Interview with Justine Pucella Winans, author of BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING and THE OTHERWOODS

 

Today's interview is one that I'm particularly excited about!! It's with Justine Pucella Winans (they/she) about their upcoming books, Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything (out on April 11th) and The Otherwoods(out on September 12th). I have been mildly obsessed with both of these books since I heard about them and after reading them...I'm still obsessed. Getting to interview Justine was absolutely amazing and I am thriving right now!!!

In this interview we focused on her two upcoming releases, talked a bit about what the publication process was like for them, and what their experience has been like with 2(!!) books releasing this year.
     

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When and how did you first get started with writing?

I feel like I've been writing for most of my life, and I don't really remember a time when I wasn't coming up with stories (although, to be fair, I don't remember much of anything before I was, like, ten). I wrote my first book (or at least, my first completed manuscript) at sixteen. I actually wrote the whole thing by hand-in class, on the couch, while I was visiting family in Italy-it took like three different notebooks. After typing all that into a word document and worsening the blister/lump on my middle finger that wouldn't go away, I vowed to never write a story by hand again. Thankfully, I did keep writing stories (on my computer) and doubt I'll ever stop doing that, although I still do outline by hand sometimes.

I am a little terrified of teenage you to be honest. Writing an entire book by hand is impressive, although I'm glad that you vowed never to do it again! I get it though, you were always meant to write it seems.
What was the publication process like for these books?

Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything happened first. I wrote that one in 2020, and was able to sign with my agent later that year (it happened quickly, but that was after unsuccessfully querying like eight books over seven years beforehand). It sold in April of 2021. It was that summer, in which I was recovering from a surgery, that I randomly had an idea for a Middle Grade, despite only having written YA. I read a TON of MG and developed the idea and really fell in love with the category. That book became The Otherwoods, which my agent sold that fall literally a few weeks before having a baby (because she is a superhero). So there has been some adjusting on my part of working on multiple deadlines, but I really have enjoyed the process!

Wow!! Congrats on getting both of those signed! And kudos to you for continuing to put your books out there during that time. (Also congrats to your agent! She sounds amazing!) I can imagine working on multiple deadlines can be overwhelming. I'm glad it's been an enjoyable process though.
You've got two books releasing this year (congratulations, by the way). How does that feel? What has that experience been like?

Thank you! I started on this a little bit, but it is very exciting, while also being a little stressful. (Or, a lot). I really love both stories and am so grateful to be able to share them both. That being said, it is a bit of a balancing act in deadlines and figuring out when to promote which when without posting way too much on social media. Overall, it is a great experience! Just need to get a bit better at handling stress, but I'm working on it.

That's fair! I can definitely understand it being exciting but stressful. I'm glad you're working on handling that stress and I'm really glad that it's been a great experience for you!!
When writing which comes first: the characters or the plots?

I sometimes get little ideas for plot, but the biggest thing for me is voice. Usually I come up with the first scene/introduction for the book, which is connected to the character. After that, I will work on developing the plot and outlining (I actually enjoy writing a synopsis and drafting from that, even though most writers seem to hate writing a synopsis!). So, when it comes down to it, character and voice comes first (although I might have an idea for concept or central conflict) and then I build the plot around that.

Ooh nice!!! Thank you for sharing!
I found that Bianca (from BIANCA TORRE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING) and River (from THE OTHERWOODS) are quite similar characters. Not exact copies or anything, but they have similar traits. Was that done intentionally?

I don't know if it was entirely intentional so much as that type of character was what I needed to work on at the time. I have anxiety and panic attacks that only seemed to worsen in recent years, and I wanted to explore some of my own neurodivergency through these characters. Looking back, the progression of my writing also follows my gender journey a bit. Bianca has an understanding of their sexuality, but just begins to really get into their gender exploration during the course of the book. That's where I was while drafting, and a lot of my personal experience and gender feels influenced by Bianca's. When I was writing The Otherwoods, I was already out (ish) but still learning and having to overcome self-doubt, and I believe that influenced River's character a lot, as they identify as nonbinary from the beginning of the book, but still grow throughout their journey.

That is amazing!!! Both of these characters were amazingly relatable to me and it makes sense considering the things they struggle with. I'm glad you were able to find yourself during the writing of these books. Bianca's gender journey is probably one of my absolute favorites!!! I could gush about it for a while!
One of my favorite parts of both of these books is the chapter titles. How did you come up with these titles? And were they part of the original drafts for these books?

I happen to love chapter titles, so I definitely had silly chapter titles in the original drafts! Not all of them stayed the same-chapters would change during revisions, or some were just not that strong and I had to brainstorm a new one. Some of them did withstand the test of time and remained the same from the first draft! But I am so glad you enjoyed the chapter titles because they were honestly some of my favorite parts of the writing and revising process.

