Episode 333-Beauty and the Beast, Rewired: Autism, Authorship, and a Bold Retelling with Author Bria Rose

A candid, joyful talk with author Bria Rose about flipping Beauty and the Beast on its head, managing perfectionism as autistic creatives, and building momentum as an indie author through outreach, edits, and community. We share practical steps for starting, finishing, and promoting a book while keeping your voice intact.

• season focus on autism summits and storytelling magic
• Bria Rose’s path from Disneyland to dark romance author
• practical advice to start writing without an outline
• using layers of edits to beat perfectionism
• Her Dark Promise premise and Easter eggs
• indie publishing wins: book boxes, special editions, local media
• reviews, word count choices, pacing lessons
• audiobook launch and narrator highlights
• upcoming projects and consistent author branding
• where to buy, how to request in stores, direct support options

Please help support me, go on my website and pre-order the audiobook
If you want to see my book in shops, you need to call the stores and you need to request it
Get it from my website, get it from me, support me as for direct direct sales right here because you get a bonus chapter, a bonus scene

https://authorbriarose.com/

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Season Focus on Autism
• 1:12 Introducing Author Bria Rose
• 3:45 Why Storytelling Feels Like Magic
• 5:20 From Disneyland Dreams to Writing
• 9:06 How to Start: Just Write
• 12:45 Perfectionism, Editing, and Feedback
• 16:20 Landing a Book Box & Momentum
• 19:00 Her Dark Promise: The Twist
• 22:20 Easter Eggs and Craft Choices
• 26:10 Covers, Special Editions, and Media
• 29:40 Reviews, Length, and Lessons Learned

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

The SJ Child Show is backwards. They're backwards. This season, we're excited to bring you more autism summits featuring experts and advocates from around the world. Go to SJChild.org.

SPEAKER_00: 0:23

The heart of the city. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03: 0:36

Hello. It's so nice to be here today. Today I have brought three rows. Um, and we are here to talk about um, you know, you don't have to be in the autism community, neurodivergent community, or anything like that to have a love of reading books. And so, you know, throughout my podcast, I've always loved to bring authors, inspiring people who storytellers have uh a special uh aura, a special sense about them, a special energy that they carry into the world with them. And I think that um the kind of urge or a passion to share stories with others is magical. And I just want to thank you so much for bringing that magic to the show today. So thank you so much for being here, Bria. I'm excited to learn more about you. Let's start off with uh an introduction. Let us know a little bit about yourself and we'll go from there.

SPEAKER_04: 1:38

All right. So hi, I am Brea Rose. I am an a dark romance author, specifically fairy tale retellings, but actually um, I'm a little bit on the spectrum as well. So this kind of works out.

SPEAKER_03: 1:51

I love it. Yeah, we're all about building our community here.

SPEAKER_04: 1:56

So yeah, I love that. Yeah, that's basically who I am. The uh trying to be a full-time author. Uh we're working on that part. Work in progress.

SPEAKER_03: 2:07

Oh my gosh, isn't that the truth? You know, and entrepreneurship in general is just not an easy road to take, but not one for the faint of heart, that's for sure. Um, I have authored books myself, and it's definitely not something that has for me personally put any food on the table. But that's a different story. We're talking about self-published children's books versus actually, you know, publishers wanted books like yours, probably. So yeah, it's a little bit different story. Um, but I'm excited to learn more about it because reading is something that, you know, there's so many forms of being able to read these days with technology and things like that. So uh I just love to make sure that everybody has those accesses and things. And, you know, if you'd like to listen on audio or if you like actually having that paper book in your hand, um, it's just something about taking yourself into that imagination that um is so youthful and so good for you in your mind, isn't it? What what do you think about that?

SPEAKER_04: 3:20

It really, I feel like I have been a storyteller my entire life. I love stories, I love long stories. I know my mom's always like, okay, let's shorten it a little bit. But again, that kind of goes with being on the spectrum a little bit. I think everyone should know every single detail of all the stories that I tell. Now, with writing, now I have you. So if you're gonna pick up my book, you gotta stick around for the whole thing and I'm gonna tell you all the details. So I just feel like storytelling really just like I I always feel like I got bit by the writing bug, and it's like you're saying, it's like this other level, I don't really know how to explain it, but just the creativity behind it and the passion I have for writing, and it I feel like it came out of nowhere, but it didn't. I think it was just kind of fit in like fighting its time until it's like, okay, now is the time to you know express yourself and uh I'm really enjoying the process.

