Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Katie Bayerl (WHAT COMES AFTER)!
Meet the Author: Katie Bayerl
When Katie Bayerl isn’t penning stories, she can be found dancing, writing about social causes, or herding a trio of (mostly well-behaved) cats. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is on the creative writing faculty at Grub Street. Katie lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
About the Book: WHAT COMES AFTER
Sixteen-year-old Mari Novak is dead—and her problems don’t end there. For Fans of The Good Place.
Mari never gave much thought to the afterlife before her untimely demise, but she certainly didn’t think it would be an experimental wellness enclave called Paradise Gate—a place where the newly dead go to sort out the unfinished business of their lives. She also didn’t think the biggest problem to plague her in life would follow her into the great beyond: her also recently deceased mother, Faye. Mari quickly realizes Faye is her unfinished business, and in order to move on to whatever’s next, she’ll have to find a way to forgive her dysfunctional mother for being no mother at all. But there’s so much to forgive: never holding down a steady job, never having a stable home, and abandoning Mari in the end.
It’s a lot to sort through, but faced with the possibility of being turned out into the abyss, Mari gets to work. She enrolls in the prescribed self- actualization classes (think: journaling, positive self-talk, and lots of Youga™). It all seems pretty hokey, but still, the assignments force Mari to confront difficult truths about her past.
When a shocking revelation about Mari’s death captures the attention of the afterlife media, Mari is suddenly in the spotlight, her messy history being judged by the whole realm. She finds escape in an equally troubled boy, who takes Mari to an obscure part of Paradise Gate and introduces her to rebels who show Mari that this “wellness center” is not all it pretends to be. With classmates disappearing and an afterlife revolution brewing, Mari must decide whether to play it safe or break the rules. At stake? Her eternal fate. Literally.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
When Mari wakes up in the afterlife, we learn pretty quickly that she hit a dead end (pun intended) in life. We don’t know the details yet, but it’s clear she’s experienced loss, disappointment, and some form of trauma. In Paradise Gate, she has one last shot to process all of that unfinished business… or face an eternity in the abyss.
I first came up with the concept for What Comes After in the aftermath of a big transition in my own life—a moment that felt like the death of a major part of my identity but that turned out to be a new beginning. I read Gabrielle Zevin’s Elsewhere around that time, and a lightbulb clicked. I had never seriously considered writing speculative fiction before, but a story set in the afterlife? That felt within reach. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been exploring big questions like, why are we here? how do I live a good life? and what comes after? As soon as I opened that creative box and considered how to apply my own unique perspective to the afterlife, the ideas poured out.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
Big, gnarly questions about the meaning of life and how to be a decent human! Isn’t that why we all read books? Lol. Maybe not all of us and maybe not with every book we choose, but it’s certainly one of my main motivations as a reader. As a teen, I spent a lot of time exploring various faiths and philosophies to figure out how I wanted to be in this world. I continue to explore these questions today, in real life and in fiction.
Other elements that show up again and again in my writing:
- smart, rebellious heroines
- intense emotional undercurrents
- yummy sentences (am I allowed to say? I do love a great sentence!)
- humor
In this book, I really got to play with humor, which was great fun!
YABC: Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to narrate?
The scenes with Mari’s mother Faye took a lot of digging. Mari and mom have a fraught relationship, but I didn’t want to portray Faye as 100% terrible. She’s a disaster as a parent, yes, but she is doing what she can with the skills she has and she loves her daughter. Mari, who is furious with Faye for all of the ways she feels let down, also loves her mom and misses the closeness they once had. This kind of complicated family dynamic is very realistic but not easy to write! I had to do a lot of side writing to sort out that thread of the story, and then at a certain point, I had to let go of my thinking brain and enter those scenes from a place of raw emotion.
YABC: If you could only write one genre for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
Unfair question! I refuse to live under such limits! I want to try every possible genre and style of writing. (And while I’m at it, every style of dance!) I’m not kidding. I don’t intend to publish in every genre, but the process of exploration feeds my creative spirit.
But since you asked, if I had to pick one genre to explore consistently (while also dabbling how and when I choose), I’d keep coming back to mysteries. My debut novel was a “detective” mystery (loosely), and my current secret project includes an investigative thread too. Even What Comes After—which I would describe as speculative satire with a dash of political suspense—has a mystery at the core. There is the question of what happened to Mari and her mother, and there is the mystery of what’s really going on behind the scenes in Paradise Gate.
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
Any and all ages! See my previous response re: exploration feeding creativity:)
My current secret project is a novel for adults (with a young protagonist), and I’ve recently written a picture book as well. I like tapping into all of these layers of life, and I like reading across age groups too. Why limit ourselves when there are so many stories to be told?
YABC: What is your favorite writing space or routine?
I begin each morning in my pink velvet chair with a mug of coffee and three cats curled on or around me. It’s my favorite time of day, when I’m most creatively open. I protect this time fiercely.
YABC: What daily thing do you see that brings you joy?
The view from my writing chair makes me very happy. Whether it’s a gray day or sunny, the pattern of clouds and light is always amazing. On days when the world feels scary, the sky is my reset button, reminding me that the world has been here for a long time and will continue to hold beauty long after this particular moment has passed.
YABC: Is there an organization or cause that is close to your heart?
Like Mari, I get fired up (and extremely worried) about many causes. I do a lot of political volunteer work, and in my day job, I have the privilege of supporting an amazing group of nonprofits that address critical needs in education, youth development, housing, food access, public health, and more.
If I had to pick one cause—a theme that cuts across all my work—it would be racial and economic justice. And if I had to highlight one organization right now, I’d choose 826 Boston, a youth writing nonprofit that recently took a brave stand to stop seeking federal funding so it can continue to support the voices and concerns of diverse young writers.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I just finished We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin. It’s an adult novel, technically, but the two narrators (sisters) are young women and much of the book takes place in their teen years.
It’s a weird book, daring in format and subject. (CW: significant discussion of suicide.) I felt for these characters from page 1 and was left with a serious book hangover when I was done. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before—darkly funny, emotionally messy, and deeply true.
Title: WHAT COMES AFTER
Author: Katie Bayerl
Illustrator (Cover): R Kikuo Johnson
Release Date: April 29, 2025
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers; Nancy Paulsen Books
Genre: Fiction
Age Range: 12 and Up
