Author Interview – Willow B. Dawes

1. For readers discovering you for the first time, can you introduce yourself and tell us about your journey into becoming an author?

Absolutely! I have been writing ever since I could hold a pen and even got an award in 3rd grade for my creativity. However, life pulled me in a different direction and when I was 16 I started working with a media company in Chico, Ca, where I trained in acting and modeling, which led me to becoming the co-host of a local talk show on Fox. I wrote and researched my own topics and even got to work a few red carpets (*cough, cough* Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2) and after a few years of working in the entertainment industry I wanted to go back to school, but had no idea what to study. I started with creative writing, anthropology, and psychology, but ended up in beauty school, studying to become an Esthetician. I opened a small spa during Covid, which as you can imagine didn't go well and after redesigning my shop I was inspired to go to school for interior design & Architecture. I studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco for almost 2 and a half years and loved every second of it, but then I was assigned a final in one of my classes that required us to create a book plot and a plan to publish a book. At the time I had no idea for a book, but the passion for writing had bloomed within me once again and after a month of dreaming of stories an idea for a massive world came to life in my head. Pandora’s story is the first of many to come.

2. Your novel Pawning Pandora draws from Greek mythology. What inspired you to tell Pandora’s story from this perspective?

It occurred to me that in most ancient myths, women were written as the villain or blamed for the misfortunes of men. I wondered what Pandora’s story would be like if it weren't written from the perspective of a man and focused on her life before receiving and opening the cursed box, which may have never even been a box at all.

3. Many readers are familiar with the traditional Pandora myth. How does your version reimagine or expand on that story?

In nearly every story I found of Pandora, she was made out to be evil or mindless by the time she came around to opening the box. I wanted to create a story where she started off as a mindless puppet that the gods created for their own personal gain, but she ended up becoming a force even they couldn't imagine. 

4. One thing readers mention about your book is the focus on minor mythological characters rather than the Olympians. What inspired that creative choice?

Background characters have always been fascinating to me and when I decided to tell Pandora’s story I wanted to make it a point to tell the other unheard stories around her, rather than recreate the ones we all know and love. Don't get me wrong I love a Hades and Persephone retelling as much as the next person, but I couldn't stop thinking about how many beautiful, heart wrenching stories had yet to be told. The more I researched Greek mythology and Ancient Greek terminology, the more fascinated I became with how common their names are used in our everyday life, yet we don't know the myth the term was based off of. The more I discovered the more excited I was to make them the center point of the story. 

5. What was the most exciting part of building your mythological world?

Oh my goodness, literally everything! My favorite part was probably the architecture and setting since I had just come out of school studying the art and architecture of the ancient world. 

6. Pandora’s journey seems deeply connected to themes of female resilience and reclaiming identity. What drew you to exploring that arc?

Female Resilience to me is the everyday superpower that society was taught to ignore. At one time the resilience of women was admired and even worshipped and throughout history our strengths were translated into weaknesses. When I was writing about the first female woman created as a weapon for the gods I knew without doubt it was necessary to take her from the puppet being pulled blindly through her life, to the master commanding it. I wanted to take everything that she had once viewed as human flaws or weaknesses in comparison to the grandness around her only to discover humanity and her feminine resilience were her power all along. 

7. In Pawning Pandora, Pandora begins with limited agency but grows into her own strength. Why was that character progression important for you to tell?

This was super important to me because I wanted to keep some of the original myths of her naive complacency in the beginning of her story in order to later show her the consequences of such actions in a way that was impossible for her to ignore.

8. Were there particular moments in the story that were especially emotional or meaningful for you to write?

One moment that was particularly meaningful for me to write was the moment when Pandora needs to announce her title when entering her engagement celebration. At first she is at a loss before finally acknowledging for the first time what makes her different from the Olympians and where her true power lies.

9. How closely did you follow traditional Greek mythology versus creating your own interpretations?

I would say I followed it pretty closely, but I definitely put my own spin on it and considering the majority of my characters never had their stories expanded on, it was fairly simple for me to keep my own creative twist on the entire world.

