5 Questions with Brittany M. Willows
1. It seems a consistent theme in your writing, whether science fiction or fantasy, is the post-apocalyptic setting, and a blend of magic and technology. What pulls you toward this type of world building?
I think there's something interesting about a world that's endured a catastrophe, whether we're still in the immediate aftermath of that catastrophe, in the process of moving past it, or have already recovered from it. For one thing, it can make for some really cool settings. I love the imagery of rusted out husks of cars on ruined highways, desolate cities, buildings overtaken by plant growth, and crumbling ruins. Depending on the type of post-apocalyptic situation too, if we're still dealing with the aftermath, it can provide a lot of environmental obstacles to work with (radioactive zones, challenging terrain, deadly spores. All that fun stuff).
And if civilization has already moved well beyond the disaster, it can be a cool piece of world history as well as an important plot element (it also plays nicely into another trope I like, which is forgotten history. I can't explain my draw to that one, I just think it's neat *chef's kiss*).
2. I thought the card deck magic theme of Bloody Spade worked on so many levels with the story, could you share a little on why you chose it?
Anime inspired that part of it! I've seen a couple of anime that utilized card suits in the appearance of the world and in the character designs (Shugo Chara, Pandora Hearts—two of my biggest anime inspirations). So it began largely as an aesthetic choice that just kind of grew into this complex element of the story as it developed. If I'm honest, I can't recall now what the thought process was behind naming the protagonist's power the "Spade" (perhaps the only downside of this project being over a decade old), but I'm very happy with where that's taken me!
3. I wanted to highlight a blog post you wrote earlier this year about the asexuality spectrum. It shares that some parts of your journey are reflected in Ellen's character in Bloody Spade and I especially loved this quote, "Exploring parts of yourself through the lens of storytelling really helps to give a new perspective...." Do you find when writing that you do these types of explorations through a single character? or different aspects through different characters?
Ah, yes! Thank you for reading the post <3
I definitely explore many aspects through multiple characters across different stories (I'm a multi-POV writer, so maybe that explains why. Although, it's not always POV characters that teach me things about myself). It's not something I set out to do purposely, more something I notice I'm doing along the way after unintentionally inserting pieces of myself into these characters. Then those pieces start to fall into place and I'll realize "oh, that actually makes a lot of sense for me." And in the case of asexuality and Ellen Amelia Jane, realizing she was asexual led directly to me realizing I was too. She helped me untangle a lot of feelings that may otherwise have remained knotted up for years to come.
4. I believe you're a self-proclaimed gamer, could you share some of your favorites or what you're playing now?
Oh boy, it's actually been a while since I played anything (I've barely touched my Xbox since I started drafting Bloody Spade midway through 2019 and probably won't get back to gaming until I've finished the sequel, Bleeding Heart. Some hobbies get benched while I'm deep into writing mode! haha). But the last game I played was either Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Ori and the Blind Forest. Both were very charming games outside of the usual genres I play, and I adored every minute I was in their magical little worlds.
At the top of my favourites list is definitely the Halo franchise (up to Halo 3 with iffy feelings on Halo 4. We don't talk about Halo 5). That series served as a major source of inspiration for me early on and is ultimately what led to me becoming a writer. A close second would be the Mass Effect series (Garrus Vakarian will forever be my space husband). Dead Space 2, Dishonored, Assassin's Creed 2, and Far Cry 3 are also among my favourites. Very much looking forward to catching up on all the games I've missed these past couple of years once I'm back to a more leisurely writing pace!
5. What are you most excited for readers to experience in the Cardplay Duology?
Can I say all of it? Because all of it. Haha, for real though, these characters have been living primarily in my head for the past almost twelve years, so I'm just really excited for the world to finally meet them and learn about their wild and magical story. That said, there are also some big reveals in the second book that I'm eager to see how people react to. I wove a lot of foreshadowing into the pages of Bloody Spade, and it's going to be cool to see readers coming to understand what those clues meant when they eventually read Bleeding Heart.
More about the author:
https://brittanymwillows.wordpress.com/
Brittany M. Willows is a bisexual/asexual author and digital artist living in rural Ontario, Canada. Inspired initially by video games and the stories they told, she began building her own fictional universes and has no plans of stopping any time soon. When she's not writing about post-apocalyptic lands, wild magic, or people gallivanting through the stars, she can be found hunched over a tablet drawing the very same things.
Books by the Author:
