An Interview with Britney Earwood

I have been writing my entire life in one way or another – poems or little short stories in my journal, or thousands of story ideas scattered on scraps of paper through my life – but I’ve always been too afraid to take it seriously. Mostly, because I was afraid that doing something that had always meant so much to me would mean suddenly it wouldn’t mean as much. I know that doesn’t make much sense, but there it is. I was also afraid that if someone didn’t like my writing – something that genuinely feels like a piece of my soul on paper – that it would crush a sacred part of me and I’d never felt brave enough to allow that to happen. Somewhere between COVID, my daughter’s cystic fibrosis diagnosis, and the journey of crawling out from beneath the rubble, I decided it no longer mattered if anyone didn’t like my writing. What mattered was doing something that healed parts of me that have always felt a little broken. So, here I am, almost forty and chasing my dreams. I have five kids, three dogs, two cats, and a partridge in a pear tree; a full-time job; a husband who loves me dearly (I’m pretty sure); and a truly questionable obsession with otters.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

What inspired this book in particular is a great question. I’m not sure I completely know the answer, except to say I see a lot of myself in Nora. I have suffered my entire life with a debilitating fear of death and an associated case of OCD – specifically, health OCD. I wanted to share what panic feels like. I wanted to share what it feels like to wrestle with the shame you feel when people love you despite this significant burden. And I wanted to explore what it would be like for my fears to be realized – for something to actually be wrong. Through that, I also wanted to fantasize what it would be like to live life without fear and with courage. What inspired this book was a desire to explore what it means to break through your fears, even when they’re crushing, and choose to live – even when living is just eating questionable food from a food truck or swimming in a lake.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

There’s a running theme throughout the book of stars and starlight, as you’ll see. At one point, Eli says, “…that’s all the living can really do – move forward, even when every step hurts. Otherwise, we’re just dead light stuck in the sky, shining for no one who knows we’re already gone.” I really loved this idea of living in the light of dying stars. So that’s what it is for now. We’ll see if it changes!

Describe your dream book cover.

Gosh, I don’t even know right now – obviously, something to do with stars. I imagine it’s an image of Eli and Nora, silhouetted against the night sky, staring at the Milky Way in all its glory.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Funnily enough, I have this playlist!

Breathe Me – Sia

Saturn – Sleeping At Last

The Night We Met – Lord Huron

Motion Sickness – Phoebe Bridgers

Clearest Blue – CHVRCHES

Dog Days Are Over – Florence + The Machine

Bright – Echosmith

Ribs – Lorde

Little Wonders – Rob Thomas

You Are the Reason – Calum Scott

This Year – The Mountain Goats

The Joke – Brandi Carlile

All I Want – Kodaline

Run – Snow Patrol (acoustic)

Landfill – Daughter

Light On – Maggie Rogers

Holocene – Bon Iver

Songbird – Fleetwood Mac

Ends of the Earth – Lord Huron

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I’m currently reading Colleen Hoover’s All Your Perfects. I just spied A Million Junes on my bookshelf, and I’ll likely pick that one back up – it’s a beautiful read.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

Something my readers wouldn’t know is that I know how to bush hog! I’ve been working since before it was legal for me to work and have held almost every job you could think of: key maker, fruit stands, pizza maker, baker, barista, house cleaner, hotel worker, general manager, cashier, waitress, trainer. I’m currently a project manager and I absolutely love it.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

What inspired me to write is what inspires me to read: escaping into another world to live another life. My childhood wouldn’t be described as idyllic – by any stretch – and I loved reading, because it allowed me to escape that life and enter into another. Sometimes it was a life of mystery. Sometimes I was rescued by a strapping laird and carted off to the highlands. Sometimes I discovered I was a wizard and went on grand adventures. Sometimes I was a book detective who could go right into books and meet the characters. One day, I discovered I could create worlds of my own. I could put my own thoughts, feelings, heartaches, and hopes into words and those words could say things I never could. I wanted to inspire people the same way I had been inspired, and I wanted to give other people the same sense of catharsis I was privileged to have.

Where is your favorite place to write?

Anywhere, but lately on my couch with the lights dimmed and a good cup of tea.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Don’t be afraid! Keep writing and don’t let your fears keep you from chasing something so meaningful to you.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

Tears! I’m kidding. Not really. I hope my readers walk away with a sense of courage – whatever that looks like for them.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.