Author interview with writer Olivia J. Bennett

Olivia J. Bennett (she/they) is the award-winning author of the novel, Casually Homicidal. In 2018, her flash fiction “Clutching Roses” was awarded a National Gold Medal from Scholastic Art & Writing, and her creative nonfiction and short stories have been published in literary journals such as Euphemism and Outrageous Fortune. 

When not creating, Olivia is most likely baking cookies, binge-watching Naruto or Lost with their partner, or cuddling their two cats, Baloo and Bagheera. She can be found somewhere between the corn and the big blue sky in Illinois.

Q: What makes your book stand out from the crowd?
A: I always go back to this one review I got about Casually Homicidal: “While this is very much a ‘road trip’ trope novel, it breaks barriers and tests the boundaries of the genre [ . . . ] Bennett’s prose carries with it a certain lyrical, literary quality while also maintaining the integrity of two separate protagonist’ voices.” This is what I think I bring to the table as a writer: literary quality but not at the expense of the engaging elements of commercial fiction. Upmarket fiction in the indie world.

Q: Are there misconceptions that people have about your book? If so, explain.
A: Unfortunately, lots. People will read the title Casually Homicidal and have all sorts of reactions. Most of them are “oh god, I don’t want to hang around this crazy person.” I wish I could say I take all these in good faith, but sometimes it’s genuinely offensive. Thanks for never even giving my book a shot. You didn’t even read the back. The thing is, you’re lying if you said you haven’t felt violent sometimes. Most of the time, this violence is just that: casual. It remains in our heads, swirling there and feeding off negative emotions.

Many of us are casually suicidal. Many of us have been so angry that we’ve felt like we wanted to hurt someone or something. Most of us don’t do it, but some of us do. And that line is exactly the line I wanted to push and prod and poke at with this book. A teenage boy, angry and repressed and traumatized, on the precipice of committing murder. Because that’s the interesting thing about serial killers, right? At the end of the day, they are still human, too, and in the dark corners of our mind, we can’t help but wonder what made them like that—and what might have to happen to make us like that.

But in reality, Casually Homicidal is a story about change, and the insane things we do to stop time. It’s about being so rejected all you can manage to do is reject other people. It’s about being so incredibly empty you don’t even realize you’re filling a void. It’s about small towns and nostalgia and the wilderness of young adulthood. It’s about accepting the past and facing the future all at once. It’s about deciding who you really want to be.

Q: What projects are you working on at the present?
A: Currently, I’m writing a high fantasy series called The Artifacts of Fellglow. The first book is with beta readers as we speak, and the second has one draft completed. Third book has about five chapters, and the fourth is currently a mere thought in my brain. Fans of the character-driven Murtagh and the lyrical prose in The Raven Cycle will find in the first book of The Artifacts of Fellglow two bisexual main characters with a fresh twist on a medieval fantasy world that tackles religious trauma, the consequences of war, and questions the barriers that separate us, with plenty of magical MacGuffins along the way!

Q: What/who were your early literary influences, and how do you think their writing has shaped you as a storyteller today?
A: I grew up a big reader, but I feel like most of my “literary influences” are television shows. ABC’s Lost has been a huge influence on my writing style—not necessarily on my prose so to speak, but on the way that I tell stories. I think something that Lost does so well is flashbacks and thematic resonance: blending together past and present, emphasizing how those two things interact with each other. I also take lots of inspiration from television in the way that I structure my chapters. I think of each chapter as an “episode.”

Q: What is your favorite genre to read? Do you write in that genre? Has that always been your favorite genre, or has your taste evolved as you have grown as a writer?
A: Honestly, I’ll read a little bit of everything, but I definitely prefer fantasy and contemporary fiction. I used to really dislike modern fantasy novels when I was a teenager, but that’s because the only exposure I had to it was Sarah J. Maas. Yikes. Now my tastes have broadened, but I still read mostly fantasy since that’s what I’m writing. I often find that, for writing research, I start to devour a bunch of books within that genre. This helps me identify style and conventions of the genre.

Q: Do you hide any secrets or “Easter eggs” in your books that only a few people will find? Examples?
A: YES. I love doing this. Sometimes I do Easter eggs from my own work, but my favorite Easter eggs I like to include are intertextual references. For example, in my most recent novel, Casually Homicidal, a YA road trip thriller novel about an aspiring serial killer, I make reference to similar works: the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell and the character of Norman Bates from Psycho and Bates Motel. These references flesh out the world and make nods to the stories that came before. In the first book of the fantasy series I’m writing, I make references to Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series and the popular anime/manga Naruto: two fantasy epics that have influenced me.

Q: Does writing energize or exhaust you?
A: Sometimes both, but it mostly energizes me. Sometimes, when I write a really good scene or I finish a project I’ve been laboring over for months, it feels like I’ve snorted a line of cocaine.

Q: What is your approach to incorporating elements of diversity and inclusion in your writing?
A: This is a toughie. As a white queer woman, I feel as though there are some stories that aren’t mine to tell. But part of being a writer is stepping out of the things you know and bringing the things you know into those new spaces. I always like to frame it like this: I am allowed to write in the point of view of whoever I want. I should want to write from the point of view of men, nonbinary people, children, the elderly, people of different races and religions. Hell, that’s half the fun: not being yourself anymore! But what I don’t think I have any place to write about is when the narrative itself centers something I don’t have a stake or personal experience in. I can absolutely write a space opera with a Black male main character! That sounds way fun. But I cannot write a story about what it’s like to be a Black man in America.

