About the Book:
Have you ever wanted to experience magic? Have you ever wanted to get away from everyone and everything? Do you enjoy baked goods? Then come and stay at the Between-Worlds B&B!
Margo is bored. It’s the summer before she graduates and she has no idea where her life is going. When she gets locked out, and checks into a lovely B&B, Margo is greeted by surprisingly handsome receptionist, Finn. The rooms are cosy, there’s a grand library and a huge swimming pool, and the breakfast smells amazing.
But Margo soon suspects that it’s all too perfect, and that magic is in the air. She’s fairly sure that one of the other guests is a fairy princess, for one thing. Is this a B&B for magical beings? But Margo doesn’t have a magical bone in her body, so what is she doing there?
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About the Author:
Amy Mae Baxter is a British Indian editor and author from London. She’s written for the Guardian, British Vogue, gal-dem, and previously ran Bad Form, a books magazine by and about writers of colour. The Between-Worlds B&B is her debut novel.
Interview:
Pitch your book in 10 words!
Cozy fantasy for fans of baked goods, escapism, and cats!
The Between Worlds B&B is a place where you can hit pause on life for a little while. What inspired you to create such a place
I love reading cozy fantasy! As much as I love reading fiction that makes me engage with difficult topics, I think escapism definitely has its place, and I loved having the opportunity to write something that feels like a real break for the characters. I suppose part of me writing was trying to imagine what true escapism could look like. The B&B is my perfect getaway – you can do whatever you enjoy there, you’ll never run out of activities, and, best of all, when you leave, no time has passed at all.
The B&B insists you stay at least 5 days but has plenty to keep guests entertained. What room or field trip would you most like to see/go on?
I would love to go to the Faerie Glen room! I grew up reading so many beautiful books that included magical plants and woods, so I’d love to have the opportunity to explore an endless room full of fantastic trees and flowers. Also, I’m a big fan of the colour green. So that’d help!
In your magic system, each magic is linked to a colour. What colour would you like to be and why?
Admittedly I would like to be in the green section of the Magical Spectrum! In the universe of THE BETWEEN-WORLDS B&B, there’s an endless number of magical beings, but I’ve always been curious about magical creatures that are somehow connected to the earth. Maybe it’s my love of plants and forests! I’m not sure what magical creature I’d be in that scenario though – maybe a dryad?
Margo starts the book incredibly isolated and with no friends but by the end she has a whole new circle of friends who are as important – if not more so – to her growth than her romance. Was this a choice you made at the start of writing the book or did it evolve with time? Why did you choose to have friends as such an important part of her journey?
I think at Margo’s age of 17, you really start to think about your friendships and what you value in the people around you, as it feels like everyone’s on the verge of leaving you when they turn 18. For me, it was important to see Margo realise that just because she’s isolated now, it doesn’t mean she always will be, and to have a main character who realises that sometimes you need to find your people, but also that you might need to make an effort to find them. Romantic relationships are important too – including in this book! But friendships can change your life just as much.
Talking of friendship, the cast of supporting characters is amazing and just as colourful as the supernatural spectrum. Who was your favourite to write?
That’s so kind of you, thank you! It really depends on the day; all of the characters in the B&B were so fun to explore. But I think Titania will always hold a special place in my heart. She puts so much pressure on herself, and she’s so different to Margo in so many ways. I loved seeing them interact.
Finn is a dreamy love interest – who doesn’t want to be baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast! He has such an emotional journey and relationship to the inn. What did you enjoy most about developing his character?
Ha, I think being baked for every morning is probably a characteristic of my dream love interest, too! Finn was fun to develop as he also has so much to learn about what he wants and what’s important to him, but isn’t aware of that as Margo at the start of the book. For me, it was a joy to explore a character who thinks his life is fixed at the beginning of the book, but discovers he has more agency than he initially thought, without wanting to spoil anything by being too specific! It’s a lesson I wish I’d learned at Finn’s age.
Please recommend a UKYA book you think readers will love.
‘TIL DEATH*by Busayo Matuluko is a book I’ve just finished and absolutely adored. It’s about as different from my book as you can get – it’s a mystery novel centred around a brilliant true-crime-obsessed teenage detective, who needs to solve a murder at her cousin’s wedding. I absolutely devoured it!
Thank you!
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