognisable for those who loved classic British fantasy by authors like Susan Cooper and Alan Garner.

3. Magic is illegal, or at least not practiced in this world – what inspired you to have a magic-free world in a fantasy novel?

I started off by thinking about how magic would work within capitalism. I created corporations with magic patents, and realised that I’d also need to create some restrictions on ordinary folk doing magic too.

4. Do you have a favourite relationship in this book? Who is it, and why?

I love the friendship between Merry, Teddy and Sol. I think adolescent friendship is so powerful, so intense. It’s so easy for it to slip into romance, and that can have wonderful or devastating consequences.

5. Were there any surprises (spoiler-free of course) that came up when writing, or was everything planned?

I introduced the Spitalwick Hag pretty late. I wasn’t expecting her, but I love her fierceness!

6. Were there any traditions, countries, or fairy tales that inspired this book? Or anything in history?

Oh, lots! The Toading at the beginning of the book, is based on the Mari Lwyd from South Wales, a wassailing tradition where a creepy horse skeleton knocks on your front door and you have to defeat it in a battle of rhyming insults. And the Toadmen themselves were a real Scottish horsemen’s fraternity in the early 20^th century.

7. What sort of research, if any, did you do, and what was the most interesting source you explored?

I did a fair bit of research into exclusive societies and fraternities like Freemasons.

8. Was this a book that you had in mind for a long time, or did it come to you recently?

I originally envisaged it as a sequel to A Hunger of Thorns, but realised pretty quickly I’d have more fun with it if I kept the same world, but introduced entirely new characters.

9. You write across a range of genres and audiences – what inspired you to do this, and do you have a favourite area to write in, or a favourite thing to write about?

I like to read across a range of genres and audiences, so it makes sense that I like to write that way, too. But I’ve always wanted to write fantasy. If my books have any kind of common theme, it’s the importance of thinking critically, and never blindly trusting authority figures.

10. Do you work on multiple projects at a time, or just one?

Always multiples! I’d get bored working on only one book at a time. Right now I’m doing publicity for Deep is the Fen, reviewing copyedits for Unhallowed Halls (my 2025 YA dark academia fantasy), proofreading Bravepaw 1, editing Bravepaw 2, and outlining for an as yet untitled 2026 YA fantasy.

11. Do you have a favourite book or series that you have worked on, and why?

I’m currently working on a new junior fiction fantasy series called Bravepaw, and I’ve never had so much fun writing anything. It’s about a very brave mouse on a quest to save the world, and the first one will be out in September.

12.  What were your favourite books or series when you were growing up? Were they mostly Australian, or a mix of Australian and books from overseas?

Definitely a mix. I grew up reading a lot of fantasy – Isobelle Carmody, Garth Nix, Victor Kelleher, Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Tamora Pierce and of course my greatest love, Diana Wynne Jones.

13. What was your PhD from the University of Melbourne in?

I researched the ways in which YA fiction encourages young people to be more engaged in politics and activism. As part of my PhD I wrote the YA novel Green Valentine, which was about guerilla gardening and community activism.

14. Do you feel this has helped shape your writing, and what has it helped you understand?

I think it has made me more conscious of theme. The one thing I found in my research was that books that are overtly political and didactic did not inspire young people to engage in activism. So I try to avoid that.

15. If there was one thing you could change about how writing and books for young people is received in Australia, what would you do?

I’d bring back the Centre for Youth Literature. It was the national peak body for championing Australian literature for young people, and I can see the negative effects of its closure in every aspect of our industry, from school library collections to awards to publishing.

16. What was your favourite thing about the Inky Awards, and is there any chance the award will be revived?

I would love to see the Inky Awards revived. They were the only teen choice book awards in Australia. We designed them to be more than a popularity contest – to be a reader development tool that encouraged young people to read more broadly, that celebrated their choices, and that promoted and celebrated Australian literature. If anyone wants to take them on, I’ll be happy to volunteer my time to help out in whatever way I can.

17. How important do you think it is for Australian readers to be able to read Australia stories and see their country, experiences, and lives reflected in a diverse range of books and stories?

Hugely important. And not just in contemporary fiction, either. Australian fantasy/sci fi is still Australian. My latest two books are set in a fictional world that feels more like the UK, but I believe they are still recognisably Australian books. It’s impossible for Australian stories to compete with the weight and influence of US culture, unless we have additional support from our arts organisations (and those organisations need to be better supported with government funding).

18. Finally, what’s next on your literary journey?

Unhallowed Halls will be out next April – it’s a dark academia fantasy about an exclusive Scottish boarding school for ‘problem’ kids. There may or may not be demons. Plus Bravepaw #1 in September this year!

Final comments, and anything I have left out?

Thank you Lili