Eighty-Nine Questions for After, a wise and beautifully written middle-grade novel about finding answers to the big questions in life, is on shelves July 28, 2026.

Dear Reader,

If you have read the blurb for Eighty-Nine Questions for After, you’ll know that this book deals with some heavy themes – death, grief, anxiety, mortality. At several points in the writing process, I did stop to question whether I should be writing a book for children that dealt with such things when the world itself is difficult enough. But I remembered – and was reminded by others – just how important it is to give children the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of emotions in a safe and gentle way. By watching trusted characters deal with adversity, children can see that difficult situations can be navigated and survived. Plus, reading has the power to help strengthen important traits like empathy and kindness.

I also remembered how much I loved and appreciated sad books when I was young. In fact, I often sought them out. I have a vivid memory of trying to borrow a book my school librarian worried I wasn’t ready for. I argued that I’d read Two Weeks with the Queen and could therefore handle it (I could.) I truly believe that kids can handle, and benefit, from big themes (and big words, for that matter).

That being said, Eighty-Nine Questions for After is not intended to be a sad book.

In fact, it’s filled with hope and friendship and adventure and the notion of living life to the fullest.

The idea for this story started with my own list of unanswerable questions.

For years I’ve half-joked that I hope there’s someone in the next life who can answer all my questions because I can’t stand not knowing. Things like what happened to JonBenet Ramsey and Madeleine McCann, plus many personal-level questions like the whereabouts of vanished items or the secrets buried with my grandparents (stories for another book, perhaps). Maybe one day I’ll know the answers to all these things, but, in the meantime, I decided that this quirky habit should belong to a book character.

That character ended up being Ester Star, a curious, big-hearted worrier with a pathological fear of dying and her own list of questions.

To contrast with Ester, I knew I needed a character who had lived a much larger life. Who better than someone who had experienced Australia’s travelling circus heyday? Enter Joan, an elderly lady with just one question, one she wishes she could have answered before she dies.

With the help of some new friends, Ester sets out to answer this question and is repeatedly thrown outside her comfort zone. The people Ester meets and the stories that she hears along the way were inspired by true accounts of this fascinating part of Australian entertainment history.

I hope you will love the eclectic cast of characters who were so much fun to write and enjoy reading through Ester's list of questions which were so much fun to research (all 89 of them!).

And thank you, again and always, for all your support.

Love,

Ashleigh