Spooky Stories, Publishing Paths and Crafting Middle-Grade Thrills as a Hybrid Author With Fionna Cosgrove

Born and bred in Perth, Western Australia, Fionna was raised on a far too paranormal diet of X-files, Are you Afraid of the Dark, Fact or Fiction and a plethora of other completely age-inappropriate TV shows. This has led to not only a peculiar open mind, but also a taste for the delightfully mysterious and macarb.

After studying marine science and working for several years within the commercial fishing industry, Fionna finally decided to test run those voices that had taken up space in her head for far too long.

When Fionna is not sitting in front of the computer screen trudging through painstaking first drafts, hanging out with her two kids, an oversized pooch and one amusingly logical husband. You can usually find her listening to podcasts, baking cakes, following that black line in the pool, or with her head in an array of books.

In the 145th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women’s fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Fionna about:

• her inspiration to write spooky stories for young readers
• how she strikes the right balance between fun and fright
• being a hybrid author navigating both traditional and self-publishing avenues
• advantages and challenges of being a hybrid author in today’s publishing landscape
• how she incorporates elements of suspense and mystery in her storytelling while ensuring themes remain age-appropriate and relatable
• Fionna’s advise for aspiring authors in the middle grade genre interested in hybrid pubishing and much more.