SPEAKER_03: 4:16

That's wonderful. So, what how did you start the process for those who might be interested in maybe thinking about writing their own book? Like, how did you take it from idea to paper computer, if you if you will?

SPEAKER_04: 4:34

Well, coming from a background that I was going to be a teacher, I was going to be, I actually have my master's in communication studies. I have I'm ordained, I do a lot of different things. I am a person who had no idea what she wanted to do. I mean, my first dream was to work at Disneyland. And I did it. You know, I got to do that uh for like seven-ish years, uh, like a year before the pandemic. And, you know, that was that was the dream. And so when that was no longer a thing, I moved back home. I live about seven hours away from Disneyland. Uh, I was like, what am I gonna do now? I don't really care what I do, I just want to make money. So I was kind of lost for a second in life, like a few years. I'm like, ugh, I'm kind of getting to an age where I kind of have to know what I'm gonna do, you know. Uh I just feel like all these people just know at a young age, and that just wasn't me. And that is okay. That was my path. Um and then one day I'm just like because I had written a book back in high school with a friend, and we kind of picked it up, put it back down, you know, over like a 10-year period. And about like 20, I say like 26, I'm like, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna sit down and write this. And I did, I wrote the whole thing three months. Um and then uh the friend and I decided to kind of like part ways a little bit because she was busy doing stuff, and then I'm like, you know what, but I still want to do this. I'm like, you know what? Let's sit down again. I don't come from a writing background, I was gonna do other things. So uh I guess the biggest piece of advice from someone who again has no background, does not know the like story structure, doesn't know how to develop characters, doesn't really know anything. I just knew I had a story and I wanted to tell it. And so I just started writing. So just write. That you just it's all the cliches of you can't edit a blank page. People say write, write, write, even if it's seven words a day, even if it's one sentence, even you know, whatever that looks like for you, because you're gonna have burnout if you try to go too hard too fast, you know. Um, and so I've had to learn how the writing is for me. Like, how do I do that? Because people are like, okay, uh make sure to have an outline that doesn't work for me because I change it halfway through the story. I'm like, how do people stick to an outline? That's crazy unless you know exactly what's gonna happen. But the my character surprised me. I'm like, why'd you do that, girl? Why do you have to do why do we have to make that choice? And I realized, oh, I wrote them a particular way. So if I want them to do something, but it does not match what the direction that they would actually choose, and I'm like, shoot, okay. I I did this to myself. So I I guess what you know what you're asking, like kind of like how to do it, just write and then get a really good editor who's gonna make your redo it all and probably scratch it. But you have a starting point, yes, you have a starting point to go, and it does not have to be perfect.

SPEAKER_03: 7:39

Oh, it's so true. And you know, I think that that's a great sentence, it doesn't have to be perfect, and really what is, and and I think that perfection is something that you and I probably as autistic females might strive for and get really caught up in if it's not the case, and that can be really hard. Um, but letting yourself have that grace, that humanix, if you will, to realize like I can, you know, I don't have to go back and correct the post if I did said something wrong, you know, or said like this this overjudging and over-analyzing yourself and your message so much that it loses the purpose, right, of what it is and is meant for. So I think that really understanding how to kind of be loosely gentle with yourself in those areas is is a tricky part of being a writer and taking that constructive criticism from the editor and realizing that they have this view from an outside perspective, which is what you wanted because you want readers, but at the same time, you're like, oh, wait, uh, that hurt, wait, you know, and it's kind of like this um tug of war with your own emotions. Um, in how can I change this but stay true to what I want to say? Um, in so yeah, that's a battle, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04: 9:18

Well, kind of going with your the idea of like perfection, I just saw somewhere, probably social media. I'm constantly on socials. Uh, is someone said that a finished, perfect like product that we see has probably like a hundred layers of paint on it. It started with you know, the sketch, then it started with a line, then it's you know, and then we just kept building until you see this whoa. Like makeup. Sometimes I'm like, ooh, trust the process, trust the process, because this is not looking good. But you slap that eyeliner on, I'm like, oh, okay. I slap a little bit of lashes on. Oh, okay, we're now it's put together. So really perfection is just multiple layers and editing and rewrites and more editing. So that first draft is going to be bad. And so I actually signed, and I'll talk about it, but I signed with a company to write one book, like an actual like publishing house. So it's really awesome. And so I am, I will admit, I'm so nervous because the only person that I've shown like raw work has been my editor, who I've worked with for like three years now. And I even now I say this isn't my best work. She's like, it's not gonna be your best work. Like, trust yourself. You know, you've grown also so much since that first official ref draft of Her Dark Promise, you know, my book. Uh so it's just like ah, you know, I just I so I am nervous, like you said, like I'm wanting to be perfectionist, but I have to also remind myself, the lady, she's like, just just send me something that you're proud of, like a very well put together first rough draft that we can go through and probably again demolish. It's gonna take a minute, and that's okay.

