An Interview with Forrest Graey

Graey (she/they) is an indie writer who spends much of her time painting, napping, and hyper-fixating on worldbuilding fantasy realms. As a queer person with an invisible illness, Graey lives an empathy-centric life and writes themes that challenge the idea of Self and Community. While she does not shy away from gruesome dark fantasy, she loves to add soft, queer love and representation. Life is a bit of darkness mixed in with the light, after all. BLOODWATER will be her debut novel.

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

This is one of my favorite stories, actually! When I was younger, I watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies religiously. I became so infatuated with the world of savvy, swashbuckling pirates and strong-willed damsels that I ended up writing my first fanfiction—before I even knew that’s what I was doing! The story was handwritten on wide-ruled paper and completely filled a three-inch three-ringed binder. I unfortunately have lost it from moving around so much as a kid, but I still remember that it was about one of Jack Sparrow’s bastard children trying to find him to break some curse.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

What inspires any writer, really? The perfect idea is a song, a moment, a sentence away. I’m not exactly sure where the inspiration for BLOODWATER came from. At first it was only going to be from one perspective/POV, but suddenly I have King Hayward, son of Mycin, whispering into my ear like the ghosts that plague him. Before I knew it, other characters were stepping forward to make BLOODWATER their own. It seemed that I was very much a vessel in its creation. While a finalized manuscript is still a ways off, writing itself has been less of a challenge in terms of figuring out what happens next, and more so a struggle to write fast enough!

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

Figuring out the most fitting title took a moment. Sometimes, when I’m stumped on naming something, I go to one of those generator sites. I don’t choose what it generates, but the options usually spark some inspiration! With BLOODWATER, though, I was imagining a specific scene (that was scrapped). In it, the character was wounded and half-dead, and I was imagining how the blood would mingle with the water, then…bam! There you go. BLOODWATER just stuck from then on.

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

Oh, this is one of my favorite things to think about! I’m usually an instrumental soundtrack lover, but one of the songs I’d want to be linked to BLOODWATER would be “Dissolved Girl” by Massive Attack—specifically as the Mad King Hayward’s theme song. Some others that I feel really fit the vibe of the book are “Sunlight” by Hozier, “Full Moon” by Avi Kaplan, and “The Valley” by Nadiiife.

Describe your dream book cover.

I’ve made a mock one for myself and for promotional purposes, so it would be a similar vibe. I want it to be darker but with a faded touch, and preferably more red than outright negative space. The book is about pirates and horrific sea monsters and war, so I would prefer it to stick to those heavier themes. I’m not a fan of the gilded, black background/single item in the foreground style. BLOODWATER is from four different perspectives, so I feel it would have to capture those four unique characters.

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

The most surprising thing for people to find out is that I used to work in a bank! It was a relatively short stint, but I’m certainly not the type of person you see and think, “strait-laced, by the book, rules on rules on rules”.

What books did you read (for research or comfort) throughout your writing process?

I actually can’t read anything when I’m writing—it tends to influence my voice. During my process, I let my TBR fall to the side so I can focus on making sure what I write is true to my tone, and true to the character’s perspective and storyline.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

That’s a tough one! There are many layers I wove with intention into BLOODWATER, but what I feel ties them all together is how every action has its own respective consequence—good AND bad. People are also fallible, and have their own drives and desires. Sometimes, that gets in the way of prospectively wonderful relationships.

I personally don’t mesh with the idea of a “perfect reader”. In a perfect world, I’d want them to have no qualms or frustrations with my writing, but I’m also a realist. I just hope that whoever reads BLOODWATER has enough respect to appreciate writing as a whole, and enough self-awareness to know the difference between constructive criticism and pettiness.

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