Q&A with Danielle Prescod

 

Photo by Scarlet Raven

 

 

Danielle Prescod is the author of the new novel The Rules of Fortune. She also has written the memoir Token Black Girl. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write The Rules of Fortune, and how did you create your character Kennedy?

 

A: When I was researching my first book, Token Black Girl, about the experiences of being Black in traditionally white and elite spaces, I came across a lot of commentary that was about race and class that seemed disjointed. Namely that people were not sympathetic to the Black experience once a certain status had been achieved.

 

I saw things about how Oprah was “not Black” or the assumption that a certain amount of money makes you turn your back on the community. I wanted to see if I could access the tension of this opinion.

 

Kennedy came about because essentially I needed someone to represent the innocence of circumstance. She is not the one who made the money and is not responsible for the morally questionable activities around it but she is also a beneficiary of that.

 

So I wanted to see what it would be like for someone to not really know the source of their own privilege but have to navigate life around it.

 

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Actually, the ending that I wanted was totally different than the ending that ended up being in the book. We had a lot of discussions around the ending and how it should happen.

 

When I had originally pitched the book, there was only one death in it but as I was writing I realized that the stakes needed to be higher, so that’s why there’s another one. You have to be pretty fluid in fiction. I think we came to a great compromise on the ending that makes sense.

Q: As someone who's written a memoir and a novel, do you have a preference as far as the writing experience went?

 

A: I love writing in general. Fiction is pretty new for me and it is a lot of fun. It’s what I have always wanted to do so even when it’s difficult, I try not to take it for granted.

 

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: Hopefully readers will see the complexity in this family and the internal and external pressures that they face.

 

I always say that it is a tough time to have published a book about billionaires but I wanted to give these characters an untouchable amount of wealth to really make their experiences singular.

 

I also hope that readers are able to laugh. There are some pretty absurdist things in the book which I hope adds a lightness to it.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I am working on my next two books!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I hope people buy my book because I’m saving up for a horse.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb