Welcome to a new author interview post, my friend! I recently reviewed the dark fairytale fantasy, Into The Underwood: Maiden. I had the pleasure to chat with Julia L. Robertson about the book and her inspiration. Let’s take a quick look at the book and then dive into the interview.
Into the Underwood: Maiden
by J.L. Robertson
Against the harrowing backdrop of World War II, a young seamstress’ ability to bring embroidery to life exposes an unremembered past and unforeseeable future. Sylvia Taylor began her life following in her mother’s footsteps, training to become London’s next high-end dressmaker. But when a series of air raids send her back to her mother’s home village of Lustleigh, she is immediately abducted by Der Erlkönig, the immortal ruler of the Underwood—a woodland kingdom of spirits and monsters. As Sylvia endures an indefinite term of servitude to settle a mysterious family debt, she meets Sasha, a famine survivor from the Soviet Union, with whom she begins piecing together dark secrets from her family’s past.
For fans of lesbian heroines, fairytale retellings, and feminism, Robertson spins together the best elements of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Handmaid’s Tale to tell a tale of self-determination and self-discovery that will keep you guessing until the very last page.
This book has sexual content, grooming, gaslighting, abuse, sexual violence, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and references to historical atrocities.
Hi Julia! It is wonderful to host you on the blog again. How have you been?
Hi Kriti! I’ve been well. Thank you for having me again. Congratulations on your wedding! I hope you had a wonderful time.
Thank you 🙂 Like you, Sylvia from Into the Underwood is a seamstress. Tell me about the profession.
You never run out of work, and you can find a job almost anywhere. It’s a hard skill to come by, so I get called in for interviews usually within a day of applying for any job, plus I get some business on the side. But despite the high demand for it, the work itself is significantly undervalued. Because mass produced clothing can be purchased so cheaply, even if you charge at a rate of $15/hr, customers will balk at the price of having something altered or made. It wasn’t until after I started learning to sew and design myself that I realized how much work goes into making even the most basic piece of clothing and just how poorly the average garment worker is compensated for their labor.
Into the Underwood is your first novel. When did the idea for it come to you and what made you pursue it?
The idea came to me after I had moved to a new state with my wife and began work at a local bridal shop. When you’re stuck at a sewing machine for 8 hours a day without anyone to talk to, your mind begins to wander and before you know it, you end up with a whole novel in your head. I had given up my dream of being a writer back in college, so I didn’t think anything would ever come of it. But when I actually sat down and started writing, it became something of a therapeutic exercise for me and ended up becoming somewhat autobiographical as a result. I know that most general writing advice says you’re not supposed to do that, but I think that’s the main reason why I was able to pursue it to the end, because felt true to me on a personal level.
What significance does Sylvia’s embroidery play in the story? Why did you model her this way?
Sylvia’s embroidery is drawn from her innermost creative energies, and through much of the story, serves as her only source of self-expression. It is directly linked to her other creative capacities, including her sexuality, which is why her supernatural abilities re-emerge at the same time she meets Sasha and grow more potent as their relationship develops. This is also why Der Erlkönig becomes so interested in her skills when they come to his attention. Her abilities mirror his own, and over the course of the story, she learns how to use her embroidery to channel them in both constructive and destructive ways. However, particularly in the first book, these abilities also leave her vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, which leads her to believe that they serve no other purpose beyond what the king hopes to use them for.
I modelled her this way because I’ve always resented the way feminine occupations and indeed, femininity in general is so devalued by our culture. I can’t help but notice how a lot of fantasy writer’s go-to device for developing a “strong female character” is to stick a weapon in her hand and make her good at fighting. And while I take no issue with the warrior woman trope (as evidenced by Sasha and other characters in the series), it seems like the reason we rely so heavily upon it is because we associate martial abilities with the masculine ideal of strength, and therefore, copy & paste it onto every woman we want to make “strong.” Femininity, on the other hand, is more often associated with weakness, submission, fragility, superficiality, and self-abnegation. It is cast aside as essentially useless except in the domains of heterosexual courtship, domesticity, and childrearing. As a result, so much feminine labor is taken for granted and valued at little to no cost. Just look at the state of the fast fashion industry for proof. So, I wanted to write a character who finds strength through her femininity, not in spite of it. In the end, Sylvia’s embroidery, once presumed to serve no purpose beyond mere decoration, will become her greatest asset in her fight for autonomy.
It was great to be immersed in a fairytale style fantasy after so long. What are some fairytales and books that inspired the world of the Underwood?
