For today's A-spec April interview, I have the pleasure for hosting D.N. Bryn, author of Our Bloody Pearl! Our Bloody Pearl is a fantasy novel about hypnotic sirens, ruthless pirates, murder, and love. This book has so many diverse identities and the author is joining us to talk about the asexual representation of one of the novel's main characters!
You can read more about Our Bloody Pearl on Goodreads
You can read more about Our Bloody Pearl on Goodreads
D.N. Bryn began writing in middle school and has yet to stop, constantly bringing their love for animals, science, and mythology into their speculative fiction writing.
They are passionate about creating inclusive worlds where a diverse array of characters can go on grand adventures without being hindered by social misconceptions based on their appearance, sexuality, or gender.
They are passionate about creating inclusive worlds where a diverse array of characters can go on grand adventures without being hindered by social misconceptions based on their appearance, sexuality, or gender.
1. Thank you so much for joining me for A-spec April! Can you tell us a little bit about the asexual representation in your book, Our Bloody Pearl?
The love interest in Our Bloody Pearl is asexual. His name is Dejean, and he’s a freckly pirate with a far softer heart than he realizes.
2. At what point in the planning and writing of Our Bloody Pearl did you realize you were going to write an asexual character? What influenced this decision?
I can’t quite remember when it happened, but I was definitely at least a few chapters into writing the rough draft when I suddenly realized that Dejean was asexual. There was no real decision making process there; that was just his sexuality, and I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to.
The love interest in Our Bloody Pearl is asexual. His name is Dejean, and he’s a freckly pirate with a far softer heart than he realizes.
2. At what point in the planning and writing of Our Bloody Pearl did you realize you were going to write an asexual character? What influenced this decision?
I can’t quite remember when it happened, but I was definitely at least a few chapters into writing the rough draft when I suddenly realized that Dejean was asexual. There was no real decision making process there; that was just his sexuality, and I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to.
3. What did you find most challenging and most rewarding about writing an asexual character?
Writing Dejean in particular was challenging because he had suffered physical and sexual abuse in his backstory, and I wanted to be clear that his sexual orientation was very much a part of him prior to that and not in any way ‘caused’ by that abuse. It’s been so rewarding getting to celebrate Dejean’s asexuality with other a-spec people.
4. How did you identify the orientation of your character on the page? Did you use the term “asexual” in the text and how did you come to that decision?
I did not use the term asexual, primarily because there weren’t any other terms for gender or sexuality introduced (despite the cast contained bisexual, nonbinary, and transgender individuals) and it felt odd to me to only have one modern label included. Instead, I chose to have Dejean describe his feelings toward sexual attraction in his dialogue.
5. In writing an asexual character, did you do research and consult sensitivity readers or did you rely on your own knowledge or experience?
Since I’m gray-aromatic demi-asexual myself, I didn’t feel the need to do much research, but I always have a diverse mix of beta readers to double check me in all areas because I recognize that my experiences don’t always align with those of others, even in the groups I identify with.
6. Did the amount of diversity and lesser-represented identities that you included in your novel influence your decision to self-publish?
Definitely. Our Bloody Pearl features both a very diverse cast and a few gender and sexuality related discussions, which can still be a hard thing to market as a debut novel within the fantasy genre, especially when it’s placed on top of a disability-centered plot-line.
7. What was your first experience with seeing asexual or aromantic characters in fiction and media?
I hadn’t actually experienced any canon asexual or aromantic characters in fiction prior to publishing Our Bloody Pearl, sadly. I think the closest thing I stumbled across were the Hunters of Artemis in the Percy Jackson books, and Sherlock from the BBC Sherlock series.
Writing Dejean in particular was challenging because he had suffered physical and sexual abuse in his backstory, and I wanted to be clear that his sexual orientation was very much a part of him prior to that and not in any way ‘caused’ by that abuse. It’s been so rewarding getting to celebrate Dejean’s asexuality with other a-spec people.
4. How did you identify the orientation of your character on the page? Did you use the term “asexual” in the text and how did you come to that decision?
I did not use the term asexual, primarily because there weren’t any other terms for gender or sexuality introduced (despite the cast contained bisexual, nonbinary, and transgender individuals) and it felt odd to me to only have one modern label included. Instead, I chose to have Dejean describe his feelings toward sexual attraction in his dialogue.
5. In writing an asexual character, did you do research and consult sensitivity readers or did you rely on your own knowledge or experience?
Since I’m gray-aromatic demi-asexual myself, I didn’t feel the need to do much research, but I always have a diverse mix of beta readers to double check me in all areas because I recognize that my experiences don’t always align with those of others, even in the groups I identify with.
6. Did the amount of diversity and lesser-represented identities that you included in your novel influence your decision to self-publish?
Definitely. Our Bloody Pearl features both a very diverse cast and a few gender and sexuality related discussions, which can still be a hard thing to market as a debut novel within the fantasy genre, especially when it’s placed on top of a disability-centered plot-line.
7. What was your first experience with seeing asexual or aromantic characters in fiction and media?
I hadn’t actually experienced any canon asexual or aromantic characters in fiction prior to publishing Our Bloody Pearl, sadly. I think the closest thing I stumbled across were the Hunters of Artemis in the Percy Jackson books, and Sherlock from the BBC Sherlock series.
8. What is your favorite book (or books) with asexual or aromantic characters? I love how the asexual lead in Every Heart A Doorway is very clearly asexual but isn’t denied the goal of a deep, possibly even romantic relationship with someone who is implied understands and accepts her desire. A Lady’s Guide to Piracy and Petticoats dives a lot into the aro ace lead’s discovery of her sexuality, and I related to that journey immensely. |
9. Do you know what you are going to be working on next and do you think we see more a-spec characters in your future stories?
Absolutely! The main character’s brother from Iron From Fire is asexual and aromantic, one of the point of view characters in Quasi Stellar is demi-asexual, and there will certainly be more canon a-spec character in the stories which come after those.
Absolutely! The main character’s brother from Iron From Fire is asexual and aromantic, one of the point of view characters in Quasi Stellar is demi-asexual, and there will certainly be more canon a-spec character in the stories which come after those.
Thank you so much to D.N. Bryn for joining me! You should definitely check out Our Bloody Pearl if you're looking for a super diverse fantasy with rep for non-binary, asexual, and disabled characters (and more!). This book has it all.
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