What if you could transform setbacks into a launching pad for success? Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Ladarian Williams, the debut author behind the best-selling novel "Blood at the Roots." Ladarian takes us on his journey from the small town of Helena, Alabama, to the bustling streets of Los Angeles, sharing how his early passions in theater and the hurdles he faced as a Black man in the arts shaped his path. His transition from screenwriting and playwriting to novel writing, sparked by both setbacks and a fierce dedication to storytelling, is nothing short of inspiring.
Ever wondered how to craft openings that grab your reader's attention or endings that leave them satisfied? Ladarian breaks it down for us, focusing on the YA fantasy genre. He passionately discusses the significance of representing Black youth in fantasy without falling into the trap of stereotypes. By sharing practical tips on maintaining narrative momentum and ensuring each scene is essential, Ladarian offers invaluable advice for aspiring writers. The conversation extends to the crucial vision for a novel’s ending and the importance of having a clear endpoint even if the journey evolves.
Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of spirituality and magic that forms the backbone of Ladarian’s writing process. With insights drawn from his Southern Baptist upbringing, Ladarian reveals how powerful imagery and cultural elements like call and response play vital roles in his storytelling. He even shares the tools that keep his creative juices flowing, from Pinterest boards to music playlists. As we celebrate the launch of "Blood at the Roots" and look ahead to future projects, Ladarian shines a spotlight on the necessity of boldness in writing and the importance of centering Black experiences and stories. Don't miss out on this episode filled with wisdom and inspiration!
Keywords: Ladarian Williams, NYT Bestselling Author, Blood at the Roots, debut novel, diy mfa, writing tips, writer's digest, Drexel university, setbacks to success, storytelling, YA fantasy, representing Black youth, aspiring authors, theater, screenwriting, playwriting, novel writing, narrative momentum, essential scenes, clear endpoints, spirituality in writing, Southern Baptist upbringing, powerful imagery, call and response, Pinterest boards, music playlists, cultural elements, creative process, Black experiences, bold writing, launch celebration, future projects, aspiring writers.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to Craft Chat Chronicles, the go-to podcast
for tips on craftingbest-selling fiction.
Here at Craft Chat Chronicles,we bring you expert interviews,
insights and tips on writing,publishing and marketing.
For workshops, show notes andmore information, visit
(00:25):
jdmyhallcom.
J.D. Myall (00:35):
In episode 12, a mini episode of Craft Chat
Chronicles that is audio onlytoday we're going to talk to
author Ladarian Williams.
He's a debut author whose novelBlood at the Roots has made the
bestsellers list.
Ladarian is going to talk abouthis publishing journey, his
(00:55):
novel Blood at the Roots, andhe's going to give you some
insight into his debut year andsome cool writing tips.
Let's get chatty.
Ladarian Williams, (01:04):
I'm good.
How are you doing?
J.D. Myall (01:06):
Doing well, doing well.
Ladarian Williams, (01:07):
Can you?
J.D. Myall (01:08):
tell me a little bit about your life before books.
Ladarian Williams, (01:12):
Oh, my life before books, oh yeah.
So I grew up in Alabama, youknow small town, helena, alabama
, which is actually inside thebook, you know.
And you know I was that theaterkid doing choir, um and I, and
I thought I was going to move tola and or new york when I was
18 but that didn't happen and,uh, I went to college.
(01:35):
I went to a small private artschristian college for two years.
That's where I got kind of likethe reality of like, oh you're,
you're a black man doingtheater.
You are not going to get thesame roles as everybody else.
I only got one role, which wasa slave in Big River, but you
know, amen.
So I went back home and I wasworking at Taco Bell at the time
(01:59):
and I was just like I can'tkeep living here, I need to be,
I need to be creative, I need towrite, I need to be an actor.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
At the time and so you know.
Ladarian Williams, (02:09):
I packed up.
You know, I bought a one-wayticket in the drive-thru while
working the drive-thru at TacoBell.
I bought a one-way ticket toLos Angeles and I moved away May
9th 2015.
I moved to Hollywood to pursuewriting and acting and you know,
been here ever since and youknow I started off writing plays
and started off writing like TVshows and you know, trying to
(02:33):
just try to make it as a TVwriter, trying to make it as a
filmmaker, and a lot of ups anda lot of downs and I think it's
more downs and ups in regards tothat.
But so, yeah, that was kind oflike my quick journey.
You know, before I startedwriting books, you know, I
didn't think, you know, Ithought I was going to be my
place, that was going to takeoff, or I thought it was going
(02:54):
to be my screenwriter was goingto take off.
But it's so interesting that mybooks, you know, is what's
starting my career.
So it's just, you know, it'sjust one of those things where
I'm just like, you know, gowherever.
You know, whatever happens, youknow.
J.D. Myall (03:12):
So, so yeah, that was kind of like my, my life a
little bit before, beforewriting books, that's awesome.
Ladarian Williams, (03:15):
Can you tell me about your publishing
journey?
Yeah, so Blood at the Root came.
So Blood at the Root was one ofthose scripts that I was
writing.
It wasn't supposed to be a book.
I wrote it as a TV series ideaback in 2020 because I kind of
just grew tired of not seeingenough Black fantasy and not
(03:37):
seeing us in that realm.
I wrote it as a TV pilotbecause I also tweeted.
I was like what if Harry Potterwent to an HBCU?
And then people were like,let's, you, gotta make that, you
?
You know, let's, let's, let'sget it off the ground.
And so I took that script idea,wrote it, and then we me and my
(03:59):
friends shot a whole short filmin the middle of the pandemic.
You know, we, we shot it aroundLA, you know, sneaking onto the
UCLA campus.
You know, shout out to thembecause they didn't arrest us,
you know so and from there Ithought that, you know, we had
something very special.
And we, you know, I was like,okay, you know, I'm thinking
(04:20):
Hollywood is going to comecalling, and eventually they
didn't.
And this story wouldn't leaveme alone.
So I was just like, well, howcan I get this story out?
And so, um, my friend was likeyo, turn it into a book.
You know, you know, you've allyou grew up reading books, so
why don't you write it as a book?
And at that time I was like,nah, because this was again.
(04:40):
This was very, this was a verytense time in our history.
You know, george riots, therewas a lot going on and I was
like, no, I'm good, I think,publishing.
They're not going to want abook about a black boy not dying
.
They're not going to want that.
They're not going to want afull fantasy book that's based
(05:01):
in the South, that black people,you know, cussing and casting
spells at the same time.
You know like, they want that.
Um, and so I, so I was convincedto self-publish it, because I
was going to do all of that bymyself and I was working with a,
uh, an editor, um, black womanfrom louisiana.
She was like you gotta, yougotta traditionally publish this
(05:22):
.
She's like you need a machinebehind you, you need the
resources because she's publishthis.
She's like you need a machinebehind you, you need the
resources.
