Author Interview: Astrid Yrigollen

ASTRID YRIGOLLEN

"Dreams are Written."

Astrid Yrigollen was born in the Bay Area of Northern California. She currently lives in Marin County, California. Aside from reading and writing she enjoys the beach, her pets and learning new languages. Astrid also likes to sew for her Japanese dolls known as Super Dollfies. Her gallery of dolly dresses can be seen at her sister site Grave Designs. She also co-chairs with her husband for CCBJD.org. Astrid is the author of several children's books including The Mysterious Pootkins, which she wrote and illustrated herself.

She has now published a wonderful young adult novel, The Mosswoods, that is available on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

The Mosswoods

Poppy Mosswood, like most 17 year olds, wants to lead a normal life. However, the Mosswood family is anything but normal. For in the forest they have sworn to protect, dwell wondrous creatures and dangerous beings. Beings that would love nothing more than to overthrow all of mankind. Ruthless billionaire Preston Buckthorn moves to town planning to marry Poppy to his son Brad. Brad wastes no time trying to win her heart but his love is warped by the taint that runs in his blood.

As Poppy is taken in by Brad's charms the appearance of a handsome stranger from the forest awakens her heart even though it is forbidden by both their worlds. From his long dark green hair to his piercing eyes, Ashtel is beautiful and powerful. He feels the danger that has emerged to threaten both of their worlds.
Torn between pledging herself as a Keeper or trying to grasp normality, Poppy is unaware of the true identity of Preston Buckthorn and that his sinister plan includes much more then just owning Mosswood forest.

I would like to thank Astrid for taking the time to answer some questions about her book! She is such a busy bee these days. Her and I met randomly through the game Bakery Story and have since become friends. She had posted that she needed reviews for her new Young Adult novel and I went and downloaded it right away. I really enjoyed reading The Mosswoods and I want to be able to share it with others too! 

Q: What is your genre/target audience and why?

A: My target audience would be teens, young adults. I have always been a voracious reader but I remember  particularly enjoying reading when I was a teen and used books as a form of escape from my less then ideal childhood. In this way, I hope I can give back to  others who may be experiencing  difficult times in their lives.

Q: Did you always want to be an author?

A: Yes, ever since 6th grade.

Q: Is The Mosswoods something you have been working on for awhile?

A: The editing part of it, not the story part of it. And I know its still rough in some places!

Q: How did you come up with the concept for your story? What were your major inspirations?

A: Dreams. I actually dreamt the part where Brad and his friends go into the forest and have to make their way though the herd of swine, then encounter the Boarman. I dreamt that I was the one on Watty though. I have some pretty crazy dreams and when I wake up I analyze them to see if I was influenced by anything I read or saw. If I find that the influence was minimal or it was just something weird from my subconscious I will use that as a nucleus for a story, then build around it.

Q: Are any of your characters represented by people in your life?

A;Yes ,in the story Watty is Poppy's faithful furry friend. I had two dogs  Bela a Border Terrier ( named after Bela Lugosi )  and Suki  a Rodesian Ridge Back/Pitbull mix ( which means Affection in Japanese) that passed away 4 years ago from old age. They were my best friends and I miss them still. There are aspects of Ashtel that were taken from my husband. His patience and protective nature to name two qualities.

Q: What was the biggest challenge you had while writing?

A: Spoiler Alert! Writing the romance part where Poppy and Ashtel finally get together!  So I did it as a sort of narrative but I am hearing from many people that they want me to expand on that particular area of the story. So in the sequel I am doing some back tracking to  that spot in the story which hopefully will please the readers that want more romance between Poppy and Ashtel.

Q:I know you are writing the sequel to Mosswoods. Are there any other works in have in store?

A: Yes, other than the sequel which is titled, The Uprising, I have a compilation coming out later this month. I am just getting the cover work finished. I cant really say its for children though. I don't know who its for  really. People who like strange little stories I guess. I also have a Japanese love story of sorts in the works. That one is taking a lot of researching and language learning!

Q: What is your favorite book?

A; At first I was going to say I have to many to name  but then I realized I do have a book in my library that I have read over and over. It is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I own a few different copies of the book , have read it over 30 times in the last 25 years and have seen every  American and British version that I can.

What I Thought:


I have previously reviewed this book on my blog, but I have found there is always more to say!
I recommend this story for anyone who loves getting lost in a wonderful fantasy world. Astrid is correct in saying that books are a way to escape and Mosswood forest is the perfect place to get lost in. Well, if you don't mind the occasional confrontation with strange ancient beasts!
She has created characters that are not easily forgotten. This book has a great balance of action, mystery and romance. It is fun and easy to read.  I can not wait to follow up with the sequel!

Please visit the author's site, HERE, to find out more about The Mosswoods and her other works.