Photo Credit: Anna Whipple Photography
Brigid Kemmerer began her writing career while working full-time in finance and raising a family. Her first published books form the paranormal fantasy Elementals series and she also wrote three contemporary YA books before landing a major deal with A Curse So Dark and Lonely. Her success with this New York Times bestselling novel allowed Brigid to leave her job in the finance industry to focus on writing full-time.
With the sequel A Heart So Fierce and Broken due to release on January 7th 2020, I had the opportunity to talk with Brigid about what’s next in the Cursebreakers series as well as her writing methods, favourite hobby, book recommendations, and more!
A Curse So Dark and Lonely is the best retelling of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ that I’ve read! If you were going to retell another fairy tale, which one appeals to you the most?
Thank you! Probably “The Little Mermaid.” Or maybe “Cinderella.” Or maybe a teen “Hansel and Gretel.” Honestly, I just love fairy tales.
It’s wonderful that you included representation for people with cerebral palsy through Harper, showing that differently-abled characters can still be the hero of an exciting story. What other kinds of representation would you like to see in books?
All of it! I think sometimes popular media makes it seem like we live in this white, cishet, neurotypical universe, and that’s just not the case. The people in our lives are diverse in a multitude of ways, and that should be reflected in fiction, too.
Rhen was the most swoonworthy hero in the first book; now with A Heart So Fierce and Broken, the conflict with Grey paints him in a different light. How do you hope readers will react to his choices? Are you Team Rhen or Team Grey?
I can’t pick! I love them both! And while Rhen’s actions may be shocking on the surface, if you take a step back and look at who he is and what he stands for—and what he’s willing to do for Emberfall—then I don’t think it seems quite as surprising. Rhen, Grey, and Harper have powerful arcs that will continue into the third book, so you definitely haven’t heard the last of any of them.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken will be your eleventh published novel! You’ve written a large number of engaging, charismatic protagonists – which crossover pairing (romantic or platonic) could you imagine happening between characters from different series and why?
Oh wow, what a fun question! I once got a question on Instagram about expert swordsman Grey (from Cursebreakers) meeting jiu-jitsu obsessed Rev (from Letters to the Lost and More than We Can Tell), and who would win in a fight without weapons. It was such an intriguing idea and I really thought about it for awhile. In the end, I don’t think Rev and Grey would fight at all—I think they’d talk about fighting and try to learn from each other. But if they had to fight, I think Grey would win. Not because Rev is less skilled, but because Grey will do whatever he has to do to survive. Rev would yield. Grey would not.
I enjoy how you alternate perspectives between the male and female leads in your books. Have you had any difficulty with maintaining the different POVs and keeping their voices from bleeding together? Do you think you’d decide to write a book with a single POV in future?
Thank you! I love being able to tell both sides of a story. Every time I try to write a book from one POV, I end up wanting to know more of the other person’s thoughts, so it ends up being two. They always feel distinct in my head so it’s never tough for me to tell them apart. But I don’t want to close the door on anything. Maybe one day?
Many of the characters you’ve written about have special abilities, whether it’s magical or a skill they’ve highly honed – what would you choose if you could borrow abilities from any of them?
Being able to control the elements—specifically fire—would be HUGELY handy.
What’s the strangest topic you’ve had to research for a book?
I took six weeks of jiu-jitsu lessons to research Rev’s character for More Than We Can Tell. It was amazing and terrifying and ultimately fascinating. I really had no idea what jiu-jitsu was about, (it’s all about fighting by grappling, basically) and I’ll never forget my first class when this guy got down on the ground on his back, and said, “Do you want to be on top first, or me?” And I said, “Um. On top of what?”
You miraculously used to fit in writing with a full-time job AND raising children. After finishing up your career in finance to focus on writing, have you found more time to enjoy hobbies that may have languished in the past or do you now just split your time between writing and family?
It’s mostly writing and family, but about two years ago, I joined a Crossfit gym, and it changed my life. I’ve always been a bit “fluffy,” but it was the first time I ever walked into a gym where the focus was on being strong, not being skinny. It completely changed my outlook on health and physical activity, and I absolutely love it.
With such a prolific backlog, what have you found most effective in combating writer’s block?
Butt in chair, fingers on keyboard. The only way to get a book written is to write it. If I’m not feeling motivated, I’ll tell myself to write 250 words. Usually that will get me going. If not, it’s still 250 words closer to the end.
Can you tell us anything about your future projects aside from the Cursebreakers series?
I just turned in my first draft of Defy the Night, which is about two outlaws named Weston and Tessa who live in the kingdom of Kandala, whose people are suffering from a mysterious fever that can only be cured by teas made from petals of the Moonflower—an expensive commodity. Wes and Tessa steal medicine to distribute it among those who can’t afford any—until Wes is caught, and Tessa tries to rescue him. In doing so, she runs afoul of the king and his wicked brother, and everything she thought she knew about Kandala turns out to be wrong…
Finally, what books are you currently reading? Do you have any recommendations?
I’m currently reading Hood by Jenny Elder Moke and loving it. I highly recommend anything by Bill Konigsberg (contemporary YA), Amalie Howard (adult romance), Jodi Picoult (women’s fiction), and Sabaa Tahir (YA fantasy).
