New YA fantasy novel inspired by Beyoncé's music

Alabama born and raised author, screenwriter, director, and playwright LaDarrion Williams has given new meaning to the phrase carpe diem. Williams, who recently spoke to AmNews ahead of his May 13 appearance at the 92nd Street Y (92NY), said he left his small Alabama town on a whim to pursue his dreams always. “I was working at Taco Bell and I was depressed and just wanted to get away. One evening my paycheck hit my direct deposit and I purchased a Southwest ticket for $181. I had never been on a plane before. It was a one-way ticket. I clicked to buy the ticket and thought, “I guess I’m moving to Los Angeles!” »

Williams is promoting her upcoming YA Fantasy novel “Blood at the Root,” a book that appears to deliver on the disappointed promises of the once highly anticipated film “The American Society of Magical Negroes (ASMN).” This story was not about a dark Hogwarts as many thought, but “Blood at the Root”, in many ways, was. It chronicles the life of 17-year-old Malik as he tries to forget a traumatic past and start a new life with his adopted younger brother. His journey takes him to a university, an HBCU in fact, that is home to a community of people who, like him, possess magical powers.

Williams remembers the flurry of activity among his peers when “ASMN” was initially announced. “That morning when I woke up, my phone kept ringing and there were all these congratulatory texts and messages for the film on Instagram and Tik Tok and whatnot. I was like, “God, did they make my movie and not tell me?” Or pay me?’ Williams was relieved, to say the least, when he realized that “ASMN” was about something very different. “I was like, y’all, this isn’t my movie. This is not my story!

Although Williams respects the people involved in “ASMN,” the narrative is not something he is completely comfortable with, to the point that he decided not to see the film. “I’m at a point in my art where I want to consume something that’s going to uplift us, although I’m not saying this story isn’t inspiring to anyone. But I cannot, in good conscience, as a black man and as a Black Fantasy writer here fighting for my stories, go watch a movie in which a black character only uses his magic to help white people.

Dashed hopes for the film were laid bare on social media following the trailer’s release, with comments revealing, in no uncertain terms, the deep disappointment of many fans of the fantasy genre. “Black people want to see us in a fantasy genre, because we’ve been excluded from it for years. Or maybe we were just there as the sacrificial lamb. And so what people really want and need and what Hollywood and publishing need to start realizing is that we want our own fantasy stories. We want our own dark magic stories.

Williams’ plan for the story was originally a film. In fact, the book was adapted from this now-viral short film. “Blood at the Roots wasn’t supposed to be a book. It was supposed to be a TV show. I wrote and created a short film and the TV pilot. The reason I made it into a book is because I had to pivot. Hollywood kept slamming its doors in my face. His posts on X and TikTok have garnered huge engagement, including popular existing trends like #BlackatHogwarts and #HBCUHogwarts.

The TV show “Lovecraft Country” and music — Beyoncé’s music in particular — inspired Williams to write “Blood at the Root.” The song that launched him was “Find Your Way Back,” the South African house music-influenced track from the album “The Lion King: The Gift” about regaining what you’ve lost. “That really sparked something for me,” Williams recalled. “Beyoncé created this beautiful story about a black boy going from his homeland to here and his ancestors and I was like, I want to write that. This is going to be my mission.

“Find Your Way Back” was also extremely personal for Williams. “I don’t know what this lady put into that song, but it really sparked something for me. It made me accept not only myself but also my childhood. My relationship with my father, my relationship with my mother and my relationship with my hometown. We always talk about the inner child, but we never talk about the inner teenager because my adolescence was difficult.

The mystical, galactic arc of Hippolyta (played by Aunjanue Ellis) and the reenactment of the events of the Tulsa Massacre as rendered in “Lovecraft Country” also catalyzed Williams’ writing of “Blood at the Root.” “She said I’m…I’m Hippolyta.” I am.” These are powerful words.

Williams’ work contains some of the best examples of how popular entertainment can be affectionately referential, affirmative, and uplifting. Williams says, “Those elements that I took from ‘Lovecraft Country’ and ‘Find Your Way Back’ were like, yeah, darkness is magic. It’s Royal. It’s beautiful. This is so badass! Beyoncé, thank you. Misha Green, the creator of “Lovecraft Country, Thank You.”

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