By Abigail F. Taylor

In anticipation of his upcoming YA debut, I sat down with Bruce Buchanan, an Associated Press award-winning author. What unfolded was a fascinating chat into his process, the characters & worlds he creates, and how he made his start. His next two books, THE BLACKSMITH’S BOY and THE CERULEAN BLUR are both signed to Wild Ink Publishing.

1. Do you remember the first story you wrote? How old were you?

I’ve always loved making up stories as well as reading them. When I was in elementary school, I used to write and draw my own comics. Now, I’m a terrible artist, so I named my hero “Stickman” to explain why he and everyone in his world were stick figures. That’s all I could draw!

2. In your upcoming novel, The Blacksmith’s Boy, Bok comes from the peasant class and later meets a friend in Isabella, who is a member of the royal family. How important does class play in the narrative, and how do you think it mirrors the growing divide in today’s society? 

Class divisions are both a big plot point and a key theme of The Blacksmith’s Boy. In the fictional country of Imarina, people are born into one of three social classes: Noble, Landowning, or Serving. According to Imarina’s centuries-old laws, people in the Serving Class can only hold certain jobs and only own a small amount of land. Most notably, only members of the Noble Class can be born with the ability to perform High Magic—sorcery, in other words. At least, that’s what everyone in Imarina has been taught to believe.

Bok comes from the lowest point on the social ladder. Isabella is literally at the top—she’s the Crown Princess. But circumstances throw them together, and they develop a deep and strong friendship. However, Bok is always aware of those class differences.

Isabella is a reformer at heart. But her desire to make Imarina a fairer place for the Serving Class isn’t as easy to make real as she’d hoped. I’ve always thought that speculative fiction works best when it says something about the real world, and I think readers will understand those parallels when they read the book.

But The Blacksmith’s Boy is first and foremost a fantasy adventure! The other stuff is there for those who want to think about it. But if you just want an exciting adventure, you’ll (hopefully!) find it here.

3. Are there places in The Blacksmith’s Boy that you found difficult to write? How did you push through?

Not so much scenes, but I originally had the idea for this book years ago! I started a draft when my son was young, and life got in the way. More to the point, I didn’t have the time management skills I needed to be a novelist then. I wrote a few chapters and some notes back then and put it aside.

I came back to my unfinished (very) rough draft and notes in early 2023. I kept a little bit, changed a lot, and added a ton. This book has been through so many drafts and revisions, but I finally got it to where I’m happy with it. After all these years, I’m going to share my debut novel with the world. It honestly doesn’t seem real sometimes.

4. You’ve written a fair few short stories as well. How do you know when a story will end up as a short or as a novel? 

Good question! I don’t have a formula, really. It’s more of a gut feeling of, “How many words do I need to tell this story?” I do outlines before I start writing either a short story or a novel. But my novel outlines are much more detailed, for the simple fact there’s so much more to write.

I like writing short stories as a break between bigger projects. You get that satisfying feeling of finishing a piece in just a few days, whereas a novel will take months (or longer).

5. Your next novel, The Return of the Cerulean Blur, is set to hit the shelves next year! What challenges did you have transitioning from a high fantasy world to a modern-day one with superheroes? Would Bok and Isabella ever catch a drink with Susan Murphy, or would it be like Oil and Water?

For starters, The Blacksmith’s Boy is written in third person past tense, while The Return of the Cerulean Blur is in first person present. So that was a change – as I wrote the second novel, I found myself slipping back into third person past because I’m so used to it.

But The Return of the Cerulean Blur was a lot easier to write, because it is rooted in the real world. Susan Murphy is a parent, works at an office job, has to pay the bills, etc. These are things I certainly can relate to a lot more than being a Serving Class healer or a crown princess! 

And I love the idea of Bok and Isabella meeting Susan for a drink. Despite the age gap (Susan is mid-40s, while Bok and Isabella are both 19), they’ve all had to look deeply inside themselves to figure out what they’re made of. And all three are genuinely good people who want to do right by others.

6. The protagonists in your books are fighting against impossible odds. What would you like readers to take away from the experiences they’ll face? 

To me, what makes a hero is their willingness to try to do the right thing, even when it is hard. Whether they succeed isn’t as important as the effort. Bok and his friends get put to the test. They fall short sometimes, but they learn and grow. Hopefully, readers will enjoy and appreciate the ride!

7. What writing advice did you receive at a young age that has stayed with you throughout your journey?

Keep writing. You only get better at writing by writing. It’s so easy to get discouraged, but don’t give up. You have stories to tell, and only you can tell them.

Abigail F. Taylor, Texas Poet & Novelist.

abigailftaylor.wordpress.com

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