Hi friends!

I'm delighted to share my interview with Cindy Pham, author of The Secret World of Briar Rose (one of my favorite reads of 2026 so far!). Based in New York City, Cindy Pham works as a full-time designer while moonlighting as a fiction writer and content creator. Her YouTube channel, Read With Cindy, has amassed over half a million subscribers and focuses on books, movie reactions, and candid commentary.

Q: Would you start us off with an elevator pitch for The Secret World of Briar Rose?

A: The Secret World of Briar Rose is a queer reimagining of Sleeping Beauty that follows a cynical thief searching for her sister and discovering a portal inside the sleeping princess’s dream. We follow two timelines – one hundred years ago with the events leading to the princess falling to eternal slumber, and present-day with the sisters exploring the dreamworld.

Q: Where did the initial kernel of inspiration come from?

A: Since I was little, I would always wish to sleep forever and never wake up. I turned to writing stories for escapism, and one day I thought, what if Sleeping Beauty had wanted to sleep forever too? What if this wasn’t a curse, but her own respite from depression and grief? I wanted to tackle this classic fairytale as an allegory for depression and suicidal ideation, based on my own mental health experiences.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose is a “Sleeping Beauty” retelling. How did you approach deciding which elements of the story to preserve and which to put your own spin on?

A: I aimed to preserve the main events of the story and character archetypes, but recontextualize them for my own story. For example, Sleeping Beauty is often criticized for her passivity and lack of agency, but those qualities are symptomatic with depression and are the reason why she sleeps forever in the first place. The demon who curses Sleeping Beauty did indeed cast the curse out of pettiness, but there’s more context for why this character made this situation so personal. Similar to how Wicked added a new lens to The Wizard of Oz, I like to think of this story as something that could be canonical to previous versions of the fairytale, but this time you get new perspectives that you weren’t granted before.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose follows Corin, Amelia, and Malicine. Some chapters are set in the present, and others are set a century in the past. Would you walk us through your process for developing each distinct perspective and timeline and telling the story from these different angles?

A: I originally wrote the story only in the present day, where you follow Corin discovering the dreamworld. But so much of what the characters see and experience in the dreamworld needs more context, especially since dreams are influenced by their subconscious and memories. For that reason, I decided to write additional chapters that take place 100 years ago and make the story alternate between the two timelines. I wanted those flashbacks to be referenced in the dreamworld as different manifestations, so that you could see that weird things weren’t happening without reason, but are a result of the characters trying to run away from their past and repress their personal wounds.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose beautifully explores the messiness and growth of young adulthood. What drew you to the YA genre, and how did you approach crafting a coming-of-age novel for a YA audience?

A: The YA genre was how I got into reading in the first place, and it felt fitting to have this story be YA because of how it’d been inspired by my experiences of depression during my young adulthood. I wrote based on what I would have loved to read in a book during that time, especially one that could put my feelings into words. I wanted the writing to be accessible to a younger audience, but for the feelings to be very real.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose is a heavy but ultimately hopeful story that explores rage, depression, trauma, homophobia, beauty, suicidal ideation, fear, loneliness, and grief. How did you approach balancing the darker themes with lighter moments of belonging, love, community, adventure, and resilience to craft an overall hopeful story?

A: I’m not so sure if I balanced it very well since the story is mostly heavy and depressing, hahaha. But for me personally, I can’t believe in hope without acknowledging the darkness first. Grief and pain are inevitable, and to survive, we have to turn to community and love. Making space for both is what rings true to me, and I wanted to incorporate them all through the emotional rollercoasters that the characters go through.

Q: Throughout the story, you explore sisterhood and womanhood, including oppression and the weight of being an eldest daughter. Would you share your process for writing these aspects?

A: Originally Corin and Elly’s sisterhood were placatable, but I couldn’t quite feel invested in their relationship. I could literally write that they love each other no matter what, but it didn’t ring true to me. Similar to my previous answer, I had to acknowledge the darkness. Their relationship, and Corin’s role as the eldest daughter, became much more interesting to me when I explored the resentment she feels about a role she didn’t ask for and a sister that she’d been forced to take care of. My process became about chipping away at their relationship so that it was less “we love each other!” and more “you are a thorn in my side that I refuse to pull out.”

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose also explores art and creativity. Corin paints and is deeply connected to her artist parents through art. At the beginning, a woman tells Corin, “‘You must keep painting, then. Sometimes art can be the only refuge in this world. These soldiers take our loved ones, but they cannot take this. That’s how we keep a memory alive, even if it’s gone.” How did you approach exploring and highlighting the importance and power of art?

