Sep 9, 2026 · 19 min · 10 segments
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, author Angie Dickerson discusses her YA fantasy novel 'The Star Blessed,' her inspiration from fairy tales like…
Angie DickersonGuest
Valerie FentressHost
Now, what does world-building look like for you in this, you know, in your writing?
Well, I am not much of a plotter [laughs] ahead of time, I'll tell you that.
And so I just knew at first that this was a fairy tale world, you know? Just what that looked like to me [laughs] is where I started.
You know, there was a kingdom, and there was a castle, and there was danger.
Um, and so that's where we started, and then I loved playing around with different, just natural elements in that world that could do different things, things that, you know, like you couldn't find in our world.
... give it our own tweak, and that definitely gives us all new perspectives and new worlds to explore, which is lots of fun.
I love that question, and partly because it's not something I think about at all while I'm writing, for the most part.
It's something that, you know, I think about when I've gotten several drafts in.
You know, okay, what sorts of themes are emerging? And the themes that I noticed emerging in this story were themes of sacrificial love, perseverance, courage, and overall, light, light triumphing over darkness.
Um, and I just want the teens who read this book to understand that no matter what darkness they're facing, because this character in the story ju- does face some very poisonous darkness, there is always light to be found, and the light always overcomes it, and I just hope that that shines through for these readers.
That's kind of what we, what we're drawn to fairy tales for is that good conquers evil, and just that reminder that even when things are hard, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is, you know, [laughs] a sense of-
... either, not so much a prince to rescue us, but there's someone waiting for us on the other side.
Now, what does world-building look like for you in this, you know, in your writing?
Well, I am not much of a plotter [laughs] ahead of time, I'll tell you that.
And so I just knew at first that this was a fairy tale world, you know? Just what that looked like to me [laughs] is where I started.
You know, there was a kingdom, and there was a castle, and there was danger.
Um, and so that's where we started, and then I loved playing around with different, just natural elements in that world that could do different things, things that, you know, like you couldn't find in our world.
... give it our own tweak, and that definitely gives us all new perspectives and new worlds to explore, which is lots of fun.
I love that question, and partly because it's not something I think about at all while I'm writing, for the most part.
It's something that, you know, I think about when I've gotten several drafts in.
You know, okay, what sorts of themes are emerging? And the themes that I noticed emerging in this story were themes of sacrificial love, perseverance, courage, and overall, light, light triumphing over darkness.
Um, and I just want the teens who read this book to understand that no matter what darkness they're facing, because this character in the story ju- does face some very poisonous darkness, there is always light to be found, and the light always overcomes it, and I just hope that that shines through for these readers.
That's kind of what we, what we're drawn to fairy tales for is that good conquers evil, and just that reminder that even when things are hard, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and there is, you know, [laughs] a sense of-
... either, not so much a prince to rescue us, but there's someone waiting for us on the other side.
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