Julie Leong on her debut cozy fantasy novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes
"it all created a strong desire for escapism and comfort in our entertainment."
Gently paced and wonderfully warm, Julie Leog’s debut novel, The Teller of Small Fortunes, delivers everything you could want from a cozy fantasy. With a gallant quest, charming cast of characters, found family and a touch of magic, The Teller of Small Fortunes is a bright, uplifting and heartwarming read that’ll easily find its way into your heart.
To celebrate the release, we had the joy of chatting to Julie all about The Teller of Small Fortunes, her writing inspirations and the cozy fantasy genre.
Hi Julie! I’m so happy to get to chat to you today to celebrate the release of your fantasy debut, The Teller of Small Fortunes. For readers who may just be hearing about the book, how would you best describe it in five words?
Found family fantasy road trip!
Can you tell us a little about what inspired you to write The Teller of Small Fortunes and how the story came about?
I wrote The Teller of Small Fortunes when it felt like everything in my life was falling apart. In 2022, the world was still locked down against COVID, but also, my father was severely ill and in the hospital after his cancer recurred. I quit my job to help care for him, and began binge-reading all the warm and comforting fantasy novels I could get my hands on. When I ran out, I decided to write my own – and here we are! (Incredibly, my father defied his prognosis and is now stable and in full remission. The Teller of Small Fortunes is dedicated to him.)
As for how the specific story concept came about… the first thing I wrote down was actually the title. I had a vague notion of putting a whimsical spin on a time-honoured fantasy trope: that of the wise seer who makes a fateful prophecy. Wouldn’t such a seer get tired of only making big, world-changing proclamations? What about little prophecies? Small fortunes? And everything else followed from there.
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The Teller of Small Fortunes features such a fun and lovable cast of characters. Did you have a favourite to create?
Tao is the closest to my heart, of course, but I’d be lying if I said that Silt wasn’t incredibly fun to write. He’s such a charming, lovable rogue that it sometimes felt like he was writing himself, in a way – inserting himself into scenes, causing chaos, and flirting terribly!
The cozy fantasy genre has had a surge in popularity in recent years; why do you think this is?
I think that we, collectively, went through a pretty rough time during COVID! And all of the stress and anxiety of worrying about ourselves and others, of losing our social connections, of adjusting to a dramatically different daily life – it all created a strong desire for escapism and comfort in our entertainment.
Certainly, that was true for me at the time, which is how I discovered cozy fantasy as a genre at all; I devoured books like Legends & Lattes (Travis Baldree), The House in the Cerulean Sea (TJ Klune), and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Sangu Mandanna).
With that in mind, do you have any favourite cozy fantasy recommendations for readers wanting more after loving The Teller of Small Fortunes?
Yes! There has been a rush of wonderful cozy fantasy books recently in addition to those I named above. I’d highly recommend The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, The Phoenix Keeper by SA MacLean, Sorcery & Small Magics by Maiga Doocy, the Tomes & Tea series by Rebecca Thorne, and the Miss Percy’s Pocket Guide series by Quenby Olson.
Lastly, are you currently working on any projects and if so, is there anything you can share with us?
I am! I’m currently revising my second book, The Keeper of Magical Things, which is slated to be published in fall 2025. I can share that it’s a sapphic cozy fantasy set in the same world as Teller, but with a brand-new cast of characters. It’s about two Guild mages who get assigned to a small, remote farming village to complete an inventory of minorly enchanted artifacts. Magical hijinks (and inconvenient attraction) ensue.
Get your copy of The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong here.