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An Interview with Kateryna Ustiuhova

ustiuhova

I’m an author of novels, short stories, and poetry in both Ukrainian and English.

Originally from the Luhansk region (Donbas, Ukraine), I moved to Scotland two years ago due to the full-scale Russian invasion.

My young adult fantasy novel Dvonarodgena was published in Ukraine in 2021. My short stories and essays in English are published on Medium.

I’m raising two daughters and enjoy rock climbing. I’m a huge fan of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows and drink a lot of coffee.


Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I started writing at an early age, creating comics based on Mayne Reid’s works, particularly The Boy Hunters: Or, Adventures in Search of a White Buffalo, because one of the main characters was my first crush. My dad used to read “grown-up” books to me out loud, and I’m still immensely grateful to him for that. Later on, my interests were shaped by numerous fantasy books I devoured. Naturally, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Anne McCaffrey’s The Dragonriders of Pern, and Roger Zelazny’s The Chronicles of Amber had a strong influence on me. I like to say that I’m made of books and can easily trace each bit of my personality back to a specific story.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I discovered the genre of dark fairy tales for adults through The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo, which she created for her Grishaverse. Inspired by this, I wrote a mythic tale about a creature from the world of my fantasy novel Dvonarodgena (Twiceborn).

Then the war started in Ukraine, and I had to leave with my children for Scotland. Devastated by the loss of my home, I couldn’t write for a while. So, I decided to ease my way back into writing by starting small—with another dark fairy tale, which I titled The Tale of the Witch with a Transparent Heart. I wrote it in the house of the family that sheltered me in the town of St. Andrews. This story about finding strength amidst despair became the starting point and set the theme and tone for the entire collection Hearts and Witches.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I realized that my collection of short stories had to be called Hearts and Witches when I noticed recurring themes and images in everything I wrote: the motif of losing or finding one’s heart, and the depiction of women as witches. I have long been fascinated by magic, and while in Scotland, I was deeply struck and captivated by the history of witch hunts and trials. It felt like a powerful and multifaceted metaphor that I still explore and express in various ways through my writing.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

The Amazing Devil – “That Unwanted Animal”

Joanna Newsom – “You Will Not Take My Heart Alive”

Сестри Тельнюк – «Прощай, Україно»

Describe your dream book cover.

I have a fairly clear visualization of the cover for my collection. It features a young woman with long dark hair, dressed in a red gown, set against a background of a colorful stained glass window framed by thorny branches. This witch is holding a human heart in her hands—whether it’s her own or one offered as a sacrifice remains unknown.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

After graduating from university in Kharkiv, I worked as a proofreader and editor in a publishing house. Last year, I tried my hand as a Sales Development Representative at an international IT company. Then, I worked as a Clerical Assistant at the School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews. Currently, I work at the University of Edinburgh as an administrator on a project related to Ukraine’s foreign policy.

My readers would hardly imagine that, at one point, I also had to work as a vodka promoter in a supermarket and as a packer at a chocolate factory.

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

While working on the collection, I was inspired by the works of Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom) and Holly Black (the Elfhame series). I love stories that resonate with folklore and legends.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I believe that all the stories in the Hearts and Witches collection convey the idea that strength can be found even where there seems to be only powerlessness and lack of control. Any weakness can be turned into a superpower if you find your own way to interact with it. For me, this path lies through a magical perception of the world and through escapism, which ultimately leads to the ability to change reality.

I imagine my ideal reader as an escapist who wouldn’t shy away from tasting the food at a faerie banquet.


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