Kalynn Bayron talks about her love of horror and the need for inclusivity

American author Kalynn Bayron has found herself one of the most high-profile writers of YA fiction in the world. The classically trained singer and fan of scary movies reinvented the story of a classic children’s tale, following in the vein of the musical “Wicked”, with her 2020 breakthrough Cinderella is Dead (Bloomsbury), which reinvents the story, casting a young gay woman of colour as its protagonist. This has delighted thousands of readers but attracted the ire of right-wing America, where the title was one of the LGBTQ+ books subject to the so-called “book ban” in Texas. This summer she returns with her latest book, This Wicked Fate (Bloomsbury YA), the follow-up to last year’s fantasy tale This Poison Heart (Bloomsbury), which embraces the author’s love of horror more than ever before. 

Can you tell us a bit more about This Wicked Fate? 

This Wicked Fate picks up right where we left off in book one. We’ll follow [heroine] Briseis as she navigates the grief of losing Mom and the complicated feelings she has as people from her past come back into her life. We’ll also meet a host of new and interesting characters as Briseis and her companions search for the missing pieces of the Absyrtus Heart. It’s a hero’s quest and asks the question—how far are you willing to go for the people you love most? 

Do you feel a huge amount of pressure after so much success, and how do you deal with that? 

I do feel like the success of my first novel is a hard thing to chase but I try to focus on whatever is coming next. I have so many stories I want to tell! As long as readers are finding my work, I’m happy. I can’t control anything except the words, so I try very hard to focus on that. 

You’ve frequently expressed your love of scary movies and This Wicked Fate has influences of Jordan Peele’s work. Can you explain what the appeal of horror is for you?  

I love horror. Whether it’s film or literature, I’m drawn to stories of the strange and unusual. For me, the appeal stems from horror’s ability to allow us to grapple with wider societal issues in a way that often feels cathartic. This Poison Heart and This Wicked Fate both have horror elements and they both deal with generational trauma, grief, queer-normative environments and police abolition.  

Most of us couldn’t imagine kids’ books having Black or queer main characters when we were growing up, let alone Black queer main characters. How does it feel to be giving that to the world and the responsibility that you are changing young lives? 

Creating these stories and getting them into the hands of readers is the honour of my life. There is not a day that goes by that I am not immeasurably grateful for the opportunity to make young readers feel seen and heard.

Cinderella is Dead is one of the books subject to the book ban in Texas. How has that been to see unfold? How has it been to see so many students defending your work? 

It’s disheartening that people who are led by bigotry and ignorance are creating these issues. Inclusive children’s literature in the classroom helps foster feelings of empathy and compassion. I’m incredibly proud of the readers who have taken a stand and who continue to advocate for books like mine. 

What would you say to any parents who are concerned about seeing queer characters in books for young people? 

I would say that their concerns do not, under any circumstances, outweigh the need for queer kids and families to see themselves represented in books like mine. I would encourage them to confront their own biases and to consider how their words and actions actively harm LGBTQ+ children and families.

Cinderella is Dead is your breakthrough book. What do you think it is about this story which makes its appeal so enduring and the one fairytale that we constantly come back to? 

Cinderella is such a well-known story. I think readers enjoy the familiar beats of fairytale and that’s why we return to them again and again. I saw an opportunity to make the tale more accessible to readers who have never had a chance to see a Cinderella retelling where their identities were represented. Cinderella has been retold so many times, and still we’re lacking in queer characters, in BIPOC characters. I feel very fortunate that my story is in conversation with these other retellings. It offers readers a new take on a classic story as well as a chance to see themselves.  

Do you have a writing routine? Do you write every day? 

I used to have a routine but Covid put an end to that! I have had to learn to adapt. I write when I can and sometimes that means writing on my phone while I’m waiting to pick up my kids from school or late at night after everyone has gone to bed.  

Who were the women that inspired you when you were growing up? 

There are so many. My Auntie Ro and my Grandma Sadie were huge influences on me. I’m someone who, having had a strained relationship with my own mother, picked up mother-figures along the way, women who had my best interests at heart and who allowed me to recognise my full potential. I’m grateful to those women and I continue to try and honour them through my work.  

The publishing industry is still very white and middle-class. What would your advice be for a young, Black, LGBTQ+ person who wanted to write? 

Publishing is tough and made even more so by systems that often push us to the margins. However, I think we are actively grappling with this legacy of exclusion. There is a lot of work to do but I would say that if you’re willing to jump in, do it with both feet. Write the story you want to tell and take all publishing advice with a grain of salt.