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Okotoks author creates mythical world of young grave robbers

Dee Hahn's debut novel, The Grave Thief, published this spring by Penguin Random House.
SCENE-Dee Hahn Grave Thief comb
Okotoks author Dee Hahn has published her new book, 'The Grave Thief.'

Okotoks author Dee Hahn has used inspiration from a variety of life experiences to create a fantasy world for her debut novel. 

Published this spring by Penguin Random House, The Grave Thief is a middle grade novel that follows the escapades of 12-year-old Spade who steals jewels from the recently deceased in the mythical town of Wyndhail. 

The Grave Thief actually came from a story my uncle told me when I was probably around 12,” Hahn said of inspiration for the book. 

A funeral home assistant, her uncle told her a story about a body falling out after he tripped while carrying a coffin up a hill. 

“I thought, wow, what a story,” Hahn said. “Stories like that stick with you when you’re 12. What an interesting life to work in a graveyard, especially at night. What would that be like? What kind of person would spend their time in a graveyard at night?” 

Throw in a background in anthropology and archeology, as well as stories from different cultures picked up during travels around the world, and Hahn had all the elements she needed to spin a magical tale. 

When she sat down to write the book, which took six months for the first draft and another six to get it ready for submission, she said she wanted a character who really struggled to see his value in life, so she gave Spade, who comes from a long line of grave robbers, an impediment. 

“With a limp, he's wondering about his self-worth, if he can be useful to his family. Running isn’t easy for him so he has to use his brains, his smarts,” she said. “He learns to be more dependent on his mind and friendships and seeing his true worth, the things that make him strong. It’s all about where we can find those unexpected strengths.” 

A guest teacher at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School for the past seven years, Hahn has ample sounding boards when it comes to her writing. 

“I’m lucky, I get to bounce things off my students all the time,” she said, adding they were also involved in discussions about the cover art for The Grave Thief

The mother of three middle graders also turns to her own kids for advice, often running potential plot twists by them to see if they make the grade. 

With a science-fiction novel out to potential publishers and a fantasy series in the works, Hahn plans to continue in the middle grade genre for the foreseeable future, but feels her inner Agatha Christie could come out at some point. 

“I'm going to give this a while but as I grow into my own, I’d love to try cozy mysteries," she said. "I have a secret desire to write cozy mysteries, so I have those in my back pocket, I have those ideas. It's a long-time dream of mine.” 

The Grave Thief is available in local bookstores and online. 


Ted Murphy

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