SPEAKER_03: 11:00

Yeah. Oh, and you'll it's so exciting when you do have that finished. Um, and maybe in your mind, it's not always completely finished. I know that now I look back, here I am, like I had just mentioned to you, like 300 or more episodes into the podcast. And what was the first thing someone said to me? Just do the podcast. Your first podcast will never be as good as your 300th, because you've had all of the experience to get to that point, and so much has changed, and so much of yourself and so much of your um confidence and your you know, kind of what you bring to writing, to a podcast, to all of the the things that you practice. Um, it only gets better with time and with practice and with um putting taking it apart and putting it back together, just like you said. So it it is a beautiful um art, basically, writing and creating a storytelling. But let's talk about the story of her dark promise. Tell us a little bit about the story, and of course, don't give us too much, but yeah, give us that exciting uh edge that we want to know about.

SPEAKER_04: 12:19

So the spiel that I always tell people when I do uh book signings like in person is so Her Dark Promise is a dark romance. Why choose Beauty and the Beast retelling with a twist, where Belle's the Beast, Beast and Gaston are brothers who get trapped in her castle. Chaos ensues, or is it is very spicy, but the plot I feel is equal to the spice.

SPEAKER_03: 12:45

That's so exciting. I love that. What a great twist, and something that you've um kind of thought about, and maybe even through your whole experience, Disney and all of that. I mean, that is all kind of in this experience of this story, so that's fascinating, and I love that.

SPEAKER_04: 13:07

Yeah, I when you read it and you are a Beauty and the Beast fan in general, there's some things you're like, oh, this is being the beast, this is being the beast. Like, this is so beauty and the beast, like coded. And there's some things that are so behind the scenes beauty and the beast coded that you don't know. For example, uh, my main character, uh, her name is Calathea Rose Everhart. Uh, of course, we have Rose because the Rose. I have the Rose in there somewhere. It is my last name, so I can't I wanted her name to be Rose, but I feel like that would have been too much. So her middle name is Rose, but Everhart. So Everhart is the last name of the male voice actor who plays Maurice.

SPEAKER_02: 13:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_04: 13:54

So there's little things. So she, you know, Calathea is cursed, she's a cursed queen. Um and she I believe she is three, yeah, she's 370 years old, and she's turning 370. And that's about the amount, that's the amount of people that worked on the 1990s film.

SPEAKER_03: 14:14

Oh my goodness, that is so cool. Yeah, so there's a lot of like tape there, there's lots of Easter eggs.

SPEAKER_04: 14:21

You know, we got like the name Chip, we have Philippe, which again I couldn't get to, I don't want to use like Belle Gaston, yeah, Greece. I don't want to use those, but like, oh, a chipped teacup, or you know, like there's certain things like oh the Condolabra, or because again, I don't have magical, I don't have magical objects, but I do have two new characters. So I it is beauty and the beast, but it is my story.

SPEAKER_03: 14:47

Yeah, beauty and the beast based. I say that three times fast. No, that's great. Oh, and do you have a copy of it with you by chance so we could uh see?

SPEAKER_04: 14:58

I do, I normally have it right next to me. Just one of course, no worries. So I actually have two, so I was lucky enough. So a little bit of kind of like background on like the journey itself. Uh I published this last Halloween, so I'm not even a year published, mind you. Okay, so talk about perfection. I worked on this book for about two years with my editor, I believe, trying to get it perfect, but it just never was because we'd change something in the middle, and then I have to go through the beginning again because I'm like, oh, better idea, better idea, better idea. So finally published Halloween 2024. I had I probably reached out to like 60 to 100 like book boxes, like subscription book boxes.

SPEAKER_03: 15:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04: 15:48

And I told myself, I only need one yes, that's all I need, just one. And I got that. So uh a month after its you know release, actually, not I don't think I even think in a month, a few weeks, uh, someone said, Hey, this actually looks pretty cool. Can you actually send me the book so we can read it, see if it would where it'll fit? And I'm like, Yeah, totally can do that. A month after that, literally, like I think right before Christmas, they're like, Oh yeah, we want this, this is awesome. So I actually have a special edition of my book, not even a few couple months after I published. So you know, of course that took time that did like released in uh spring, but I mean I got the the deal again two months after I published, and then I got um in April I booked a segment on my news, and that happened actually the 5th of this month. And you know, they all these opportunities keep popping up, and I'm just I'm very honored, but I have two covers to show you. This is the original, and then these are pretty sprayed edges, not spray, they're hand stamped, and I have 25 days. So my friend.