Because she's like this canchange something.
And I was like no.
I was like no, publishing isnot going to, they're not going
to want this.
Eventually she convinced me andso I was like okay, well, let's
start submitting it to agentsand publishers.
And so we started submitting itand we were getting rejections
(05:44):
left and right.
We started submitting it and wewere getting rejections left
and right and everybody was likeno, we're good, we can't really
, we don't really connect to thestory.
We can't, you know, we don'tknow how to market this.
And I was just like I bet,because it's literally going
against the grain.
It's about a young black boyfrom Alabama who's not dealing
with police brutality, he's notdying on the page.
(06:05):
But eventually, you know, Isigned with an amazing agent and
we went on our sub a year later.
Who?
J.D. Myall (06:10):
was your agent.
Ladarian Williams, (06:12):
Peter Knapp at Park and Fine Literary A
titan, he took a chance on thisbook.
J.D. Myall (06:19):
And you did the traditional query route.
Ladarian Williams, (06:23):
Yeah.
So I queried him around around.
This was may 2021 and we saw,and we started working together
august 2021 and, uh, yeah, andthen we didn't go on to sub to
publishers until september 19thand, um, and I was so dramatic
because I was like, oh my gosh,like this is about to be the
(06:43):
longest year of my life, youknow.
But because we were.
J.D. Myall (06:48):
I'm sorry to cut you off.
Did you guys do any revisions?
Ladarian Williams, (06:51):
Oh yeah, that entire year yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
So, I thought I was done.
Ladarian Williams, (07:01):
You know, when I started with an agent, I
thought I was done.
And so, yeah, we, because myagent he's very editorial, but
he but it made me get the bookinto such a better shape before
we went to publishers and um,yeah, so we, we went on
september 19th, 2023, 2022, I'msorry, 2022, um, and we were
getting I think we gotrejections in the first hour
(07:23):
that he said a first patch out.
People were saying that, youknow, editors were saying that
they loved the book but theycouldn't connect to the voice
and we all know that's kind ofcoded right.
They couldn't market it, theydidn't know how to, they didn't
know how, they didn't have avision for it.
At that point I was like Idon't think it's going to happen
(07:44):
, ladarian, I don't think it'sgonna happen.
I don't think it's gonna happen.
Like you might as well hang upthis story, because it was.
This was like October, likeNovember rolled around and then
December and you know,publishing shuts down in
December.
Basically like so I was like ifI don't get a book deal by the
end of 2022, like it's a wrap.
And my agent, he was like no,let's keep going.
And then January rolled aroundand we got offers.
(08:08):
We got like three offers fromlike three competitive um
publishers and on January 19thwe signed a three book deal to
Penguin Random House, you know,and my imprint is Labyrinth Road
.
So you know, that's kind oflike been like the up and down
journey of Blood at the Root.
Lisa Abrams, which is myamazing editor now, she offered
(08:32):
on the book and then two otherimprints offered at a
competitive publisher and sothey kind of, like you know, had
to go to auction and she waslike I want this story.
So she was like this is howmuch we can pay him.
And so we took it off the tableand we signed with Labyrinth
Road January 19, 2023.
J.D. Myall (08:55):
Awesome, that's exciting.
Ladarian Williams, (08:56):
Yeah, yeah.
So you know, and now we're here.
You know, now the book is outand yeah, it's a New York Times
bestseseller.
So I was just like, oh, thatwas literally a year ago and now
it's.
You know, it's just been sofast, it's been so long, it's.
J.D. Myall (09:10):
It felt very calm but it felt very fast at the
same time how did you get thenews that you made the new york
times bestseller list?
Ladarian Williams, (09:17):
um, I was literally driving into new york,
um, because I flew out to newNew York to do promo.
I was in the Uber and my agentcalled and they and my
publishers agent, my agenteditors, publishers they all
called and they were allscreaming and I was like, wait,
what's going on?
And it was like, yeah, it waslike dude, you're number five on
the New York times bestsellinglist.
And I was like, and I'm lookingat to scream, yeah, that's how
(09:46):
I kind of find out, found out,you know, very um, new york
times bestseller while goinginto the city of new york.
It's just that you can't, likedon't get any better than that
awesome.
J.D. Myall (09:56):
How did you come up with the idea?
Um?
Tell me the story behind thestory.
What made you think about theconcept of harry potter at hbcu?
Ladarian Williams, (10:03):
I it honestly was just random, it
really was from a random tweet,um, but I think, as I like, as I
like, started writing the story, I was really wanting to see
more representation from like,especially like people from the
south, especially, like you know, black life in the south and
like our spirituality, um,because oftentimes in media, in
(10:26):
literature, like blackspirituality is demonized and
it's been like that for before.
Media was even a thing so andit just trickled down
generations to generations.
And now you know, kind ofhaving kind of having those
conversations with, like myfriends or like my mom about
just our spirituality and how itinfluenced a lot, you know, in
(10:48):
our culture.
And I wanted to do that becauseI felt like it was very
demonized and so.
But I wanted to put it in thelens, through the lens of a
young 17-year-old Black boy fromAlabama who has ancestral magic
, who is a coming of age story,because, also, I just feel like
we really don't get a lot ofthose right From the perspective
(11:09):
of a young Black man, we don'treally get that in YA fantasy.
So I really wanted to tell thatstory truthfully and I didn't
want to center whiteness in thestory.
I didn't want the focal pointof his story to be him just
downtrodden, you know, dealingwith police brutality.
I didn't want him to be a drug,I didn't want none of that.
(11:32):
I just wanted a story aboutthis young black boy coming into
terms with his magic andinfusing a lot of like you know,
my upbringing and my childhoodinto the story as well.
So that's how I kind of likethat's kind of like the story
behind the story love that, lovethat.
J.D. Myall (11:54):
What do you think makes an engaging opening for a
novel?
So if you're an aspiring writerand you're trying to hook
people from the very beginning,what advice would you give them?
Ladarian Williams, (12:09):
the question , uh, I'm trying to think of,
like, what I, what, what, what Itried to make of it, um, when I
did my, when I did my ownwriting, um, I think for me, I
think for, like you know, theopening lot, maybe this is a lot
of pressure on a lot of writers, but, um, the opening line has
to like, I wanted, for me, myperspective, I wanted my opening
(12:33):
line to be like, kind of likethe main theme of the book, to
kind of express, like, what'sgoing to, what the book is about
.
So, you know, the opening linein Blood and Through is black
boys like me don't have magicpowers.
Well, what does that mean, likeyou know?
So, so, yeah, and like, justlike, I think I tell people to
make sure, like, especially inthose opening pages, make sure
(12:58):
your passion rise off that page.
That's what my agent kepttelling me, that's why he signed
me.
He said he could feel thepassion, he could feel the, the
joy and the rage and the, the,the love of the genre, coming
off the page.
