An Interview with Celina Belotti

Celina is a Brazilian writer who crossed the ocean to complete a master’s in social sciences and now lives in London with her cat Trufa. She works in marketing and spends her free time exploring London’s weird corners, the little bookshops, secret queer spaces, and drag events that make you rethink your entire existence.

---

---

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I came up with the story for Wild and Beyond when I was fifteen. The main character, Charlie, is probably inspired by different versions of myself over the years. This story kind of stuck with me as I grew up; we changed and transformed together, which makes it very special to me. I have ADHD, and daydreaming about stories in my head is something I’ve always secretly done. I never thought I’d shape it into a book. Almost fifteen years later, during the pandemic, one of my childhood best friends had a baby, and I started writing about some of the stories we had from our teenage years. One thing led to another, and this became my pandemic project. Suddenly, what had been so alive in my brain was transferred into the paper, and it was magic. I started sticking Post-its to my wall, growing my story and being all mad scientist about it.

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

For a long time, my book was called Secret Project, but when this title came to me, it stuck, and I never looked back.

This title has two origin stories – one is tied to the plot of the book, and the other is tied to my own story. Starting with the second one, when I was a child, I loved creating secret clubs with my friends and pretending to be explorers. My friends and I had a little secret society that lasted well into our teenage years, and we called ourselves the wild girls. In a way, that’s where ‘wild’ came from.

Now, back to the book: We follow twins Charlie and Marcus Tucci and their best friend Sam Ndu. As children, they used to be close friends and the only members of the Society of Explorers of Wild and Beyond, a super-secret club. As years go by, however, they fall apart. Charlie and Marcus can’t stand each other and fight whenever they are in the same room. Sam, unsure of where to stand, leaves Charlie behind to side with her brother. Now she’s alone to rebuild herself, which is where the story starts. Wild and Beyond is the name of their secret society, but it’s also a symbol of grief and something that’s no longer there.

Describe your dream book cover.

My dream book cover is the cover I chose.

I am originally from Brazil, and I decided to hire a Brazilian designer for my book cover. This was very intentional. I wanted my book to have a little touch from home, even though I wrote it in English instead of Portuguese. This choice was very special to me.

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

Wild and Beyond was my debut novel. It’s a young adult novel told from the perspective of Charlotte, a sixteen-year-old girl who finds her nemesis in her twin brother, but is secretly in love with his best friend, with whom she used to be friends as a child before they all fell apart. When I started writing this, I had never actually thought about how a book was structured, even though I love to read. I started reading as a writer, which is very different. My first intuition was to read loads of books written in first person, and some of these are my favourite books today: Conversations With Friends, Never Let Me Go, The Hate U Give, History Is All You Left Me.

Now, I am writing my second novel, a second story set in the same universe of Wild and Beyond. This book is told from the perspective of two teenage swimmers, one of whom is gay and the other is transgender. I have been reading a lot of queer literature this year, particularly sports romance, which I not-so-secretly love.

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

I am originally a psychologist. That’s something most people don’t know. In Brazil, the psychology undergrad lasts five years, so I spent a long time studying. I never worked as a psychologist after I finished my training; I went straight into tech. But then I decided that I hadn’t studied enough and moved to London to complete a master’s degree in social sciences of data and technology, which is crazy specific but also so important today. Maybe people wouldn’t know I’m a psychologist, but I love thinking about people, what motivates them and what drives them forward. I definitely think that this background informs my character-driven approach.

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

My mother is a writer herself, and she is a massive inspiration to me, even though we are very different writers. Since I was very little, she’s told me to ‘put all your ghosts down on the paper,’ and that is something I take with me every day. Writing has also opened doors to the community for me. I joined the Queer Writers Circle in London a few years ago, and this is a really special and inspiring space. London can be a very lonely city; finding spaces you belong to is so important. Particularly queer spaces.

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

Wild and Beyond is a story about friendships and second chances, and the secret follow-up book I am currently working on follows the same thread. This is something very important to me. I’ve also been obsessed with romances and love stories, but ultimately, I think people grow when they find friends who help them become better versions of themselves. Friends are the people who help you speak up, who help you get revenge against the guy who broke your heart, who tell you when you’re being silly and who remind you of how awesome you are when you need it.

---

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