A Q&A with Polly Crosby!

Posted on 23 January 2025

We spoke to author Polly Crosby about her new book, The Vulpine.

A chilling dystopian world filled with eerie science fiction and a sweet, slow-burn romance. Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go, A Handmaid’s Tale, The Hunger Games and The Luminaries.

Could you tell us a bit about The Vulpine?

The Vulpine is a dystopian novel set in a world where disability and chronic illness have been outlawed. If a baby is born with either of these, they are labelled as ‘imperfect’ and sent away to a prison-like hospital, and if parents refuse to give up their children, evil monsters known as The Vulpine sneak out at night to steal them away. Sixteen year old Ora believes she is perfectly healthy, but when she discovers her parents have been keeping her own chronic illness a secret from her, she sets out to discover just who or what the Vulpine are.

What made you want to write this story?

Growing up with a chronic illness, I rarely saw teens like me in the books I read. Or if I did, the teen got sick and died. It felt as if disabled people were just fodder to entertain the reader. I wanted to give disability a voice. Or rather, it already has a voice – I just wanted to get that voice out there! As a chronically ill person myself, I can tell you I certainly have something to say!

How do you come up with ideas for your writing?

In so many ways! I see things on the news, or hear them on radio documentaries. I read non-fiction, and go to exhibitions in museums. I catch a snippet of conversation, or see a tiny interaction between two people that inspires a story. I think the best novel ideas happen when two or three different things come together – and bang! You have a story!

Which was your favourite character to write?

Soon after she discovers she’s ill, my protagonist, Ora, meets a girl called Ivy. Ivy has had a difficult life and is consequently very prickly and extremely judgemental…and I love her for it!

What was the hardest part about writing this story?

Deciding to write about something so close to my heart. I have cystic fibrosis, and have never written closely about it before. But it felt like the right time, especially after the pandemic, when I was classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, and I wanted to explore how difficult life with a chronic illness can be in a world built for healthy people.

The Vulpine touches on important topics such as discrimination, disability, and chronic illness. Do you think it’s important for fiction to explore topics like these, and why?

Massively important. People are so much more than their disabilities. Dealing with chronic illness and everything it entails can help form who you are – and sometimes it even makes you stronger. Disability comes in many forms, and having a disability is not all doom and gloom. It can be challenging, yes, but it can also be inspiring, and I hope that The Vulpine will help break down barriers by showing a different side to it.

What do you like to read, and what were your favourite books as a teenager?

I love dark books with a gothic feel. For a very sunny person, I read and write very dark! But I also love books filled with hope. I love reading YA, especially coming of age stories and dystopia, and I love historical fiction. When I was a teen I loved books about nature, and I read Bambi many times, which actually has quite an adult message hidden beneath the beautiful writing.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Write often, even if it’s for ten minutes a day. Write on your phone at the bus stop. Write when you wake up before you get out of bed (my mind is at its most creative then!). Write, write, write! Writing is like a muscle – it needs to be exercised.

What would you like readers to take away from The Vulpine?

Hopefully the message comes through that we shouldn’t label people or judge them too quickly, that the strongest of us are often the ones who have been through the most. If I can raise a little awareness of diversity and a little positivity too, then I’ll have succeeded.