Interview with Bella Olson: Exploring the Mind of a Rising Author

In the ever-evolving literary landscape, Bella Olson stands out as a promising voice, captivating readers with her engaging narratives and insightful storytelling. With her latest novel, Trapped, Bella deftly explores themes of adventure, self-discovery, and resilience. In this interview, we sit down with Bella to discuss her journey as an author, the inspirations behind her work, and the challenges she faces in the writing process.

But First, Who is Bella Olson?

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• You started writing Trapped at such a young age—what made you decide, “I’m writing a book,” and what kept you going to the finish?

I didn’t sit down with a big plan. One day, I just wondered, “What would happen if a girl got stuck in a strange science facility?” And then I kept going.

I also told my mom I was going to write a book. Looking back, I think she thought I was joking, because she just said, “Yeah, go do whatever you want.” But I took what she said very seriously. I wrote to my little heart’s content. I pulled out my character book and started getting ideas and writing everything down. About a year later, I showed my mom what I’d written. She looked… stupefied. She hired a creative writing coach, and I kept writing.

Three years later, I thought Trapped was finished. Then it wasn’t. After the publisher decided to publish it, we went through three rounds of editing. So now… Trapped is finished.

I think.

Hopefully.

• Ava is an inventor—do you relate to her curiosity? What kinds of things do you like building, testing, or experimenting with in real life?

I relate to Ava a lot.

She’s always wondering how things work and what would happen if she tried something new, and that’s how my brain works, too. I love experimenting with creative projects, whether that’s writing, making art, or coming up with new ideas for videos.

I like mixing things together, testing ideas, and seeing what happens, even if it doesn’t work the first time.

I don’t invent machines as Ava does, but I do invent stories and characters. And that allows me to invent worlds with words.

• What was the first scene you wrote that made you laugh or feel like, “Okay—this book is going to be FUN”?

To be honest? Every single random part. That’s what I love about writing.

I get to make people laugh. And that’s why I write… it gives people a little chuckle.

Like when Ava is trying to fix the self-flier, and it randomly starts raining avocados. Why is it raining avocados? Who knows. That’s what makes it great.

Or, why is Luna tempted by a humongous taco? Does it matter? Not really. It makes me laugh!

I love the unexpectedness. It gets me every time. And my hope is that it makes the reader laugh too… and helps them escape whatever they’re going through, even if it’s just for a little bit.

• Ava has to be brave while scared. Was there a moment while writing where you felt nervous—but did it anyway?

I never really felt nervous, but sometimes I felt pressure like everything had to be perfect. Especially during those last rounds of editing.

That pressure is what made me sit through eight-hour editing days. And honestly, even though it was hard, it was kind of good to feel nervous. Because it meant I cared. As Dolly Parton says, “If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with a little rain.”

The rain for me was finishing the edits before I left for summer camp. Being nervous actually helped me push through those long days. And now… Trapped is here.

Which feels pretty amazing.

• Did you outline the story first, or discover the plot as you wrote? What did your writing process look like day-to-day?

It was more discovering than outlining. I knew the general idea: Ava trapped, puzzles, danger,  but a lot of the story came together as I wrote. Day-to-day, it looked like writing a scene, rereading it, changing it, and then realizing the characters wanted to do something different than I planned. That’s when the story got better.

• How did you create Dr. Heynis—was he inspired by anything (a real person, a movie villain, a “what if this happened at school” thought)?

Dr. Heynis came from a “what if?” question: what if the person in charge of the room was really trying to be evil, but was so silly that he was funny? He isn’t based on a real person, but he’s inspired by the idea of someone who treats danger like a game. I wanted him to feel funny and unpredictable. Like you’ll never know what he’ll do next. It’s always a surprise.

• What kind of reader did you picture while writing—kids your age, younger kids, adults, “anyone who likes weird”?

I pictured kids who like fast-paced stories, puzzles, and a little bit of weird. But honestly, I think anyone who enjoys mysteries, inventions, or escape-room vibes can enjoy it, even adults. I wrote the book I would want to read.

• What surprised you most about publishing—editing, cover/illustrations, working with adults, timelines, any of it?

I was really surprised by how many people it takes to publish a book. I thought it was just a writer, an editor, and a publisher, and then done and done.

But no. Not even close. There are illustrators, designers, you have to work on how the book looks, how it is talked about….

It turns out publishing a book is a lot of work. And it kind of feels like the work never actually finishes. The book itself is done, but every week I’m still doing things for the marketing.

Which I did not see coming.

I was SUUUPER surprised by that.

• If Ava could give one “inventor tip” to readers (or one bravery tip), what would it be?

Ava would probably say:

You don’t have to know the answer before you start. You just have to start. Whether it’s inventing something or facing something scary, trying is how you figure things out.

And when you’re doing something that makes you scared, try to stay calm. That’s usually when your brain comes up with its best ideas, especially under pressure.

• What’s next for you—another book, a sequel, a totally different story, or more experimenting with new creative projects?

I’m actually writing another book!

It’s about Rocco the magic chicken, a character from Trapped who is going to do some pretty big things. I can’t talk about it yet (top secret), but I’ve already written about 5,000 words and finished an outline.

So yes. Things are happening.

It’s going to be TOTALLY FANTASTAMAMAZING.

Let me know if you want to publish it. Wink. Wink.