‘Hawk & Sparrow’: A Q&A with writer Ayana Gray ahead of Six Bridges Book Festival

With bestselling authors like Ariel Lawhon, Alix E. Harrow, Deesha Philyaw, Sarah Damoff and Annie Hartnett on the docket, the Central Arkansas Book Festival’s Six Bridges Book Festival — running Sept. 27-Oct. 4 — is proving once again that its organizers have their fingers on the national literary pulse. 

But don’t let those big-shot names distract you from the homegrown talent on display. To give you a sense of Six Bridges’ robust ties to The Natural State, we chatted by email with a handful of Arkansas-connected writers appearing at the free festival, which takes place at venues across downtown Little Rock. Head to sixbridgesbookfestival.org for the full schedule and author lineup.

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Since completing her “Beasts of Prey” trilogy in 2024, Little Rock writer Ayana Gray has remained busy. Last year, she published “I, Medusa,” her first novel for adults, and on Sept. 1, she released “Hawk & Sparrow,” a young adult fantasy book about “a murder, an invention that defies magical conventions, and one intrepid reporter who’s on the case” (Kirkus Reviews). 

The protagonist in “Hawk & Sparrow” is a Gilded Age-era journalist. How did you go about fleshing out that particular occupation in that particular time period?

Before I started drafting “Hawk & Sparrow,” I went into full immersion mode and did a lot of research on the Gilded Age. I also looked for immediate experience to inform Vesper’s occupation as a journalist. In the end, I was lucky enough to speak with Sean Clancy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, who gave me the honest ins and outs of life working at a newspaper. I took a lot of what I gleaned from Sean and merged it with what I learned about the Gilded Age.

You’ve published novels for both teenagers and adults. What about your approach is different depending on the audience you’re writing for?

Writing in different age categories is a lot like dancing in different styles. Adult feels, for me, like ballet — restrained, slow and often hyper-technical. Young Adult feels more like hip-hop or tap — still technical in its own way, but much looser and faster-paced. In the same way a dancer has to listen to the music to know how to move, I have to “listen” to the story and its characters to know how to write. When I’m writing for an adult audience, my pacing is slower, and there’s room for more nuance in the plot and syntax. When I’m writing for young adults, my language is more direct, the emotions are heightened and the pacing is much quicker.

“Hawk & Sparrow” includes the well-loved trope of a posed romantic relationship that ends up leading to real feelings. How did you navigate the challenge of taking a familiar plot device and making it your own?

Fake dating (or, in the case of “Hawk & Sparrow,” fake courting) is a well-loved trope in the romance space. What I loved about writing a multi-genre book is that I got to take something familiar and pull from aspects of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery to make it something fresh. There are several moments wherein the literal magic on the page brings Max and Vesper together, and the pending mystery (with stakes rising throughout the story) forces them to work together and, more importantly, respect what each of them brings to the figurative table.

None of your books are set in Arkansas, but you’ve lived here for most of your life. What are some ways in which this place shows up in your writing?

Although none of my books are set in Arkansas, I don’t think I could have written any of them without Arkansas. I have lived here for 20 years, and a big part of my creative process is actually stepping away from my desk and experiencing all that my home has to offer. There’s a scene from “Hawk & Sparrow” that takes place in a farmers market; I pulled direct inspiration from my time at local farmers markets here in town. I also sneak small Arkansas references into my books for those reading carefully. (The coffee shop Vesper and Max frequent in “Hawk & Sparrow” is named for the West Little Rock coffeehouse I frequented as a high school student, Guillermo’s.)

Who’s the writer (or writers) you’re most excited to encounter at Six Bridges and why?  

Six Bridges is one of the best book festivals in the country because it always brings such a great variety of talented writers to Little Rock. I’m excited about a lot of them, but of course I’m most excited to welcome my friend and fellow author Alix E. Harrow. Reading her work is like enjoying a Michelin-star meal — every word she writes is rendered with this brilliant lyricism and distinct voice. Her latest novel, “The Everlasting,” is among my favorite fantasy novels, and I’m really looking forward to reading her upcoming collection of short fiction, “Slantwise Histories.”