The first book was primarily inspired by the fairytale “Bluebeard,” which is almost an exact inversion of the better-known “Beauty and the Beast” in the sense that the handsome prince turns out to be a monster rather than the monster turning into a handsome prince. I also drew inspiration from the myth of Persephone, Celtic and Norse mythology, Druidism, and folklore from various parts of the world. There are also some subtle Biblical references and allusions Catholic doctrine, particularly its view on marriage, sexuality, and procreation, partially owing to the religious environment I grew up in.
Can you tell me more about the realm itself? Are humans frequent visitors to the realm? What kind of spirits call it home?
Underwood is a play upon the word “underworld,” which is in itself a hint as to what kind of place it is. Burchard describes it as a reflection and amalgamation of all the world’s woodlands, all surrounding a large, central Tree. It is akin to other mythical places such as the Garden of Eden, Annwn, Avalon, and Tír na nÓg, and is populated primarily by a variety of nature spirits. In Celtic mythology, what we have now come to call “fairies” were originally the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of gods or ancestorial spirits said to live within sídh burial mounds all across Ireland. There is a strong association between nature spirits and spirits of the dead in other parts of the world as well. For example, in Slavic cultures, the rusalki and vile are water sprites believed to be the spirits of women who died by suicide. Likewise, in Hispanic folklore, La Llorna is the spirit of a woman who murdered her own children after their father abandoned her. There is a pervading idea through many myths and legends of spirits returning to the natural world after suffering some kind of trauma, and considering how the natural world is so often personified as a “Mother Nature,” it kind of makes sense. Who does a child run to after they get hurt? In most cases: Mom.
Humans used to be frequent visitors to this world, but as mankind moved away from shamanic religions and towards industrialization, their visits became less so. Der Erlkönig gets his own POV in the second book, which harkens back to his early days in the previous sovereign’s court when there were far more humans present. He also recalls some events that take place around the same time that alter the Underwood’s relationship to the world of mankind.
Why did you choose the backdrop of the world wars for this book?
A major theme of the Underwood series, which will become more apparent as the story progresses, is that of intergenerational trauma. The horrors of the first and second world wars were traumatizing on such a global scale that we can still feel their effects to this day. I personally know number of women who fled the Soviet Union, some of whom lived through Chernobyl or had grandparents who lived through the Holodomor. Both Chernobyl and the Holodomor are among the many reasons why Ukrainians are now fighting like hell against this most recent Russian invasion. The same can be said about the effects of the Holocaust upon Jewish communities, and the effects of slavery and Jim Crow upon African American communities. These things might seem like they happened a long time ago, but they’re really a part of recent memory for a lot of people, and experienced indirectly or on an epigenetic level by a lot more people. Dr. Gabor Maté has written a number of books on this phenomenon which are well worth reading.
I really enjoyed learning about the legend of Der Erlkönig. The poetry at the start of the book is haunting. Did you know about it growing up or is it something you came across?
It was something I came across while my family was stationed overseas in either England or Germany, I can’t remember which. Apparently, German schoolchildren are required to memorize it. I can’t think of a more terrifying poem to have to memorize as a child.
What are some books you would recommend to someone who enjoyed your book and the themes it touched on?
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter is a series of short stories all based on a number of fairytales. The title story is a retelling of Bluebeard with an opening sentence that spans half the page but draws you in immediately. There is also a story called “The Erl-King” based on the aforementioned poem. The Winternight Triology by Katherine Arden takes place in Medieval Russia and ties elements of Slavic fairytales in with real world events at the time. It’s so well-done and beautifully written, and I have recommended it to a number of people who loved it as well. I would also recommend the works of Viktor Frankl, particularly Man’s Search for Meaning and Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything, both of which helped me through some very dark times and had a profound impact upon my general outlook on life.
What is next for Sylvia and Sasha? The ending has me intrigued and I am curious if you are working on a follow up.
I am definitely working on a follow-up, though 2022 has been a bit of hectic year for me, and I’m not as far along on it as I’d like to be. Sylvia and Sasha are now in a bit of precarious position, being out on their own at the worst time of year. This is particularly true for Sylvia, who feels like a ticking timebomb after her discovery at the end of the first book. However, there are allies to be found in unexpected places so long as they can avoid getting caught.
Thank you for hanging out with Julia and me! You can connect with Julia on Facebook, Instagram and learn more about her latest books on her website. You can also follow her Amazon and Goodreads pages for updates.
Add the book to your TBR on Goodreads. Read my review here.
Cover Photo by Serj Sakharovskiy on Unsplash
Be First to Comment