GVN Interview With ‘Little Monsters’ Author Máire Roche

Author Máire Roche stops by Geek Vibes Nation to talk about her latest novel, a monstrous retelling of Little Women for the middle-grade audience. 

GVN: Hello Máire! Thank you so much for stopping by Geek Vibes Nation. Could you start by telling our audience about yourself and your work?

Thanks so much for having me! I’m a former teacher who is lucky enough to write full-time now. I love writing about folklore, magic, and powerful girls and women—Meg of Little Monsters was such a joy to write!

GVN: What inspired you to transform Little Women into a story about four sisters who are literal monsters?

I  loved Little Women growing up and when I decided to write a middle grade novel, I considered doing a retelling—something that could intrigue audiences of different ages, but still sit firmly in the middle grade space. At the same time, I’ve been talking to a lot of young readers during school visits, and I’ve heard from so many that they love spooky books so much! As for the monstrous angle, I love exploring self-love and self-acceptance by way of monsters.  

Little Women is a much-beloved novel that has been retold many times. What did monster mythology allow you to explore about the March sisters?

It gave me a new angle for sure! It also helped me consider what each sister struggled most with, what core character wounds or flaws were, and how each specific monstrous ability forces each girl to grow.  

GVN: How did you decide what monster each sister would be?

I talked about this above just a little bit, but I really leaned into the original characters for inspiration. One example is Amy, who loves to be in the limelight and wants to be an influencer someday. Her monstrous power, though, is that if she touches salt water, she turns into a terrifying mermaid (not the cute kind) who is bigger than a whale and smells like fish. Amy March of Little Women would be, I think, horrified if her school friends knew about such a monstrous secret—and my modern take on Amy, who wants to be an influencer, is horrified that people might see her that way or that she might lose a perfect public perception. 

GVN: Little Monsters places Meg front and center. What made her the right protagonist for your version?

I love Meg. As a fellow eldest daughter, I connected to Meg in the original Little Women when I read it as a child. Meg’s sisters both rely on her heavily and often dismiss her or ignore her needs because she spends so much time meeting theirs. Jo is great too, of course, and so are the other sisters—I actually hope to write about each one some day! But first I wanted to give Meg her moment.

GVN: Meg fears the sisters will be rejected if their secret is discovered. How did the premise of the story help you write about the fear of revealing the parts of ourselves that others may not understand? 

It was a great parallel to play with, and touches on insecurities many of us face. Those insecurities are amplified for young people in foster care, because they have experienced the trauma of having to move between homes. When nothing feels certain, it becomes easy to believe that just being yourself too much is going to give people a reason to leave you behind. Of course, adding on a monstrous ability makes it feel impossible for Meg! 

GVN: The March sisters are foster children in this iteration. What did that change allow you to explore?

It really allowed me to lean on the original strong sister dynamics—they really only have each other in this version, or at least they think they do at the beginning of the story. It also allowed me to explore themes of homecoming, acceptance, and finding community. In an increasingly siloed and isolating world, it was especially important for me to explore that last theme of finding community. 

GVN: Were there any elements from the original novel that proved difficult to translate into this iteration?

The biggest piece that I didn’t translate was the marriages and long-term romantic connections! I explored them from the angle of first crushes instead, which was a lot of fun. I also had to adjust some of the dynamics between the girls and their parents, since in Little Monsters Marmee is their foster mom, and Mr. March isn’t in the picture. 

GVN: Many supporting characters from the original novel, like Laurie and John Brooke, appear in Little Monsters.  Which supporting characters changed the most in your version?

Poor Father Bhaer became “Farmer Bhaer” who lives on the outskirts of town! I know some people love him very much, but with a pretty big supporting cast, I made the choice to recast him in a different role. Meg’s friend Sally and sometimes-nemesis Annie Moffat also changed a bit from the versions we find in Little Women, 

GVN: How did you balance some of the books heavier themes such as classism with the mystery, humor, and adventure expected from middle-grade novels?

I actually think those heavier themes can and should go hand in hand in middle grade—young readers certainly expect the stories they read to have depth to them! As far as balancing them all, I do a lot of school visits in which I spend a good portion of the time doing a Q&A with young readers at the end. They are always eager to share their input about stories and books with an author, and I am grateful they share their input, because it helps so much in crafting meaningful stories with themes and topics these readers are actually excited about. 

GVN: How did the setting of Salem, Massachusetts influence the atmosphere of the book?

I love Salem! I have several friends who live in the area and I’ve spent a bit of time there. I knew I wanted to set the story in Massachusetts, as a nod to Louisa May Alcott (who lived in Concord), but Salem’s history and energy made it the perfect place. Salem in autumn is a very fun time to visit, though (especially in recent years) I’ve stayed away close to Halloween because the crowds have gotten so big. But if you can find a moment when the crowds are minimal, the vibes are cool, autumnal, and charged with a unique type of energy that I haven’t found in many places—it was the perfect place to set a cozy autumn spooky story. 

GVN: What do you hope a younger reader who feels strange, hidden, and afraid takes away from this story?

I hope they resonate with the themes of self-acceptance and self-love. There is no problem too big, no emotion too unmanageable, no secret too scary—you will find friends, family, and community who love you and support you and love the things about you that feel monstrous. I hope those young readers feel seen and cared for in Little Monsters. It’s a place built just for them. 

GVN: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on next?

Yes! I have a follow-up to my comedic romantasy release from earlier this year (USA Today Bestselling Bromantasy), which I’m excited to share more about in the coming months. I’m also working on a few secret middle grade projects that I can’t talk about more yet…but rest assured we haven’t seen the last of the March sisters in their monstrous era. 

GVN: Where can readers connect with you online?

I’m online at maryeroach.com or on Instagram @maryeroachauthor, where I love to connect with readers! 

About The Book

For the first printing only! This hardcover features stenciled sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts.

In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.

Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.

Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.

Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.

About The Author

Máire Roche is a former elementary and pre-k teacher who now writes stories full of magic, mystery, and wonder. When she isn’t teaching or imagining fictional worlds, Máire enjoys running, teaching martial arts, and baking too many cookies. She lives in the Midwest with her spouse and their very disagreeable cat, Lulu.