Horn Book: Five questions for Margi Preus

Interview from the September 2022 issue of Notes from the Horn Book. Photo from Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue.

Q1: How did the idea for this story come about?

Margi Preus: I started thinking about this story in the early part of 2020 when the world was shutting down because of the pandemic. Simultaneously, Minnesota (where I live) was having the windiest year on record, with gusts of thirty miles an hour or more during a time that is usually cold but generally still. There was a certain apocalyptic feel to the wind, the pandemic, and, okay, also the political situation. Although there were all kinds of things to write about, like a lot of other writers I know, I found it difficult to write, and so I didn’t. Instead, I read fairy tales. Especially Norwegian ones. One of them, “The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue” (or “Blue Mountain,” in some translations) is about three princesses who are not allowed to go outside until they are fifteen years old, lest a snow flurry come and take them. Which of course is what happens. That story gave me a way into Windswept, and other fairy tales led me the rest of the way through.

Q2. How did you decide which “Other Times” troubles to reference?

MP: I wanted to — maybe I needed to — imagine a time on the other side of climate catastrophe when Earth might be starting to heal. What might that look like? What problems might remain, human nature being what it is? Of course, the troubles of the “Other Times” are the troubles we face right now…

Read more >

Interview with Margi on MN Reads, The North 103.3

In early 2020, when the lockdowns began and the pandemic became imminent, just about everyone found a new hobby. "All my writer friends were having trouble writing,” says Margi Preus. “A lot of my friends did other creative things like baking sourdough bread, and painting, and learning to play the ukulele." For Preus, there was also something new on the horizon, but it wasn’t a new hobby – it was a new genre.

Windswept is Preus's first true foray into the world of fantasy. The book was born from a deeper dive into fairytales which was, for Preus, instigated by the pandemic. "In the fairytales, I think I found some comfort," says Preus who grew up being told Norwegian fairytales by her father. One particular story about three girls who aren't allowed outside resonated with Preus - and likely sounds familiar to youth who were kept home from school at any point over the past few years. Windswept is, as Preus says, "an extension of that" story.

Listen now >

Join MN Reads Thursday mornings at 8:20 to hear Minnesota authors talking about their work. Funding provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

October 8: Autumn Celebration at Wild Rumpus

Wild Rumpus // Saturday, October 8 at 2:30pm

Wild Rumpus is thrilled to present a unique book launch celebration with Margi Preus and Lauren Stringer. We will celebrate Preus's new middle grade novel, WINDSWEPT, and Stringer's picture book, THE DARK WAS DONE. This all-ages event will celebrate darkness and the fading light of autumn.

WINDSWEPT: In Tag’s world, children are disappearing. “Youngers” who venture Outside are windswept—vanishing in the swirling snow—Tag’s sisters among them. Many have tried to find the lost children; all have failed. And since the Other Times, the Powers That Be seem intent on keeping it that way.

THE DARK WAS DONE: Everyone was afraid of the Dark and pushed it away, wishing the Dark would leave. So one day, the Dark left and did not return. The Dark was done. At first, nobody misses the Dark. But a young boy starts to miss creatures of the night: crickets singing and owls hooting and bats flying. He decides to go look for the Dark. One by one, others who miss the Dark and all its creatures and mysteries and magic join in. Can they find a way to bring back the Dark?

This event is free and open to the public. Seating will be available on a first-come first-served basis. The event will take place outdoors on the asphalt patio behind Wild Rumpus Books. In the event of rain, this event will be postponed. Masks will be required.

Following the event, Margi Preus and Lauren Stringer will be available to sign and personalize copies of their books. Learn more >

October 1: FallCon Conference & Tradeshow

Margi is excited to attend this year’s FallCon Conference & Tradeshow sponsored by Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association (MPIBA). The mission of the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association is to support and promote independent bookstores in their region, raise awareness of the value of locally owned businesses in our communities, and celebrate diversity in literary culture, and an open exchange of ideas.

They are a non-profit professional association of bookstores, booksellers, publishers, authors, and industry professionals. The Association began over fifty years ago in Denver, Colorado, and has grown to represent hundreds of bookstores across thirteen western and mid-western states.

Windswept is one of 150 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall

Margi is honored to be included on this amazing list of 150 authors from Kirkus Reviews!

From Kirkus: Inspired primarily by the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Princesses in the Mountain Blue,” this edgy, somewhat dystopian tale set in a world where race holds no significance masterfully blends European fairy-tale motifs with timely warnings about human greed, waste, and destructiveness while extoling the power of storytelling. Richly descriptive prose and delicate, atmospheric black-and-white illustrations enhance the fairy-tale flavor. An inventive, memorable must-read. 

Learn more and see the complete list of 150 books >