An Interview with Sydney Xanth
Sydney Xanth is working on her first novel, Grave Travels & Lost Tales, after her debut poetry book, The Past Few Years, came out a few years ago. She lives with her husband and cat in Northern Nevada, and loves to read, spend time in nature, and build her farm on Stardew Valley.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
I wanted to write something based on what I know while still telling new stories and allowing my imagination to run wild. Grave Travels & Lost Tales explores themes that I never really wrote about before, while still feeling like the same voice behind the poetry I have previously released to the world. When I was young, I would “travel” in my sleep, often having dreams of meeting up with people who had passed away in places I had never seen before. This, plus a love of cemeteries and the stories they hold, inspired my current work in progress.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
Grave Travels & Lost Tales was a title that really just came to me when I thought about what the book is about and how the story progresses. It makes sense to have the title neatly wrap up the story, while still leaving so much for readers to find out for themselves.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
A lot. I reread the entire multiple Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare and am now working on the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan; these work to comfort me. I am also reading some history books and lots of articles about different myths from various small towns for research for this book.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I remember first writing when my Grandpa George passed away. I had lost my best friend, and I was still in speech therapy, so it was hard to say in a coherent way what I was feeling. My mom handed me a journal, and I let it all out. I wrote about missing my grandpa and over time that became me about my mental illness and trauma. I focused on poetry for many years but always knew I wanted to write a novel. I just needed the time to be right for me. Now is the time.
Where is your favorite place to write?
My old answer to this question was that my favorite place to write was wherever I could comfortably write with my cat, Pancake, curled up next to me. That has changed after Pancake started having seizures and the repetitive sound of the keyboard was a trigger for her, so I’m still trying to find a new favorite place to write.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
To keep writing, but also to take a break when you need to. I needed to write through so much in my life that I felt like a bad writer when I needed a break. Taking a step back is not a bad thing, it can be the one thing that saves whatever your current project is.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
After readers finish Grave Travels & Lost Tales, I hope they can feel more willing to dig deeper and to ask more questions. Not everything is what it seems on the outside, and sometimes the stories we tell are just a starting point for a much greater journey.
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