DIY MFA Radio · Gabriela Pereira

445: IP, Fandoms, and Nostalgia: Rebooting a Beloved Series - Interview

·44 min·4 clips

Disney asked Kendara Blake to write a Buffy reboot in just two months, catching her off guard.

This episode of DIY MFA Radio features an interview with #1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake, conducted by hosts Gabriela Pereira and Lori Walker. Blake discusses her experience writing the officially licensed "Buffy the Next Generation" book series for Disney. She explains how she landed the project unexpectedly in 2020 after her agent presented the opportunity. Blake details the series premise, which follows Frankie, the witch daughter of Willow, who becomes a Slayer after a tragedy. She received a basic synopsis and character outlines from Disney but had creative freedom to design monsters and develop new character personalities. The author wrote the first 100,000-word novel, "In Every Generation," in just two to three months to meet the 25th-anniversary release schedule. Blake approached the writing as "officially licensed fan fiction," aiming to match the tone and voice of the original TV series. She describes the project as a "Buffy summer vacation" that helped her through the pandemic, allowing her to immerse herself in a beloved world. Blake intentionally loaded the books with Easter eggs and callbacks for existing fans, embracing nostalgia rather than avoiding it. She acknowledges the challenge of pleasing a devoted fanbase with strong "head canons" and accepts that some readers will dislike her interpretations. The author still reads reviews of her work, understanding they are for readers, not for authors to act upon. Blake shares that she is primarily a "pantser" who discovers the story through writing, letting characters interact organically. For action scenes, she emphasizes the importance of the emotional stakes and incorporates humor, inspired by Buffy's quippy fighting style. She reveals she just finished a draft of the third and final book in the Buffy series and is also working on a new fantasy novel for release in fall 2023. The tone is conversational, educational, and full of enthusiastic fandom, reflecting a friendly interview between writers. Aspiring authors and fans of Kendare Blake or the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise would find this episode particularly engaging. Listeners seeking highly technical craft advice or those with no interest in franchise writing might find less to hold their attention.

As heard by us

A clear craft talk on fan fiction, worldbuilding, and finishing what gets started.

This conversation is strongest when it moves past general enthusiasm and into the craft itself. It treats fan fiction as practical training for newer writers, especially for learning worldbuilding, imitation, and how to work inside an already formed world.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want a calm, specific conversation about fan fiction and finishing, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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