Indies Introduce Q&A with Steven Banbury

Steven Banbury is the author of The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night, a Summer/Fall 2024 Indies Introduce middle grade selection and September/October Kids’ Next List pick. 

Sally Sue Lavigne of The Storybook Shoppe in Bluffton, South Carolina, served on the bookseller panel that selected Banbury’s book for Indies Introduce.

“If you read only one middle grade book this year, it has to be The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night,” said Lavigne. “This sweet and spooky story asks: once you find a family, what will you do to protect them? Eve doesn't quite fit into her new home — for one thing, she’s alive while the other residents of the valley are undead. When push comes to shove, Eve may have to give her life to protect her new family and prove she belongs.”

Sally Sue Lavigne: Good afternoon. I'm Sally Sue Levine from The Storybook Shop in Bluffton, South Carolina, and I get the distinct pleasure of introducing you all to my friend Steven. Steven's an amazing author, who grew up surrounded by farmlands before eventually moving to California with notably fewer cows. But somehow, along the way he married his legend of a wife, adopted an annoyingly cute dog (I want to know what kind), and developed a penchant for writing that he hasn't seemed to shake. The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is his debut fabulous novel. Good afternoon, Steven.

Steven Banbury: Hey, Sally Sue, how's it going?

SSL: It's going good!

SB: So, Bingo is a dachshund — some kind of dachshund mix. He's not here. He's usually next to me as I write, but my wife took him out. I didn’t want this podcast to be full of barking in the background.

SSL: We were so lucky to meet in person when we were at [Children’s Institute]. Tell me, what did it feel like to have your very first event for your book in front of 400+ booksellers?

SB: It was incredible! Before getting into the world of publishing and writing, I spent 10 years in a very corporate environment and I just wrote as a hobby after work. To have Children's Institute be my first foray into publishing and the world of bookselling was absolutely amazing, because it was quite different from the conferences I'm used to going to. Everyone was so mind-blowingly lovely and amazing to me. Everyone was so excited to just get books into the hands of kids, and that was just so nice to see.

SSL: I really loved it. Hey! Tell me about Pumpkin Princess and Hallowell Valley.

SB: It's a book set in the Hallowell Valley, which is essentially the land of the undead. But Eve, my main character doesn't come from there. She comes from the land of the living and she’s spent her childhood trapped in an orphanage. One night she flees and runs into the fabled Pumpkin King, who offers to adopt her as his daughter and take her into the Hallowell Valley. That's where the book kicks off. We're in this new place and Eve’s this fish out of water. She's in this new setting — surrounded by vampires, talking scarecrows, ghouls, and ghosts — but also she's never been a daughter. She's never had family or friends — she was on her own for most of her childhood.

It's a story of Eve getting to learn what it means to be a daughter and a friend, while also having to learn what it means to be the only living girl in a valley full of the undead.

SSL: I love it. I love the cozy vibes and a little bit of Halloween. And I wonder what made you create Hallowell Valley?

SB: It was never meant to be just Halloween. If it had been centered around Halloween, the whole vibe of the book would have been different. It would have it would have been spooky-focused, and I'm notoriously a scaredy cat.

The book was always meant to look and feel like autumn. There's this natural earthiness to autumn, but it's still eerie and mystical. It's darker but trees are more colorful; it's colder, but cozy inside. I wanted to wrap all that in a book and set Eve’s world there. I think that's what made it cozy to me — it wasn't focused on spooky. Spooky is just a part of fall. It was always rooted in that sense of family and belonging that I feel around autumn. I think that's at the core of Eve's journey, and that makes her feel so relatable. She's trying to find a family, trying to find belonging, wrapped in this aesthetic from my Pinterest boards. It feels cozy and warm and inviting, but is also this dark fantasy aesthetic.

SSL: I love that! And at the center of this book, there is a bookshop. I love those characters. Those are some of my favorites. But who are your favorites, and why?

SB: Oh, man! Someone asked me, “Who is your favorite character, and why is it Scrags (the talking scarecrow)?” I do love Scrags, but I don't know if he's my favorite. When I started writing Scrags the scarecrow, he was never meant to be the weird Dobby-house-elf-Mary-Poppins-Alfred-Pennyworth combination he became.