SPEAKER_03: 17:04

That is so cool.

SPEAKER_04: 17:06

Yes, so this is the original, this is a special in general, like the original cover with like special edges, uh, and then I have the special edition cover, which is this.

SPEAKER_02: 17:21

Oh, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_04: 17:24

I love that, and then we have the side, so pretty, and then we have the back, so nice, right?

SPEAKER_03: 17:33

I love it, so great. Wow, yeah, I know. It looks like magic to hold it in your hand, isn't it?

SPEAKER_04: 17:42

It was kind of crazy to be honest. Like the first time I held it, I'm just like did I do this? And then you read them like, oh my god, these are my words that I wrote that I worked on in blood, sweat, tears, pain, burnout, writer's block, all the loss of I'm not really loss of money, because like how were you saying not a get rich quick scheme at all? Because all the money I make goes back into the book. 100%. Right? Crazy. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_03: 18:12

Oh, and how in how exciting that you went on the news, you're having book signings and more opportunities, and it's just gonna be more to come as well. So, do you have a second book in the works or thinking? Or I know it's a little bit soon to even ask, but you know, just in case.

SPEAKER_04: 18:33

No, 100%. Thank you so much for asking. Uh, some future projects or not future, well, current projects and future projects. I have a few that I'm currently working on. I don't want to overwhelm people, but I do get I'm gonna get very excited. I love talking about it. Uh, with Her Dark Promise, I actually have this. Bless you. Thank goodness. Um so I have Her Dark Promise in uh paperback, hardback, ebook, and now audiobook. So that is coming out in audiobooks. Uh, it's currently on pre-order. I'm begging people like, please help support me, go on my website and pre-order the audiobook. It's with Jacob Morgan and Grace Noble, and they are incredible narrators. They sound amazing. Um, so help me earn some of my money back, please. Because it is a pretty penny. Um, and so there's that project that thank goodness the audiobook is now just when it releases, it releases, and I only have to do social media posts. So that's the project for that. Um, I am currently working on a spicy Pinocchio retelling. Ooh, that's interesting. Uh that's all different. It's a little different.

SPEAKER_03: 19:42

I love that. I feel like when you hear about retelling. I'm sorry, I think what there was a I asked you in the middle of you talking there.

SPEAKER_04: 19:49

Uh it's authorbriause.com. So author A-U-T-H-O-R Bria B-R-I-A-R-O-S e dot com.

SPEAKER_03: 20:00

The right spelling. Yes, good. Okay. Yeah. So those of you who are listening, yes, www.authorbria rose.com. Uh, please go and support. And then, of course, she said she's on socials. So gimme, is it just Bria Rose on socials?

SPEAKER_04: 20:16

So I branded myself really well, and everything is author Brea Rose.

SPEAKER_03: 20:21

Author Bria Rose, wonderful.

SPEAKER_04: 20:23

TikTok, Instagram. If you have questions, that's my Gmail. It's everything.

SPEAKER_03: 20:28

TikTok. IG. Facebook.

SPEAKER_04: 20:35

Not Facebook. I am slowly, I can only do so many things at once.

SPEAKER_03: 20:41

Love it. Okay, good. One gonna make sure everybody knows where they can find you and follow you because thank you. It there's so much to share. And I, you know, I love social media as for business and sharing. And I think that when you give people resources and options and tools, and it it just makes it builds the community so much and it gives everybody and this is fun. This isn't something, you know, oh, you know, everybody go and get this box of vitamins. I mean, this is an exciting book about things that let's be honest, most people really love, especially people on the spectrum. You know, there there is a very big liking to Disney. I I know that for a fact. So yeah, exciting to have these options available for your reading pleasures, especially if you have like reading groups or you know, that you do get the book, suggest it to your reading groups so that you guys can do reads and stuff together, and then get on social media and make sure that you give her a review. Go on Amazon or wherever it is for sale and make sure you send reviews because it means so much to an author to get reviews, it's huge.

