Getting to Know The Author: Brianne Wik (Author of One Iridescent Night.)
Retellings have been catching readers' hearts for a while now. Whether it’s the Disney Villain retelling or A Court Of Thorns and Roses, stories like these pave a way for books like Brianne Wik’s One Iridescent Night. A Cinderella retelling with a different insight on Cinderella and the characters we know and love or hate. This interview with Brianne Wik answers questions about writing retellings, writing in general, and her journey with self-publishing a retelling.
Big thanks to Brianne for doing this interview with me. You can follow her on Instagram and her website where she also writes blogs.
1. What inspired One Iridescent Night?
Beyond the mental health aspect, I also really wanted to write a story that was simply fun. Something that was easy to read and dive into. Something that could help you escape from the real world, without feeling too heavy. Truthfully, I really wanted to talk about and write a heroine that dealt with more mental health issues. This is a topic that’s very near and dear to my heart and I have always felt as though we gloss over the effects of trauma. Especially poor Cinderella. Which was the inspiration behind me writing this Cinderella retelling.
Personally, I know for a fact that Cinderella, after marrying the Prince, would still have some major issues to work through and everything would NOT be all sunshine and singing mice. So I set out to tell more of her personal story and share more of her inner thoughts and inner workings. Originally I was going to write this story in third person, but I realized that my main Cinderella character needed to be able to think and work through her wild emotions as her life took several drastic turns.
2.What do you love about Fairytale Retellings?
I love the familiar story, but a new twist or adventure to experience with it. Little easter egg moments (similar to what you’ve seen or heard before) are my favorite!
3. Was Cinderella your favorite Disney Movie in your childhood? And if not, what was your favorite Disney movie?
Surprisingly, no. Although I still love it, it’s not even in my top 5 favorite Disney movies, to be honest. My all-time favorite is Beauty and the Beast, followed closely by Aladdin and then the Little Mermaid. (I’m a 90’s kid if you can’t tell). For those of you wondering, the rest of my top 5... Tangled is number 4, and Oliver and Company is my 5th favorite. I have a lot of favorites though and I could talk Disney all. day. Long.
4. What is your favorite Fairytale Retelling?
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is my favorite Fairytale retelling. I know the rest of the series deviates from the first book, but this book sucked me in and is still one of my favorite series (of all time).
Another story I really loved is Naomi Novik’s, Spinning Silver. This is an absolutely incredible story loosely based on Rumpelstiltskin. I also adore Marissa Meyer’s Cinder series (all of the books) and Brigid Kemmerer’s, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, is another favorite of mine.
Oh! And the incredibly Jenny Hickman wrote a really fun Peter Pan reimagining, that I adore. PAN is more of a fantasy meets sci-fi, modern tale and I devoured the whole series.
5. What surprised you most while writing your book or in the pre-publishing process?
I was most surprised by how emotional it is. That might sound strange, but as I was writing my book I felt really caught up in it. I cried several times and laughed out loud while writing. Writing to me is like watching a movie in my head and I’m doing my best to capture it all on paper.
A few characters surprised me too. They weren’t in my original plan and then all of a sudden they were there and I couldn’t live without them. (They also helped shape and twist the story into new ways I hadn’t imagined).
6. Who was your favorite character to write?
Becca. Hands down. Favorite. Rafe came in a close second. Both of these characters are more side characters, but they are also the most fun and I had a lot of fun writing them. Becca is also my favorite character in general. She’s Evelyn’s, my main character, best friend and she’s both fiery and extremely loyal/protective. I want to be Becca when I grow up. ha!
7. What made you want to write?
I think writing has always been inside of me, but for years I didn’t believe it was possible. I had somehow convinced myself that I was a terrible writer and would never be able to write a book that people would actually want to read.
As a kid, I wrote all the time. My Mom was even recently cleaning out her storage as she was working on downsizing to a new home, and she found my very first “book”. It had been a class project, but when I saw it, I felt it all come back to me again. I took such pride in creating that story, and this was like 3rd or 4th grade. But then I started to remember my favorite classes were always creative writing and I even had several books that I had started to write that I found saved on my computer.
They were under false file names though, because I was so afraid someone might discover them and see what I was doing. This past year my business crumbled under the weight of the pandemic and I had a “come to Jesus” moment where I had no idea what I was going to do. I got real with myself and discovered I wanted to write. I believe tears highlight the truth, and when I allowed myself to actually believe that becoming a writer could be my reality, I broke down and cried. That was my confirmation of how much I wanted it and my inspiration to go for it no matter what.
8. Did you plan to publish in 2021?
I was hoping to publish in 2020, but there’s A LOT that goes into actually getting a book published, which I have had to learn QUICKLY. So now, yes, the plan is to publish two books in 2021.
9. What is your writing process like?
I have a rough outline of what my story is, who the main players are and where I want it to go . . . and then I sit down and let the story flow from my imagination. I always get really surprised by what comes out of my writing sessions, in a fun way.
I do NOT edit while I draft. Whatever flows out is what goes on the page, but I don’t allow myself to go backward and try to fix or edit anything. However, once the first draft is done, that’s when I do my real deep dive and edit, add, subtract, etc...to make the story flow better and clean up the ramblings of my wild imagination. This is also the time I start utilizing my CP (critique partner). Chapter by chapter I love bouncing ideas around and getting feedback on what I’m creating.
After that first revision, I send it off to my editor for developmental edits. Once I receive those notes and suggestions from her, I dive back in and make all the necessary changes and adjustments and that becomes my third & fourth revisions.
When I feel like the book is in a really good place (nearly finished, or I just can’t look at it myself anymore…), then I send it off to Beta readers. Gather their feedback, and dive back in for my next round of revisions. This time around I’ll utilize my CP and editor to help me make the final revisions and then my manuscript goes back to my editor for line/copy edits.
Proofreading is the last step for me, and there are always a few additional revisions that have to happen in this very last step.
After all that, it’s finally ready to be published! <YAY!> (whew! Even typing that all out felt long…ha!)
10. What is your advice for people who want to write Fairytale Retellings, but are unsure about it?
Let your imagination run wild! Fairytales are an awesome starting point and have a great story structure you can use, but most stories venture into their own identities and that’s exactly what you want. Keep in mind that any story elements from the original fairy tales are fair game, but if Disney is the version in your mind, you’ll have to be more careful what you write.
One Iridescent Night is releasing June 29th, 2021. It can be purchased on Amazon.
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