My favorite character tends to be the person I'm writing at the moment. With book one, I very much loved writing Eve and the Pumpkin King. The Pumpkin King because he was a growling, grumpy individual that contrasted well with Eve's introversions and worries. And those two things were what made me love writing Eve so much.

Eve always felt complex, but never too complicated that I didn't think she was relatable. She is the toughest of my characters to write, despite her being the protagonist, because she’s a character that lives in her own head. She’s more introverted, so she doesn't always come across as bubbly or pop off the page like some middle grade protagonists do. But not every middle grader is bubbly and popping off the page. Eve is still exciting and fun and real. She's snappy and smart. That's why she'll always hold a special place as one of my favorite characters.

I also love her friend Lila — a witch-in-training. When I'm writing Lila, it's typically me breaking the fourth wall. For example, Lila dislikes parades, and that's very much me coming across in her.

SSL: I love the way that you made Eve have this tentativeness. She was eager to have a family, but still very tentative to name it for fear of losing it. And I wonder if there's anything that you've been afraid to name or push forward to, for the fear of it not being real, or for fear of losing it.

SB: This book.

I didn't tell friends or family I was writing this book. I didn't tell friends or family I was writing at all. It's something I always did for myself as an escape. I've always loved that about books, and that's why I wrote Pumpkin Princess — to just escape into this world I wanted to live in. I wanted to know the Pumpkin King. I wanted to see his relationship with Eve grow.

But I never wanted to say it was going to be a book. I never wanted to say I wanted it published. I never wanted to put that pressure on myself as I wrote it. I wrote it for me and my wife to just be this fun escape. When we pitched it to agents, I still didn't tell friends or family. When I signed an agent and she started to pitch it to publishers and others, I still didn't tell friends and family.

So for several months to a year, most of my friends and family didn't even know I was writing, let alone trying to get this book made. The day we signed my publisher, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers — who have been absolutely amazing — I didn’t tell anyone. 

We waited until the contract was signed several weeks later. I was so paranoid if I told anyone I was going to jinx it, and the book was just going to disappear out of my grasp and never become a thing.

Much like Eve being too scared to ever call the Pumpkin King “Dad,” I was too scared to ever call The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night a book.

SSL: I want you to say these 3 things: The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is a book; I am its debut author; I am a writer. Go.

SB: The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is a book. I am its writer. And it's coming out September 3. Thank you so much.

SSL: Hopefully, you and your friends and family are going to have a huge party to celebrate.

SB: We are very excited. We have a couple of local events lined up. I'm very excited — and anxious — for friends and family to get their hands on it for the first time and to hear what they think. I'm sure people, like my brother, will have strong opinions. But it'll be fun to hear.

SSL: Yeah, well, brothers are supportive, but sometimes they like to give us grief.

SB: I'm proud of the book. I loved writing it so much. It was never written for a specific purpose or specific audience. I wrote the first chapter because I had an idea of this natural Pumpkin King figure — this folk-like figure that I felt like I hadn't seen before, this embodiment of fall. I wanted to see that. I wanted to see his relationship grow with his adopted daughter, where they both don't know each other, and Eve — despite claiming to be fearless — is scared to feel attachment because she's worried about losing it. After that first chapter, I just kept writing. I had an amazing time writing it, and I hope that shows in the pages.

SSL: It does. It shows your love of writing. It shows your love of fall. Okay. So now that you're a writer (and you better keep writing), how's your day look?

SB: Oh, my gosh! Coming from the same routine for nearly 10 years, I am very much a creature of habit. However, I wish I had a writing routine. It changes so often, and part of that is because my wife works in an ER and her hours are all over the place. My day, as much as I'd like to have it set in stone, revolves around her sometimes, so we can spend time together and see each other.

With Pumpkin Princess, I felt like I had a really good routine. Throughout the day, I would do some plotting, do some drafting, and then spend a few hours getting some words down on paper. The next day, I would edit those and then do another section.

Now that I'm working on the sequel with my editor, while also trying to launch book one, it's a little different trying to establish a routine. I'll be in the zone writing book two, and something will be needed for book one — like casting the audiobook narrator — so it'll pull me out of writing. I'm still trying to figure out what that routine is. I'd love to have one. I just haven't found it yet. Right now, it's writing when I can.

