PHOTO: Sarah Glenn Marsh smiling warmly, seated with books and a cup of tea, her writing space reflecting creativity and a love for storytelling.
Fantasy, Folklore, And Inspiring Young Adult Stories
Sarah Glenn Marsh discusses her Irish heritage, passion for folklore, and writing across genres, from young adult fantasy to adult romantasy, while sharing inspiration, advice, and creative insights.
Sarah Glenn Marsh has always had a story to tell, one that stretches from the rolling hills of Ireland to the haunted estates of rural Virginia. From the moment her father handed her a copy of The Hobbit, she was enchanted by the possibilities of fantasy, a fascination that has blossomed into a rich and varied literary career. Her work spans young adult, middle grade, picture books, and now adult fiction, each infused with a sense of wonder and the conviction that everyone deserves a happy ending.
Her Irish heritage and love of folklore have left indelible marks on her storytelling. Whether conjuring sea monsters in Fear the Drowning Deep, cataloguing magical beings in How to Spot a Fairy, or exploring the mysteries of death in Reign of the Fallen, Marsh weaves myth and magic into narratives that feel both intimate and expansive. Her stories honour the past while inviting readers to explore worlds where the supernatural is never far from the ordinary.
Marsh’s foray into adult fiction, including contributions to the Critical Role anthology Vox Machina: Stories Untold and her upcoming romantasy Our Rogue Fates, demonstrates her capacity to tackle complex themes with both warmth and sophistication. Themes of survival, heroism, and love recur throughout her work, each explored with a gentle, thoughtful curiosity. She reminds us that even in the darkest times, the act of persevering—and imagining—can be revolutionary.
Across genres and formats, Marsh’s writing is guided by a deep sense of wonder, whether celebrating pioneering figures like Mary Anning in Dragon Bones or revisiting family histories in The Girls Are Never Gone. Her advice to aspiring authors is simple but profound: read widely, experiment boldly, and let the spark of your own voice guide the stories you choose to tell. In Marsh’s hands, storytelling becomes a bridge between worlds—real and imagined, historical and fantastical, ordinary and magical.
How did your Irish heritage and love of fairy folklore influence the creation of Fear the Drowning Deep and the How to Spot a Fairy series?
Ahhh, Ireland! My dad’s family is originally from Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry. I was raised on Irish fairytales and lullabies, and I think it’s safe to say I inherited an Irish sense of respect for the supernatural, be it ghosts or aos sí (the fairies!). The first time I visited Ireland in 2016, I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to the sense of belonging I’d long associated with it—instead, it surpassed my wildest expectations, and I return as often as I can.
Themes steeped in Irish myth come up time and again in my work, whether it’s exploring the nature of death like in my young adult fantasy Reign of the Fallen, or finding sea monsters and magic on the Isle of Man in Fear the Drowning Deep, or simply cataloguing all the different types of magical beings while drawing from Irish folklore (and other cultures as well) in the middle grade handbook How to Spot a Fairy.
You recently wrote for the Critical Role franchise, making your adult debut with a short story in the anthology Vox Machina: Stories Untold. What was it like writing for such a large franchise, and what can we expect from you next in your work for adults?
Writing for Critical Role was a dream come true—even if I was quite intimidated by the sheer amount of lore! Really, this story happened as such a perfect time in my life: I was asked to write a story about Trinket, the beloved grizzly bear, babysitting the next generation of Vox Machina while I was navigating my first time as a toddler parent! Trinket and I got to commiserate over just how hard it is to keep tiny humans safe and happy on our adventure, and as a fan and new parent, it was just what my heart needed.
I’m certainly not done with writing for adults. My romantasy novel Our Rogue Fates comes out in April with Alcove Press, and it’s essentially a queer love letter to Tolkien. I’m a lifelong fan of his work, and he’s my biggest inspiration for creating my own worlds. The novel takes his themes of dark and light and looks at them from a slightly different angle: how sometimes, simply surviving in dark times that seem insurmountable can be an act of resistance. It asks us to think about the concept of good, and what it is to be a hero. Our Rogue Fates even received some beautiful praise from actors in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and it’s so heartening to be supported by people I’ve admired my whole life! I hope everyone will read it.
Your picture book Dragon Bones tells Mary Anning’s story. What drew you to this lesser known scientific pioneer for a children’s biography?
Growing up, I was one of those kids who wanted to learn everything I could about dinosaurs. Yet when I first read about Mary Anning’s story as an adult, what struck me most wasn’t that she had been the first person to discover several types of prehistoric creatures that lived alongside the dinosaurs, but rather, that so many others took credit for her hard work during her lifetime!
I wanted to write a story that celebrated Mary’s many accomplishments while also preserving that same sense of wonder I often experienced when reading about dinosaurs—and I made it a picture book, because it’s important to me that children know anyone can grow up to be a paleontologist with the right training (and without losing that sense of wonder).
Your young adult book The Girls Are Never Gone is set at a crumbling estate in rural Virginia—what was the inspiration for this setting, and what kind of research went into it?
The Girls Are Never Gone is my love letter to classic ghost stories. It’s also a little ode to my family’s history. While this book takes place in Virginia because I wanted to draw upon the setting I know best, the haunted house in the book is heavily inspired by a haunted house in my family! My great-great-grandparents’ Victorian manor, The Glenn House (c. 1859), is still standing in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and is a public museum today. I’m named for the Glenns’ youngest daughter, my great grandmother. There are many ghost stories associated with the home, which I’d like to think is because the family loved it too much to ever leave.
While Missouri is far from me, I’ve had the chance to visit a few times, and even filmed an episode of A\&E’s Ghost Hunters there with Grant Wilson—yet none of the family ghosts popped in to say hello to me! Imagine that!
What one piece of advice would you offer aspiring authors looking to build a diverse body of work across genres and formats?
I’d say: read voraciously. Read across every genre, even ones you aren’t naturally drawn to. You’ll find things you love, things you hate, and things that inspire you; you’ll fuel the spark of your own writer’s voice. Further, I’d offer that sometimes, changing genres or formats may be just what a story needs to fully take shape in your mind; deciding how you’re going to tell a story is almost as important as the spark of the idea itself.