10. What kind of research did you do while writing this story?

So, so much. I am a fan of taking long deep dives down rabbit holes and getting lost in the connections or similarities of everything. The funny thing is Pawning Pandora was actually the second series in this universe that I started writing and I have a fun Sci-Fi fantasy in the works that ties in heavily to this story line. So I definitely had a lot of late nights listening to Neil De Grassi Tyson, but I also pulled a lot of my Grandmas old mythology and mysteries of the world books that helped spark my imagination before having to go to google to do the research deep dives into the many different stories told throughout Greek mythology. As I researched Pandora and the bread crumbs of her story throughout the myths, I noticed how many similarities mythologies and religions had to one another. This became important because it made me look at the smaller details of the stories, but also the overarching message each of them held.

11. Growing up loving books and later working in entertainment, interior design, and architecture is such a unique path. How have those experiences influenced your storytelling?

Far more than I could have ever imagined. I use things I learned during each of those times in my life everyday in my writing. Interior design and architecture have helped massively with setting the scene and the unique environments. The entertainment past has helped more in the confidence to pitch my book and the amount of people I met, who had such vast character types and stories that have definitely given me inspiration as far as character traits and the stories that shaped their lives.

12. When you first began writing the story that became Pawning Pandora, did you already know it would expand beyond one book?

Absolutely! Pandora’s story wasn't even the first book I wrote in this universe. It just needed to be released first for things to play out the way I envisioned them. I knew I would do a Trilogy for Pandora’s story, but I also wanted to make sure it was laying the building blocks for something far larger.

13. What can readers expect from Pandora’s growth as the story continues beyond book one?

Readers can expect to see Pandora finally taking control of her life. Writing her character arc for book 2 was so fun because she is done being the pawn in the gods games and she will finally have the chance to break free from the ideals placed upon her by the Olympians. 

14. What was the most challenging part of writing a myth-inspired fantasy?

The most challenging part for me was staying true to the classical versions, while making it my own. I did a lot of fact checking and I found that over the years many of the myths were mistranslated or changed to fit the societal norms of that time period. Because of this I preferred to use the older versions of the myths for my inspiration and research.

15. Do you have a favorite character in the story besides Pandora?

Oh my goodness that is a hard one! Probably Hermes, just because I love writing his character and although he didn't get a lot of page time in Pawning Pandora, I plan on including him more as the story line grows. I just love his humor and attitude towards the High Olympians. I also feel like the abilities Hermes has are so interesting and I can't wait to play around with them more as the story goes on.

16. If readers take one message or feeling away from Pawning Pandora, what do you hope it is?

I hope readers come out of Pawning Pandora with an understanding of the power humanity and the love we have for others can hold. In this specific story, Pandora needs to learn to love herself and in part her humanity. She realizes her humanity makes her special, she may not have the speed, strength, or divine powers, but she has everything she had ever needed to set herself free, she just needed to be brave enough to chase it. We all look at superheroes and gods as something more, something we could never match, but our humanity is our power. The real heroes are the ones fighting with their heart and soul for what they believe in and those who can't fight for themselves. So to put it simply I hope Pawning Pandora helps readers find the strength in their own femininity and humanity because to me those are the greatest unsung powers to ever touch our planet. 

17. The audiobook for Pawning Pandora is releasing soon. How does it feel to hear your story brought to life by narrators Anthony Palmini and Stella Bloom?

Oh my goodness, I am literally over the moon!!! I have to pinch myself everytime I think about it because they were my dream audio casting for Pandora and Epimetheus. I spent hours and hours going through voices that I could imagine as my characters and Stella and Anthony were the two that I could instantly see bringing Pawning Pandora to life. I am so excited to listen to the final product and even more excited for all of you to hear it.

18. Did you have any involvement in the audiobook process or casting?

I was extremely involved. I actually got in contact with Stella first, who set me up with an audiobook production company called BlueNose that she liked to work with. Once I started working with BlueNose Audio for the production, they were able to get everything like schedule and duet narrating timelines set up as well as get Anthony on board. Pawning Pandora is currently being recorded and I am so excited to announce that the audiobook will be available in early May.