SSL: You mean you're not going to be the one to narrate The Pumpkin Princess?

SB: I don't think anyone wants that. No one wants this voice talking to them for 10 hours. No one wants to hear my Pumpkin King, or Scrags the Scarecrow. That'd be atrocious.

SSL: Okay, show me. I need to have you Pumpkin King.

SB: Oh, no. Oh, no.

SSL: Come on, Steven, give me your Pumpkin King.

SB: Oh, no, it was bad. I'm about to lose so many book sales.

SSL: No, you're not.

SB: He grunts and growls a lot, so if I'm sitting there and I'm struggling to write him, I will just grunt and growl at myself. If you've ever been doing yard work, like trying dig out a sprinkler head that's wrapped in roots, and you're just covered in dirt and mad — that's the mindset I try to force myself into when I'm writing the Pumpkin King. I try to get a little bit grumpy, and write him.
At the same time, he's quite heart-warming and loving, and I think that comes from him being a farmer. There's so much in this book that's set on a farm, because that always felt grounded and real and natural to me. He might be a little bit grumpy, but at his core, the Pumpkin King is a loving caretaker.

SSL: You and I both grew up around farms and farmland, so I think we realize that characters like the Pumpkin King and Scrags are rooted in helping things to grow. How do you feel that Scrags is helping Eve to grow?

SB: That's a great question. He's a good example of the world adapting to Eve. He's so excited when she gets there. Eve is a welcome new face on the farm, because up until then he's only had the Pumpkin King and the other scarecrows to live with — Eve quite literally brings fresh life to the valley.

I allow myself some organic pathing as I write, and Scrags’ love for Eve developed instantly. I wasn't expecting that. But seeing him be this caretaker and nurturer and pseudo-mom to Eve, shows how welcoming parts of Hallowell can be. That comes back to the core of wanting the book to feel loving, not spooky. They're both there — Scrags is meant to look spooky. The Pumpkin King is meant to look spooky. But Eve does find herself cared for there.

SSL: Well, I can tell you that The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is the perfect cozy autumn read. What do you hope the kids take away from it?

SB: I hope it's different for every reader. I don't want to sway anyone with my answer to that. There's so much going on. There's Eve being new to this place, and having to get to know new people. There's also Eve trying to develop a relationship with her family, and trying to deal with her own insecurities, nightmares, and fears.

When we were at Children's Institute, so many booksellers that had read the book were coming up and telling me their stories of adoption, or of how they loved Eve's bravery. Some people just loved that it was fall and felt like Tim Burton.

I love all those answers. It was meant to be a fun, escapist story rooted in real emotion. And if readers just have a fun time with it, great. If they feel more of a connection to Eve, because of who she is or what she goes through, that's awesome. I'm happy whenever anyone reads it. Whatever message they take away from it means the world to me. I don't have one that I think is the message.

SSL: The people I know that have read it have all taken different things from it. I have one 6-year-old's review for you.

SB: Oh!

SSL: “The Pumpkin Princess is the perfect read, and I need more. I need more books.”

So, keep writing. Keep writing. Keep writing. I'm going to put you on the spot. Five words that describe The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night. 

SB: Gosh! Oh, that's so hard, Sally Sue.

Talking Scarecrows! Pumpkin King. Fall.

I mean, those are a lame five, but it's hard.

SSL: Spooky! Atmospheric. Cozy holiday read.

SB: There you go. Your five was better.

SSL: It is the perfect way to get ready for fall, and September 3 can't come soon enough!

SB: Thank you. I’m so excited. 

SSL: I can't wait to see what's next for Eve and I'm so glad that we've gotten to talk about your phenomenal book. The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night is out September 3 in hardcover and paperback for the entire world to see. I can't wait to see it on the New York Times bestseller list.

SB: That would be incredible. Thank you so much, Sally Sue, this was awesome, and your questions were so great. Thank you so much.

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The Pumpkin Princess and the Forever Night by Steven Banbury (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316572996, Paperback Middle Grade Fantasy & Magic, $8.99) On Sale: 9/3/2024

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