Author Q&A with Mychal Hope

Mychal Hope is a writer from a small-ish town in California. Her work has been featured in the San Joaquin Review. Most of her free time is devoted to creating stories she rarely finishes.

Mychal’s fiction piece, Babygirl, is featured in Issue #17 as well as our Winter 2025 Issue, “Best Of” Edition.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Mychal and I got into writing a couple of years ago, sort of tapped into something that I hadn’t thought to explore before. I like to write in multiple genres, but my favorite is fiction, it also happens to be the one I struggle with the most. I love to gallivant around without any particular direction because I find a lot of peace in my surroundings. I’m still figuring everything out, life-wise, but I like to think I’m trying my best. 

The comparison between the women of a complicated family and female hyenas was very well done in your story Babygirl. What first sparked the idea to combine the two? Was it family dynamics you’ve witnessed or the hunting practices of hyenas? 

It was a combination of both. The hunting practices I’ve witnessed within families, especially that of mother and daughter. I think the way a mother interacts with her daughter is inherited, unintentionally passed down between lineages. I ended up associating the women in Babygirl with hyenas because of their matriarchy. The “leaders” in this story are the mothers, they call the shots and roll the dice, this is true for hyenas as well. Hyenas tend to fight rough and a little dirty, nipping at ankles and leaving their food alive; I found this comparison to be incredibly true for Babygirl’s family, just less blood. 

Family members often have repressed feelings toward each other. How do you imagine the drama between these sister-in-laws first started?

I think the drama started for Mama when her brother got married. A competition was born that only Mama was trying to win, “Who can be the best daughter?” She has a need to prove herself and be the epitome of perfection, but just keeps “failing” at this unspoken rivalry because her family doesn’t look the way she wants it to, the way she’s been told it should. I think the aunt felt Mama’s resentment and carried it with confusion until she met it with hostility. They were playing nice until all of their cards were laid out.

For someone described earlier in the story as “kind and good, heart as golden as her daughter’s hair,” the sister-in-law/aunt was vicious at the birthday supper. Do you think that’s normal human behavior? To act out of character when hurt? Why or why not?

I feel that as humans we have this desire to separate ourselves from the fact that we’re animals. We react when someone pokes us and fight back when pushed too hard. I think it’s normal to act vicious when hurt. It’s within most people’s character to be mean when they’re angry, spit stuff out that’s usually swallowed down. 

How did Babygirl standing up to Rosie bring Babygirl closer to her mother?

When Babygirl stood up to Rosie it changed her perception of Mama, she started to see her as something young and fragile. This realization brought a unifying closeness; they’re both daughters in need of defending, unable to live up to their families expectations. 

What do you hope readers take from your story, Babygirl?

I hope that readers have fun with it. See themselves as the angry girl that gets their comeuppance, the outcast that can’t really figure out how to fit into their family. I want them to carry a sense of exhilaration, this was a kid that broke down ages of petty peace with physical force. I want them to understand the brokenness of generational trauma, the burden a daughter can end up carrying on their mothers behalf.

What is your favorite form of expression? Why?

My favorite form of expression is writing. It’s the one thing I’ve buried myself in that genuinely interests me and keeps me coming back. It’s hard and time-consuming and sometimes not very fun, but I love it nonetheless. I usually get going in the other direction when the going gets a little tough, but I try when I’m writing. There are times when I feel a bit like an idea generator, great at coming up with concepts, but quite terrible at following through. There’s thousands of voice notes on my phone where I’m speaking as fast as possible to get the idea down before it runs away from me and you can barely hear me over the sound of the shower in the background or terribly typed up quotes that I had to do fast because I pulled over into some random ditch while I was driving. 

How do you make expression a part of your daily life?

I think that expression bleeds through me in subtle ways. I try to only say what I mean, which is semi-difficult because I come from a family of exaggerators and lovers of harmless little lies. I try to be a good person and actively pursue things I find fascinating, absorbing knowledge from people around me and falling down rabbit holes.

What advice do you have for other creatives?

• I’m still relatively fresh to the game, but some advice I have is that art isn’t linear, it’s okay if yours is different. Have fun with whatever you’re creating, experiment and mess up and try again. Good things take time. 

What do you think of when you hear, “The Good Life?”

When I hear “The Good Life,” it makes me feel calm and content. I associate it with writing, the feeling you get when you’ve created something you’re proud of. The buzzing in your hands when you’re fully absorbed in an idea that you’re (finally) carrying through. 

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Thank you, Mychal, for being a part of our growing community and for spending extra time with us on this Q&A. We’re glad we were able to connect and we wish you the best with your current and future writing endeavors (including the hundreds of notes on your phone), and with whatever else life brings your way!