“Do you know about the curse, sir?”
Lavender Wolfe is a street urchin like few you’ve met between the pages of a book before. Caught up in the magic and curses of the pirate ship, the Good Marchioness, after being kidnapped by the ship’s cook, Big Agatha, Lavender finds herself with a new name, a found family, and a mystery to solve that now impacts her life as much as it impacts the ship’s crew.
Lavender is the heroine of Karen Foxlee’s new middle grade adventure novel, The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe. An illustrated and highly imaginative tale, Lavender Wolfe is not a quick read to pass the time! This is an immersive adventure to fall into. The days are getting shorter, and the weather is turning cold, but we’re at sea aboard the Good Marchioness!
Karen Foxlee, who has previously taken readers to magical worlds in titles like Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy and Dragon Skin gave us an inside look at Lavender’s origins and what it took to build her world. Read the full interview below!
Showstopper Magazine Online: The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe is so full of life and magic from the first sentence. Of course, this only builds as we see Lavender begin to understand magic (and life aboard a pirate ship!) over the course of the novel. Can you tell us about your inspirations for making this story such a magical adventure?
Karen Foxlee: The story started with nothing but a few lines echoing in my head. I had three names. Lavender first, a pretty name, but with too many letters to remember if you’re not much good at spelling. I knew I needed to figure out who this character was! As I wrote, I was so excited to discover Lavender’s story took place on a cursed and magical pirate ship in 1719! That her journey would take her across seas and that she’d face many obstacles.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been inspired by adventure stories where a young protagonist sets off on a journey. I also love the sea, history, and magic, so all these things blended together to inspire the many twists and turns in this tale. Add to that a love of puddings and desserts (yes, they feature prominently), and I knew I had the inspiration for a wondrous adventure!
SMO: There are so many layers to this story, from kidnapping and magic to hidden identities and a curse. Did you have a favorite thread to follow as you wrote?
Karen: You’re right, there are many threads, and I loved the complexity of piecing them together so that the story worked. There are stories within stories and secrets waiting to be uncovered. One of my favourite threads was the friendship between Lavender and the Little Duchess, who is a ghost-fetcher. I really enjoyed the roller coaster of their relationship and what Lavender learned about herself through it.
SMO: Lavender herself (or Hans, depending on who you ask) is a victim of Big Agatha’s particular form of collecting, but she’s far from helpless. How did you decide what skills to give Lavender to make her such a capable protagonist?
Karen Foxlee: I wanted Lavender to be street smart and plucky (she’s the daughter of a famous pickpurse after all), but I also wanted her to have a vulnerable side too. Lavender loves deeply. She attaches herself to Big Agatha despite her best efforts to stay distant. She looks out for her friends. She refuses to give up on them even when it seems they are beyond help. I loved that about her. She is exactly the kind of girl who would refuse to give up on a boy trapped inside a cursed shell! I loved creating her blend of quiet watchfulness (she misses nothing) and her determination.
SMO: What would you say is Lavender’s greatest strength in this adventure?
Karen: I’d have to say perseverance. She doesn’t give up. I return to this again and again in my stories. Lavender doesn’t give up on her dream to return home to her mother. She doesn’t give up on her friends. She keeps on going, even when it means ghost ships, mutiny, and wild storms.
SMO: While Lavender is a gripping protagonist, it seems like your early readers are just as attached to some of the other characters in this story, like Samuel, Peter, and Odine. Can you tell us about how those characters came to life?
Karen: I’m a non-plotter, so in the beginning I spent months writing about Big Agatha’s ship kitchen. Big Agatha is the cook on The Good Marchioness, and she’s kidnapped Lavender to be one of the kitchen rats (the children who work in her galley). It’s all I really knew about the story to start off. In that kitchen, I decided there would be six children and that they’d sleep in trunks and cupboards and Lavender on a pickling shelf. Peter and Samuel emerged as two of those kitchen rats, and I fell in love with their story right away (although it did make me cry!). I was also delighted to discover a kitchen hen, called Odine, who is warm and kind and has a wonderful secret.
SMO: There are illustrations by Martina Heiduczek throughout Lavender Wolfe. What made you decide to partner with an illustrator for this novel? What was that process like?
Karen: My Australian publisher assigned this wonderful illustrator. Martina’s drawings really brought this story to life and added another layer of visual storytelling throughout the almanack calendars. I was so happy when I saw her sketches and thought my words and her illustrations worked beautifully together.
SMO: Do you have a favorite illustration that Martina created for this project? Is there a moment you wish Martina could have brought to life?
Karen: I always become emotional when I see illustrations of my words. It is such a wonderful process to be part of, to see your ideas transformed by an artist. I LOVED Martina’s illustrations of the almanacks and also the sea steps where Lavender is kidnapped. Maybe it would have been cool to see how Martina depicted the kitchen rats! I’m happy with it just the way it is, though.
SMO: This is a whirlwind adventure at sea, but more than that, The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe is a tale of friendship and family. What do you hope your readers will take from this story?
Karen: I started out wanting to write an epic adventure, but the more I wrote, the more I realized I was writing about belonging, family, and home. I love the notion that we can find home in the most unexpected places and that true friends can become family too. I also enjoyed exploring the idea that we are all stories within stories, a different story to each person we know. I hope readers enjoy the high sea adventures but also these gentler messages.
SMO: Is there anything else you would like readers to know about The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe?
Karen: I hope readers, both young and old, who love adventure and wild, unique magic, go on a great journey with this story. I’m so excited that the story will be out in the States and finding its way into readers’ hearts and minds.
Get ready for the high seas! The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe releases November 10, 2026.
