Heart of the Curiosity - Author Interview

This is part of my contribution to the Heart of the Curiosity blog tour, which took place earlier this month. I featured its blurb and author at this article here so click that for information on the book itself. This right here is an interview with the author that focuses on the setting of the story, the titular theater, The Curiosity.

What inspired the setting of this story?

I started out just interested in the idea of professional audience members, which led me to the idea of writing a story about show business folk, and I like contained settings, so I chose a theater. Once I knew I was going to write a story about a theater I also knew that I wanted it to be a treasure hunt and have Steampunk elements … it kind of just wrote itself from there. 

How did you design the theater? Did you have to draw it out?

I didn’t really design it so much as if the story took the characters somewhere, I went there with them. I had a few things that NEEDED to be in the theater for either plot reasons (certain tunnels/passages that went certain places) or because it wouldn’t make sense for a theater NOT to have them (a stage, a lobby, a ticket booth).

It wasn’t really necessary to draw it out.  The whole idea of the theater is that it is an impossible to fathom maze of passages and rooms that my main character finds a little confusing. If she didn’t know how it was laid out exactly it wouldn’t make sense for me to either. Also, I only ever bother to figure out parts of my world building that readers will actually experience/interact with, and there was a lot of the theater that simply didn’t matter from that perspective.  

How did you come up with the obstacles?

I honestly can’t remember. There was probably caffeine involved. Maybe some wine. 

To an extent each obstacle is supposed to represent an aspect of the theater (storytelling and invention, dance, lighting), but I also kept in mind what I needed my characters to feel in that moment, so there’s a mix of traps with high tension and a dire consequence if you don’t figure it quickly and more cerebral puzzles that force the characters to slow down and calmly think through something together--and maybe have a chance to talk when they aren’t in a panic. 

Tell us about the cafe. Did you base it on a certain cafe in real life?

No. I’ve been to multiple bakeries, and just kind of picked things I like about bakeries/cafes in general. It’s kind of a wish fulfillment bakery that always has something new and lots of coffee and baked goods. 

How did you come up with the desserts?

I googled “bakery display case,” pulled up images, picked the prettiest, most whimsical looking displays and described some of the things I saw inside them. (Writing is a lot less glamorous when you know how the sausage is made, huh?) The flavor combinations were a mix of wish fulfillment (who doesn’t want to know what sunshine tastes like?) and things I’ve read about in descriptions of wines that seem odd to think of as flavors but which do often come up and weirdly taste good (smoky, leathery, oaky).



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Brian Wilkerson is a independent novelist, freelance book reviewer, and writing advice blogger. He studied at the University of Minnesota and came away with bachelor degrees in English Literature and History (Classical Mediterranean Period concentration).

His fantasy series, Journey to Chaos, is currently available on Amazon as an ebook or paperback