You know you're seeing thisblack boy, you know, ducking and
dodging on a bicycle, but he's,he's feeling magic.
You know around him, soit'sging on a bicycle, but he's,
he's, he's feeling magic, youknow, around him.
So it's like yeah, I thinkthat's my advice, like making
(13:20):
making sure, like your passionis really the story that you're
writing and whatever passion youhave for that story, it rise
off the page, off of page oneliterally.
I know it's a lot of pressurebut, um, because people can feel
it, you know people can, peoplecan tell that you're very
passionate about a story.
Based off of that and and I'mglad my agent was able to see
(13:41):
mine through that- Love that,Love that.
J.D. Myall (13:45):
And how about?
What tips do you have foravoiding the saggy middle?
How do you keep readers engagedthrough the middle of the story
?
Ladarian Williams, (13:53):
Cause I'm, I'm in book two land right now.
So that's technically, yeah,because I'm in book two land
right now.
So that's technically so my, myadvice.
So a lot of people don't likeit.
But apparently, save the cat,people don't like save the cat.
I love save the cat right, sonow, because it definitely saved
me.
Um, the the middle.
The middle is hard.
(14:13):
Like the middle is hard becauseyou, because it may change,
your beats may change, right, asyou're revising the story, like
you know, your midpoint maychange.
So it's just making sure thatyou hit the midpoint mark.
So all of that and making sure,like you know everything about
your story, like what is goingto be, the kind of like that,
(14:38):
like I think of it like a rollercoaster, right, like the rising
action and then you just likethe tip right before that big
fall.
So yeah, it's kind of like that,think of it like that's what
you know, say, the cat taught me.
Like, think of your story as aroller coaster and like you know
.
So making sure that you knowevery scene is pushing the story
forward, making sure that youknow your character is.
(14:59):
A lot is revealed, but also alot of questions are still.
They still need to be answeredin your model and I think when
you do that it's going to likekind of freshen it up for you a
little bit.
It doesn't.
It does not like very draggingor like it's not very boring.
J.D. Myall (15:19):
So I learned all of that from Save the Cat.
Rice novel I'm just, I'm justsaying, and do you have any tips
on um creating a captivatingending, tying things up?
Ladarian Williams, (15:28):
oh yeah, because I think about my endings
, because I know, I know, I knowhow the whole trilogy is going
to end.
J.D. Myall (15:35):
Um, do you start a novel knowing, or is that
something that comes to youalong the way?
Ladarian Williams, (15:40):
I, I know, like I, I know because I, I love
, so I love opening image and Iknow final image, and those are
two beats in save the cat, um,um.
I want to make sure and like,also like, especially with this
book, since this book is aboutspirituality, it's about magic
like I love call and respond,especially, like especially with
this book, since this book isabout spirituality, it's about
magic, like I love call andresponse, especially like
growing up right in the Southand in the church, in the
(16:01):
Baptist church, the call andresponse is a thing in our
culture.
So I kind of for me, I kind ofI kind of infused that into the
book.
So the opening image is my calland then the final image is my
response, right?
So I want to make sure theyboth, you know, match up to each
other.
So yeah, I think my advicewould be like I don't know, like
(16:26):
I'm a filmmaker, so I think ofthings in pictures.
I know books are supposed to bewords, but I literally write in
pictures and so I just kind oflike, just think of like the
most powerful image from thebeginning and then think about
how that's going to match myending and find like a picture
of that.
So, like I think the openingimage although the opening image
(16:48):
of Blood at the Root was ayoung black boy I found the
picture he was looking up at thesky while fireworks were
bursting, like in the sky, andso I was like, oh my god, like
that's, that's, that's my book.
And then the ending was an imageum, I just saw this and which
was the book cover, which is soamazing.
How it turned out was I saw ablack boy in the middle of a
sugar cane field.
(17:09):
He's standing in front of aspanish moss tree and he's
casting his magic and he's likelifting off the ground, like I'm
just like that's what I?
I don't know, it's just that'show I pictured my opening and
final images of my book and, andmaybe that's how people have to
do it go search throughpinterest.
Pinterest is a really good toolfor writers.
(17:29):
I'm just letting people know,because you might find your, you
know, you might find your finalimage, that in there, and
that's how you can wrap up yourstory and that's how you can
write it as well.
J.D. Myall (17:39):
Were there any other tools Like, for example, you
mentioned, pinterest that youfound helpful, that you think
other authors might find helpful?
Ladarian Williams, (17:45):
Yeah, spotify.
Well, if it depends on whatmusic you know, music app
building a music playlist helpsme a lot too.
I music Like that's part of myworld building.
I'm world building for book tworight now and I'm like I'm just
, you know, I'm creating a musicplaylist, things that I think
my character will listen to.
(18:06):
I'm listening to a lot of likeindie artists, you know, like
artists.
Of course, I listen to the bigartists, but, like some of the
indie artists are making greatmusic as well.
Course I listen to the bigartists, but like some of the
indie artists are making greatmusic as well.
Um, also, this is free.
I learned is um.
Her name is alexa dunn.
She's also an author.
She's a ya author.
She has youtube videos aboutthe entire industry and they're
(18:28):
all for free.
Like people pay what I don'tknow how much is masterclass.
It's like what?
200 bucks a year or somethinglike that.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
But I'm like all that info for free on YouTube.
Ladarian Williams, (18:40):
So I suggest people to go to Alexa Dunn's
YouTube channel because she haseverything from writing the
first draft to the money middle,how to create a query letter,
how to have the conversationsabout agents and publish.
She has all of it for free, sothat helped me as a writer.
So, yeah, I definitely advisepeople to go YouTube University
(19:04):
and you look up Alaysia Dunn.
J.D. Myall (19:07):
Tell me a bit about your debut year.
How was that?
Yeah?
Ladarian Williams, (19:11):
my debut.
Well, my debut year has beengreat.
I mean, you know, I just leftNew York a few days ago and I
was on Good Morning AmericaPIX11.
I did a feature with Ebony,which was amazing.
No, my book is in LA times.
It's one of those things thatwas just like.
It's just, it's just beautifulto see um publications and big
(19:38):
platforms, you know, posting mybook because my book cover.
I wanted a black boy on thecover Right, and imagery is so
powerful and it can literallychange lives.
It changed my life when I saw,you know, the Watson's go to
Birmingham.
When I saw a black boy on thecover, I was like, wait, what is
that book?
I mean, that's how I fell inlove with reading.
So I was so glad to have thatplatform blast my book cover
(20:00):
because you never know to, younever know what.
Young black boys watching thatand saying, look, I will now
write my story.
So it's been great, you know,and I got to do my first school
signing yesterday, which wasamazing Eighth graders and just
seeing and just telling thoseyoung black boys like, hey, I
wrote this for you, you seeyourself in it.
(20:22):
I hope.
