Q&A: Joshua Phillip Johnson, Author of 'The Bloodless Queen'

We chat with author Joshua Phillip Johnson about The Bloodless Queen, which is part ecological Orpheus and Eurydice myth and part gothic thriller in this atmospheric near-future sci-fi novel about fae mysteries deep within strange nature preserves

Hi, Joshua! Welcome back! We last spoke for the release of The Forever Sea four years ago. How have you been and what have you been up to?

Hiya! It’s nice to be back, and wow, I can’t believe it’s been four years! Jeez. Thanks for having me back. Since the release of The Forever Sea, I’ve published its sequel, The Endless Song, and now this new book, The Bloodless Queen. I guess I’ve revealed myself to be a “The Adjective Noun” kind of writer. Outside of writing, I’ve spent the last four years teaching at my small liberal arts university and goofing around with my partner and our child. Oh! And we added to our family about four years ago with a Newfoundland named Mabel. She is the biggest, bestest doofus.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

There’s no time I can remember where I didn’t love stories. Reading was my favorite activity from a young age, and libraries were always my favorite places. But I can very distinctly remember being 10 or 11 years old, fresh off the high of playing Pokemon Blue, and I had the thought that I wanted to write a story about a young boy (and did he look like me? perhaps) whose family didn’t understand him and who struck out into the wide world with only his pokemon companion at his side. This young boy (and was he named Josh? perhaps) went on many grand adventures and lived happy ever after.

I saved that bit of literary brilliance on a floppy disk my mother thankfully tossed out, but writing that story taught me a few things: 1) Writing can be really fun! 2) Writing can be really hard! 3) Writing can be a way of processing and understanding the world.

I have continued to learn the truth of those lessons ever since.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

The first book you ever remember reading: Where the Red Fern Grows
The one that made you want to become an author: Redwall
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Your latest novel, The Bloodless Queen, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Math! Religion! Family! Weird faeries!

What can readers expect?

Although the world of the novel is strange and magical and sometimes scary, the heart of the story is a simple, personal one: a small family navigates life and loss while the world around them falls apart. Around that, there are historical bits—some true and most fictional—as well as rogue mathematicians, odd religions, magical prime number tattoos, and a very grumpy man named Oddry.

Where did the inspiration for The Bloodless Queen come from?

About 10 years ago, my wife had a miscarriage, and I couldn’t really stop worrying about losing a child after that. When our daughter was born afterward (happy and healthy and shouting her displeasure), the anxiety and fear didn’t really go away. They tell writers to “write what you know,” so I did that, and out popped a book about two parents who lose a child.

As for the worldbuilding bits, I was inspired by prime numbers and their weirdness, Ronald Reagan and his badness, climate activism and its extremities, and religion and its oddities.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I know it’s cheating to say it, but I had a blast with all of the characters in this book. Oddry, who is a curmudgeonly softie, was particularly fun. The book starts with a sort-of prologue featuring a terrible, arrogant man named Arthur Miracle—I really enjoyed writing him for at least a little bit.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

The book takes some emotionally heavy turns, and those were challenging—it’s hard to see what you’re doing on the screen when you’re crying! My cure for those challenges was to take a break, play with my daughter, forget the book for a bit, and then try, try again.

The other big challenge with this book sprung from my deep desire to include every bit of errant exposition and worldbuilding that has ever flutter through my head. Thankfully, I had a great editor who talked me down from several exposition-heavy ledges, and the book is much better for it. We can all thank Leah Spann for that!

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a few projects right now—one is a middle-grade novel about death (apparently I can’t let go of that particularly topic) and the other is a big epic fantasy about silent gods, books, fantastical baseball, and fog.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

So many! I’ve had a really good year for reading. Favorites include:

Ok, I have lots more I could list, but I’ll stop there. Some of those were delightful rereads and some of those were first-time wonders.

Q&A: Joshua Phillip Johnson, Author of ‘The Bloodless Queen’

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