In a recent talk, the author discussed how readers often crave a bit more detail about the narrative’s tricky plot. The story follows a vulnerable girl and her mother, who had her at age sixteen and faced life without a steady profession, yet the book centers on resilience and survival. The conversation highlighted the traditional Salvadas music from Rincón de Ademuz, with the bread-baking scenes providing a notable soundtrack, interwoven with Italian songs that permeate the setting. This discussion took place during an Author Meet-and-Greet session, part of a series that connects writers with their audience.
The Wolf’s Den tells of Julieta, a girl who moves through roles as daughter, sister, and observer of a family that includes a grandmother and other women, all within a small town. The writer explains that condensing the plot is a challenge because the characters’ voices weave a simple yet rich tapestry. Julieta, who is eleven, leads with a quiet strength, while Emma appears as the forest-bound woman, and around them the mother, grandmother, neighbors, and a man named Leonardo contribute to a broader ensemble. The goal was to give each character a moment to speak, letting Julieta’s own voice listen as others share, revealing the varying facets of motherhood, responsibility, and longing.
The interviewer notes that Julieta’s journey begins in Valencia and moves to a much smaller village. The author, who also experienced frequent relocations in childhood, used this background to inform the heroine’s relocation and sense of belonging to a tight-knit place. The idea was to ground the story in a land associated with the author’s family, the Rincón de Ademuz, a region that became a personal symbol during many family transfers. It evolved from a nostalgia for childhood memories into a narrative choice: a place one might not want to leave, yet a setting that compels the unfolding of the tale. The village was modeled after a real locale, blending nature and community into a believable backdrop for the fiction.
Regarding the heroine, the writer clarifies that Julieta is a completely invented character, not a direct reflection of the author’s own life. While some traits may echo the narrator, the character is deliberately crafted to stand apart and drive the story forward in a distinctive way, with parallels to the author’s sensibilities but not an autobiography.
When asked if the title In the Lion’s Den symbolizes patriarchy, the writer responds that the phrase suits the forested setting and the tale’s fairy-tale echoes. It serves as a vivid metaphor that illuminates the narrative rather than a blunt social critique. The forest and its fable-like atmosphere help shape the book’s mood and themes.
On the pacing and tone, the author explains that the project’s rhythm arises from the choices about how the story should be delivered. The whispering, psychological thriller approach focuses on childhood vulnerability, a delicate topic that dictated the narrative’s cadence, rather than an attempt to fit a predetermined genre. This tone became the guiding lens for the storytelling.
As in many families, the story hides silences and unspoken truths that become a pillar of the overall narrative. The writer asserts that silence is meaningful because it avoids melodrama; in a small town, there is a strong urge for communication, yet the sense of what is left unsaid can be even more powerful than what is openly discussed. The dynamic challenges the assumption that smaller communities are inherently more closed off.
Asked about the moment the novel took shape, the author recalls a sudden rush of inspiration that placed a story in a landscape of overwhelming beauty. Experience also matters; the writer notes that life experiences and the people observed along the way can illuminate the development of characters and guide where the plot travels, even if the end remains in sight from the start.
The book confronts serious themes such as homelessness among young children and the persistence of suppressed truths. The writer believes that, although society evolves, human mistakes persist, and some topics will always demand sensitivity. Even in progressive times, children can be left vulnerable due to gaps in protection, and the narrative does not pretend to solve every problem, but it aims to illuminate the realities faced by the young and their caregivers.
Regarding how literature protects minors, the writer stresses that the goal is not therapeutic instruction but honest storytelling that broadens readers’ understanding of people who are very different. Reading, in the author’s view, helps people comprehend unfamiliar worlds. The characters act with a certain freedom, and the author lets them speak, fully inhabiting the voices that emerge as the story unfolds. Often the protagonists endure difficult circumstances, yet their speaking moments emerge gradually, sometimes late in the book, shaping the reader’s sense of truth and empathy.
Finally, the writer reflects on whether any character surprised the author with a direction they took that differed from the planned outline. Immersing in a character’s personality brings discovery. While the author retains control over the story, there are moments when a character’s impulse pulls the narrative into unexpected territory, inviting a new light on the journey and deepening the reader’s connection to the tale.