We recently connected with Alexandria Frederick and have shared our conversation below.

Alexandria, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

When I started drafting my first novel, my thoughts turned to how to go about publishing it. Every time I considered traditional publishing or the typical indie author route, neither felt right to me, but I couldn’t puzzle out a different way of releasing my work that felt worthwhile. I knew that I wanted more creative control than traditional publishing allows, without following the same process as most indie authors. Several months later, I read John 21:25: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that not even the whole world would have room for the books that would be written.” That verse sparked both wonder and the name for my publishing company: The Library of 21:25 Books.

I knew that this business would be something more than a means to release my work; it would be a haven for readers and authors alike, one where they could find stories that allow faith and fantasy to weave together. Currently, my own novels are slowly filling the shelves, but the Library will grow to include other authors as well, offering them creative control, higher royalties, and the ability to be part of each step of the publishing process. This is one of the most crucial aspects of The Library: to allow authors to help shape their book from start to finish. They know their characters and story best, after all! That creative freedom is missing in the publishing industry, and The Library of 21:25 Books will be part of filling that void.

In the meantime, readers can enter the Library, the lore that has been crafted around it, and the stories it already contains. Consider me the Curator, welcoming you inside with a warm cup of tea, and showing you to a seat by the fire where you can cozy up with your next favorite story. Together, we’ll fill the Library with stories that glorify God and take us on epic adventures until the shelves are overflowing and the Library of 21:25 Books comes to feel like a second home.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was five years old when I discovered that books could be doorways. Fantasy books, specifically — stories with dragons and imagined realms and magic. By eleven, I’d found Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, and something clicked: I could be a writer, too. But it wasn’t until my early twenties that I understood what my stories were really for. I realized that when you write fantasy from a Christian perspective, you’re writing from the conviction that at the end of the day, your characters aren’t the heroes of the story. Jesus is. If my stories don’t point back to God and have Him as the foundation of every word, they’re not whole.

That conviction grew even stronger when I wrote my first novel, Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel, a story inspired by the loss of my grandfather, John, and his close relationship with my mom, Penelope. Grief became the doorway to something sacred: stories that help us draw closer to God, even in our deepest pain.

Why “The Curator”?

Because I don’t just want to write books. I want to curate an entire world where every story, every post, every piece of lore is whimsical, immersive, and full of wonder. The Library of 21:25 Books isn’t just a brand — it’s a haven. A fellowship. And referring to myself as The Curator reflects the care I seek to take in crafting the stories that God, the Cartographer, gives me.

I want to see more stories that are epic with high stakes without abandoning a sense of whimsy and childlike wonder. Stories that understand there’s a difference between childish and childlike — and never dismiss childlike faith as weak or foolish. I want readers to be encouraged. To encounter stories and characters that help them take heart and draw closer to God, even in the face of grief or other hard seasons.

If you’re longing for cozy and epic fantasy that transports you to another world where you can still come to know God and His character even better, this Library was built for you.

My stories so far include:

Penelope Grace and the Winter Carousel: set in the winter land of Ellura, it’s a tale woven with grief, wonder, and the courage to hope again.

Chip and the Book of Rose Leaves: an illustrated storybook you can color, about a little rabbit who sets off on an adventure to discover if God hears our prayers and if they matter to Him at all.

Both represent different parts of my faith journey. Both are pieces of my heart, bound in pages. And there are more stories coming. The Cartographer is always drawing new worlds on the Map (but more on that another time).

What’s most important to remember is this: the Library isn’t just mine. It’s ours. A second home for readers who believe in wonder and the One Who fashioned it. A fellowship for those who want stories that matter, that mean something, that point us back to the Greatest Story ever told.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

A little over a year ago, the Library looked significantly different. I was selling not only my novels, but also bookish merchandise in my online store. Things were going well, and I expected them to continue to do exactly that, but the business went through a long dry spell that I didn’t anticipate. I had to completely reorient. The online store closed its doors, and I went back to focusing solely on my novels. The discouragement was overwhelming at first, and I had no clear idea how to move forward. After a year spent focusing on my family and our newborn daughter, the Library underwent a transformation, and my heart and passion for its mission grew even deeper. The lore began taking shape, along with a new epic fantasy tale, and the Library of 21:25 Books opened its doors once more.

The temptation to give into the fear that my idea wasn’t actually worthwhile was incredibly strong, but I would have missed out on so much. The Library is filling up with new stories, fresh opportunities to encourage readers and authors alike are emerging, and there are so many exciting, unexpected things in store. Any time I feel discouraged, remembering all of this reminds me that the Library is worth building and the stories that will fill it need to be written.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The most significant lesson I’ve unlearned is that my fulfillment doesn’t come from my writing or the success of the Library. For a very long time, I was swept up in the need for validation and looked to financial success to determine the value of my work. When the online store closed and I spent that year reorienting, my whole perspective shifted. My husband and I got married, we welcomed our first daughter, and I realized our family is my truest joy and passion. I will always love writing, and I’ll continue building the Library of 21:25 Books for as long as God allows, but I’m no longer looking to it for fulfillment. That perspective shift ultimately freed me to be even more creative and pursue my writing goals with more passion than I ever have before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.2125books.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2125books
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2125books
• Other: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19691207.Alexandria_Frederick