What was it like for you growing up ,what inspired you and when did you first find out
that you were interested in writing stories?
I am from an RAF family and moved around a lot. Telling stories was my way of making
friends. I used to make up tales and tell them in the playground to the other kids (until I was
banned for giving them nightmares – I’ve always been in the horror / thriller zone).
We didn’t have a television until I was around ten years old and even then we weren’t
allowed to watch much of anything. In fact we weren’t even allowed to switch it on until the
six o clock news started.
It means that a lot of nostalgic ‘children’s TV we loved’ conversations pass me by, and that
growing up I read a LOT.
Story was my escapism, my entertainment, and my passion. Authors were my heroes and I
have been writing stories for as long as I can remember, dreaming of joining their ranks one
day.

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Can you tell me one thing about yourself that people might not already know?

I am absolutely phobic of needles and have literally fled from nurses.
I know it’s ridiculous, I am always embarrassed afterwards, and yet every time some
otherwise lovely nurse comes at me with a needle I’m in full flight mode!
My husband has been known to block my flight, tackling me if necessary, for blood tests and
vaccinations.

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What preparation do you do before you start writing a book and what do you think the
key things are when writing a good book?

I am a very serious plotter / planner. Before I start the actual writing, I do a lot of research, I
do character development and world building work, I write down every story beat in advance
and then I write down a paragraph for each chapter containing information about what
happens in the chapter, what clues will be seeded, what red herrings will be dropped and
what literary allusions I can draw on.
That way, when I write, I can write quickly and really focus on the prose, without worrying
that I don’t know where the story is going.

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What are your favourite books .who for you has been the best story book character
ever made and which authors inspire you?

My favourite books are primarily comedies - Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels (the guards
and witches are my favourite), are absolutely genius – satirical, comedic, educational and
perfect lessons in pacing and character development. I can literally finish a Pratchett, turn to
page one and start reading it again.
I also love Jennifer Cruise, who writes funny, sexy books with the best characters and often
good mysteries. Welcome to Temptation is probably my favourite.
It is difficult to write good comedy and I respect authors who can do so.

Growing up I was also a huge King Arthur fan (and I did my university dissertation on
Thomas Malory’s Tales of King Arthur).
I was also hugely inspired by Anne Macaffrey (her PERN and Brawn and Brainship series),
which have memorable and heart-breaking characters in exciting science fiction worlds.
For me the best character of all has to be Pratchett’s Granny Weatherwax (although Nanny
Ogg and Captain Vimes are close behind).

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What music and television are you into and do you use them for inspiration?

I’ll listen to almost any genre of music (I’m not into R&B though), and through my music-
loving teens am being exposed to a much wider musical world. I don’t use music for
inspiration though and tend to write in absolute silence.
Television on the other hand can be a wonderful source of clever storylines and characters.
Sometimes you find yourself thinking – this story would have been so much better if they’d
done this, which can lead you into a great idea. You do have to be careful though, as you
can end up finding yourself coming up with an idea and realising it’s a bit too close to an
episode you’ve seen!
My novel Raising Hell was very much influenced by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and my novel
Phoenix Burning was also influenced by Whedon: the characters are pirates doing a heist
and Firefly was influential on that one.
I am also a big fan of Doctor Who, the Marvel universe, and of science fiction horror (like
Aliens and Pitch Black). In terms of writing influence, I would say that I am most influenced
by the character development and humour in television and films like this

What hobbies do you have and what other things do you like to do in your spare
time?

I started to learn the cello about 18 months before lockdown, and love that (although I’m not
very good). I draw and paint (when I have time – I’m no Van Gogh, but it’s so relaxing and I
hope to do a course or two to learn proper techniques when I’m even older). I play cricket for
my local women’s team (I’m no Ian Botham, but it’s good fun and I’ve been known to hit a
boundary or bowl a wicket). Mainly though, I’m ferrying teens around and writing in car parks
while I wait for them!

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Can you tell us about your latest book and what are the main reasons why people
should read it?