Haha, I'm so glad that some of the originals stayed. Now just to figure out which chapter titles were originally there and which changed during the process. On a serious note, I loved the titles! I don't often read books anymore with chapter titles and I love when they're there!!
Was it a struggle for you to find a good balance between the serious and funny moments in these books? They both have a good dash of both.

I think when it came to the serious and funny balance tone-wise, it was a bit natural for me. I've always been the person to rely on my sense of humor while in stressful/scary situations, so that is kind of my voice in general. However, it was really difficult to balance these elements plot-wise. I think it was harder in Bianca, since there is almost a suspenseful mystery story and fun queer contemporary story mashed into one, so I had to really balance the scenes that focused on Bianca's gender exploration and support system without losing the overall tension of the murder mystery. Revisions were definitely helpful for that!

I'm glad it was somewhat natural for you. It definitely came out that way if nothing else! Yeah, between the two I can definitely see Bianca's story being harder to keep balance off because of the tension needed. I think you did an amazing job though.
How did you craft the mystery in BIANCA TORRE?

The first draft of the mystery definitely was not as strong as the final, and nailing that really was a focus of my developmental edits. I definitely think my strength as a writer is character and voice, so I have to put more effort in plotting out the book and really finding those mystery beats. Revisions then focused on really building the suspense and leading up to the (admittedly wild and absurd) finale and reveal. That being said, outlining definitely helped me a lot from the beginning!

I think you did a great job at nailing it during edits and revisions then! It definitely led up to a great finale and reveal.
How did you come up with the monster designs in THE OTHERWOODS? And the design of the Otherwoods in general?

The monsters in The Otherwoods have a lot of features from animals, but in a creepy-animal-mashup kind of way with a focus on the scariest or most gross animal features (sharp teeth, claws, tentacles, slime, pincers, etc). Or scariest and most gross in my opinion, at least! I had a lot of fun creating these different monster mash-ups for the book. The design of The Otherwoods is very much along the lines of creepy fantasy forest and I think a lot of my favorite portal fantasies gave some influence to the design of the world, like Spirited Away when it comes to The City of Souls (one location in The Otherwoods).

Fair!!! Starting with the scary and gross is bound to give you great results. I definitely get creepy fantasy forest vibes from The Otherwoods. On another note, I really do need to watch Spirited Away.
Can you describe both of your books in 5 words each?

Bianca: nonbinary birdwatcher vs murder cult
The Otherwoods: nonbinary psychic vs murder woods

Haha!! I'm going to admit, I laughed out loud when I first read that answer. I mean, yep! That's those books in a nutshell!!
Do you plan on doing anything to celebrate the publication of these books?

I feel like I have been trying to celebrate the little things along the way, which I think is important. I have a huge sweet tooth and also a major passion for plushies, so I'm always looking for a reason to reward myself with a cute plushie or tres leches cake from the grocery store across the street. Right now, I'm more focused on Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything, and have a planned launch party in Los Angeles on the release day! I'm really looking forward to that, and should be posting full details soon. I don't have concrete plans for The Otherwoods yet, but I'm definitely wanting to do something!

That is so important!! I'm so glad that you've been doing that along the way!! Also totally wish I could drive up to Los Angeles for the launch party! I can't wait to see pictures of the party for Bianca and, later down the road, for The Otherwoods as well! You deserve to celebrate!!!
Do you have any other books you're currently working on or planning for the future?

Yes! The Otherwoods was part of a two-book deal, so I will have another Middle Grade contemporary fantasy out Fall 2024, and am very excited to keep developing that and be able to share details! I don't have anything I can share in the YA space yet, but I think it's safe to say that I definitely am not done with comedic mysteries! As shown by both my books, I love writing across different genres and hope to be able to continue to do so! One thing is for sure: they will all definitely be very queer.

Ooh, yes!!!!!! Okay, I'm ready. I'm sold! Let's go!!! I can wait until Fall of next year...maybe. I'm excited to see what other books you write!! Consider me a fan! I'll be outside begging for advance copies of each one just so I can gush about them!!
Thank you so much for joining me for this interview. It was an absolutely amazing time!!! I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavors and I'm so excited to see what else you put out into the world.
If Justine Winans's books sound like something you'd enjoy, make sure to check out the link included below to follow her or purchase their books. I highly recommend them! If you like what I do, consider giving me a follow on social media or donating to my Ko-fi. Thank you for reading!!

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You can find Justine Pucella Winans on Instagram and Twitter.

You can buy Justine Pucella Winans's books from Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore to take part in the preorder campaign (highly recommend, that art print and those stickers look amazing!!!!). You can also see about preordering from your local indie!!!

If you can't buy her books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!