Check out our interview with Julian Winters, the author of "Find My Way Down To You."
What was your inspiration behind FIND MY WAY DOWN TO YOU?
I’ve always loved mythology. Tales of gods, mortals, tragedy, power, and risking everything for love. For years I’d been trying to write a story about grief. But I struggled to dive deep into my own grief and the ways it affects me in a wholly contemporary novel. That is until I combined it with mythology. The ways those stories took on such heavy human emotions and themes with magic and wonder made it easier for me to tackle the feelings I’d spent forever avoiding.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
It means actively choosing to pick up a book with LGBTQIA+ characters all year long. Reading widely, not only the stories of identities I relate to. Making sure I’m celebrating stories that feature BIPOC queer characters, trans and nonbinary characters, disabled queer characters, neurodivergent queer characters, etc. It means sharing the stories I love with others. Word of mouth has so much power. Most of my all-time favorite books were discovered by readers being loud and proud about them online!
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
As someone who grew up rarely seeing stories with main characters who looked like or identified like me—and got the happily ever after—it’s always been my mission to ensure the next generation of readers never feels that way. We all deserve to be main characters. To have supportive communities. To get our own version of a happily ever after. Representation is what shapes us, what empowers us, what reminds all of us that we deserve to be treated with compassion and empathy.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
Find My Way Down To You is about August, a mortal boy grieving the loss of his first love years after a car accident killed him. One day, he stumbles upon a way into the Underworld and meets Cary, the ferrier of souls, who might the key to reuniting August with his dead boyfriend. But the more they see each other, the more August finds himself falling dangerously for Cary.
I wrote it because my first nephew died when he was only ten years old and it devastated me. Almost 16 years later, I still struggle with the loss. With the guilt that I’m still here and he isn’t. It wasn’t until recently that I understood grief isn’t linear. It doesn’t manifest the same for everyone. I wanted a story about a boy who learns to live with his grief while also learning to carry on. That there’s hope on the other side of our pain.
What can fans expect from your book?
Secrets and unexpected twists. References to familiar mythological characters and stories. Gods, an affectionate three-headed hound, and even a labyrinth. A heart-stealing romance with deep yearning. The sweeping beauty of California and the lush allure of the Underworld. Quite a few scenes that’ll make readers cry! (Sorry, not sorry.)
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
My middle grade debut, Sweet Disaster, comes out next spring! And I have a couple of secret projects happening in Adult and Young Adult romance that I hope will make readers really happy.
