The Weekly MAsh – Written Interview with J.D. Pierce

1. Let’s start big!
To Break A Curse has been described as ACOTAR meets Once Upon a Time with a Beauty & the Beast twist (and pirates 👀). What inspired you to mash all those delicious elements together into one romantasy?

• I actually didn’t start writing this with the intent to mash all of those things together! I was about ⅔ of the way done when I realized that my book was both similar to ACOTAR and Once Upon a Time and I ran with it in the marketing. And the pirates? Who doesn’t love pirates?

2. The Beast has a curse, the heroine wants freedom…
If YOU were cursed and had to break it, what trope would your own fairytale revolve around?

• If it were me, my trope would probably be childhood friends to lovers. 

3. Pirates!
We have to ask: what’s your favorite pirate-y thing in the book—ship battles, rum, sword fights, or dramatic “captain coat in the wind” moments?

• In this book, the pirates are grounded for the time being, but my favorite pirate-y thing that happens are the tavern/pub scenes. Callum (the pirate captain) is one of the funnest characters to write! And the entire reason I added a third POV to the book.

4. Captivity and freedom play a big role in this story.
If you were trapped in a magical castle, what three books would you absolutely need to survive until you escaped (or fell in love with your captor 😉)?

• That’s a difficult question. I would probably choose practicality over everything. So one on survival, one on medicinal remedies, and a guide to the local area. (I know! I’m boring haha.)

5. Romantasy readers live for the lore.
What’s one piece of fae lore or magic system detail in To Break A Curse that you’re especially proud of or excited for readers to discover?

• The piece of fae lore I’m really proud of is the different races of fae within the story. I took inspiration from real folklore and used that for the traditions and histories of each one. It’s not seen a lot in To Break A Curse due to the nature of the story, but it will play a bigger role in future books.

6. Time is ticking in this story…
What’s the most “deadline panic” moment you’ve had as an author while writing or publishing this book?

• As an indie author, I didn’t really have any deadline panic because I knew I could change the deadline if I absolutely needed to. But the closest thing to it was probably during the proofreading phase. I let a friend of mine do the final proofread and they waited until the very last minute to finish.

7. Beauty and the Beast is a classic retelling.
If you had to retell any other fairytale (Disney, Grimms, or otherwise) with a romantasy spin, which one would you pick and why?

• This is a bit of an ironic question because To Break A Curse is the first book in an episodic series of fairy tale retellings! I decided on 7 total. Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, The Ice Queen, Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty. (Just an FYI, this is a random order, not the one I intend for the series) Some of the retellings are based on the Grimm stories, others are Disney, and some are a mixture. As for why, I knew I was going to be writing a series and I thought it would be fun for each book to be a different fairy tale since each book took place in a different kingdom. (With a couple exceptions, books 1 & 2 and 4 & 5 are duologies). I chose the specific fairy tales above because they fit the best.

8. Writing pirates, fae, curses, and romance sounds like a wild ride.
What scene was the most fun to write, and which one tortured you the most before it made it to the page?

• I can’t think of a specific scene that was the most fun to write, but I can say that every scene I wrote with Callum, especially in the beginning, were some of my favorites. He is a really fun character to write! And I can’t wait to finally get into his head. As for the one that tortured me the most, without giving any spoilers, it was the one where Arabelle (the FMC) runs from Lucien (the MMC).

9. Every Weekly MAsh has to have a quirky round…

• Fae wings or pirate ship?

• Pirate ship (I’m a pirate girlie through and through)
  
  

• Enemies to lovers or friends to lovers?

• Friends to lovers.
  
  

• Cursed castle or enchanted forest?

• Cursed castle.
  
  

• Sword fight or banter fight?

• Oh no. This one is hard. Can I say both? Banter during a sword fight?
  
  

10. Finally—
What do you hope readers will feel, scream, or swoon over the most when they turn the last page of To Break A Curse?

• I hope readers feel a sense of satisfaction by the ending, that Lucien and Arabelle got their happy ending. My hope was for readers to swoon over Lucien, but the reality has been a little different! I’ve been told by a few that they really loved Elie and others said the same for Callum. I can’t say that I blame them. They became two of my favorite characters to write in the book.