Novelist Casey Scieszka Credits This Book for Keeping her Writing Weird

Blame it on billionaire-tech bros and longevity experts, wellness obsession and biohacking breakthroughs: the pursuit of immortality has never felt more zeitgeist-y — or possible. But what would actually become of us if we were able to live forever? It’s something that author Casey Scieszka explores in her debut novel, The Fountain, which releases March 17, 2026.

The book is centered around an immortal woman who, after 200 years of life, returns to her birthplace (a New England farm town) to find the source of her eternal existence — and stop it. Of course, corporate fat cats have their own plans. Though the story is steeped in magical realism, it doesn’t feel too far off from actual pursuits of the obscenely wealthy.

“Peter Thiel has reportedly secured his spot with Alcor,” she says. “It’s a company that promises life extension by cryonically freezing your body and brain until you can be reanimated and brought back to a world that clearly still needs you???” In contrast, The Fountain grounds the highfalutin pursuit of endless youth by exploring questions like “What makes a meaningful life?” 

As for the art that helped give life to Scieszka’s novel, it’s a combination of moody jams that conjure the Catskills, books with bizarre plot points, and the assigned reading from her fifth-grade English class that she still can’t shake.

“The author Marie-Helene Bertino was once asked about writing techniques or hacks and she talked about using music as the most straightforward way to get back into a headspace — and that's something I do. 

For me, playing this album was like a writer’s version of an athlete’s pump-up music after halftime. I’ve listened to this album, on repeat (in particular, the song, “Mine Forever,” which I’ve probably listened to 14,000 times). After getting the kids on the school bus and answering emails, I can play this album to get me back into the mood because it sends me straight back to this valley in the Catskills — whether it was the 1800s or 2000 and teens — where the story takes place. There’s something about Ben Schneider’s voice that evokes moods across time.”

“This book is basically why I wrote The Fountain. Babbitt’s book is about a 10 year-old girl named Winnie, who stumbles upon a magical eternal spring. The immortal family who guards it kidnaps her because they don't know what else to do with her, and meanwhile, all of them are chased by this mysterious man in a suit who wants to bottle up the source for his own profit. 

I read it in fifth-grade English class and it has stuck with me for decades. It’s the best discussion book ever, because it has these great questions, like: Would you choose to live forever? What would you do if you knew the source of immortality? This book just turned 50 last year and it’s still just as powerful. Despite all these huge developments in longevity, the essential questions are still totally the same.”

“A mom sets aside her art to parent her toddler and ... becomes a feral dog at night?? This book reminded me to not be afraid to get weird when writing. When working on a first novel, it can be tempting to keep something palatable — and we all know that can lead to pleasing no one. A book like Nightbitch shows if you’re willing to go into deeply personal and bizarre places, and trust your reader, they will come with you.”

“Such a great show about a serial assassin, the MI6 agent trying to hunt her down, and their obsession with each other. I like a moral gray area and this features fascinating female characters with questionable morals. I think we live more of our lives in that space than we like to admit to ourselves. Characters who are often described as unlikable can make a viewer uncomfortable, but for me, it’s an exciting uncomfortable that puts me in a dark, but fascinating hypothetical space where I’m asking myself: Would I do that? Maybe if I was pushed to the brink.

I also like that they're both the hero in their own story — both the assassin and this struggling American MI6 agent — and in a bizarre relationship. It feels good and icky. That’s the kind of dynamic I was thinking about when writing my own book. We all love a classic love story, but what if a sibling has a significant other that a parent doesn’t like? What does that relationship look like 200 years in?”

“I wound up getting a subscription to this literary journal after doing Jami Attenberg’s 1000 Words of Summer writer’s challenge; My goal was to finish with a short story to submit to The Georgia Review and what I ended up writing was the first chapter of The Fountain. This journal has become a favorite of my subscriptions because it exposes me to people who are completely new to me versus those I would find on the internet or skimming off the top of more mainstream media. When I find a new author I like, I end up going through their whole back catalog and they  become a part of my new reading canon.”

“When writing, maybe you’re standing up and stretching every once in a while or taking a break to get a snack, but most of the time you’re sitting down, trying not to hunch. I’ve found that taking dance breaks is a really important part of the process for me — and I play this album a lot while taking dance breaks. I find that getting my heart beat up in a fierce way helps shake the ideas out differently. I don’t know what the magic is, but something that’s stuck can become undone once I'm moving my body. Even the vibey, slow songs on this album get me moving. It becomes a modern dance kind of thing.”