Written Interview Questions for Brittany Severn

About the Books and Writing:

1. Your stories blend romance with unsettling mystery. How do you balance tension with emotional intimacy?

 I think tension actually makes intimacy stronger. When characters are scared or uncertain, they’re more honest with each other. In Ancora, the haunted forest helps create that pressure. In Maggie’s List, it’s grief and uncertainty about the future. When characters are forced into being vulnerable, that’s when emotional connections happen. ALSO… I just really like putting characters in stressful situations and then making them fall in love. That’s basically my brand at this point.

2. Both Ancora and Maggie’s List explore themes of safety, devotion, and love as refuge. What draws you to this kind of storytelling?

 I think a lot of people are walking around carrying invisible things – grief, anxiety, fear, loneliness. I’m definitely one of them. So I love writing stories where love feels like a safe place to land.
Not perfect love. Not fairy-tale perfection. But that feeling of someone seeing you at your worst and staying anyway.

3. How does your experience as an Army brat, moving often and adapting to new environments, influence your characters and their sense of home? 

Growing up as an Army brat means you move about every four years. You learn to adapt quickly, but you also get used to the feeling that home is temporary. So a lot of my characters are searching for belonging. Sometimes it’s a place, sometimes it’s a person. Home isn’t always a house. It’s the moment where you finally feel like you can exhale.

4. You describe writing as therapy and a way to process fear and grief. How does that shape your narrative style or character development? 

Writing as therapy means I usually start with emotions instead of plot. I’m not really trying to “solve” those emotions, but I explore them through the characters. Unfortunately for them, they’ll go through whatever I’M going through at the moment. I think that’s why a lot of my stories focus on healing in small moments. Kindness, connection, or realizing you’re stronger than you thought. Writing becomes a way to process those feelings while still giving characters a hopeful path forward.

5. Which character was the most challenging to write, and why?

 Ivy from Maggie’s List was probably the most challenging (the trio in Ancora was just FUN and so cathartic to write!). Ivy’s story revolves around losing her sister, and that kind of loss reshapes who she is. So… I’ve experienced losing a sibling as well. But in a different way – through estrangement rather than death. Yes, I tried to mend things. TWICE. Turns out the new wife was just out to get me and no matter what I did things just couldn’t be resolved. Fun! Anyway, when someone is still out there in the world but no longer part of your life, it creates this strange kind of grief. There isn’t the same closure people usually associate with loss, and sometimes you’re left with a lot of unanswered questions. So while my experience isn’t the same as Ivy’s, I totally understood that feeling of being haunted by someone who used to be part of your life.

6. Do you plot your books extensively, or do the mysteries unfold more organically as you write?

 I have never fully plotted a book in my entire life! Couldn’t do it if I wanted to. My brain doesn’t work that way. I typically know the big emotional moments and plot turns, but the characters tend to hijack the details. I think that’s one of the most fun things about writing, is letting the characters kind of take the wheel and just seeing where the story goes. There were so many moments like that in the Ancora trilogy. I thought things would go one way but the more I wrote, the more it became obvious that the characters wanted things to go another way. So they did. And I think it really made the trilogy what it ended up being. You have to have flexibility as a writer. Even if everything is plotted, let the characters guide you. It’s their story. You’re just along for the ride.

7. How do you build suspense without sacrificing emotional depth in your stories?

 I think suspense works best when readers care about the characters first. If the readers are emotionally invested, even small dangers can feel intense. So I focus on relationships and emotional stakes. The mystery or suspense becomes more powerful because readers don’t want anything bad to happen to these people.

8. Are there any real-life experiences or observations that inspired moments in your novels? 

Oh, absolutely. While I can’t see the dead like Pippa and I don’t dream the future like Felix in Ancora, I will admit that things are a little… psychic on my end. Also, like I stated earlier, I’ve lost a sibling not to death, but estrangement. So they’re alive, which is great, because you get all the grief with none of the closure. 10/10 would not recommend.

9. How do you approach writing slow-burn romance while keeping readers invested in the emotional tension?

 I LOVE slow burn because it’s the most realistic. Sure, there’s lust at first sight or that inkling that someone should be in your life. But for the most part, attraction might happen quickly, but trust takes time. I love writing those little moments that build that tension. Long conversations, lingering looks, small acts of care. Those moments make the eventual romance feel, for lack of a better word, earned. Plus, the payoff is so much better when readers have been waiting for it.

