Alabama-raised author LaDarrion Williams talks ‘Blood at the Root,’ first book in new YA series

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — “What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU?”

That was a question LaDarrion Williams posed to his followers on social media several years ago. This led the Helena native to write “Blood at the Root,” his first novel in what is planned to be a trilogy.

Leading up to the book release Tuesday, Williams said he was excited but cautiously optimistic.

“I’m hoping that it’s received well, but there are certain things that you can’t control, and it’s okay,” Williams said. “That’s my state of mind right now: just surrender, you’ve done the work, people are going to love it, people are not going to love it [but] people are going to support it.”

Williams took time to describe the plot of “Blood at the Root” in his own words, as the young adult fantasy novel follows 17-year-old Malik Baron of Helena.

“Malik gets accepted into a magical HBCU called Caiman University that’s hidden in the backwoods of Louisiana,” Williams said. “He must go there to learn about his ancestral magic but also undercover some secrets surrounding his mother’s mysterious disappearance — she went there and never told him and has been missing for quite some time — so he has to investigate some people at the school because they may or may not have something to do with her disappearance.”

However, the book is not the first portrayal of Malik’s story. In 2020, Williams wrote and produced a 25-minute eponymous short film that later became the foundation of the book. The film debuted on Amazon Prime and is also available to watch on his YouTube channel.

The magic system of “Blood at the Root” is based on African and African-American folklore, as well as Williams’ experience growing up in a Southern Baptist church.

“When you look back on a lot of the things that we did, [you realize] this is a lot of hoodoo and it’s been passed down for years,” he said. “Like the different remedies your grandparents, your mother or your aunties used to say or do — you start thinking ‘You do realize that’s from hoodoo?’ So I really wanted to infuse that through the lens of a 17-year-old Black boy, with him realizing he’s descended from hoodoo practitioners and root workers.”

In writing “Blood at the Root,” Williams also wished to create a world where African witchcraft inspires awe rather than fear.

“I just started asking the question, why is [African magic] always demonized in media and literature? So I wanted to get to the basis of it and found that it’s beautiful and it’s ours,” he said. “I think it’s something that our ancestors had to create because their customs and spirituality were ripped away from them. I think it’s so beautiful that they remixed it a little bit out of their own [beliefs].”

Williams said his inspiration for the book came from a deep-rooted desire to create a story for young Black readers that didn’t focus on police brutality or racism.

“[Malik] can be vulnerable, he can be angry. He can laugh a little, he can cry,” he said. “When it comes to young Black men, we’re not offered that space [to show emotions] and it starts at a very young age. I wanted to write a story focused on keeping a young Black boy’s innocence in that way.”

“Writing this book for me is healing my inner teenager,” he added. “We always talk about the inner child, but we never talk about our inner teenager too.”

When asked what stories captured his attention as a young reader, Williams highlighted two Christopher Paul Curtis classics: “The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963” and “Bud, not Buddy.”

“I just fell in love with those books because it was my first time seeing a character that looks like me on the cover and who experiences different things while coming of age,” he said.

“I also grew up with the best Disney Channel original movies era, from fantasy to contemporary stories,” he added. “I remember watching ‘Halloweentown’ and just wanting to go there one day. That’s what really drew me into reading and storytelling but I didn’t take it seriously until high school when I took a theater class and realized I wanted to write plays and act.”

With years of playwriting under his belt, Williams admitted that writing for the state was a more comfortable space compared to writing for the page.

“Theater is my first love — always will be — and I love playwriting because in the theater, the playwright is god — they control everything. Without the playwright, there is nothing, you know?” Williams said. “I love writing new plays because you get to work with actors and maybe a director that really understands your vision and you get to cut up. But with a novel, you got to be a bit solitary. You got to create this world [where] you have to be inside the mind of characters.”

However, Williams said navigating both pursuits has been a rewarding challenge for him.

“It’s just a different skill and craft and it’s something that I’m really, really [still] learning because it’s like using a different part of your brain. But since I’m also a screenwriter-filmmaker, I try to add a cinematic touch,” he said. “I try to capture the language of the everyday people, that dialect that we use, especially being from the deep South, that you don’t normally get to hear — especially in YA book.”

For aspiring writers, Williams recommended online resources and physical guidebooks such as “Save the Cat! Writes a Novel” and “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft” by Stephen King.

“I like to tell people: be passionate about what you’re writing about. If you’re going to do it, go for it,” he said. “Also talk to people! I think the most important job as a writer is to be a listener. No matter what you write, you never know where and when inspiration will strike, and what people will say to you that could spark an idea.

“The biggest advice I’m approaching from is based on a quote from Ava DuVernay which is ‘Artists gotta stop working from a permission-based place,'” he concluded. “You don’t have to ask people’s permission to do your art. Go out there and make your film, produce your play or write your short story.”

Williams had a few words for those who feel like they’d like to read his book, but feel they’ve aged out of the young adult genre.

“Malik could be your child, nephew, younger cousin, student or somebody else’s child in the neighborhood,” he said. “And it’s important that we don’t discount him just because he doesn’t talk or look a certain way.”

“Blood at the Root” is available to purchase online via Penguin Random House and Amazon, as well as major retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Target.

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