Ara Holstenner

December Character Interview

Patricia Parrington ~ December 15, 2025

Hello my lovely readers and fellow book-lovers! For those of you who are new here, I, your fabulous host Patricia Parrington, have the pleasure of interviewing characters from books all over the world.

Today we have here with us Ara Holstenner from the YA fantasy book When Shadows Fall by Lindy Enns. For the past thirteen years, Lindy has divided her time between her writing projects and her work as an educational assistant. She published her debut novel, When Shadows Fall, in June 2023 and plans to publish the sequel, When Darkness Blinds, in January 2026.

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Meet Ara

Welcome to Fable Features!

[Patricia stomps some snow off her boots then sits across from her guest on an orange suede couch.]

Man, it is cold outside. What are your thoughts on snow?

[Ara gives her shoulders a slight shrug.]

I don’t mind it. The cold doesn’t bother me much, and the snow can be quite beautiful.

It can be quite beautiful! I especially love it when it’s sunny out and makes the snow look all sparkly.

What was your favorite thing to do when you were a child?

[Ara considers this momentarily.]

I liked playing with my sister, Lan, and when my papa would teach me new board games—before he was taken, of course. I also spent a lot of time peeking through the back window of the emotionry workshop; I loved seeing Meddin and his sons at work, taking things apart, fixing them. Emotionry fascinated me, even then.

[Patricia leans forward, intrigued.]

Emotionry? I don’t think I’ve heard of that before. What is it?

[Ara brightens at the question.]

It’s machinery that runs on emotional energy. We use configurations made from wires and spirit beads to harness emotional energy, which is then converted into a physical effect, such as heat or light or movement. Different effects require different types of energy; for example, emotions we relate to heat—such as shame, anger, or frustration—are best at generating heat.

That sounds SO cool. What a fascinating invention!

[Patricia settles back against the couch cushions.]

I’ll have to follow up later for more details. But back to you! Do you talk to your family much?

Oh, yes. We’ve always been very close, and there’s no one in the world who gets me the way Lan does. And Mama is so sturdy, so dependable. I don’t know what I would have done without her.

That’s wonderful to hear you’re close to your family. It’s nice having loving supportive people nearby!

Who—either friend or family—would you say had the most formative role in who you are today?

Hmm, that’s a good question . . . my mama has played a pretty big role in shaping who I am, but the person who has had the greatest impact on me is probably Lan. She pushes me out of my comfort zone and challenges me to confront things I never would have if she wasn’t there pestering me. She’s the best at getting me out of a bad mood, too.

She sounds like a wonderful sister. I feel like we all need that one person who challenges us and gently pushes us outside our comfort zone.

What was the best compliment you’ve ever received?

[Ara fidgets with the hem of her shirt.]

Oh, I don’t know. Nothing really comes to mind.

[Patricia considers Ara.]

Are you sure? You’ve never been complimented before?

[She considers it a moment longer, her cheeks flushing.]

Well, if I have to pick, it would probably be when our town machinist said I had a knack for emotionry. He’s always been such a gruff man, and I never would have imagined he’d be impressed by someone like me.

Sounds like a very high and meaningful compliment then! I love that.

[Patricia frowns and taps her fingers on her knee.]

What are you most scared of?

[Ara’s body tenses, and there’s a brief pause before she replies.]

For most of my life, I would have said I feared the Changing and what it brings most of all: the night world and the shadow monsters . . . But even then, I don’t think that was quite right. What I really feared most was losing my family to the night, the way I lost my papa. I no longer fear the night world, but my family—well, I suppose losing them is still my greatest fear. That, and—

[She breaks off, her fingertips straying to one of the bandages encasing her forearms as the welts beneath burn with renewed fire. In her mind’s eye, she sees Kav’s stern face and the red-hot glow of a metal rod.]

[She swallows hard, dispelling the memory. In a tight voice she asks,]

Can we move on to the next question, please?

[Patricia’s green eyes soften.]

Of course. Let’s do a more lighthearted question!

Which body part do you wish you could detach?

[Ara laughs nervously.]

I’m not sure I understand the question . . . I wouldn’t want to detach any part of my body!

[Patricia chuckles.]

Fair enough! I think for myself, I’d choose to detach my nose. That way if there was a bad smell, I could take my nose off until the smell was gone.

What living person do you most despise?

[Ara’s demeanor darkens. If you had asked her a month ago, she wouldn’t have had an answer. Now, with no hesitation, she replies,]

The Lord.

[She does not expand on her answer, and her expression does not lighten until the interviewer moves on.]

[Patricia wavers, as though about to press further, then chooses against it.]

What’s something you would have a super hard time turning down if it were offered to you?

[Ara blinks, as if coming back to the present moment.]

Any piece of Vyrian tech, or texts about their emotionry, I suppose. Not that many people have stuff like that lying around.

That does sound cool!

[Patricia checks her wrist.]

Hm, looks like we’re almost out of time. Let’s squeeze in one last question!

What advice would you give to yourself from one year ago?

[Ara’s gaze grows distant as she considers just how different she is now from the person she was one year ago. Her voice is soft as she answers.]

If I could go back and give my past self any advice, I would tell her that it’s okay to be afraid. I would tell her that her fears don’t define her, that she is more than her weaknesses; she just needs to give herself a chance.

I think that is great advice many people need to hear. It’s okay to be afraid. But we also don’t need to let fear define us.

[Patricia smiles at her guest.]

Thank you so much for coming out today, Ara. I enjoyed getting to know you!

End of interview.

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Want to Read More?

Ara’s author, Lindy Enns, can be found on X/Twitter and at her website, www.lindyenns.com. You can buy When Shadows Fall here. Keep your eye out for book 2: When Darkness Blinds. It releases January 19, 2026!

Covers by Miblart.

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See Ya Next Time

Aaand that's all the time we have today. Thank you, readers, for coming. And thank you, Ara, for letting us get to know you! See y'all next time.

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If you would like to submit a character to be interviewed for a future issue of Fable Features, please send an email to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Fable Features.

Please note that erotica and content with excessive vulgar language will not be accepted.

If you have questions you'd like Patricia Parrington to ask in a future interview, please submit them to linnae.writer@gmail.com with the subject line: Interview Questions.