You see, I hope you feel lovedand protected and heard with
this book.
So, yeah, it's just been great,it's just been a great debut
year.
I'm grateful because, you know,not a lot of authors get got
what I got, you know, and so Ijust want to be, I just want to
be in gratitude and also inreflection, because this all
started with a tweet.
(20:42):
This all started with a shortfilm, the little short film that
could you know, and now it'shere, yeah, and yeah, it's just
been great, it's just, it's justbeen, it's just been a blessing
.
J.D. Myall (20:55):
Did you do a launch party or anything like that?
Ladarian Williams, (20:57):
Yeah, I did a launch party at Malik Books,
which is a black owned bookstoreout here in LA.
We had jazz music, we had foodand, you know, black people
coming in singing and dancing.
It was just, it was just great.
It was of like a.
It literally was it felt like afamily reunion, you know.
So it was just a great launchparty.
Um, and, yeah, you know, I gotto celebrate it with my friends
(21:19):
who were, who was in the shortfilm, and you know, and like I,
you know I posted, you know Ihad pictures all over the
bookstore like steals from theshort film and as they walked in
they could see it.
You know, and it was just, it'sjust a gift, you know, it was
my gift back to them, you know.
So that that was kind of likemy lunch party and you said
you're doing a three book series.
J.D. Myall (21:40):
So you're working on book two now yes, I'm on book
two.
Ladarian Williams, (21:45):
It's it's the first draft.
So, yes, yeah, I'm definitely,I'm, I'm world, I'm doing world.
I'm actually gotta get back toit, but I got to do my world
building.
I got to, I got to write itbecause my my editor was like OK
, you had fun, you had a greattime in book one, but you
actually have to work on booktwo.
(22:06):
So, yeah, yeah, I'm definitelyworking on book two and then
book three will be here when itbe here, because it's not, it's
not out in the world yet.
J.D. Myall (22:17):
OK, and after this series, have you started
thinking about what you're goingto do after this?
Ladarian Williams, (22:26):
Yeah, I think I think I'm going to
genres of young adult because,again, you know, my mission is
to create, you know, books, youknow stories of where black boys
get to be the focal point, theyget to be the hero, they get to
, you know, experience, love andheartbreak and, um, family and
friends, right, um, so I want, Iwant to, I definitely want to
(22:46):
continue that, but I also wantto continue to kind of shake the
table a little bit and and andwrite books where black kids
feel seen and they feel, youknow, heard, uh, uh, but yeah,
definitely, I definitely want tostay in ya, because I feel like
it still needs some work as farin regards to representation.
It needs some work, you know.
(23:07):
So I have some ideas.
Um, you know, hopefully mypublishers buy them because
they're gonna.
So, yeah, um, so, yeah, Idefinitely have more ideas and
more book series and I also havea spinoff idea from of blood at
the root.
So once people get to the thirdbook, in that last chapter, I
introduce a spinoff character.
(23:27):
So, yeah, I don't want to saywho it is because it's a big
sport yeah, so yeah, definitely,I definitely have more plans to
to come out with more storiesin the in the novel world
publishing world.
J.D. Myall (23:39):
Yeah, what has been your biggest learning experience
or surprise um in thepublishing industry so far?
Ladarian Williams, (23:47):
it's not a surprise because it's kind of
like it's like that in I'm aplaywright and a filmmaker, so
it's like that in the theaterworld in hollywood.
Um, biggest learning experienceis that you still have to fight
for your story, always be anadvocate for your story, right?
Um, and this is not coming froma selfish place, but I I go
into a lot of bookstores,especially like Barnes, noble,
(24:09):
and just seeing that theplacement of Blood at the Root
is not always in the best, andhaving people come to me on
social media and say, hey, wecan't find your books, we want
to make sure that your books geta lot of visibility Because,
again, if you look at a lot ofthe YA fantasy titles, you're
not going to find a lot of Blackboys on the cover, right?
(24:30):
So I want to make sure when ayoung Black boy walks into that
bookstore, they see it, they seethat cover and say, hey, mom,
they, because I already heard it.
I was in the bookstore in NewYork and this Black boy, when
the worker moved my books, thisyoung Black boy behind me he
said, mom, like, look, look,look at that book.
I want that book because thatkid looks just like me.
So it's still a fight, you know, and I'm still going to
(24:54):
advocate for myself, and Ialways have to advocate for my
art, and so that's kind of likethe biggest lesson is to always
advocate for your art, because,you know, we still got a lot of
ways to go.
So, yeah, that's a learningcurve that I've been grappling
with.
That's great.
(25:17):
What has writing taught you tobe bold?
Uh, because, you know, I, Istand on the shoulders of, like
august wilson, right, I stand onthe shoulders of tony morrison
and zora neale hurston, and theyweren't.
And james ball went, and theyand they weren't afraid to shake
the table, right.
And Toni Morrison, always, she,always, she teaches me, like
you know, not to centerwhiteness and in our black
(25:39):
stories, because, you know, ourlives are just as deep, our
words and our way of living, andthe poetry and the language of
the everyday people, right, it'salways it deserves to be told
as well.
And so, you know, because theydid it, I have the chance to do
it as well, and so I don't takethat for granted when it comes
(26:00):
to writing, because they pavedthe way for writers like me and
so I want to carry that torch,you know, and so I just I always
look to them.
So, yeah, that's what writingtaught.
It's just taught me, you know,and so I just I always look to
them.
So yeah, that's what writingtold.
It's just taught me, you know,like, always shake, don't be
afraid to shake the table, bebold in what you write and don't
be unapologetic about yourwriting, the way you know,
writing about your people,writing about you and your
(26:23):
upbringing, because everybodyhas a story to be told and it
deserves to be told.
So, yeah, that's a, that's abig lesson I'm learning as a
writer.
I, and it deserves to be told.
So, yeah, that's a big lessonI'm learning as a writer.
J.D. Myall (26:32):
I love that.
Where can readers contact you?
Where can everybody connectwith you?
Ladarian Williams, (26:37):
Yeah, if you want to follow me on Twitter
where I talk a lot of you know,a lot of ish about the industry,
it's Ladarian,l-a-d-a-r-r-i-o-n.
Also on Instagram, I try to beinspirational there it's
Ladarian.
And on TikTok, yeah, it'sLadarian, that's where I am.
(26:59):
Also, threads I keep forgettingthreads because threads is a
thing now, so it's Ladarianacross all platforms.
J.D. Myall (27:07):
Awesome.
Is there anything you wanted tosay in closing, before we head
out?
Ladarian Williams, (27:10):
Yeah, please pull up, for when we do as
Black writers and creators, wedo hear people say on social
media we want more Black sci-fi,we want more Black fantasy.
But the thing is, people, youhave to pull up.
You have to go buy the books,you have to share the GoFundMe's
, you have to share the shortfilms or whatever.