Q: What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of the opposite sex?
A: Hot take: nothing. I’ll never excuse male authors who bemoan boo hoo I can’t write women they’re just so different and complicated than me! Nope, they’re just humans—same as you. What that previous statement tells me is that the hypothetical male author in question 1) doesn’t view women as the same kind of human as himself, 2) doesn’t have many close, meaningful female friends. All this being said, I’d say the only real challenge on writing other genders/the opposite sex is understanding the gender roles and norms placed upon them, and the effect that has on a person. Granted, I don’t know what it’s like to grow up as a man, but I can still write about them and from their POV. But, like I said with diversity, I just wouldn’t be able to write a story centering on what it’s like going through male puberty.

Q: Do you have your own circle of writer friends? If so, what other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
A: Yes! I meet with a group of about 7 other writers every Thursday evening. The group is called “Writing Out Our Twenties”. It began as a primarily creative nonfiction group, but has expanded to include fiction and poetry. This group is amazing, and they help me become a better writer by encouraging me and holding me accountable! The cool thing about this group is that we’re coming out with an Anthology collection at the end of the month! It shares the same name as our group, and it’s about a 200-page collection of some of the creative nonfiction, short stories, and poetry that we’ve written together. In the collection, I’m publishing two pieces of creative nonfiction, one short story, and one prose poem.

Q: How long (on average) does it take you to write a book?
A: Too damn long. I can draft a book in about 7-9 months, but the editing and revision process takes . . . well, years. My debut novel took me 3. Casually Homicidal took me 5; although, I did shelve it for about a year and a half. The Light of the Lantern, the first book in my high fantasy series that I’m currently working on, took me about two and a half years to get ready for beta readers, and that’s where I am now. The first draft of the second book, The Strength of the Shield, took me about six months to write, which is the quickest I’ve ever drafted an entire book.

Q: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
A: Part-time. While I can’t lie and say that I would love to be a full-time writer and have that sustain my life, right now writing is purely my passion project. I worry that if I start paying rent with the money I make, it won’t be fun anymore. It will be my “job”. It will be “work”. I mean, writing books is work, but “work” in the sense that it’s an obligation, that it’s separate from my personal life. Right now, I answer to no one but my own muses, and I’m okay with that.

Q: Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process.
A: There’s very little logic when it comes to actually writing. The logic comes in when you have to edit and revise. Intuition is your best friend as an artist; it will lead you into truth. All that being said, the only thing you really know when beginning any story of any length is the climax. Where are you going and why? After that, I really just try to stay a few steps ahead of myself. When I’m writing chapter 1, I’ll be brainstorming chapters 2 and 3. It’s like that one E.L. Doctorow quote: “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” The headlights are me staying a few steps ahead of myself as I’m writing in the driver’s seat.

Q: What was the best money you ever spent on your writing career?
A: Character art! Each time I get a book ready for beta readers, I commission character art for myself. I’ve found that this is the best way to promote and advertise online as well.

Q: What are some ways in which you promote your work? Do you find that these add to or detract from your writing time?
A: I mostly promote on Instagram and other social media platforms. I’m too poor to pay for ads. Lots of the time, I share snippets of my writing, or create aesthetic collages using photos from Pinterest. I’ll also do free ebook sales periodically throughout the year. I find that I make the most money doing in-person events like fairs and book signings. These events are super fun but also exhausting as an introvert! At times, though, I HATE promoting myself and my books. It feels like screaming into the void, and making quality social media content is exhausting and absolutely cuts into writing time. On the flip side, I love posting exciting updates during the writing process.

Q: In your experience, what has been the best way to market your books? Where have you found the greatest return on your investment (whether it be time or money invested?)
A: In-person events for the most part. People are much more inclined to buy a book when they can meet and shake hands with the author!

Q: What kind of music or sounds do you like to listen to as you write, or do you prefer complete silence?
A: I listen to lots of different types of music while I write! Sometimes, music with words is a bit distracting though. In terms of writing music, I like listening to post-rock, and Youtube has a lot of ambient soundscapes meant for D&D games, which help to immerse me especially in the fantasy world I’ve been writing. When I’m editing or not writing, I like to listen to music that, for lack of a better word, sounds yearning. I like folk, acoustic, indie, and alternative. Gregory Alan Isakov, Phoebe Bridgers, The 1975, Ethel Cain, Novo Amor. Anything that’s angsty and atmospheric.

Q: What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.?
A: Anthropologists are always asking the question: when did humanity begin? When did we diverge from beast and become the creative, dominant species we are? I’ve heard that it was when skeletons showed signs of a healed broken femur. In my opinion, humanity was born when we began to tell and retell stories. Storytelling is everything.

Q: What do your plans for future projects include?
A: Obviously to finish and publish Artifacts, but I’ve also been tossing around the idea of a zombie apocalypse anthology. A few years ago, back in prime pandemic days, I wrote about 90k words of a zombie apocalypse novel that, well, didn’t go anywhere. It was a disaster. But I really want to revive it in some way, which might end up being an interconnected anthology of short zombie fiction. Additionally, the 10th anniversary of my debut novel, A Cactus In the Valley, is coming up (OMG!!!) and I’m considering publishing a second edition with a brand new cover! Don’t hold your breath though, that’s still about a year and a half away.

Q: What other books would you recommend to our readers in addition to your own?
A: These aren’t fiction books, but I think every writer should read some craft memoirs. My favorites are On Writing by Stephen King and Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. These books are a lot less about “how to write good” and a lot more about what it means to be a writer: how to embody the practices that make for a fulfilling lifestyle. How to deepen the connection between the self and writing, how to get the most out of the craft, personally speaking.

Connect with the author

• Author website
• Buy Olivia J Bennett books on Amazon today!
• IG & TikTok: @olivia.j.creates

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