My latest novel is a Greek myth retelling titled Aphrodite.
It starts with her birth from the sea, knowing nothing of who she is, or where she is meant to
be. But she is powerful and beautiful and soon learns how to survive.
My Aphrodite is searching for home, the place she belongs. She falls in love, she battles
giants and gods and makes mistakes while she learns who she really is.
When the king of the gods realises how powerful she is, he hatches a plan to limit her. He
forces her into the role of goddess of love and beauty, and separates her from her lover,
Ares, thinking these things will make her weak. They do not.

This novel is for anyone who loves myth retellings, anyone who loves stories about female
power, anyone who loves battle scenes, anyone who loves a bit of romance and spice and
anyone who loves a good twist.

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What is the best character or plot you have ever thought of and is there any ideas you
have rejected which you wish you could have used?

I have a couple of things percolating, which I think need me to be a little further along my
writing journey before I attempt them. As writers we are always learning. I didn’t attempt a
multi POV novel until I was sure I could do it well. I didn’t attempt comedy (Hannah
Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold) until was sure I could be funny without being
patronising, and I won’t attempt these until I am sure I have practised the techniques
required.
I also have some ideas which I loved, which I had to drop when other writers got there first.
Most upsetting was James Brogdan’s Plague Stones. I came up with a similar idea when I
was nine, telling those stories in the school playground. Mine was about a girl who died of
the black death and stalked the local village, taking the souls of local children who saw her. I
was just thinking that maybe forty years later I could do something very cool with it, when I
read Plague Stones. The worst thing is that it’s probably way better than the version I would
have written.
The same goes for my Medea, which I got three chapters into before Rosie Hewlett
published her own.
I also had a couple of science fiction ideas that I came up with many years ago, when
mainstream publishers were not so keen on science fiction. One I really loved was about
alternative universes, which Marvel now has basically locked down, and another was about
a brother and sister who sign up to be colonists on a new planet and all goes wrong on the
journey. I love science fiction, but I’ve never hit it at the right time. A version of one of these
stories exists as a short story in the Now We Are Ten anthology by NewCon press.
All authors will have ideas they’ve loved and had to let go. The key is to move onto to
something you love just as much.
At the moment my favourite character is one I am writing for a grimdark fantasy novel. Mara
is a battlefield scavenger, who is asked to take a magic stone to the king, which she thinks is
utterly ridiculous. I love her attitude towards authority and the fact that she nicks boots off
dead soldiers for a living.

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How would you answer the question.... Who is Bryony Pearce

Bryony Pearce is someone who has achieved her dreams. Which makes her one of the
luckiest people alive. She has an amazing family, a whole shelf of published novels and can
work in her pyjamas in the sunshine. Bryony has a dark sense of humour and will do just
about anything for a friend. Unless that friend wants her to have an injection, in which case
they can

If one of your books was made into a film or TV programme how would you approach it ?

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Funnily enough, I write very visually and with lots of thriller style twists, so I think my work
lends itself well to the possibility of adaptation (and reviewers have said the same).
To this end, I have written a screenplay of my novel The Girl on the Platform, which I am
very much hoping to sell one day. Maybe soon!

Can you tell us about any ideas you have for future work?
I have an adult thriller out with publishers at the moment and I am hoping to write the sequel
to Aphrodite, a novel called The Gift of War which will explore her role in the Trojan war.

What are you main reasons for writing books?
I love to write and I love to tell stories. Writing a whole novel is the most satisfying feeling.

What would you like to say to the people who have either bought your books or are
thinking about it?
Thank you very much and I hope you enjoy the novel!

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If you had to describe yourself and your writing style to someone reading this who
didn’t already know you , what would you say?

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I write dark, thrilling adventures with a lot of twists, often with mythological or supernatural
elements. I love language and in my view character development is the skeleton on which
the whole novel hangs. My characters are real, complex and often live in the grey areas.

What are you up to at the moment and what’s next for you?
Right now, I am waiting to hear back from publishers about an adult thriller, I am editing a
dark fantasy, I have some young-adult lined up, and a younger mid-grade idea I’d like to
have some fun with. I also have another adult thriller in my pocket that I’d like to write.
I’m always writing, always editing, always onto the next idea.
Thank you for speaking to me.

If you’d like to visit my website: www.bryonypearce.co.uk