A: I wanted Corin to be a thief who gave up her dreams of being an artist because of the lack of “practicality” and the struggles of pursuing art when you don’t have wealth – which is something that, sadly, many people deal with in real life. But I believe art is like a salve to reality; it’s a way of finding meaning and understanding in your life and the world around you. I wanted to show how Corin giving up on art is reflective of her choosing survival without any consideration for truly living, and the consequences of her seemingly practical decisions continuously haunting her and, ultimately, contributing to her unhappiness.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose is threaded with fairytale whimsy, including pinches of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Would you expand upon your process for infusing fairytale inspiration into the story and exploring fairytale archetypes?

A: I wanted to lean into whimsy and cottagecore with this story because of the themes about escapism; I think that’s ultimately why so many people turn to fairytales, because they transfer us to a world different than our own, and there is comfort in the predictability of retellings and archetypes. It’s a great veneer for darker undercurrents, where the characters want to stay in this fairytale whimsy to avoid reality, but ultimately their avoidance and repression brings monstrous consequences.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose’s world-building is lush and immersive, featuring a dreamworld divided into Summerland, Winterland, Autumnland, and Springland. Would you walk us through your process for developing the captivating world?

A: I was inspired by the montage in The Lovely Bones movie where the characters are in the afterlife and you see the seasons rapidly change in a surrealist landscape. Dividing the dreamworld by seasons functioned in so many ways: it’s how Malicine creates order instead of chaos by compartmentalizing the dreams, and it’s how, despite time not existing in the dreamworld, the characters can still see their memories reflected from the seasons of their lives.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose features a tender and achingly beautiful sapphic romance. How did you approach developing the love story?

A: I try not to think of it as a love story but more about how two characters can connect with each other in a profound way under impossible circumstances, and that doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic. Corin and Amelia/Briar Rose are on opposite sides of the same coin – they are seemingly opposites as a jaded thief and dreamer princess, and yet they find connection through shared grief and can see each other for who they are. I see much of the relationships in this book as queer platonic, and the confirmed “romance” is more of an impossible scenario, a what-could-have-been if they lived under different circumstances and had more time together beyond dreams.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose boasts an incredible cast of vivid, flawed, queer characters. Would you expand upon your process for developing the cast?

A: The original tale of Sleeping Beauty provided character archetypes to build from, while giving room for new characters like Corin and Elly, who I see as people who wouldn’t often be represented in fairytales given that they are dark-skinned immigrants from poverty and have no magical abilities. The canonical characters and the new ones challenge each other and are meant to make you question: Who gets their own fairytale, and who doesn’t?

Q: Throughout the story, you explore complex family dynamics, including Amelia’s relationships with her parents and godmothers and Corin’s relationship with her sister, Elly. How did you approach exploring family?

A: I wanted Amelia to be a lonely and isolated person despite growing up in privilege, and that’s shown by how her family displays love but not in a way that makes her feel understood as a person. On the other hand, Corin’s relationship with Elly is complex because of how both love and resentment coincide together. To pretend it’s only one or the other does a disservice to their relationship, despite Corin’s guilt between those two feelings.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose is a cinematic story brimming with action, monsters, and other magical beings. Would you share your process for crafting a propulsive, action-packed tale?

A: I’m inspired by other cinematic stories, particularly Ghibli and Del Toro films. My process is that I establish the themes and messages of the story first; everything else (like the fantastical elements) are there to push the themes further in a speculative setting.

Q: Visceral, horror-esque elements are sprinkled throughout the story. How did you approach writing and incorporating these elements?

A: Even in the whimsical parts of the world, there is always a dark undercurrent. I try to pepper it throughout the story, sometimes even mixing them together (for example, Briar Rose gets hurt at some point and her head bleeds out moss, which is both beautiful and ominous), before it ultimately culminates in Autumnland.

Q: The Secret World of Briar Rose is a twisty standalone. Would you share your process for plotting a satisfying standalone?

A: Standalones are much easier for me to plot compared to a series. I like stories that are contained. The cast of characters is smaller but all serve a purpose to the overall message in the story. The worldbuilding is more of a backdrop rather than an expansive franchise. There are clear conflicts, both external and internal, that must get wrapped up by the end of the story. That expected progression is what makes the twists that happen along the way more exciting. I love it when stories stress you out and you wonder how the hell the characters are going to get out of this situation, and then the satisfaction you get when they finally do.

