City of Ghosts

Victoria Schwab, V.E. Schwab, V: The name that appears on the cover depends on the audience, paralleling the meticulous design of the worlds she builds. Author Victoria Schwab’s manipulation of her name for her different audiences reflects her lifelong interest in the idea of identity. She uses V.E. for her adult novels and Victoria for children’s and YA books. As a child, Schwab lived with the constant feeling of being an outsider. Describing herself as a strange child interested in fantasy and always on the lookout for places where the normal gives way to the paranormal, Schwab found her place of belonging within the pages of books. Inspired by J. K. Rowling and Neil Gaiman, she found within fantasy a safe place to explore her fascination with the darkness. When she first began writing at an early age, she found inspiration in the poetry of Shel Silverstein and William Blake, two poets who unearth the devilishly playful and mystical side of childhood. Channeling her love of poetry into her first novel, she introduced the lyricism and cadence of poetry into her prose (Write-Minded Podcast, “Best of Fantasy, Featuring Hugh Howey and Victoria ‘V.E.’ Schwab,” 2 August 2021).

Schwab, an only child, moved frequently and went from a large public school in California to an all-girls preparatory school in Nashville, Tennessee. Never feeling like she was one of the “in crowd,” she became fascinated with the idea of insiders versus outsiders, which became a unifying idea in her works. Schwab says she writes for all people and all versions of herself; for example, she wrote her middle-grade novels for the 12-year-old Victoria. Though she admits her novels are not for everyone, she is not writing for every kid; instead, she writes so that a very specific kind of child can see themselves in her books. Having lived most of her life on the outside, Schwab pledges to her readers that there will always be a place for them in her created universes and they will always see themselves in her work.

She employs her characters to examine parts of her personality and develop empathy for herself and all types of people (Pennington, Chelsea. “Ghosts, Publishing, and Which Character Would Get You Arrested: An Interview with Author Victoria Schwab.” Chelsea Pennington, 28 Sept. 2019, https://chelseapenningtonauthor.com/victoria-schwab). Schwab began her writing career at 19 and published her first novel, The Near Witch, in 2011. Fifteen books later, adult, young adult, and middle-grade readers alike follow her into sinister scenarios, richly formed fantasy worlds, and the darkly menacing minds of supervillains. As her diverse and enthusiastic fan base grew, so did her connection to her readers. Schwab maintains a vibrant online presence through which she interacts with her readers. She particularly enjoys the immense amount of fan art she receives, and she is touched by seeing her beloved characters depicted visually (Write-Minded Podcast, “Best of Fantasy, Featuring Hugh Howey and Victoria ‘V.E.’ Schwab,” 2 August 2021).

All of Schwab’s novels, regardless of the target age, contain elements of the macabre and sinister as well as threads of humor. The only differentiation she makes is the type of humor used: Her adult novels contain more gallows humor, whereas her middle-grade and young adult novels contain wit designed to appeal to children (Orlando, Christina. “‘I’ve Never Been Prouder of a Book: The Ambitious Life of V.E. Schwab.” Tor.com, 7 Oct. 2020, https://www.tor.com/2020 /10/07/author-interview-the-ambitious-life-of-v-e-schwab/). Though she writes primarily fantasy, she tries to create landscapes grounded in reality by using intuitive world-building and accessibility so her readers can see themselves in the worlds she creates. Schwab does not talk down to her readers, making her books appealing to all age ranges. By weaving in “Easter eggs” from her favorite comic books, the Harry Potter series, and Dungeons & Dragons, Schwab treats her readers to a treasure hunt as well as tipping her hat to other creative art that inspired her.