Please pull up, because we areout here writing the stories
(27:37):
that people want to hear andwant to see.
We just need people to pull up,you know.
So, um, we are, we are writingand please, please, support
blood at the root, pleasesupport black authors, because
we're here and we're telling ourstories and so so, so, yeah,
that's.
That's that's what I alwaysleave people with.
J.D. Myall (27:52):
Well, congratulations on all your
success, and you don't need mycongratulations, though You're
already flying.
You got this.
Ladarian Williams, (27:59):
Oh, thank you, I know I appreciate it, but
I appreciate you and appreciatethis.
Thank you so much for takingthe time out to talk to me.
J.D. Myall (28:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
You have a blessed week.
That wraps up today's CraftChat Chronicles with JD Mayor.
Thanks for joining us.
If you liked the episode,please comment, subscribe and
share.
For show notes, writingworkshops and tips, head to
jdmayorcom.
That's jdmayorcom.
(28:26):
While you're there, join JD'smailing list for updates,
giveaways and more.
Welcome to Craft Chat Chronicles, the go-to podcast
for tips on craftingbest-selling fiction.
Here at Craft Chat Chronicles,we bring you expert interviews,
insights and tips on writing,publishing and marketing.
For workshops, show notes andmore information, visit
(00:25):
jdmyhallcom.
J.D. Myall (00:35):
In episode 12, a mini episode of Craft Chat
Chronicles that is audio onlytoday we're going to talk to
author Ladarian Williams.
He's a debut author whose novelBlood at the Roots has made the
bestsellers list.
Ladarian is going to talk abouthis publishing journey, his
(00:55):
novel Blood at the Roots, andhe's going to give you some
insight into his debut year andsome cool writing tips.
Let's get chatty.
Ladarian Williams, (01:04):
I'm good.
How are you doing?
J.D. Myall (01:06):
Doing well, doing well.
Ladarian Williams, (01:07):
Can you?
J.D. Myall (01:08):
tell me a little bit about your life before books.
Ladarian Williams, (01:12):
Oh, my life before books, oh yeah.
So I grew up in Alabama, youknow small town, helena, alabama
, which is actually inside thebook, you know.
And you know I was that theaterkid doing choir, um and I, and
I thought I was going to move tola and or new york when I was
18 but that didn't happen and,uh, I went to college.
(01:35):
I went to a small private artschristian college for two years.
That's where I got kind of likethe reality of like, oh you're,
you're a black man doingtheater.
You are not going to get thesame roles as everybody else.
I only got one role, which wasa slave in Big River, but you
know, amen.
So I went back home and I wasworking at Taco Bell at the time
(01:59):
and I was just like I can'tkeep living here, I need to be,
I need to be creative, I need towrite, I need to be an actor.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
At the time and so you know.
Ladarian Williams, (02:09):
I packed up.
You know, I bought a one-wayticket in the drive-thru while
working the drive-thru at TacoBell.
I bought a one-way ticket toLos Angeles and I moved away May
9th 2015.
I moved to Hollywood to pursuewriting and acting and you know,
been here ever since and youknow I started off writing plays
and started off writing like TVshows and you know, trying to
(02:33):
just try to make it as a TVwriter, trying to make it as a
filmmaker, and a lot of ups anda lot of downs and I think it's
more downs and ups in regards tothat.
But so, yeah, that was kind oflike my quick journey.
You know, before I startedwriting books, you know, I
didn't think, you know, Ithought I was going to be my
place, that was going to takeoff, or I thought it was going
(02:54):
to be my screenwriter was goingto take off.
But it's so interesting that mybooks, you know, is what's
starting my career.
So it's just, you know, it'sjust one of those things where
I'm just like, you know, gowherever.
You know, whatever happens, youknow.
J.D. Myall (03:12):
So, so yeah, that was kind of like my, my life a
little bit before, beforewriting books, that's awesome.
Ladarian Williams, (03:15):
Can you tell me about your publishing
journey?
Yeah, so Blood at the Root came.
So Blood at the Root was one ofthose scripts that I was
writing.
It wasn't supposed to be a book.
I wrote it as a TV series ideaback in 2020 because I kind of
just grew tired of not seeingenough Black fantasy and not
(03:37):
seeing us in that realm.
I wrote it as a TV pilotbecause I also tweeted.
I was like what if Harry Potterwent to an HBCU?
And then people were like,let's, you, gotta make that, you
?
You know, let's, let's, let'sget it off the ground.
And so I took that script idea,wrote it, and then we me and my
(03:59):
friends shot a whole short filmin the middle of the pandemic.
You know, we, we shot it aroundLA, you know, sneaking onto the
UCLA campus.
You know, shout out to thembecause they didn't arrest us,
you know so and from there Ithought that, you know, we had
something very special.
And we, you know, I was like,okay, you know, I'm thinking
(04:20):
Hollywood is going to comecalling, and eventually they
didn't.
And this story wouldn't leaveme alone.
So I was just like, well, howcan I get this story out?
And so, um, my friend was likeyo, turn it into a book.
You know, you know, you've allyou grew up reading books, so
why don't you write it as a book?
And at that time I was like,nah, because this was again.
(04:40):
This was very, this was a verytense time in our history.
You know, george riots, therewas a lot going on and I was
like, no, I'm good, I think,publishing.
They're not going to want abook about a black boy not dying
.
They're not going to want that.
They're not going to want afull fantasy book that's based
(05:01):
in the South, that black people,you know, cussing and casting
spells at the same time.
You know like, they want that.
Um, and so I, so I was convincedto self-publish it, because I
was going to do all of that bymyself and I was working with a,
uh, an editor, um, black womanfrom louisiana.
She was like you gotta, yougotta traditionally publish this
(05:22):
.
She's like you need a machinebehind you, you need the
resources because she's publishthis.
She's like you need a machinebehind you, you need the
resources.
Because she's like this canchange something.
And I was like no.
I was like no, publishing isnot going to, they're not going
to want this.
Eventually she convinced me andso I was like okay, well, let's
start submitting it to agentsand publishers.
And so we started submitting itand we were getting rejections
(05:44):
left and right.
We started submitting it and wewere getting rejections left
and right and everybody was likeno, we're good, we can't really
, we don't really connect to thestory.
We can't, you know, we don'tknow how to market this.
And I was just like I bet,because it's literally going
against the grain.
It's about a young black boyfrom Alabama who's not dealing
with police brutality, he's notdying on the page.
(06:05):
But eventually, you know, Isigned with an amazing agent and
we went on our sub a year later.
Who?
J.D. Myall (06:10):
was your agent.
Ladarian Williams, (06:12):
Peter Knapp at Park and Fine Literary A
titan, he took a chance on thisbook.
J.D. Myall (06:19):
And you did the traditional query route.
Ladarian Williams, (06:23):
Yeah.
So I queried him around around.