10. Are there particular authors or books that have influenced your style, especially your blend of romance and thriller elements?

 I’ll be honest, with all the trauma I’ve gone through, my memory is very bad. My brain just blocks out things left and right without my consent. Rude. I will say, Fourth Wing is the first Romantasy book I’ve ever read and I really enjoyed the balance between chaos, romance, and coming of age. I’m drawn to writers who create great atmosphere and strong character relationships.

Indie Author Experience & Creative Process:
11. As an indie author, what has been the most rewarding part of your journey? 

Hearing from readers! Anytime someone messages me and says how much they enjoyed a book or related to a character, it’s the best feeling in the world. Slide into my DMs, people.

12. Conversely, what’s been the most unexpected challenge in navigating the indie publishing world? 

Marketing. 100%. I am SO bad at it. I just want to write all day, what do you mean a large chunk of my time has to be making TikToks and figuring out algorithms?

13. How do you balance the creative side of writing with the business aspects of being an indie author? 

Um, poorly. Some days I do it well and some days I absolutely do not. I try to separate writing time from marketing time and treat them as two different jobs, basically.

14. Can you walk us through a typical writing day or routine?

 It’s a lot of procrastination followed by me finally sitting at my desk, loading up some music and re-reading the previous chapter or paragraph I’ve written. Once I start, I’m fine and the words tend to flow. It’s the actual sitting down and pulling up the document that takes a long time. Stephen King nailed it: The scariest moment is always just before you start.

15. Do you have rituals or practices that help you get into “writing mode” for emotionally intense scenes? 

Unfortunately, no. It’s just me trying to hype myself up. But sometimes I like to check out some writers’ blogs for inspiration. They’ll have tips or lists or excerpts from novels and it’s enough to get those gears going.

 16. How do you handle feedback or critique, especially when writing emotionally raw material? 

Feedback can be scary because writing is so personal. But feedback can also make the story stronger. I try to listen carefully and decide what actually helps the story grow.

 17. What advice would you give to aspiring indie authors about building and maintaining a readership? 

Finish that book! Have some faith in your subconscious! I know it’s obvious, but it’s also the hardest part. Also, find your readers who will hype you up and help spread the word. A book is a little like a kid - it takes a village.

Personal Insights & Themes:
18. You write about healing happening in moments, not all at once. How does that philosophy influence your storytelling?

 Healing is not some big, dramatic moment where everything suddenly becomes okay. It’s small. It’s quiet moments. Conversations. Choices. I try to show that process in my characters.

19. If your books are both unsettling and comforting, what do you hope readers feel most strongly when they finish?

 Hope. Even when things get dark or painful, I want readers to feel like there’s still light somewhere and something, somewhere, to look forward to.

20. How do you approach creating safe, emotionally resonant romance in high-stakes or dark situations? 

The key is trust. And communication. The miscommunication trope is a downer for me. You gotta talk to each other! When everything around the characters feels uncertain, the relationship itself needs to be stable and supportive. That can make the romance stronger.

Rapid-Fire Questions:
21. Coffee, tea, or something else while writing? Water or White Claws!
22. Favorite place to write or brainstorm? My office. I like to stare out the window (there’s a forest, my own kind of Ancora) and daydream away. If I’m really blocked though my best piece of advice is to eavesdrop. Go to a store, a park, a restaurant, and listen to some conversations. It can help give you ideas for how dialogue should flow, people act, etc.. Plus it’s fun. I love to eavesdrop and I’m not sorry.
23. One book you wish you had written? So, not a book, but the Yellowstone prequel 1883 was OMG *chef’s kiss*. The dialogue, the characters. And Elsa’s voiceovers are absolute perfection.
24. Character you relate to the most in your own novels? I think that’d be Mr. Felix Murdock in the Ancora trilogy. A little morbid fascination with death. Caring. Protective. Not afraid to threaten someone’s life.
25. When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to unwind or find inspiration? I love to garden. And paint. Both are a form of meditation to me and I can just shut my brain off and weed a garden bed or blend some colors together. Sometimes your drink gets a bug or paint in it, but, hey, that’s life, I guess.