Tea and Tales Podcast
Bianca Marais
![[object Object]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ee0eb5_bbfc80f16c804623bfaa80f1c68ce8ad~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_315,h_309,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.jpeg)
Bianca Marais cohosts the popular podcast The Shit No One Tells You About Writing, which is aimed at helping emerging writers get published. She teaches creative writing through the podcast and was named a winner of the Excellence in Teaching Award for Creative Writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. She lives in Toronto, where she loves playing escape-room games and writing about strong female protagonists.
1. What genre(s) do you write?
The better question would be what genres don’t I write? LOL. I’ve written historical fiction, book club fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction and mysteries! So far.Watch this space!
2. Do you have a newly released novel? What is the title and a link to buy the novel?
My latest novel is A Most Puzzling Murder.
3. Are there any other social media links, websites, or other places to learn about you that we should add?
Instagram - Bianca Marais
Instagram - The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
4. If you are traditionally published, who is your agent? If you are self-published, what publishing software do you prefer/ who is your publisher?
My agent is CeCe Lyra from Wendy Sherman Associates.
5. What is the most fun and most difficult part of the writing process for you? Eg. first draft, editing, researching?
It depends on the book, quite honestly. Some write themselves. Some fight you every step of the way. I absolutely cannot plot or outline despite trying many, many times. I enjoy editing more than I enjoy drafting probably because staring down the blank page can be so daunting and it’s also so difficult to get the critic out of the drafting room.
6. The third book you wrote, Hum If You Don’t Know the Words, got you your first agent and publisher. What happened to the first two you wrote? Will you rehash them again? What genre were they in?
They were really, really bad and so will not be revived. They were humorous novels in the vein of Terry Pratchett that were widely rejected by everyone, though I do wonder if someone from the TV show “The Good Place” found a copy, because the premise is very similar! LOL.
7. What was the most challenging part of writing your latest book, A Most Puzzling Murder, and how did you overcome it?
The book’s structure was incredibly difficult to juggle. It’s full of Choose Your Own Adventure chapters as well as multiple puzzles for the reader to solve. If they get stuck, they can email the main character for clues and she responds to you. There were also more than ten POV characters to juggle at any given time - one of which was a raccoon! The book had a lot of moving parts and writing it felt like juggling with JELL-O. Once I submitted to the chaos of it, it became a lot easier.
8. How has moving from South Africa to Canada changed your writing and the way you look at characters?
I finally studied writing once I came to Canada which made me a much better writer. But also, I needed the physical and emotional distance from South Africa to be able to write about South Africa in my first two novels. They weren’t books I could have written while living there.
9. How do you handle criticism from readers, especially if it challenges your artistic vision?
If you mean final readers who have the published books in their hands, then I try not to read the criticism as there isn’t anything I can do about it, even if they make good points. When it comes to beta readers and early readers, I find their input and critique invaluable. Most times, they share my artistic vision and so they’re just trying to help me elevate the work. If I disagree with their assessment, I like to talk through all their reasoning so that I can understand how to make it better without having to explain what I’m trying to achieve.
10. For someone who’s a pantser, how did you navigate writing a murder mystery?
With great difficulty. LOL. I created a main character who I adored and who I trusted with every fiber of my being and then I followed her and listened to her, paying close attention to what she was paying attention to. She took my hand and led me through the novel.
11. What are two fun facts about you?
I am obsessed with squirrels and raccoons. And I was once bitten by a giraffe. I’ve also been bitten by a squirrel but that bled less.
12. If you could give any advice to a new writer/author, what would it be?
Don’t try to chase trends or write what you think other people want to read. Write what you’re passionate about and what keeps you up at night. Never forget why you write because rejection can be soul-destroying. But the writing will save you.