Interview with author Madeline Kersbergen

Today, I am sharing a fun interview with Madeline Kersbergen, the author of the recently released Daylily. 

Madeline, thank you for taking the time to give us a glimpse into you and your writing.

1) Who is your favorite comfort read author? 

Emilie Loring, hands down. She wrote romance with a touch of suspense around the same time as Georgette Heyer, Grace Livingston Hill, and Agatha Christie. Her characters were Bright Young Things in settings that were contemporary when the books were written. Reading her books is like enjoying a cold drink on a hot day, and I come away feeling that good will triumph and hope will prevail.

I'll have to check her out. I've never heard of her before.

2) If you could share a cup of tea (or coffee) with anyone, who would it be? 

I would love to have a cup of tea with C.S. Lewis - the first fantasy author I loved. Shout out to 3rd-grade Madeline, who absolutely devoured The Chronicles of Narnia! 

Those are such good books.

3) What is one book you would recommend that everyone read? 

This isn't fiction, but Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is a book that has significantly impacted my relationship with the media, including social media. It was written in the Age of Television, but the author's message is even more applicable now, in the Age of Internet. 

Sounds interesting.

4) Who is your favorite character in your book?

 It's a tie between Lily and Henry. I love them both so much. Pinches their cheeks 

5) Do you plan for Daylily to be part of a storyworld/series? I loved the characters and wouldn't mind visiting them again. 

Thank you! I have some inklings of stories to be set in that world, and Lord Hee-nam and Lady Ae-ra totally deserve their own prequel. That being said, it might be a while before those stories come to fruition. 

I loved their characters and can totally see a prequel with the few hints you dropped into the story about their background.

6) What did you most enjoy when writing Daylily? 

I loved having Lily unravel the lies she believed about herself and bringing her to a place where she could accept the truth instead. I also enjoyed slipping in a couple of references to events from the Bible. 

7) Did you learn anything about daylilies while writing this book? 

I learned more about daylilies in terms of where they grow and what colors you can find, but I had already learned the pivotal information about daylilies (no spoilers!) from the Matched series, a dystopian trilogy by Allie Condie. 

8) What one question would you like to be asked, and how would you answer it? 

What's up with the Korean characters? I love Korea! I lived in Seoul for 10 years, working as an English teacher. My first attempts at writing novels were original Korean dramas (Kdramas) written in English. I plan to revisit those attempts, so keep an eye out for them if you also love Kdramas! 

Thank you again for the interview, Meagan! It's been a lot of fun to answer your questions.

Thank you, Madeline. I enjoyed learning more about you and Daylily. 

About the Book:

Amid tragedy and betrayal, will Daylily find her true worth?

Daylily, the undeniably beautiful princess of Blumen, is unprepared when her family is betrayed. Finding herself thrust into a role she never expected to take, Lily must dig beyond the beauty she was taught to treasure and find the strength to meet the challenges she faces.