Q&A With Bianca Marais

Tonight I have the honor of doing a Q&A with author Bianca Marais. Isn’t it awesome that I have the same first name as an author?  Bianca has written the novels, “Hum If You Don’t Know The Words,” “If You Want To Make God Laugh,” “The Prynne Viper,” and the very popular “The Witches of Moonshyne Manor”. 

Q: So Bianca, when in your life did you realize that you were called to be a writer? 

A: From the moment that I understood the alchemy that occurs when you  join together 26 letters and various punctuation marks, and how those myriad combinations can build worlds in a reader’s imagination, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wrote and illustrated my first book when I was 7, and I couldn’t stop after that. 

Q: What advice do you give to anyone wanting to write? What advice do you give to anyone who struggles with writers block?

A: My advice is to just sit down and do it. You don’t know what you don’t know, and I believe that writer’s block is just a debilitating manifestation of the fear that we can’t do justice to the idea that’s still so perfect in our minds but that becomes less perfect with every word we write.

There is no magic formula to writing a book. I’ve spoken to hundreds of authors, and they all approach it differently. Like anything, the more you do it, and the more you practice and learn the craft, the better you will become. Remember that perfectionism is the enemy of creativity so don’t put pressure on yourself to produce perfect first drafts. The magic happens in the multiple rewrites. 

Q: If you had to collaborate with another author, who would it be and why?

A: I’m fascinated by author collaborations because writing has always been such a solitary endeavor for me. I often can’t even talk about my work while I’m dreaming it up and having the ideas percolate, so I don’t know how that would work with someone else who isn’t a mind reader. LOL. I also think you can love someone’s work but not necessarily vibe with their process, etc. 

Q: So Bianca, is “The Witches of Moonshyne Manor,” the first book in a series or is it a standalone? If it’s the beginning of a series, how many books do you plan to write for this witchy series? I plan on reading them all. I love reading paranormal novels about witches and angels. 

A: Thank you so much! For now, it’s a standalone because it’s so difficult to get a series published. But I’m hopeful that the book does well enough that I will be able to turn it into a series. I have tons of ideas for a prequel and various sequels so let’s put those vibes out into the universe. Or I could ask my witches to cast a spell to make it happen!

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to your novels, especially “The Witches of Moonshyne Manor”? 

A: Not yet but there are various parties interested. I think it would make an excellent film or series because the book is so atmospheric, but also there are so many phenomenal actresses in their 70s and 80s who could really sink their teeth into the roles of my octogenarian coven. There aren’t enough interesting roles for women that age, at least not ones as fun as this one would be!