We chat with debut author LaDarrion Williams about Blood At The Root, which follows a teenager on the run from his past and finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical.
Hi, LaDarrion! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Yoooo, I am LaDarrion Williams, I’m from Helena, Alabama (yes, it’s real, and you will see it in the BATR book). I am a playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker, and I’m just really excited to finally be debuting as a Young Adult Fantasy Author!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Hmm. I wanna say two things. One, my mama had a huge collection of movies and watching movies like Boyz N ‘Da Hood, Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, Eve’s Bayou and all the other golden Black cinema. Secondly, I want to say Disney. And not just the famous Disney films, but also I grew up in the best era of Disney Channel. Sorry not sorry. Haha. I remember sitting down every Friday night and watch all the Disney Channel Original Movies. Thirteenth Year. Luck of the Irish, Smart House, etc. And I knew then, I wanted to be an actor and some sort of a writer.
But I didn’t take it seriously until I got detention in high school, and it was a choice to read a boring old newspaper or a book…and I chose the book. Little did I know, it was the play A Raisin in the Sun, and I read it cover to cover. That’s when I took up the “I want to be a writer seriously” and never looked back.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Oooh, I wanna say The Watsons Go to Birmingahm 1963 and Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Your debut novel, Blood at the Root, is out May 7th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Connection. Ancestry. Resilience. Southern. And Blackgical.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a lot of fun historical moments. Mythology and stories that we don’t get to see in books for real, and also tough conversations I think kids, especially young Black kids are having on a day to day basis.
Where did the inspiration for Blood at the Root come from?
A myriad of things. I think what really sparked it for me was Beyonce’s Black is King. It’s the song Find Your Way Back and I think it encapsulates everything I wanted to say with this BATR trilogy. Coupled that with not seeing enough representation of Black teen boys in Young Adult Fantasy. For me, personally, I kinda got tired of not seeing the Black boys having the fun epic adventures, the cool magical powers, and the love stories. I wanted to see more of that. I just noticed that books specifically didn’t have it and I became frustrated because we did have them, but Black boys were only subjugated to being killed or only dealing with police brutality. Yes, those stories are very important and needed, but we also have to showcase they don’t always have to deal with that. They too can be the heroes in their own stories.
Also, the late great Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” So that’s what I did.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I wanna say the grandmother character Mama Aya for this. Mama Aya is such a powerful character and she reminds me of my grandmother. I didn’t know her long before she passed, but I knew she had a thunderous voice. She was head and the tail of our family and we all used to sit at her feet to know the wisdom of God. So, I really enjoyed writing about Mama Aya.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Whew. Hard. Long. Bumpy. You know, Blood at the Root was supposed to be a television series. I pitched it. Made a short film. Even got a couple of meetings to some pretty powerful executives in Hollywood. But they slammed the door in my face.
I grew so frustrated I turned it into a book. But I was met with rejections from countless agents and publishers as well. I was met with hesitation because I wanted to go against the grain and not write about a Black boy character who was a drug dealer or dealing with constant racism or police brutality. No, I wanted to write about a Black boy who lives, who laughs, cry, be vulnerable, and be powerful. But eventually I signed with the best editor and publishers in the world, so! Here we are!
What’s next for you?
I’m adapting my stageplay Boulevard of Bold Dreams which is about Hattie McDaniel winning the Oscar into a feature film. And I’m hoping to get theeeee Da’Vine Joy Randolph to play Hattie McDaniel, J Alphonse Nicholson from P-Valley to play one of the lead roles, and also my best friend to play the feisty maid. That’s gonna be a big focus of mine after the book, of course!
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
Definitely Tomi’s last book Children of Anguish and Anarchy!
