YXAVEL MAGNO DIÑO’s The Firefly Crown is a middle grade fantasy that follows an unlucky sorcerer who must learn to wield insect magic.

Read on for a Q&A with the author.

MEET YXAVEL MAGNO DIÑO

What sparked the idea behind The Firefly Crown?

The Firefly Crown was inspired by the mambabarang, or traditional Filipino magicians who use insects to channel their magic. I’ve always been interested by this concept as it’s very unique, so I wanted to put my own spin on the legend by writing a story about young insect sorcerers! I also think living in Australia sparked so many ideas as we have such a diverse range of fascinating minibeasts here. I never ran out of inspiration as I just had to look around me for more insects to write about!

What inspired you to create a magic system based on insects?

With their powerful and unpredictable insect magic, the mambabarang are the subjects of many legends and folktales in the Philippines. However, they’re often associated with dark magic and curses. I wanted to explore a different side to the mambabarang and see how their insect powers could be to help society, as well as for fun and mischief. And since insects have such amazing abilities and characteristics that help them play their roles in our ecosystems, I knew I had to give the magicians different powers based on which insect they were associated with. The magic of Yumi and her friends definitely helps them out of many sticky situations in the story!

What can you tell us about Yumi and the challenges she faces in the story?

The Firefly Crown follows an unlucky sorcerer named Yumi, whose Cricket magic hasn’t shown up yet so she feels pretty useless as a magician. What she really wants to do is to become a great metalsmith, which she knows she is good at. Yumi thinks she finally has a chance to prove herself when all sorcerers are summoned to attend the princess’ coronation in the capital city, but suddenly the magical Firefly Crown is stolen, which is the only thing stopping a massive swarm of ghost insects from devouring the empire! She must summon her wits, magic and bravery to uncover the real thief and find the Firefly Crown before it’s too late.

Yumi has a lot of challenges to contend with in the story: failed cricket magic, a missing crown, and the Ghost Swarm that threatens to destroy everything. But the biggest challenge she will face is learning to believe in herself and having the courage to chase her dreams, even when they seem impossible.

Do you have a favourite scene or character you loved writing?

I loved writing the main character Yumi, because in many ways she’s very much like me! For example, we both share a love for making beautiful creations with precious metals. I really enjoyed writing the metalworking scenes throughout the book as it’s such an interesting craft, and it was fascinating to explore how Yumi could use her creativity and smithing skills throughout her adventure.

I also had a lot of fun writing Ikko, who is a cricket that Yumi meets on her journey. The two of them don’t always get along, but I loved writing from Ikko’s perspective and thinking about what a cricket would say if we could understand them.

Was any particular folklore or cultural tradition influential in shaping the worldbuilding?

Aside from the mambabarang, another important part of the worldbuilding was the Philippines’ rich tradition of arts and goldsmithing, which not a lot of people know about!

The Firefly Crown takes place in a city that’s loosely based on precolonial Philippine cities like the Rajahnate of Butuan, which were known for their gold craftsmanship and other metalwork. I definitely wanted to highlight this, so the magical and intricate Firefly Crown became the star of the story!

Are you working on any other projects?

I’m a very chaotic writer! I’m always working on many things at once and it’s very hard for me to focus on just one project. But I do have some ideas for upcoming adventure stories floating around my brain, and I hope I’ll get to share them one day.

**********

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Yxavel Magno Diño was born in the Philippines before moving to Australia at a young age, where she soon discovered that almost nobody there knew how to say her name. To make up for it, she spent her time daydreaming about fantasy worlds filled with characters who had more unusual names than she did.

Now, she writes stories about her Filipino heritage and its fantastical folklore. When she’s not writing, you can find her drinking copious amounts of black tea or getting lost in the pages of a book. Her books include The Serpent Rider and The Firefly Crown.

Visit Yxavel Magno Diño’s website