Q: What did writing this story teach you?

A: Writing this story taught me to be more reflective and curious about myself, my issues, and the world around me. Leaning into my experiences with depression and coming from such a specific and personal place made the writing process more rewarding for me. I hope to continue being reflective and curious about the things I see and go through in life, and be able to turn them into stories to make meaning out of it.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from this story?

A: I hope readers who have struggled with mental health find solace in these flawed characters clawing their way out of the darkness, and believe in the message of hope in the resolution.

Q: What advice would you give your pre-published self about the publishing process?

A: Once a book goes through the publishing process, it becomes framed within a capitalist lens, and for that reason it’s important to balance that out with the right priorities and define the true purpose of your story – not for career success or external validation, but a form of creative self-expression that feels true to you.

Q: What has been one of your favorite moments as a debut author?

A: I really loved being on a book tour and getting to meet readers IRL. It’s a nice full-circle moment after so many years being an “online” person and working on this story by myself. I also am always touched by the messages I receive from people who were moved by the story and felt seen by the characters.

Q: After readers finish The Secret World of Briar Rose, what books do you recommend they read?

A: Read “Lady Tremaine” for another fairytale retelling that expands upon a seemingly surface-level character and makes them a full-fledged person; read “And The River Drags Her Down” for another YA book about grief and sisterhood; read “House of Hollow” for another YA book that has a great balance of ethereal and horror.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

A: Focus on specificity, not universality. The more specific the story is to you with the things that you care about, the better the story will be – as opposed to aiming for universal appeal or whatever you think the market wants.

Q: What’s up next?

A: I’m wrapping my mind around a new book idea, but it’s still very early stages. All I can reveal right now is that I’d like the main character to be a chaotic evil bisexual.

Lightning round:
⁃ Coffee or tea? Tea
⁃ Hardcover or paperback? Hardback
⁃ What are you currently reading? Escape! by Stephen Fishbach and She Made Herself a Monster by Anna Kovatcheva
⁃ What’s your favorite type of scene to write? Emotional confrontations
⁃ What’s your favorite trope? Found family
⁃ Savory or sweet? Savory
⁃ Do the characters, plot, or setting usually come to you first? Characters
⁃ Are your first drafts usually too long, too short, or just right? Just right
⁃ First, second, or third person? Third person
⁃ Silence or music when writing? Lo-fi music only when writing
⁃ Favorite season? Spring

Thank you so much to Cindy for joining me in discussing her spellbinding debut! 🫶

VOTE FOR THE BOOKSWORN BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST

"Everyone makes mistakes. I guess I didn't realize up until now that mistakes aren't the end of the world. I tend to hold back on new experiences, afraid I'll crash and burn, so what's the point? But all that leads to is me missing out on fun things. Exciting things. Embarrasing things. Maybe there's beauty in the process, in the mess."

GENRE: YA Romance
RATING: 5/5
FORMAT: eBook

Review:
Jackie Khalilieh has done it again and my god, You Started it is an amazing read (I loved Everything comes back to you)! There's something abut reading YA that's healing when you're an adult and you remember all those years when you truly thought the world was all against you

I just love the way that Jackie writes her characters, the way we get to go through our emotions with them too. In here, we meet both Jamie, Axel, Ben and a few others. We follow Jamie's POV and we get to see her grow and go through life after a traumatic family experience AND a break up. Jamie also has anxiety/panic attacks and I thought this was represented well (coming from someone who had panic attacks at the same age as Jamie)

I think my favourite thing in here is how we connect with Jamie throughout the story. I felt all kind of emotions reading this, from sadness, happiness, and just this need to give Jamie a hug (but I wouldnt as she doesnt like them!). Also, it's this reminder that a lot of us go through this phase of fighting with our parents while growing up and struggle to understand our identity in the world. And then seeing Jamie learn about her Arab culture and embrace her identity once she meets Axel was a lovely journey too. All in all, it was lovely to see Jamie learn to take life one moment at a time and to let checklists and plans go. It took me 10 times longer to see that and so this book really hit home for me in many ways.

I think what I notice about Jackie Khalilieh's books is that she handles a lot of topics so well and it all blends together really well that you fly through the story and go through the whole ride with the main character too! Here's to more books by this author and I can't wait to read Something More (& the novella, All I wanted) soon