Stealing from Wizards
Date Published: 11-04-2025
Interview with Ryan Consell
What is your favorite part of the book?
If I had to pick, which it seems I do, I’d say the Samhain Feast. It’s a formal dinner and dance, which provides an opportunity to explore the characters and world from a new angle while injecting a healthy dose of whimsy.
The characters are all young and unpracticed in formal and potentially romantic settings. Having them dress up and clumsily navigate that environment is an opportunity for growth and comedy.
Does your book have a lesson? Moral?
The books aren’t meant to be allegories or fables. However, I hope young readers take away some positive lessons, the main one being that there is no single right way to be a person.
The main characters are all misfits and each weird in their own way. Unlike a lot of underdog stories, they don’t overcome their oddities to be celebrated as heroes. They stay strange outsiders but find community and friendship with each other, regardless. Each has to discover what success and happiness looks like to them, and no two are alike.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
None of my characters are based off of any individual people, however I don’t think it’s fair to say they came entirely from my imagination. I’ve been lucky to work with many people across my varied careers, from toddlers to octogenarians. Little pieces of each of them, and a bit of myself, seep into all my characters.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
Much like parents don’t have a favourite child, but actually kind of do, I think Charlotte Cook is probably mine. Charlie is an exuberant fantasist and eager for fun and adventure. She’s funny, kind and carefree, and incredibly talkative. That’s just fun to write.
She also has a lot of depth that is exposed slowly over the course of the series. She comes off as childish at first, but that behaviour is shown to be an effortful choice. Some of it is to mask her disabilities, and some is a battle against the darkness of her early life. I’ve really enjoyed peeling back those layers.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
I’d like to claim it’s the villain of the series, Claudius Roche, but he’s actually quite affable. Part of his villainy is being likeable and I’m not sure I’d be clever enough to see through the act.
More likely I’d be annoyed by Evelyn Lemieux. I don’t feel good about it. She’s just a teenager trying to figure out her place in the world, but she’s the sort of smart rich kid that’s just insufferable.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
The main character of the series, Kuro, would probably think I was an easy mark. He’s a magical pickpocket and burglar. If I’m being honest, I’m kind of an easily distracted fantasy writer. He’d think I’m a pampered twit who is easily parted from his possessions. I’m not sure I could argue with him.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Stealing from Wizards is very much intended to be read as a series. There’s a lot to enjoy in each book, and each is a complete story, but some elements span all four books. Arson is the end of the series and it wraps up mysteries introduced way back in Pickpocketing.
About the Author
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