Lucy A. McLaren

Lucy: Hi Brianna! It’s great to have you here. So, first things first, tell us a bit about yourself.

Brianna: Thank you so much for including me in this conversation, Lucy! This is a topic I care a lot about.

To quickly introduce myself, I’m a proud geek, sci-fi and fantasy writer, and filmmaker. City of Reckoning is my debut novel, though I also wrote a poetry booklet a few years back about my experiences as a queer ex-evangelical.

L: How long have you been writing—and why is fantasy your chosen genre?

B: I’m one of those clichés where I’ve been writing stories my whole life, for as long as I can remember. My mom tells me I declared I would be an author when I was three years old. (Back then, my inspiration was Beatrix Potter.)

I fell in love with fantasy about a decade after that, and it’s been my favorite genre ever since. I think what I love most about fantasy is the endless possibilities it brings. It’s like imagination candy!

L: You wrote an article about trauma in fantasy and how you believe that many writers tend to get this wrong in their stories. I found this a fascinating read and completely agree. Trauma is such an intrinsic part of so many people’s lives and dictates how we each as individuals respond to given situations, as you noted, yet it can often be completely misunderstood and misrepresented in popular media. It’s a topic I’ve sought to tackle in my own writing as well.

My first question around this is, what in particular got you thinking about the portrayal of trauma in the fantasy genre? Was there a specific book you read, or was it something you’d been frustrated by for a while?

B: I think my frustration came mainly out of personal experiences, both with experiencing some trauma firsthand and observing it in people I’m close to. It seemed to me that books and movies in general, not just in fantasy, rarely portray trauma in a way that feels authentic, which is weird to me because trauma is actually a pretty common human experience.

Fantasy is especially prone to this problem because it’s a genre that tends to put its heroes through especially dark and violent circumstances, where trauma is more likely to occur, but then often isn’t addressed at all. There’s one popular book series in particular which handles this so poorly it’s laughable (but I’ll be nice and won’t refer to it by name).

L: I completely agree; I think trauma is way more common than we realise and actually for it to be handled realistically would provide such a valuable insight for readers.

This brings us to your upcoming debut fantasy novel, City of Reckoning—can you tell us about that? What was the inspiration behind it? When did you start writing it?

B: City of Reckoning is an epic fantasy adventure about a group of young warriors who enter a war, only to wonder if they’re fighting for the wrong side. I started writing the book seven years ago, and I’d been thinking about it for years before then, so I can’t honestly remember where the initial inspiration came from. It was certainly multiple sources, though.

I will say that the main protagonist was born out of a dark period of my own life, where I was a suppressed butch lesbian trying very hard to be a feminine straight woman, and my mental health was suffering as a result. I created this brooding winged girl in my head, and somehow imagining her was a cathartic release when my depression and anxiety was getting unbearable. It’s hard to explain, but she helped me through that period, somewhat.

Later, as I wrote the book, and was no longer in that dark place, the project became a sort of compassionate letter to my past self. The story contains everything I wish I could have told myself then—all the things I once needed to hear.

L: Absolutely. It sounds as though this was a book and character you needed to write to process your own feelings as a writer.

You’ve noted on your author website that this novel is dark, intense and messy and includes a portrayal of trauma as well as other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. It’s clear you felt these were important aspects to include within your story. Did you find it challenging to translate your passion for these subjects into your fantasy world and characters, or did you find it occurred quite naturally as you were writing?

B: For the most part, it occurred naturally. As I’ve hinted, there were certainly some real-life experiences and observations that informed much of the story.

The most difficult part for me to write, though, was the protagonist’s drug addiction, as I had to do a lot more research to get that part right. The first few drafts definitely missed the mark there, so I’m grateful to my beta readers and editors who helped me refine that aspect of the story.

L: It sounds as though you put a lot of care and effort into making sure the representation of addiction is accurate and were able to refine this with the help of beta readers, which is great.

Was there anything else you wanted to be particularly mindful of in your portrayal of trauma and mental ill health? Did you find any part difficult to write?

B: My family often jokes that I like to “torture my characters,” because I’m intentional about making sure none of my heroes are safe. If the heroes are in danger, I want the readers to actually be scared for them; I don’t want them to think “Oh, that’s an important character, she’ll be fine.” In order to pull that off, of course, I have to commit to harming (and even killing) important characters now and then… thus my reputation.

But despite these accusations of being a sadistic writer, I honestly find it very difficult to write about terrible things happening to my characters. I write in a deep POV, and I get very thoroughly wrapped up in each character’s mental and emotional state. I experience their pain alongside them, somewhat like an actor does when playing a role. Writing an emotionally intense scene can affect my entire day.

I’m also mindful of the potential to take things too far. Though I tend to be unflinching in writing about dark themes, I don’t want to be exploitative, needlessly gratuitous, or disrespectful to the experiences of real people. I’m always trying to strike that balance between writing authentically, and writing with tact. Different people will draw that line in different places; some may think I go too far, or not far enough. That’s fine. I’ve drawn that line where I personally believe I needed to, and that’s what matters.

L: Totally agree. There’s a fine line between exploring such dark themes and over-doing them for the sake of gratuity, which I think some authors are certainly guilty of.  You clearly held a lot of self-awareness around this when writing which is great and I’m sure will come across in how you’ve told the story (which I can’t wait to read, by the way!).

Finally, what do you think is the most important thing for authors writing about these topics to remember?

Be aware that many of the pop culture understandings of trauma and mental health consist of stereotypes and oversimplifications, so if you want to write about these things, spend some time researching them first. Trauma isn’t just bad dreams and flashbacks; it affects the way a person interacts with the world, how they perceive threats, and how they process emotions. Also, there are healthy and unhealthy ways to heal from trauma (a major theme and cautionary lesson in City of Reckoning).

L: Thank you, Brianna.

Remember to keep your eyes open for Brianna’s debut novel, City of Reckoning, released on 21 September 2021–I for one can’t wait to read it! You can keep updated in the run-up to the book’s release via Brianna’s website or Twitter.

Check out part two of this interview, where I discuss my own book, A Child’s Awakening, and how trauma is represented within the story.