Author Interview: Brielle & Bear: Vol 1 by Salomey Doku

Author Interview: Brielle & Bear: Vol 1 by Salomey Doku

We’re so excited to bring you an exclusive interview with Salomey Doku, the talented creator and illustrator behind the YA graphic novel Brielle & Bear! This dreamy and enchanting love story, inspired by Beauty and the Beast, is the perfect read for anyone who loves sweet, wholesome romance. Fans of Check, Please! and Twelfth Grade Night will absolutely swoon over this debut, filled with heart, charm, and stunning artwork. With Brielle & Bear hitting shelves on April 22nd from Random House Graphic!, we sat down with Salomey to chat about her inspirations, creative process, and what readers can expect from this magical story. Read on for the full interview!

Brielle and Bear: Volume 1: (A Graphic Novel) (Once Upon a Time University)

by Salomey Doku
Published by: Random House Graphic
on April 22, 2035
Genres: Contemporary, Graphic Novel, Retellings, Young Adult
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A tale as old as time refreshed for modern readers. This Beauty and the Beast retelling captures the magic and romance of first-year university students Brielle and Bear and the fairytale they are destined to live.

Once upon a time, Brielle met Bear. And then they fell in love.

But that’s just the beginning. Fairytales have a way of twisting and swirling before you get to “happily ever after.” And though modern-day Once Upon a Time University first-year, Brielle, is a dreamer, always with her nose in a book, her imagination can’t help but run wild with potential romance.

To her, Bear is perfect. . . until Brielle discovers a secret he’s been hiding for a long time that just might shatter their fairytale love. . . .

Author Interview

This story takes inspiration from the classic Beauty and the Beast fairytale. How did you balance modernizing the narrative while still capturing the essence of the original fairytale? Are there other BATB retellings that you love? 

It was quite a tricky task to rewrite such a classic tale to turn it into something relatable to modern readers! ‘Brielle & Bear’ went through several iterations before I finally settled on the current version of the story. By allowing myself to pull away from the restrictions of a ‘stricter’ retelling (which is what the initial version of ‘Brielle & Bear’ was! It was very dark academia), I was able to have more creative freedom, and turn this into a more fun, upbeat story, (more light academia!). For me, this was the best way to modernize the fairytale while keeping the elements I loved, such as my optimistic bookworm protagonist (who also narrates the story), the ‘lonely prince’ locked in his ‘tower’, and my favorite key theme of ‘not judging a book by its cover’. I was also able to expand the cast of characters, which is where the story started to become really lively (it was super fun imagining the villain as a college heartthrob, followed around by his ‘cheerleaders’!) ‘Brielle & Bear’ has truly become a cheerful ode to my personal love of whimsical fairytales. And yes – I have come across a few BATB retellings I want to read, but I have as yet to make myself sit down and actually read them!!

Brielle and Bear’s relationship begins with a fairytale-like romance, but the story hints at twists and challenges along the way. What role do obstacles and secrets play in shaping their journey, and how do they contribute to the growth of both characters?

They are both such sweet, optimistic characters, but they have a lot to learn! They need to learn the value of trust in a relationship, (just like Beauty and the Beast do!) and in Volume 1, they have a few ‘easy’ trust challenges to overcome, to begin to truly connect as friends. Bear, primarily, has to overcome his past experiences with bullying and fake friendships that have led to him hiding parts of himself from his current group of friends. Brielle, on the other hand, has a supportive, genuine friend in Rosalie, which has seen her through difficult times.

As she offers this supportive type of friendship to Bear, she faces some unexpected reactions and rebuffs, which she has to learn how to handle. In Volume 1, both characters are just starting to open up to one another. As their relationship deepens and their feelings start to develop from just crushing into love, (in Volume 2!), the romantic challengers (who are waiting in the wings) also up their game, which forces both Brielle and Bear to dig deeper into trust and truth, than they have to in Volume 1.

In the story, Brielle is portrayed as a dreamer with a wild imagination. How does her character evolve as she faces the realities of her relationship with Bear, and what does her journey say about love, expectations, and self-discovery during her college years?

Brielle has a tendency to romanticize life! Her romantic outlook on life is quite idealistic, but as she begins to realize how complex people (and relationships) can be, and how much work is involved in building a strong relationship, her views begin to become more grounded in reality. As she and Bear begin to grow together, she has to learn, first of all, how to be the kind of friend that Bear actually needs. He hasn’t had a great experience with friendships in the past and is very slow to open up to her, which she finds very frustrating. When she first meets Bear, he’s the ‘princely’ six-foot-four ‘cinnamon roll’ of her dreams, but as time goes on and she actually gets to know him, she starts realizing that Bear needs to heal as a person. He needs to learn to trust others again, and to talk about his feelings, as much as Brielle needs to learn how to balance her time, and set boundaries (mostly in Volume 2!) Brielle grows as she learns how important trust, healing, patience and honesty are as part of the process of building their relationship. She learns that things don’t always pan out the way you hope, how to focus on what really matters, and how to accept the journey as part of what truly makes life a ‘fairytale’.

Thank you to Random House Graphic for an advance copy!




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