Adrianne is a paranormal/fantasy author of over 15 novels.
When she isn’t writing, she’s busy with her kids on their homestead in the south.
Author Links:
All links: linktr.ee/adriannebrooks
Threads: @adrianne_brooks
Instagram: @adrianne_brooks
X: @AdrianneXBrooks
TikTok: @a_brookswriting
Bluesky: @adriannebrooks.bsky.social
You’re the author of 15 paranormal/fantasy books (and counting!), but we’re here to spotlight 2 – Riding Nerdy and Age of Defiance. Firstly, can you tell us what draws you to paranormal and fantasy, and why this has become your preferred set of genres to write in?
I read pretty much all genres, but I’ve always been drawn to the fantastical. I wrote my first short story when I was six or seven about a little girl who lost her baby sister in a fairy ring and went in to go find her only for neither to ever be seen again. I never really looked back after that.
Tell us about Age of Defiance. Did your own cultural/religious background play into the worldbuilding of this post-apocalyptic fantasy with angels and demons, and if so, how? If not directly, can you tell us about the inspiration and research that went into it?
My religious and cultural backgrounds influenced the worldbuilding in the sense that when I first wrote Age of Defiance back in 2012 it was a documentation of my own split from Christianity.
I’ve always been interested in various religions and have dabbled in theology and creation myths for most of my life.
I took recurring themes from these stories and built something from the pieces left behind.
Can you share your favourite quote or describe (briefly!) your favourite scene from Age of Defiance, and tell us why that’s your favourite, where that came from in terms of inspiration, and how readers have reacted/how you’d ideally like readers to react to it?
My favorite scene is toward the end when Defiance is facing down a zombie horde. I’ve always wanted an excuse to write something like that and the scene is a culmination of a lot of emotion and heartbreak in addition to just being really compelling to read.
My favorite quote from this book would have to be when the Archangel Uriel is speaking to Defiance about her sin of worshiping the devil. He says,
“If Hell awaits you, Defiance Gray, I pray you find it here, on earth, with me. Where I might still protect you from it. Where it might pass you by so quickly that the eternity you are left with is one of nothing but bliss.”
Can you tell us more about your character creation process – are you a world-first or character-first author, or something different? Can you use your FMC Defiance as an example, and tell us how she came to be fully developed?
I’m a bit of both. Usually, when a character comes to life in my mind, they’re existing in a moment or scene within their world.
From there, it’s up to me to sort of work backward and figure out – How did they get there? What sort of world is this and how did it affect them? who are they? what motivates them? where are they going from here? and so on.
Defiance came to me when I was listening to Castle by Halsey for the first time. I saw a girl painting death on God and watching him crumble into ashes at her feet as she danced and the story just unfolded from there.
Did you find yourself using the same process for your novel Riding Nerdy, and which character from this book was the most fun to create/develop? Who gave you the most trouble?
Yes, I use the same process for all of my books. And it would have to be a secondary character named Ape. He’s an aging werewolf biker zaddy, and I’m low-key obsessed with him.
The character that gave me the most trouble would have to be Edward’s mother. There’s an aspect of her characterization that’s very difficult for me to delve into, but I know that if I can go there, it will be a turning point in the whole series.
How much research did you do for biker gangs/what media did you consume for getting the right feel for the book?
For the crime aspect I actually just spoke to my older brother, lol. He robbed some banks/armored trucks and was kind enough to beta read my crime scenes.
In addition, the editor I chose was a woman who was a member of a biker club and had some experience with drag racing. She was kind enough to give me some invaluable advice about the inner workings of a club as well as bike and car specs for my chase scenes.
Can you share your favourite quote or describe (briefly!) your favourite scene from Riding Nerdy, and tell us why that’s your favourite, where that came from in terms of inspiration, and how readers have reacted/how you’d ideally like readers to react to it?
There are so many fun scenes in this book. There’s a part where the MMC is in the middle of naked fight club and turns his jingle jangle into a helicopter rotor, and I’ve seen people cry laughing over it. It’s my favorite because it’s such a great example of how the book blends genres, and I love the visceral reaction it evokes in readers.
Which books from your back catalogue should readers who liked AoD try next and what should they try after RN, in terms of similar character dynamics, settings, gods and monsters/angels and demons, or shared themes?
Right now, these are my only two books out. I’m currently revising my backlog so that I can republish them. Hopefully, AoD will appeal to the readers of RN and vice versa, especially since both books technically take place in the same world and feature some of the same characters.
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