19. Audiobooks can bring a new dimension to stories. What are you most excited for listeners to experience?

I am so excited for the characters to be brought to life in a way that more people can experience their story. I have a lot of friends and family who would love to be readers, but they just can't stay awake when they read words on a page, but they LOVE audiobooks. I can't wait for my readers to hear their favorite characters and scenes brought to life, but I am most excited for the amount of listeners I will be able to introduce to my story that I may have been unable to share it with before. 

20. What does your typical writing routine look like?

Oh goodness, I think it's an equal combination of organization and chaos. In the beginning I start jotting ideas on sticky notes (trying to color code them for setting character, plot, etc.) and voice memos. Once I get a ridiculous number of those piled up, I start organizing them on my outline/ story boards and I lay my chapters out by putting the sticky notes on my closet doors, with enough spacing to add scenes and extra chapters. Once that gets a little overwhelming I take everything and transfer it into Scrivener to start organizing everything and get my rough outline done. Then I go into my deep outline, which I just started doing on book 2 since before I was a pantser and wrote as I went through the story, but now I know I am a plotter for life. Once it is all in Scrivener and I have my outline done, I move into drafting and get the whole story down. After a couple rounds of this I send my manuscript off into edits. My must have on my day to day writing is a cold drink, preferably coffee, and a clean desk. If my desk is cluttered my mind is cluttered, so I like to start every writing session by wiping down my desk or laptop if I am working on the go. 

21. When you’re building a fantasy story, do you start with the characters, the world, or the central theme?

Most of the time it is the central theme and a bit of the world because in my mind I imagine those simultaneously. The characters come in a bit later, but I often get an overwhelming idea for the theme and immediately get thrown into imagining the world that theme exists in and as I navigate it and try to understand it the characters start to appear. 

22. What authors or books have influenced your writing the most?

So many, but my top three would be L. J. Smith, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Sarah J. Mass. Although I must say L.J. Smith was the author that captured me most as a young reader. It started with Vampire Diaries and then I dove into one of the paranormal romances that stuck with me most, Strange Fates.

23. What advice would you give to aspiring fantasy writers?

Don't over think it. I spent so long imagining stories and never sitting down to write them and now whenever I overthink what I am writing to the point it gives me writer's block I just remind myself of one quote that quite literally changed my life as a writer. Shannon Hale explained writing the first draft as shoveling sand into a box so that you can build castles later and that is more true than you would ever imagine. You can plan your story as much as you want, but until you actually start writing you have nothing to mold. 

24. What has been the most rewarding moment of your author journey so far?

Meeting all the readers. I have never experienced so much love in my entire life. I have worked in many different fields and I have never experienced the amount of love and support I have since becoming a writer. When I thought about writing in the beginning, I worried about the competitive environment, thinking it would be like the entertainment industry, but I couldn't have been further from the truth. Every single person in this community from the writers and editors all the way to the readers have pulled me in with open arms and not only accepted me, but uplifted me. I will never be more grateful for taking the chance on my story and following through with filling my sandbox to build my castles and if anyone out there is even questioning a story blooming in your head, don't wait for the story to be complete, start filling your sandbox.

25. Where can readers connect with you and keep up with your books and future projects?

I am on Instagram, TikTok, and Threads under @willowbdawes and I have lots of exciting announcements coming soon! My website is also available if social media is not your cup of tea, which is willowbdawes.com.

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Rapid Fire Fun 🔥

26. Coffee or tea while writing? Coffee
27. Morning writer or night writer? Both, but mornings only with an iced coffee in hand.
28. Favorite Greek myth? Hades & Persephone
29. Favorite mythological creature? Siren
30. Paperback, ebook, or audiobook? Paperback because I need something for my trophy shelf.
31. One word to describe Pawning Pandora? Mystical
32. Favorite writing snack? Limon Flaming Hot Cheetos or Apple Slices
33. Favorite place to read? On the river, when I go gold mining.
34. If you could meet one figure from Greek mythology, who would it be? The one that comes to mind is one I am keeping the identity hidden for now, but they will be introduced in book 2. My runner up would probably be 
35. One thing readers might be surprised to learn about you? When I was a kid I wanted to be a tornado chaser and growing up, outside of Pirates of the Caribbean, my favorite movie was Twister. 

 

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