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| photo: Alek Aguirre | |
Ann Aguirre is the author of numerous bestselling adult and YA novels. She volunteers regularly and is enrolled in graduate school for clinical mental health counseling. The Hocus Pocus Handbook (Sourcebooks Casablanca, September 1, 2026) features a sunshine-shadow slow burn, an unforgettable found family, and a world lush with wildcraft magic. It's a cozy fae fantasy romance perfect for fans of Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and T. Kingfisher.
On your nightstand now:
My reading is quite eclectic these days. I'm reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl for grad school, and I suspect that text requires no introduction from me. Incredibly powerful. I have The Deep by Alma Katsu playing whenever I'm in a vehicle. Alma's books make me feel like I'm swimming through deep water and struggling to catch my breath. I am also reading The Fallen Fruit by Shawntelle Madison, and she's both a good friend and a tremendously talented writer. The Fallen Fruit is tender, clever, brilliant, and heartfelt, and I am nibbling the story rather than devouring it to make it last longer.
Favorite book when you were a child:
Oh gosh. Picking just one will be tough, as I was a voracious reader. But it has to be A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. That book opened the door to so many possibilities because Meg was allowed to be who she was. She didn't need to be smaller or quieter or less than herself to make friends and go on adventures. That book means a great deal to me, even to this day.
Your top five authors:
Since I tend to be a mood reader, it depends. But writers I return to include Kate Elliott, Skyla Dawn Cameron, Beverly Jenkins, Sharon Shinn, and Courtney Milan. Those are listed in no particular order; I mentioned them as I thought of them. Kate Elliott offers something to love for all fantasy readers. I am obsessed with the Waverly Jones mystery series by Skyla Dawn Cameron. Beverly Jenkins has so many gorgeous romances, but most people are drawn in by Indigo and stay for the sparkling backlist. As for Sharon Shinn, I'll talk about her more in a bit. Finally, Courtney Milan writes historical romances that are lush and addictive.
Book you've faked reading:
I have a degree in English literature, which means it would be more fruitful to ask what books by old white men that I did not fake reading. But seriously, I couldn't finish a darn thing by Thomas Hardy. I was supposed to read multiple books, including Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Even the synopsis for that one aggravates me.
Book you're an evangelist for:
First, some backstory: A long while ago, I boldly proclaimed, "I do not like vampire stories." People would name titles and I would shake my head. "Read it. Not for me." Famous vampires. Funny vampires. Scary vampires. Sexy vampires. None of them sparkled in my eyes. Then one reader finally recommended a book I hadn't read. Sunshine by Robin McKinley. I could write an entire post about this book. I inhaled it and desperately wanted more. After that, I discovered more vampire books that I could enjoy, but Sunshine was the gateway novel. Now imagine me in reader forums: Think you don't like vampire stories? Try Sunshine!
Book you've bought for the cover:
Lovely covers work. If a book has sufficient dazzle, I want to put a physical copy on my shelf. The last two books to wow me in that regard were Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski. Both of these books exude a delicate prettiness and cozy charm, and they're both on my mantel right now.
Book you hid from your parents:
Anything with sex in it, including multiple library books by Judy Blume; Wifey and Forever spring to mind. I had to dig deep for this next one, but my best friend and I also acquired a movie tie-in novel for a film called Little Darlings by Sonia Pilcer. We read the story long before we were allowed to watch R-rated movies.
Book that changed your life:
Earlier, I promised to talk more about Sharon Shinn. I encountered The Shape-Changer's Wife in the basement of a gaming shop in Muncie, Ind. I spent my last few dollars buying it and loved it so much that I even read her bio. I saw that Shinn was a woman living in the Midwest. Nothing about her background made me think she was already famous or had connections prior to selling her book. Before, I had been told "you have to know people" or "only famous people get book deals." Seeing her book made me believe I could do it too. I became a huge fan and bought everything she published as I wrote my own material. When I finally sold my first book in 2007, I marshaled my courage and e-mailed her.
Readers, she blurbed me.
Favorite line from a book:
I was a precocious reader, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë was my first classic--at the age of eight. That year, I also read multiple titles by Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, who was, I confess, a little grim for young Ann. I read with a pocket dictionary nearby, earnestly looking up unfamiliar words, and it was one of the best things I have ever done for my brain. For that reason alone, I must quote Jane Eyre, because I was so wildly impressed with Jane's fierce spirit: "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you."
Five books you'll never part with:
Four signed books by Sharon Shinn: Royal Airs, Troubled Waters, Unquiet Land, and Jeweled Fire. These have personal notes inscribed and they mean the world to me. As I mentioned before, I was a fan first and then we became colleagues. Now, decades on, I consider her a friend as well, and I feel so lucky to have received the benefit of her wisdom and generosity. The other title is less personal but no less invaluable for other reasons. My updated copy of Merriam-Webster's dictionary remains as critical to me today as it was when I was eight.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
This is a great question! As a kid, I was so enthralled by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, and I wish I could return to that moment and experience the wonder all over again.
Book that made you realize writing is a job:
In elementary school, I won a writing competition and went to regionals, where I met Shel Silverstein. He read to us from Where the Sidewalk Ends, and it occurred to me that he probably got paid to write that book. He might even be getting paid to read to us. Which meant writing was a job, a job that I could do also. From that moment on, I never wanted to do anything else.