We chat with debut author Briony Cameron about The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye, which is based on true events and illuminates a woman of color’s rise to power as one of the few purported female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and the forbidden love story that will shape the course of history.
Hi, Briony! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hey! I’m Briony, 28, based in Cardiff, Wales. I’m a historical fiction and SFF writer and love stories of ‘small’ characters on big adventures. Outside of writing, I’m an avid knitter/crocheter and make most of my own knitwear, and I’m a massive videogame nerd. I have two dogs, Keanu and Zuko, who are probably the most interesting thing about me.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always just loved stories. I used to read a lot of X-Men comics with my dad when I was little and progressed onto novels quite quickly. In terms of writing, I think I’ve always just been jotting down stories and ideas, and finished my first ‘book’ at 10, although, admittedly, this was shameless X-Men fanfiction, so I’m not entirely sure if it counts, although I certainly counted it at the time.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Wrestling Princess and Other Stories by Judy Corbalis
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Your debut novel, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye, is out June 4th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Hope. Revolution. Justice. Freedom. Friendship.
What can readers expect?
I think readers can expect battles and swordfights, romance, found family and self-made community. And, I hope, some righteous anger, too. It’s likely not for the faint of heart.
Where did the inspiration for The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye come from?
Honestly, it was an obsession on my part. After quite a bizarre Wikipedia spiral that led me to a page on female pirates, I stumbled on this very minimal page for Jacquotte, and after searching for more information and coming up with none, I just felt this pull to tell her story. Whether or not she was real, her story and the feats attributed to her came from somewhere, most likely another or multiple other forgotten women of colour, and I just wanted her, or them, to have this chance to be the heroes for once. How often are they allowed that chance?
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good fight scene, the more graphic the better. So, rather self-indulgently, there are some fight scenes in this book that I just adore. In terms of characters, I really liked exploring Jacquotte as the protagonist, especially the depths of her anger. I love hate-fuelled, vengeful women, and I like to think that some of that love wore off on Jacquotte.
What led you to your interest in tackling historical fiction?
I’ve always been into history. I studied Medieval History at A Level, and most of the classes I chose for my English and Creative Writing BA were history-focused because those were the areas I liked the most: postcolonial literature, renaissance literature, myth and narrative, etc, looking at the people and stories of a certain time period to gain an insight into the daily lives of people both real and fictitious. From there, writing historical fiction came about quite naturally.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It’s all a bit of a blur now, but it’s been a bit of a strange and somewhat unconventional road. I signed with my agent, Laurie, in 2021 following my shortlisting for the Lucy Cavendish Prize. Back then, my novel was just 26,000 words and a dream. Before that, I’d entered a handful of prizes, but nothing really came of it. I wasn’t even on the lookout for an agent just yet, without a finished manuscript, but I’d had some positive agent meetings nonetheless, but I never felt that spark until I met Laurie. We clicked instantly and she saw my jumble of words for what it could be. We worked on The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye together until we went on submission around early 2023. It was quite an intensive process, and we worked really closely together, but I truly believe this story is where it is today because of Laurie’s guidance and expertise.
Going out on submission was an absolutely terrifying experience, and I don’t remember much about it. I think I must have blanked it out. But I do remember meeting Natalie at Atria for the first time and feeling this warmth and joy and just hoping that Atria would offer on my book. We received Atria’s pre-empt the day after our first Zoom call and ever since then I’ve been floored by the passion and enthusiasm from the whole Atria team. How much they believe in me and this manuscript has made my debut experience just magical and I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. And my UK team at Piatkus have been absolutely amazing too. Honestly, I’ve just been surrounded by so much warmth and positivity that this last year has been a whirlwind, and now I’m here!
What’s next for you?
I’m deep into research and writing for my second novel and just absolutely loving it. Admittedly, trying to find my rhythm with drafting and writing over editing again has been a bit of an adjustment!
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
I’ve been very into debuts this year, possibly because I’m really into celebrating my debut cohort, and I’ve already grabbed some absolutely fabulous debut releases from this year like Voyage of the Damned by Frances White, These Stolen Lives by Sharada Keats, So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole, A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland. In terms of releases yet to come, I’m most excited for Masquerade by O. O. Sangoyomi and The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks.