This was may 2021 and we saw,and we started working together
august 2021 and, uh, yeah, andthen we didn't go on to sub to
publishers until september 19thand, um, and I was so dramatic
because I was like, oh my gosh,like this is about to be the
(06:43):
longest year of my life, youknow.
But because we were.
J.D. Myall (06:48):
I'm sorry to cut you off.
Did you guys do any revisions?
Ladarian Williams, (06:51):
Oh yeah, that entire year yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
So, I thought I was done.
Ladarian Williams, (07:01):
You know, when I started with an agent, I
thought I was done.
And so, yeah, we, because myagent he's very editorial, but
he but it made me get the bookinto such a better shape before
we went to publishers and um,yeah, so we, we went on
september 19th, 2023, 2022, I'msorry, 2022, um, and we were
getting I think we gotrejections in the first hour
(07:23):
that he said a first patch out.
People were saying that, youknow, editors were saying that
they loved the book but theycouldn't connect to the voice
and we all know that's kind ofcoded right.
They couldn't market it, theydidn't know how to, they didn't
know how, they didn't have avision for it.
At that point I was like Idon't think it's going to happen
(07:44):
, ladarian, I don't think it'sgonna happen.
I don't think it's gonna happen.
Like you might as well hang upthis story, because it was.
This was like October, likeNovember rolled around and then
December and you know,publishing shuts down in
December.
Basically like so I was like ifI don't get a book deal by the
end of 2022, like it's a wrap.
And my agent, he was like no,let's keep going.
And then January rolled aroundand we got offers.
(08:08):
We got like three offers fromlike three competitive um
publishers and on January 19thwe signed a three book deal to
Penguin Random House, you know,and my imprint is Labyrinth Road
.
So you know, that's kind oflike been like the up and down
journey of Blood at the Root.
Lisa Abrams, which is myamazing editor now, she offered
(08:32):
on the book and then two otherimprints offered at a
competitive publisher and sothey kind of, like you know, had
to go to auction and she waslike I want this story.
So she was like this is howmuch we can pay him.
And so we took it off the tableand we signed with Labyrinth
Road January 19, 2023.
J.D. Myall (08:55):
Awesome, that's exciting.
Ladarian Williams, (08:56):
Yeah, yeah.
So you know, and now we're here.
You know, now the book is outand yeah, it's a New York Times
bestseseller.
So I was just like, oh, thatwas literally a year ago and now
it's.
You know, it's just been sofast, it's been so long, it's.
J.D. Myall (09:10):
It felt very calm but it felt very fast at the
same time how did you get thenews that you made the new york
times bestseller list?
Ladarian Williams, (09:17):
um, I was literally driving into new york,
um, because I flew out to newNew York to do promo.
I was in the Uber and my agentcalled and they and my
publishers agent, my agenteditors, publishers they all
called and they were allscreaming and I was like, wait,
what's going on?
And it was like, yeah, it waslike dude, you're number five on
the New York times bestsellinglist.
And I was like, and I'm lookingat to scream, yeah, that's how
(09:46):
I kind of find out, found out,you know, very um, new york
times bestseller while goinginto the city of new york.
It's just that you can't, likedon't get any better than that
awesome.
J.D. Myall (09:56):
How did you come up with the idea?
Um?
Tell me the story behind thestory.
What made you think about theconcept of harry potter at hbcu?
Ladarian Williams, (10:03):
I it honestly was just random, it
really was from a random tweet,um, but I think, as I like, as I
like, started writing the story, I was really wanting to see
more representation from like,especially like people from the
south, especially, like you know, black life in the south and
like our spirituality, um,because oftentimes in media, in
(10:26):
literature, like blackspirituality is demonized and
it's been like that for before.
Media was even a thing so andit just trickled down
generations to generations.
And now you know, kind ofhaving kind of having those
conversations with, like myfriends or like my mom about
just our spirituality and how itinfluenced a lot, you know, in
(10:48):
our culture.
And I wanted to do that becauseI felt like it was very
demonized and so.
But I wanted to put it in thelens, through the lens of a
young 17-year-old Black boy fromAlabama who has ancestral magic
, who is a coming of age story,because, also, I just feel like
we really don't get a lot ofthose right From the perspective
(11:09):
of a young Black man, we don'treally get that in YA fantasy.
So I really wanted to tell thatstory truthfully and I didn't
want to center whiteness in thestory.
I didn't want the focal pointof his story to be him just
downtrodden, you know, dealingwith police brutality.
I didn't want him to be a drug,I didn't want none of that.
(11:32):
I just wanted a story aboutthis young black boy coming into
terms with his magic andinfusing a lot of like you know,
my upbringing and my childhoodinto the story as well.
So that's how I kind of likethat's kind of like the story
behind the story love that, lovethat.
J.D. Myall (11:54):
What do you think makes an engaging opening for a
novel?
So if you're an aspiring writerand you're trying to hook
people from the very beginning,what advice would you give them?
Ladarian Williams, (12:09):
the question , uh, I'm trying to think of,
like, what I, what, what, what Itried to make of it, um, when I
did my, when I did my ownwriting, um, I think for me, I
think for, like you know, theopening lot, maybe this is a lot
of pressure on a lot of writers, but, um, the opening line has
to like, I wanted, for me, myperspective, I wanted my opening
(12:33):
line to be like, kind of likethe main theme of the book, to
kind of express, like, what'sgoing to, what the book is about
.
So, you know, the opening linein Blood and Through is black
boys like me don't have magicpowers.
Well, what does that mean, likeyou know?
So, so, yeah, and like, justlike, I think I tell people to
make sure, like, especially inthose opening pages, make sure
(12:58):
your passion rise off that page.
That's what my agent kepttelling me, that's why he signed
me.
He said he could feel thepassion, he could feel the, the
joy and the rage and the, the,the love of the genre, coming
off the page.
You know you're seeing thisblack boy, you know, ducking and
dodging on a bicycle, but he's,he's feeling magic.
You know around him, soit'sging on a bicycle, but he's,
he's, he's feeling magic, youknow, around him.
So it's like yeah, I thinkthat's my advice, like making
(13:20):
making sure, like your passionis really the story that you're
writing and whatever passion youhave for that story, it rise
off the page, off of page oneliterally.
I know it's a lot of pressurebut, um, because people can feel
it, you know people can, peoplecan tell that you're very
passionate about a story.
Based off of that and and I'mglad my agent was able to see
(13:41):
mine through that- Love that,Love that.
J.D. Myall (13:45):
And how about?
What tips do you have foravoiding the saggy middle?
How do you keep readers engagedthrough the middle of the story
?
Ladarian Williams, (13:53):
Cause I'm, I'm in book two land right now.
So that's technically, yeah,because I'm in book two land
right now.
So that's technically so my, myadvice.
So a lot of people don't likeit.
