I recently read a new fantasy novella about a curious mist sprite and the Scottish settlers she’s observing. It didn’t take long for me to see that this would be a five star read. Not only did I connect emotionally to the themes and ideas introduced, I learned more about Scotland’s rich and sometimes painful history.
After reading A Mist Sprite’s Study of Being Human, I reached out to the author, Kyra Hinton, and asked if I could interview her. I was honored when she said yes! I asked her 6 questions about her powerful debut novella. Her answers only gave me a richer appreciation for her book.
1. What originally sparked the idea for this story?
I had just finished writing a different novel when I went to Scotland with my husband. I had felt like a story was waiting for me, and I wanted to be open to it. My husband and I both have family ties back to Scotland, but this was our first time there. We took a train from Edinburgh to Skye, which passed us by the area where my family had immigrated from. The weather did what it does in Scotland, turning from rain to sun and back to rain every few minutes, and the mist danced through the valleys and the trees. So much of the land reminded me of where I live in Appalachia, where my family settled. It all clicked for me then, that we look for home wherever we go. It made sense why my family landed where they did, but also why they always missed home. That’s where I say I “met Margie” (the Mist Sprite who is the main character in this book). She was the mist following the train, playing with the heather and mosses and awakening that ancestral longing I’d inherited.
Our train landed in the seaside village of Mallaig, where we’d take the ferry to Skye the next morning. That night I stayed up late in the hotel, listening to the waves, and wrote the first pages of this book in the notes app of my phone.
2. Is there anything in your original idea that changed as you began drafting the book?
Oh, absolutely. While in Scotland I was imagining writing a story about the mist meeting humans and then them immigrating to Appalachia (because that’s all I knew.) I thought I could tell the whole story in one human’s lifespan. But as I came home and researched I found out just how long most of these families had inhabited these glens before they were forced to leave. My family lived in one small area for over 600 years, and that is also reflected in stories all across the Highlands. If I wanted to tell the story of the mist meeting humanity and losing them, it had to stretch over centuries.
3. What’s one thing about A Mist Sprite’s Study of Being Human that made you fall in love with the story?
The poets. Again, this was not something I expected to include in this story when I first imagined it. But because history tends to be written by the “victor”, it was hard initially to find how the individuals felt during these historical events. That was, until I found the poets. Through oral tradition and by writing in Gaelic (which had been made illegal by British occupation) they preserved the heartbreak of their people. Many of these poems talk directly about the mist and how it mourns for their lost children. Knowing that I was shining a spotlight on some of these “forgotten” poets and bringing their thoughts to life in a new way was so sweet and deeply rewarding.
4. What is one thing you learned as you wrote this story?
I loved learning about generations of women who preserved language and medicinal knowledge through oral tradition despite opposition. When learning about history in hindsight it’s so easy to see only the big forces at work. “Zooming in” to one glen and one family brings those historical events to life in a new way. Because we as readers are also living through historic events, and what we do in our homes and communities may not be memorialized in the history books – and still, they matter deeply. The poems we write and the stories we tell may just be the thing that tells the truth to some storyteller in the future who looks back on the events of today.
5. Are there any authors that inspire your writing?
N. K. Jemisin is one of my very favorite authors. I think her books (especially the Broken Earth trilogy) should be required reading. I hadn’t read her work before I wrote this book, but I found it soon after. While I was editing the manuscript, her writing style gave me courage to tell this story the way I wanted to.
But while writing this book it was fun to lean into storytelling styles I enjoyed when I was younger, like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” and Lemony Snicket’s narrative style in “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” By creating a narrator that was not myself I had a lot of fun telling the story with some additional layers and social commentary built in. This isn’t a style I use in my other novels, but it felt like a good accent when telling a story this layered and difficult.
6. What do you hope readers will take away from this book?
There are so many themes layered into this book, so readers can walk away with many different impacts. But I hope readers will go outside as soon as they close this book. I hope it inspires them to love the area they live, and feel like a curious spirit within it. I hope they can see how special it is to be human, and how connected we are to the land that nourishes us. I hope they can give back some of the love they receive, not just to the land but to the community around them. And I hope every reader who sees the mist will say “Hi” to Margie for me.
Kyra’s beautiful novella is one that sticks with you long after you close the book. If you’re interested in purchasing it, you can do so through this link or through her website (not an affiliate link).
Starting 2025 with this book set the scene for a great reading year! I hope you pick up this brilliant book.