Episode 380: World Building and the Fantasy YA Serial – Interview with Stephanie BwaBwa

by Gabriela Pereira
published in Podcast

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie BwaBwa.

Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.

In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss:

  • How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe.
  • Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns.
  • Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Stephanie BwaBwa

Stephanie BwaBwa is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive power that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

Stephanie has authored the The Seraphim Resistance Prequels, and The Transcendents serial, and is an avid reader of fantasy and fiction. 

Jesus is her Lord, Disney+ is her safe place, she dreams of being a monkey mama and she’s always penning a new story in Elledelle. 

You can usually catch her going for a walk through a park, or simply binging Disney+ with too many snacks.

You can find Stephanie on her website or follow her on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, and Reedsy.

Stepanie BwaBwa

The Crescent and the Ash Queen

A deadly assassin seeking freedom. A manipulative queen seeking power. A depraved court hanging in the balance.

Zavala Nightingale is a deadly assassin with a slick mouth, and devastating magic. Even though she’s the most feared Crescent in the Bones Court, she still wants out.

Zavala has one more job to finish, then she’ll collect her coin and leave…

But the Ash Queen has other plans for her.

When the Ash Queen declares Zavala as her heir and the next Crescent Queen, Zavala will be faced with one of two choices:

Accept and be a Crescent for life, or deny the Ash Queen, drawing the wrath of every assassin alive.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 380

(Right-click to download.)

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Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

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