Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Kathryn Foxfield (OUR WICKED GIFTS)!
Meet the Author: Kathryn Foxfield
About the Book: OUR WICKED GIFTS
The daughter of a sinister magical family who made a deal with the devil must stop the man killing them off, one by one, in this deliciously dark fantasy thriller that’s House of Hollow meets Succession, laced with a kiss-or-kill romance.
Cicely is the black sheep daughter of the powerful Winter family, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for riches and ruthless magic. Soren is the boy her family banished to the underworld. Their fates intertwine when Cicely’s loathsome Uncle Dorian winds up dead at a masquerade ball.
Once overlooked for her lowly gift of discovering secrets, Cicely is now her family’s only chance at survival, tasked with finding the killer before he takes out every last Winter. With time running out, Cicely narrows her sights on Soren, who she suspects is back for vengeance.
Yet the more Cicely investigates Soren–and gets to know him–the more she begins to question how much family loyalty is worth. After all, when it comes to being a Winter, one can have love or power, but rarely both…
~Author Chat~
YABC: What inspired you to write this book?
Rich people behaving badly is one of my favourite tropes in fiction. TV shows like Succession, films like Ready or Not and Saltburn, almost every book written by Agatha Christie. It was always just a matter of time before I came up with a story centring around a toxic family of billionaires. And it was so much fun to write.
YABC: Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?
You can’t write an entire book on vibes alone; there has to be an actual plot. I can sometimes get carried away with all the fun stuff I want to put in a book. Horrifying murders! Strange magic! Weird monsters! But where’s the story, Kathryn? You need to tell a story.
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
I’m so lucky to have such a beautiful cover, illustrated by the amazing Allison Reimold. She managed to perfectly capture the personalities of the characters and the artwork manages to be pretty and slightly disquieting at the same time.
YABC: What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?
So the message is buried deeply under a whole lot of murder and chaos, but at heart this book’s about making up your own mind about who you are, even if your family tries to tell you otherwise. You don’t need to belong to a dysfunctional family like the Winters to still sometimes feel like your relatives want you to be someone you’re not. But you can’t live your life for anyone but yourself.
YABC: What are your favorite themes or tropes?
No matter how hard I try, I am forever writing books about characters who refuse to get in the box that others tell them they belong in. All of my books are about finding the bravery to be yourself, no matter what anyone else says. I’m also quite a big fan of abandoned places, and they are forever popping up in my writing.
YABC: Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing?
I can’t listen to distracting music while writing. Instead, I listen to YouTube brain music with titles like Epic Intense Binaural Beats Hyperfocus. Which, despite its promises, rarely helps me to hyperfocus.
YABC: Do you have an unusual office supply that helps you in your writing routine?
I own about a hundred notebooks that I’ve never written in and I find their existence to be very pleasing.
YABC: What would you say is your superpower?
Like the main character in Our Wicked Gifts, I’m actually very good at finding lost things. When something gets misplaced in my house, I turn detective and can almost always work out where it will be. Unfortunately, I’m also usually the person who lost the thing in the first place.
YABC: How do you cope with criticism from editors or the public?
When I get an edit letter, I give myself a day to wallow in self-pity. Sometimes, I’ll have a little rant to my writer friends about how unfair it is and eat an entire packet of biscuits. Then I pull myself together and get on with fixing the book. When it comes to readers of my book, I absolutely do not read my negative reviews, ever. Because I can’t please everyone and it’s not like I can change the book once it’s out. Everyone’s entitled to their opinions and, if you don’t like my book, please go and read something you love instead.
YABC: What new release books are you looking forward to in 2026?
Cynthia Murphy’s Paint Me Like Your Dead Girls and Augusta Pine Does Not Exist by Emily Lloyd-Jones.
Title: OUR WICKED GIFTS
Author: Kathryn Foxfield
Release Date: 7/7/26
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: Fantasy
Age Range: 14+