But apparently, save the cat,people don't like save the cat.
I love save the cat right, sonow, because it definitely saved
me.
Um, the the middle.
The middle is hard.
(14:13):
Like the middle is hard becauseyou, because it may change,
your beats may change, right, asyou're revising the story, like
you know, your midpoint maychange.
So it's just making sure thatyou hit the midpoint mark.
So all of that and making sure,like you know everything about
your story, like what is goingto be, the kind of like that,
(14:38):
like I think of it like a rollercoaster, right, like the rising
action and then you just likethe tip right before that big
fall.
So yeah, it's kind of like that,think of it like that's what
you know, say, the cat taught me.
Like, think of your story as aroller coaster and like you know
.
So making sure that you knowevery scene is pushing the story
forward, making sure that youknow your character is.
(14:59):
A lot is revealed, but also alot of questions are still.
They still need to be answeredin your model and I think when
you do that it's going to likekind of freshen it up for you a
little bit.
It doesn't.
It does not like very draggingor like it's not very boring.
J.D. Myall (15:19):
So I learned all of that from Save the Cat.
Rice novel I'm just, I'm justsaying, and do you have any tips
on um creating a captivatingending, tying things up?
Ladarian Williams, (15:28):
oh yeah, because I think about my endings
, because I know, I know, I knowhow the whole trilogy is going
to end.
J.D. Myall (15:35):
Um, do you start a novel knowing, or is that
something that comes to youalong the way?
Ladarian Williams, (15:40):
I, I know, like I, I know because I, I love
, so I love opening image and Iknow final image, and those are
two beats in save the cat, um,um.
I want to make sure and like,also like, especially with this
book, since this book is aboutspirituality, it's about magic
like I love call and respond,especially, like especially with
this book, since this book isabout spirituality, it's about
magic, like I love call andresponse, especially like
growing up right in the Southand in the church, in the
(16:01):
Baptist church, the call andresponse is a thing in our
culture.
So I kind of for me, I kind ofI kind of infused that into the
book.
So the opening image is my calland then the final image is my
response, right?
So I want to make sure theyboth, you know, match up to each
other.
So yeah, I think my advicewould be like I don't know, like
(16:26):
I'm a filmmaker, so I think ofthings in pictures.
I know books are supposed to bewords, but I literally write in
pictures and so I just kind oflike, just think of like the
most powerful image from thebeginning and then think about
how that's going to match myending and find like a picture
of that.
So, like I think the openingimage although the opening image
(16:48):
of Blood at the Root was ayoung black boy I found the
picture he was looking up at thesky while fireworks were
bursting, like in the sky, andso I was like, oh my god, like
that's, that's, that's my book.
And then the ending was an imageum, I just saw this and which
was the book cover, which is soamazing.
How it turned out was I saw ablack boy in the middle of a
sugar cane field.
(17:09):
He's standing in front of aspanish moss tree and he's
casting his magic and he's likelifting off the ground, like I'm
just like that's what I?
I don't know, it's just that'show I pictured my opening and
final images of my book and, andmaybe that's how people have to
do it go search throughpinterest.
Pinterest is a really good toolfor writers.
(17:29):
I'm just letting people know,because you might find your, you
know, you might find your finalimage, that in there, and
that's how you can wrap up yourstory and that's how you can
write it as well.
J.D. Myall (17:39):
Were there any other tools Like, for example, you
mentioned, pinterest that youfound helpful, that you think
other authors might find helpful?
Ladarian Williams, (17:45):
Yeah, spotify.
Well, if it depends on whatmusic you know, music app
building a music playlist helpsme a lot too.
I music Like that's part of myworld building.
I'm world building for book tworight now and I'm like I'm just
, you know, I'm creating a musicplaylist, things that I think
my character will listen to.
(18:06):
I'm listening to a lot of likeindie artists, you know, like
artists.
Of course, I listen to the bigartists, but, like some of the
indie artists are making greatmusic as well.
Course I listen to the bigartists, but like some of the
indie artists are making greatmusic as well.
Um, also, this is free.
I learned is um.
Her name is alexa dunn.
She's also an author.
She's a ya author.
She has youtube videos aboutthe entire industry and they're
(18:28):
all for free.
Like people pay what I don'tknow how much is masterclass.
It's like what?
200 bucks a year or somethinglike that.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
But I'm like all that info for free on YouTube.
Ladarian Williams, (18:40):
So I suggest people to go to Alexa Dunn's
YouTube channel because she haseverything from writing the
first draft to the money middle,how to create a query letter,
how to have the conversationsabout agents and publish.
She has all of it for free, sothat helped me as a writer.
So, yeah, I definitely advisepeople to go YouTube University
(19:04):
and you look up Alaysia Dunn.
J.D. Myall (19:07):
Tell me a bit about your debut year.
How was that?
Yeah?
Ladarian Williams, (19:11):
my debut.
Well, my debut year has beengreat.
I mean, you know, I just leftNew York a few days ago and I
was on Good Morning AmericaPIX11.
I did a feature with Ebony,which was amazing.
No, my book is in LA times.
It's one of those things thatwas just like.
It's just, it's just beautifulto see um publications and big
(19:38):
platforms, you know, posting mybook because my book cover.
I wanted a black boy on thecover Right, and imagery is so
powerful and it can literallychange lives.
It changed my life when I saw,you know, the Watson's go to
Birmingham.
When I saw a black boy on thecover, I was like, wait, what is
that book?
I mean, that's how I fell inlove with reading.
So I was so glad to have thatplatform blast my book cover
(20:00):
because you never know to, younever know what.
Young black boys watching thatand saying, look, I will now
write my story.
So it's been great, you know,and I got to do my first school
signing yesterday, which wasamazing Eighth graders and just
seeing and just telling thoseyoung black boys like, hey, I
wrote this for you, you seeyourself in it.
(20:22):
I hope.
You see, I hope you feel lovedand protected and heard with
this book.
So, yeah, it's just been great,it's just been a great debut
year.
I'm grateful because, you know,not a lot of authors get got
what I got, you know, and so Ijust want to be, I just want to
be in gratitude and also inreflection, because this all
started with a tweet.
(20:42):
This all started with a shortfilm, the little short film that
could you know, and now it'shere, yeah, and yeah, it's just
been great, it's just, it's justbeen, it's just been a blessing
.
J.D. Myall (20:55):
Did you do a launch party or anything like that?
Ladarian Williams, (20:57):
Yeah, I did a launch party at Malik Books,
which is a black owned bookstoreout here in LA.
We had jazz music, we had foodand, you know, black people
coming in singing and dancing.
It was just, it was just great.
It was of like a.
It literally was it felt like afamily reunion, you know.
So it was just a great launchparty.
Um, and, yeah, you know, I gotto celebrate it with my friends
(21:19):
who were, who was in the shortfilm, and you know, and like I,
you know I posted, you know Ihad pictures all over the
bookstore like steals from theshort film and as they walked in
they could see it.