SPEAKER_04: 22:03

And I love reading them. I read all of them, I read, you know, every single, even the ones that are like, you know, one, two, three stars, unless there's no um pickups or bless bless you. Um it's okay. Um you know, I even again, unless there's like just one star, there's like nothing. They're actually all the reviews are really nice. Some people are like, though, I think the biggest like, oh, it's a little long. I'm like, well, it's one book, it's standalone, and I wanted to make sure that my girl, you know, went through her ups and downs. Cause it's it really, I I now looking back, I'm like, I should have made this into two books. It was very silly to make it into one. Uh so I understand, I get it. Mistakes were made, but mind you, this is also my first book. So it's I take this all as like constructive criticism. You know, I have for this next book, I'm shortening my chapters. The book is not gonna be. I mean, mind you, a uh just to give you an idea, a debut fantasy or dark fantasy author will normally kind of hit in anywhere between 80,000 words and no more than a hundred thousand words. My book is a hundred and fifty thousand words. So I get it. I get it, and people read long books all the time. I'm like I I wrote the story how I thought it should be told, and this is what we have, and so you know, I I really encourage people to support, you know, indie. Well, support me first, but then you can support other indie. Just kidding, you can do what you need to do. You know, it book people. If you are a book person, then you know, we're gremlins, we are very gobbly. We want to gobble and nom nom up all the books. I mean, I I could show you my I have four book bookshelves, and they're like double because I have so many books, like there's just so much space, and people just devour books. So my book is ready to be devoured by you.

SPEAKER_03: 24:11

Yes, I love that. Yay! Oh my gosh, this has been so much fun, and it's it sounds like such an exciting book, and I I know it's gonna be a wonderful, wonderful read for everyone who picks it up. So please go and support um Bria Rose on all her socials on author Brea Rose.com. And um please make sure tell me where it's being sold again.

SPEAKER_04: 24:41

So it is currently on Amazon, uh Barnes Noble. Some Barnes Noble have them in store, but definitely call ahead of time. If you want to see my book in shops, you need to call the stores and you need to request it, and then they will start having them on the shelves. But currently, Barnes Noble, Amazon, and just recently I found out Walmart.com. Uh, so those are where that is. And then my audiobook will be on all the apps, currently is on Audible, iTunes, somewhere else. But get it from my website, get it from me, support me as for direct direct sales right here because you get a bonus chapter, a bonus scene. Ooh, if you give this for me, you'll get a free ebook and a bonus scene.

SPEAKER_03: 25:25

Love that. Absolutely. So much, it's been so nice to get to know you, and I'm sure that we could catch up on a lot of other things and have some great conversations. So let's keep in touch for sure. Make sure to follow each other on socials and everything. Um, what's anything like coming up soon that we can tell people in Florida to watch for book signings, things like that? No, I'm in California. So I actually yeah, yeah, I just imagined uh Florida for some reason, but that's okay. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04: 26:02

Love this. Uh no, I'm well, thank you, Mom. Maybe got that really nice skin. Yeah. Florida skin flow. Uh yeah, no, because I'm not in Florida. Right, right.

SPEAKER_03: 26:14

No, California, California, absolutely. Any uh things going on there that you have going like book signings or events?

SPEAKER_04: 26:22

So no events currently because all the money is being put into some next projects, and it costs some money to you know to get those books whatever or print not whatever, but printed. But I am heading to Reno, Nevada on October 17th, actually a day before my birthday, to sign some books that they have in stock. So if you do want a signed book and you're in the Reno, Nevada area, go to your uh Barnes and Noble on Virginia Street, I believe. It's you'll know Barnes and Noble, Reno, Nevada, October 17th. I will be there signing books for a hot second.

SPEAKER_03: 27:00

I like that. Well, I'm from Reno, Nevada, so maybe I'm in October.

SPEAKER_04: 27:06

Okay, maybe have a we can maybe meet up October 17th and we can meet in person. That'd be really cool.

SPEAKER_03: 27:12

That would be so crazy, right? Do a little, hey, this is the podcast. Oh my gosh, that'd be so good.

SPEAKER_04: 27:17

That'd be so cool. That'd be fun.

SPEAKER_03: 27:19

It would be very cool. Well, uh, we'll keep in touch about that little little side note there. Thank you so much for your time today. It was so fun to get to know you, and I look forward to staying in touch. I think that we um are gonna have lots of great conversations in the future. I just know it.

SPEAKER_04: 27:38

I believe it. Thank you so much for the opportunity.

SPEAKER_03: 27:40

Yeah, it was so much fun. Thank you. And we'll we'll chat soon.

SPEAKER_00: 28:04

Oh, yeah, do it.