Author Feature: Apple Brooklyn
Looking for something new to read and short on money? You're in the right place, where I'll be featuring writers and their (free!) work! This month meet Apple Brooklyn, author of The Great Escape.
Year 1885 “Magic is not good or bad. Its wielder is.” Paranoid and frightened, Ada finds herself cornered as she is left among cruel strangers. Bearing the scars of her past on her charred skin and tortured mind, she struggles with hiding who she is, while fending off for herself as a string of deaths ties itself to the Monroe Mansion like a noose around a neck. Amidst these hopeless times, kindness is finally bestowed upon her. But for how long will these fleeting moments of solace postpone the impending disaster?
Meet Apple Brooklyn and read an excerpt of The Great Escape below!
Tell me a little bit about your writing journey. How long have you been writing, and how did you get started?
"I have been writing for a long time. Can’t remember exactly when I started writing but yes, my parents, especially my father, had been one of the major reason I started. It was mainly small poems in my native language at the beginning and I was encouraged enough by my teachers to write more. Then I slowly started translating them in English for fun. Wasn’t until some years ago I actually started thinking of posting them somewhere other than showing my friend the novellas I wrote in some worn out diaries."
Why fantasy specifically? Is it something you write often, or is this your first venture into the genre?
"I used to write mystery/thriller or a bit of horror previously. So yes, this is my first venture into this genre. As to answer why this genre specifically- it was because I wanted toy with some ideas I had when first thought of the core idea of the story. Fantasy is a wide range and it gives so much space to entertain several ideas simultaneously."
What are your goals for your writing?
"That’s a tricky one. I don’t believe I have any goals- except getting better at writing. I don’t expect much and this is a very dear hobby of mine, so improvising at it will give me satisfaction."
What inspired the book?
"Bebe Rexha’s “You can’t stop the girl” from the movie “Maleficent”. It’s ironical that I am yet to watch the movie but the song inspired the basic idea of the story."
Who is your favorite character in the book and why? Tell me a little about them.
"My favorite character? Um, it’s a tough question. I guess it will be a tie between Ada and Lady Kiara but Marquess Edith is the second runner up sweats and laughs. The three of them are completely different people with different backgrounds and have little to nothing in common if you look at it. I won’t know which one to point out but I will go for Ada Blak, maybe because I relate a bit more to her.
Ada is a witch in hiding, working as a maid in the Count’s mansion. She is constantly on edge, fearing someone would find out that she is a witch. Rooting from her disfigured face, various rumors and theories revolve around her among the working class of the mansion so no one really gets close to her except some few. Traumatized yet willing to hope for a better life, she is subdued in the beginning of the book, only reacting to the things thrown her way. As the storyline evolves, she slowly sheds away her passiveness, much courtesy of Lady Kiara, realizing that letting her paranoia hold her back will do nothing good to her or her loved ones. Ada is a careful character, with enough strength and ferocity she is yet to explore."
Historical fantasy is one of the less common subgenres. What made you choose to tackle it, and what were the challenges of it?
"Historical settings has always attracted me. And for the story that I wanted to write, historical setting seemed to provide the best atmosphere.
Talking about challenges, I wouldn’t call them challenges but yes, most of the time I have to research something about the medieval era. It’s a small things which won’t require more then ten minutes to look up but suddenly, an hour has passed and hundred and ten tabs are opened- none of them related to the thing I wanted to look up. I won’t say it’s the genres fault, but the genre has amplified the amount of things I need to search."
Do you have anything else you’d like to say to the readers?
"(Don’t mind me, I am a very awkward person) Thank you very much who read me rant up until this point lol. I am a very uninteresting person who rarely know what to say and shies away from social interaction as much as possible. I have much to say but I do not possess the ability and guts to write or speak that as it is, so I find my way of expression in prose and poetry. Given that, my prose is not proper as I am still learning to weave my thoughts into words but I am, very steadily, making a progress and I really hope anyone who reads my book is able to see that. I also want to express my gratitude to my readers, ghost or vocal, who have been my constant driving force, pushing me towards evolving into a better writer, and have been a part of my writing journey. I hope we bond over this story or anything else that we might have in common. I might be awkward but I don’t bite and I have been told that I am a great listener.
Lastly, I would like to thank Lacy for this interview. It was a pleasure to be able to do this. Thank you so much for providing me this opportunity❤️"
Ada clenched the handle of the bucket in her hand, took in a sharp breath, closed her eyes. It was silence. Deafening silence. And then she heard it. Breathing. Soft breathing. And there it was. A sound which alerted her. Hisses. Soft, inaudible hisses. Blood. Strong stench of fresh blood. Whirling in the air. Covert. Deadly. Her eyes shot open. Breath shortened. Heart thumped. Her free hand shot up to take a hold of Misty’s arm and pulled her back, almost throwing her across the width of the hallway. She could hear Misty questioning her from behind as Ada slammed open the door of the Lady Kiara’s room, rushing inside. But none of that mattered. Danger. Danger. Danger! Danger was all she could think about. Ada rushed inside and then, fumbled right away as she stepped onto the shadowy tendrils of the creature. A creature. Blood hued eyes. Foreboding presence. A cadence of warning in it’s hisses. A lilt of death in it’s eyes. Ada’s breath labored. Death. Death. Death. Read The Great Escape for free, and follow and support Apple Brooklyn on Wattpad!
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