Magic, Mourning & Trusting Your Gut: Ashley Poston on The Someday Garden

Author Ashley Poston returns to Chapter Chat for her second appearance. This time she talks about her latest release, The Someday Garden. Ashley shares her approach to magical realism and how she blends fantasy and contemporary elements to create stories that feel both grounded and wondrous.

We dig into the novel’s powerful themes of grief, including how Ashley has written through grief in her own life and why she sees it as a pendulum, swinging through moments of loss, then back toward joy, hope, and happiness. Ashley also opens up about the writing process behind The Someday Garden, learning not to second-guess herself, and how trusting her instincts became essential to finishing the book.

And before she goes, Ashley teases what’s ahead. She reveals her next project is taking a different trajectory, including a pause on magical realism.

Sit back, relax and enjoy Chapter Chat. Hosted by news anchor and avid reader Jessica Foster, Chapter Chat explores the inner workings of the literary world. Episodes will have a combination of best-selling author interviews and discussions of trending literary topics.

Whether you love to read a good book or aspire to write one, you'll find these discussions enjoyable. The Chapter Chat Podcast is an expansion of a WJHG/WECP-TV initiative to share the love of reading with the community. Chapter Chat was awarded the prestigious National Association of Broadcasters Service to America award in 2023.

The initiative began as a monthly book club that encouraged viewers to read along with a selected book and then meet up at the local library to discuss with the news team. Reporters and anchors also visit schools to read to children. The idea is that if children see the adults around them reading, they will learn to love it as well.