You know, and it was just, it'sjust a gift, you know, it was
my gift back to them, you know.
So that that was kind of likemy lunch party and you said
you're doing a three book series.
J.D. Myall (21:40):
So you're working on book two now yes, I'm on book
two.
Ladarian Williams, (21:45):
It's it's the first draft.
So, yes, yeah, I'm definitely,I'm, I'm world, I'm doing world.
I'm actually gotta get back toit, but I got to do my world
building.
I got to, I got to write itbecause my my editor was like OK
, you had fun, you had a greattime in book one, but you
actually have to work on booktwo.
(22:06):
So, yeah, yeah, I'm definitelyworking on book two and then
book three will be here when itbe here, because it's not, it's
not out in the world yet.
J.D. Myall (22:17):
OK, and after this series, have you started
thinking about what you're goingto do after this?
Ladarian Williams, (22:26):
Yeah, I think I think I'm going to
genres of young adult because,again, you know, my mission is
to create, you know, books, youknow stories of where black boys
get to be the focal point, theyget to be the hero, they get to
, you know, experience, love andheartbreak and, um, family and
friends, right, um, so I want, Iwant to, I definitely want to
(22:46):
continue that, but I also wantto continue to kind of shake the
table a little bit and and andwrite books where black kids
feel seen and they feel, youknow, heard, uh, uh, but yeah,
definitely, I definitely want tostay in ya, because I feel like
it still needs some work as farin regards to representation.
It needs some work, you know.
(23:07):
So I have some ideas.
Um, you know, hopefully mypublishers buy them because
they're gonna.
So, yeah, um, so, yeah, Idefinitely have more ideas and
more book series and I also havea spinoff idea from of blood at
the root.
So once people get to the thirdbook, in that last chapter, I
introduce a spinoff character.
(23:27):
So, yeah, I don't want to saywho it is because it's a big
sport yeah, so yeah, definitely,I definitely have more plans to
to come out with more storiesin the in the novel world
publishing world.
J.D. Myall (23:39):
Yeah, what has been your biggest learning experience
or surprise um in thepublishing industry so far?
Ladarian Williams, (23:47):
it's not a surprise because it's kind of
like it's like that in I'm aplaywright and a filmmaker, so
it's like that in the theaterworld in hollywood.
Um, biggest learning experienceis that you still have to fight
for your story, always be anadvocate for your story, right?
Um, and this is not coming froma selfish place, but I I go
into a lot of bookstores,especially like Barnes, noble,
(24:09):
and just seeing that theplacement of Blood at the Root
is not always in the best, andhaving people come to me on
social media and say, hey, wecan't find your books, we want
to make sure that your books geta lot of visibility Because,
again, if you look at a lot ofthe YA fantasy titles, you're
not going to find a lot of Blackboys on the cover, right?
(24:30):
So I want to make sure when ayoung Black boy walks into that
bookstore, they see it, they seethat cover and say, hey, mom,
they, because I already heard it.
I was in the bookstore in NewYork and this Black boy, when
the worker moved my books, thisyoung Black boy behind me he
said, mom, like, look, look,look at that book.
I want that book because thatkid looks just like me.
So it's still a fight, you know, and I'm still going to
(24:54):
advocate for myself, and Ialways have to advocate for my
art, and so that's kind of likethe biggest lesson is to always
advocate for your art, because,you know, we still got a lot of
ways to go.
So, yeah, that's a learningcurve that I've been grappling
with.
That's great.
(25:17):
What has writing taught you tobe bold?
Uh, because, you know, I, Istand on the shoulders of, like
august wilson, right, I stand onthe shoulders of tony morrison
and zora neale hurston, and theyweren't.
And james ball went, and theyand they weren't afraid to shake
the table, right.
And Toni Morrison, always, she,always, she teaches me, like
you know, not to centerwhiteness and in our black
(25:39):
stories, because, you know, ourlives are just as deep, our
words and our way of living, andthe poetry and the language of
the everyday people, right, it'salways it deserves to be told
as well.
And so, you know, because theydid it, I have the chance to do
it as well, and so I don't takethat for granted when it comes
(26:00):
to writing, because they pavedthe way for writers like me and
so I want to carry that torch,you know, and so I just I always
look to them.
So, yeah, that's what writingtaught.
It's just taught me, you know,and so I just I always look to
them.
So yeah, that's what writingtold.
It's just taught me, you know,like, always shake, don't be
afraid to shake the table, bebold in what you write and don't
be unapologetic about yourwriting, the way you know,
writing about your people,writing about you and your
(26:23):
upbringing, because everybodyhas a story to be told and it
deserves to be told.
So, yeah, that's a, that's abig lesson I'm learning as a
writer.
I, and it deserves to be told.
So, yeah, that's a big lessonI'm learning as a writer.
J.D. Myall (26:32):
I love that.
Where can readers contact you?
Where can everybody connectwith you?
Ladarian Williams, (26:37):
Yeah, if you want to follow me on Twitter
where I talk a lot of you know,a lot of ish about the industry,
it's Ladarian,l-a-d-a-r-r-i-o-n.
Also on Instagram, I try to beinspirational there it's
Ladarian.
And on TikTok, yeah, it'sLadarian, that's where I am.
(26:59):
Also, threads I keep forgettingthreads because threads is a
thing now, so it's Ladarianacross all platforms.
J.D. Myall (27:07):
Awesome.
Is there anything you wanted tosay in closing, before we head
out?
Ladarian Williams, (27:10):
Yeah, please pull up, for when we do as
Black writers and creators, wedo hear people say on social
media we want more Black sci-fi,we want more Black fantasy.
But the thing is, people, youhave to pull up.
You have to go buy the books,you have to share the GoFundMe's
, you have to share the shortfilms or whatever.
Please pull up, because we areout here writing the stories
(27:37):
that people want to hear andwant to see.
We just need people to pull up,you know.
So, um, we are, we are writingand please, please, support
blood at the root, pleasesupport black authors, because
we're here and we're telling ourstories and so so, so, yeah,
that's.
That's that's what I alwaysleave people with.
J.D. Myall (27:52):
Well, congratulations on all your
success, and you don't need mycongratulations, though You're
already flying.
You got this.
Ladarian Williams, (27:59):
Oh, thank you, I know I appreciate it, but
I appreciate you and appreciatethis.
Thank you so much for takingthe time out to talk to me.
J.D. Myall (28:04):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
You have a blessed week.
That wraps up today's CraftChat Chronicles with JD Mayor.
Thanks for joining us.
If you liked the episode,please comment, subscribe and
share.
For show notes, writingworkshops and tips, head to
jdmayorcom.
That's jdmayorcom.
(28:26):
While you're there, join JD'smailing list for updates,
giveaways and more.
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