Sep 05, 2024 by The Editors of Fabled Films Press

Hannah Edwards Secrets of Riverway author Ashley Hards was declared to be “gifted” at age 8 and was diagnosed with ADHD at age 22. When forced to sit still in class, she found reading and writing to be the most engaging subjects, especially Shakespeare. She received both her BA and MA in English literature from McGill University, where she now teaches writing and continues her research on Shakespeare and ritual. Like Hannah, she enjoys journaling. Unlike Hannah, she has not solved any mysteries (yet). This is her first book. 

Ashley sat down with us to share the details and inspiration behind her new middle grade reimagining of Hamlet that’s also a mystery!

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Calgary, Alberta. But my imagination developed in rural areas like Nanton, Pincher Creek, and Castle Mountain Ski Resort—all of which are in Southern Alberta. 

What were some of your favorite books growing up?
When I was 8 or 9, I liked the Eragon trilogy, Here There Be Dragons, and anything by Eva Ibbotson or Cornelia Funke. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure I liked these books because of the dragons (who wouldn’t?)!

I also remember being fascinated with The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner and The Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer (because I had a crush on their respective protagonists). In general, I liked the imaginative worlds these authors built—I’d imagine my own storylines in these worlds. 

Do you have any hobbies?
Piano, opera, yoga (I am, however, very inflexible), embroidery, skiing, and mountain biking are my current hobbies. In the past, I’ve dabbled in watercolor and oil painting, knitting (briefly), sewing (briefly), and soccer. 
 
How and why did you start writing the reimagining of Hamlet? What drew you to Hamlet?
Hamlet stuck out to me for many reasons. When I was 9, I played Hamlet in a shortened production during a summer drama camp. In high school, I became obsessed with Hamlet as I studied it for 12th grade English. 

Hamlet has always struck me as a neurodivergent character—I could relate to his procrastination and his perfectionism. Hamlet’s extreme reaction to grief, his desire to put off important tasks (revenge) until things were ‘perfect,’ his impossible standards (set by his foil, Fortinbras), and his rejection and frustration with his own psychological limitations all struck a chord with my understanding of neurodivergence. Hamlet was a companion I could relate to.

How did you come up with Hannah Edwards and the other characters?
Most of the characters are strongly related to Hamlet's cast in my mind. Hannah is similar to me, but I modified her a bit (after all, she gets diagnosed with ADHD at age 12, and I wasn’t diagnosed until 10 years later). Many of the other characters are inspired by my friends and family. Luckily, Uncle Fergus and Mrs. Grant, the book’s antagonists, are inspired less by people than by various conflicts that I’ve faced. These conflicts—and the way they made me feel—morphed into these two menacing characters. 

Did you draw from your own experiences as a neurodiverse girl when you wrote the book? 
I was a gifted kid and even though I loved school, I often found it to be boring. I was given an IPP, where I could focus on independent projects. For example, when other kids had spelling tests, I had a spelling and definition test. These prevented me from feeling too much like Hannah, who is not provided with these resources and really struggles with being bored in class. 
My “Hannah-like” experience started in college, when I no longer had the same structure and support as I did in school.  For me, the passage from Hannah Edwards Secrets of Riverway that best reflects my struggles is at the end of chapter 16:

“My brain goes into manual mode. Instead of making a picture out of a room, or reading words, my brain just labels things: Desk, chair, word, sentence, word, comma, letter, space. To make anything from those parts . . . it takes a lot of work. I can sit and pound on my brain all that I like, but it’s not going to do anything automatically. I need to tell it what to think. But when I get like this, all I want to tell my brain is that it’s stupid for not working right. So, no matter how much I want to work or think, I’m just not a qualified enough mechanic to get my brain thinking again.” 

I wrote this passage when I was experiencing writer’s block. I kept thinking—if only I could describe how Hannah has a hard time writing! And then I went … hey … what if I just … wrote what I feel like right now? 

Does Hannah Edwards remind you of yourself at all?
Hannah is similar to me, but I don’t see her as being just like me. For example, at her age, I didn’t have many issues paying attention in class, as I was learning all of my subjects in my second language—French. Then, in high school, I was challenged by International Baccalaureate (IB) classes. It wasn’t until I was in college that I really started to have issues with concentrating in class. Of course, my professors were amazing! But having to sit in a class for up to three hours could be very tough. 

Hannah is also more rebellious than me: I would not have skipped class and definitely would have consulted my mother more if I was worried about something. 

Hannah does share my childhood obsession with frogs: my room was covered in them!

Pre-Order Hannah Edwards Secrets of Riverway

Authentic ADHD Reimagining of Hamlet that is an Unconventional Mystery and Coming-of-Age Story. It’s Nancy Drew and Sammy Keyes mixed with Turtles All the Way Down and Honestly Elliott. This book is part of Fabled Films Press' reimagined classics collection that includes Pippa Park Raises Her Game.