Q&A With Brionni Nwosu 

This past week I finished reading one of the best debuts of 2025 as well as one of the best books ever titled The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter by Brionni Nwosu! I’m also equally excited about doing this interview with Brionni! The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter is available today, wherever you get your books!

Brionni Nwosu: How lovely! Thank you! I’m excited to have this opportunity and share more with the Book Notion Community. 

Q: Welcome to Book Notions Brionni! I’m very excited about this interview! Would you please give a brief description of The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter? 

A: The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter centers on the question of whether humanity is worth saving. Nella, a young woman born into bondage, makes a deal on the edge of death to find evidence to prove humanity’s goodness, embarking on a centuries-long quest of love and loss, documenting her journey along the way. If you like love triangles, found families, and Faustian bargains, this may be a book for you.

Q: Where did the idea for The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter come from? It might remind some people of the movie The Age of Adeline and V.E. Schwab’s novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, but if I’m honest, The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter is way better than The Age of Adeline & The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue! 

A: Wow! What a compliment! Nella was definitely crafted with comps in mind, and that would be my tip for any new and aspiring author, to be widely read in the genre in which you want to write–both in order to know the reader expectations, but also to know what exists already and how you’re adding to that body of work. I’ve taken A LOT of writing classes and been in writer’s groups which recommend knowing where your work sits on the shelf and how it may appeal to acquiring editors. Other works that influenced the book were The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and a smidge of Interview with a Vampire  combined with  Meet Joe Black. It’s really interesting to see the influence on the structure of Nella’s story. I love that we get to see the past, present, and Death’s perspective in the sweeping saga that is Nella’s life. 

Q: How long did it take you to write “The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter?” Did you have any challenges writing your first debut novel and how did you overcome those challenges?

A: The whole process was three years from start to publication. I started drafting in early 2023, and the book was sold in 2024, and spent a little over a year in revisions, copy edits, line edits, and final proof passes. The biggest change, not challenge, was when there was a switch in editors, and the book schedule was adjusted to accommodate this change. It turned out to be a blessing, as it came out later and was selected as an Amazon First Reads Selection for November with a launch date on December 1. 

The other biggest challenge was simply the scope in time. The book could have easily been another 200-300 pages, but as a writer, you have to be mindful of the cost of production (shipping weight/shelf space), especially as a debut author, and also, the span of reader’s attention. I know a few early readers wanted the book to go on, but I love that the story wraps up nicely in the 400 page span, the ending mirroring the opening of the bargain.

Q: What lessons and emotions do you hope readers feel once they finish reading The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter? For me it’s a reminder that love is worth it even when there’s heartbreak and loss. It’s also a reminder that  there’s a lot of good and beauty still left in the world and in humanity. 

A: I hope for exactly that. The world feels very tumultuous and with a constant news cycle, terrible headlines are never more than a click away. The whole world feels like Pandora’s Box, when all the evil escapes and all that is left is a small bit of hope. While writing, a simple reminder from my childhood came back to me—Mr. Rogers’ advice to “look for the helpers. There are always people who are helping.” 

When I think about Nella’s story—a woman who begins abandoned and enslaved, and still finds her way to love, joy, and freedom—I see her as a reflection of what’s possible for all of us. She witnesses the worst of humanity, and yet she keeps searching for reasons to believe. For every atrocity she sees, Death can point to another one. But she still looks for helpers. Still, she chooses to love.

I’m very much chronically online and resonate with observations that a shift is coming in terms of awareness and human capacity to realign and awaken to the things that matter–joy, happiness, community, and quality of life. I hope that Nella finds the readers who resonate and who seek to have, find, and experience the beauty of their own lives. 

Q: Which scenes were your favorite to write? It’s hard for me to choose but I do love seeing Nella’s travels to New Orleans, Paris, London & Buenos Aires & I like how Death softens up throughout the novel. 

A: You have great taste because those are my favorites, too, although each place was a chance to dive into research and explore different worlds and points in history. Nouvelle Orleans was the most challenging as there were fewer historical documents to get a sense of the time and place, and as we move through history, there were more photographs, archival movies, and books to give a sense of life for people at the time. 

I also love how Death is changed in the book, as his interactions with Nella go deeper than any he’s had with other humans in his long existence. He’s able to see some of the redemptive nature of humans, while still acknowledging the flaws that can exist within us. It feels like my experience with life–the good usually outweighs the bad.

Q: Are you currently writing book 2 & if you are, can you reveal any details about the second book? Do you find it easier or more challenging to write since this is your second book? 

A: For now, The Wondrous Life and Loves of Nella Carter is a standalone and I’m working on another centered on the question of fate, among other projects. I think all books are challenging in their own way, as you (the writer) explore another world and learn about new characters, their hopes, dreams, and what they need to reach the next stage in their journey. Research, whether historical fiction or contemporary, requires a lot of research in order for it to feel real and the character’s to feel like whole people living their lives when we come across them in the story. As for manuscripts, Nella is the third book I’ve completed, but the first to be published. All those other books taught me about storytelling and hopefully versions of those will be in the world at some point. I have the start of a dozen different novels living in my laptop and I hope to write The End on a few in 2026. 

Q: If/When The Wondrous Life And Loves Of Nella Carter becomes a movie or a limited series, who would be your dream cast to play the characters you created? Some of my suggestions are Lucas Bravo as Rene & maybe Idris Elba to portray Death. Idris Elba is an actor with range. 

A: Oooh! I like Lucas Bravo, who would be a perfect René! I was unfamiliar with him before, and through the search, I found his fellow star, Lucien Laviscoun, who could be a handsome Death. I also think Aaron Pierre would be fantastic.  As far as Nella, I’ve always seen Laura Harrier in the title role. When I’m drafting, I’ll use stock image sights and simple searches until I come across people who look like the characters in my mind and I stumbled across an image of her, which I’ll include here, that gives Nella’s vibe, especially around the Harlem Renaissance period and the World War II era of her time in Paris.