This interview originally appeared in the July/August 2025 Horn Book Magazine as part of the Publishers’ Previews: Debut Authors, an advertising supplement that allows participating publishers a chance to each highlight a book from its current list. They choose the books; we ask the questions.

Sponsored by

In The Memory Spinner, first-time novelist C. M. Cornwell introduces a heroine trained in medicine but drawn to magic.

Photo: Drew Cornwell.

1. What book made you want to be a writer?

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. After reading it for the third time, I realized it had become a comfort read, a much-needed fairy-tale escape, and I wanted to write stories that would also become treasured favorites for young readers.

2. What is your favorite herb?

I researched many herbs while writing The Memory Spinner, since it takes place in a Gilded Age–inspired apothecary shop. I discovered a favorite in lemon balm. Historically, it was believed to grant strength, lengthen life, and comfort the heart. It sounds like pure magic, doesn’t it?

3. Who is your favorite wicked witch/dark lady of literature?

I don’t think I can choose a favorite wicked witch; it would feel a little like picking a favorite piece of chocolate — impossible, as each is decadent in its own way. However, Holly Black writes some delightfully dark antiheroes. Jude Duarte from The Cruel Prince and Wren from The Stolen Heir are clever, well-rounded, and richly drawn characters with sympathetic backstories that I was immediately drawn to.

4. If an animal offered to help you, what kind of animal do you hope it would be?

A squirrel, preferably wearing a waistcoat or cardigan à la Beatrix Potter. I didn’t have pets growing up, aside from a squirrel named Pearl with half a tail who frequented our backyard, and whom I loved wholeheartedly. If a squirrel in a cardigan showed up, sporting half a tail, offering to help me, I’d have no choice but to trust her.

5. How would you gauge the science-to-magic ratio for writing a novel?

As a fantasy writer, I lean into magic over science, but this novel did require research. I wanted to create tension between magic and medicine in the same setting through my main character, who attempts to balance two apprenticeships: one in magic, one in medicine. I ventured to museums, dove into dusty corners of internet research, and even sampled willow bark, which is terribly bitter but brings pain relief. Quite the journey for a fantasy writer, but worthwhile.

Sponsored by