Q&A with Brittany N. Williams, author of That Self-Same Metal
By Julia DeVarti
Brittany N. Williams’ debut, That Self-Same Metal, is absolutely epic! Set in Shakespearean London, this incredible new YA fantasy follows Joan, a young craftswoman with Orisha-blessed powers. She and her family keep tabs on the fae presence in London, but as fae violence increases, Joan gets wrapped up in political intrigue, magic adventure, and more. That Self-Same Metal has so many elements I absolutely loved, and I’m already clamoring for the sequel!!
We caught up with the author ahead of publication day, and she gave us the inside scoop on this awesome book.
Books Are Magic: For readers who don’t know anything about That Self-Same Metal, what can they expect to find inside?
Brittany N. Williams: They can expect to find epic swordfights, creepy vibes, alive parents, real history with supernatural circumstances, West African Orisha & Orisha-based magic, Shakespeare references and the actual William Shakespeare, Black and Brown people thriving, an abundance of queer people thriving, and a heroine who’s strong, stubborn, insecure, and a consummate badass.
You blend together different magical lore in your book, specifically fae and orisha magic, as well as grounding the story in the familiar historical setting of Shakespearean London. What was exciting to you about blending these different source materials? What was challenging?
I was most excited to show London as the multicultural city it's always been and place Black people specifically in this section of its history without having people be enslaved. Also, being able to populate the world with queer people was fantastic. But a challenge I ran into with both of these things was talking about race and sexuality in a time before the identifying language we use today (for good or for ill) hadn't been developed yet. It was an interesting challenge to come up against but helping people find themselves in history just existing was completely worth it.
One thing I loved about That Self-Same Metal was how your fight scenes feel action-packed, but also easy to follow as a reader. How did you approach writing these?
These were my favorite moments to write because I adore fight scenes! I'm actually trained in stage combat so I always approached the scenes by asking myself what is the most dramatic, coolest, most in-character moves to build into this fight. I'd also act out some of the moves in my office with my practice sword just to make sure they flowed well and made sense.
Without giving too much away, what’s coming in the sequel?
Okay, without dropping spoilers I can say we can expect an escalation: more sword fights, more Shakespeare and performances from the King’s Men, and more creepy interludes (one in particular really freaked me out while I was writing it). We'll meet more of the London Orisha community and more historical figures. Plus, we'll have to deal with the end of Book 1.
Both acting and writing are different kinds of storytelling. In what ways does your acting influence your writing and vice versa?
For me, acting is building a living, breathing person from words on a page and writing is distilling a person into words that paint a clear picture in your reader's mind. They're the same process but moving in opposite directions. One thing both acting and writing do is give you a new appreciation for words and the specificity of language, both in dialogue and description. What someone says, how they say it, the actions they take, and how they think about the world all help build a character and bring them off the page be it in your imagination or on the stage/on camera.
Who are writers you grew up reading that have influenced your own writing?
I was on a personal mission to read everything written by Gail Carson Levine well into high school and I'm still collecting Virginia Hamilton books. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Shakespeare, I've been a fan since I was in elementary school. Diana Wynne Jones is a later love of mine and I have to shout out Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park was one of the only assigned books I read all the way through in high school.
What’s your favorite snack when you write?
I want to be responsible and say something healthy but it's gotta be Cheetos, snickerdoodle cookies, & Thai iced tea boba.
Thanks for chatting with us, Brittany, and congratulations on the upcoming release!
That Self-Same Metal is our Monthly Magic YA Subscription pick for the month of May! If you love the sound of this book as much as we do, click here to join our subscription.
