The following is an interview with writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs regarding the recent release of the graphic novel, Fate: The Winx Saga Volume 1 – Dark Destiny, through Mad Cave Studios’ Young Adult imprint, Maverick. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Cuartero-Briggs about her creative process in adapting the fan-favorite Netflix series to the sequential art medium, why Maverick is the perfect home for the story, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the release of Dark Destiny! In continuing the story of the fan-favorite Netflix series, where will readers pick up with the magical world of Alfea and its students?
Olivia Cuartero-Briggs: Dark Destiny begins six months after the end of season two of the Netflix show, and a lot has happened in the interim that we catch folks up on in the first chunk of the book. So, as fans of the show might remember, Bloom has gone into the realm of darkness after a particularly tumultuous couple of seasons, and she’s got a lot of wounds to heal. Additionally, Alfea has been left without a headmistress or clear leader, which, as readers will discover at the top of Dark Destiny, is creating some pretty substantial issues for the remaining students. Season two also saw Terra come out as gay, and there are hints of a developing crush on a particularly adorable Specialist named Kat, so we get to see how that relationship has progressed, as well as the delicious tension between Riven and Musa. We also see how Bloom’s absence has affected those closest to her, namely Aisha and Sky.
BD: The creative process of approaching an adaptation of a prior work – especially from one medium to another – can be a daunting experience. How would you describe your creative process for bringing this story from the screen to the page?
OCB: The approach to this book was actually pretty challenging. Yes, story wise, it was always intended to be a continuation of the Netflix series, but we also wanted it to be the beginning of something new. Graphic novels require a different type of storytelling than a season of TV, and I really wanted to embrace the medium I was working in while pulling new folks into the Fate: Winx Saga, as well. In order to do this, the book had to stand on its own so that anyone could pick it up and get into the story whether or not they had watched the show. That was the reason for the time gap, enabling me to reset things a bit with a new school year at Alfea, reintroduce the characters, and lay the foundation of a brand new arc for the books. Straddling a new audience while servicing the fans of the TV show has definitely been a challenge, and continues to be, as all of us – my entire team at Maverick included – are dedicated to all our readers and Winx fans alike. But, at the end of the day, I poured as much of myself, my heart, and my storytelling experience into these books to make them the best they can be, and I definitely feel like I accomplished that. I’m super proud of both volumes, and I sincerely hope we get to do a third!
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story and its dedication to a diverse and inclusive cast of characters may connect with and impact readers?
OCB: I was really lucky in this regard to have inherited a very diverse cast of characters from the Netflix series, as well as the Winx Club that inspired it. Representation is incredibly important in any medium as it normalizes appearances and life experiences we don’t always encounter in day-to-day life, and decreases fears and feelings of “the other.” To me, that goes without saying. In terms of connection, however, I feel like that can happen with any character as long as they are well-drawn, specific, and relatable. I’m a half-Latina, fitness junky, girl mom on my second marriage. Do I need to see a specific representation of that in order to relate to a character? Of course not. But what I do need is a three-dimensional character with specific hopes, dreams, and fears that are connected to a vivid past, living a specific life in a specific set of circumstances. It doesn’t matter what color they are, who they love, or how they identify. I can relate because I am also a specific person with hopes, dreams, and fears.
What we have done with Dark Destiny, and what I am really proud of, is that we have taken the cast we inherited – added a few, too! – and, in the spirit of the TV show, continued that deep dive into these heroic, teen psyches, while watching them fight for their survival. It is tough to get a ton of character arcs into around 200 pages (both volumes), but the ones I chose to service, I feel I did so with depth and care, lending a lot of my personal experiences and issues I was dealing with at the time of writing, in order to be as authentic as possible with my readers. It’s what I always do. I am nothing if not honest, and my sincerest hope is that it is as cathartic for readers as it was for me to write it.
BD: What makes Maverick the perfect home for this series?
OCB: Maverick and its parent, Mad Cave Studios, are just chock full of people I absolutely love. I have worked with four of the editors there now, and it is an incredible home not just for stories, but for storytellers, as well. What I love most about the Netflix series is creator Brian Young’s dedication to the emotional honesty and experience of these teenagers. The dark, brooding tone, along with moments of levity, love, drama, and some just plain adorableness, always felt so truthful to me, as well as indulgent in all the right, adolescent places. Maverick and my editors Lauren Hitzhusen and Christina Harrington were very on board with me in terms of maintaining and deepening a lot of these more personal, character-driven elements, and using them to drive plot, rather than the other way around. In my personal opinion, that’s what any Fate: Winx continuation needed, and their support in that arena was invaluable. All of us lent a bit of ourselves to these books, including our amazing illustrator, Christianne Gillenardo-Goudreau, and Maverick encouraged that level of artistic intimacy every step of the way, as they do with all their YA graphic novels.
BD: This marks the first volume in the Fate: The Winx Saga graphic novel series. What are you most looking forward to sharing with readers as you continue to develop and expand the magical world?
OCB: Oooh, so much. I am really looking forward to potentially being able to bring in other Fate: Winx characters and sub plots, like Grey and his romance with Aisha. I would love to be able to bring more characters from Winx Club into the mix, if we can. I also want to delve deeper into the characters we have in our cannon that didn’t get as complex arcs in these first books, like Flora and Stella. And, of course, I am dying to advance Sky and Bloom’s relationship, as well as building out the world and character of our fabulous big bad, Darkar.
BD: Given your incredible body of work across various mediums, are there any other projects that you would like to highlight for readers?
OCB: Oh, man. I wish I could! Literally every other project I am working on right now is unannounced! What I can say, though, is that I am working on a new series with Mad Cave that is probably the most gruesome and violent, yet personal, book I’ve ever written. I’ve also gotten my first book deal this year with Scholastic for a YA thriller that will hit shelves in 2026. And lastly, what I can talk about is how THRILLED I am that my murder mystery series, Jill and the Killers, is being developed into a tabletop game with Maestro Media! Fingers crossed Oni Press orders another arc. I am DYING to tell more Jill stories, no pun intended!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Fate: The Winx Saga – Volume 1 and your other work?
OCB: Read it! Fate: The Winx Saga, Dark Destiny is on shelves now, and available for order on Amazon, and just about everywhere you find books. And as for me, follow me on Instagram, and feel free to message me with any questions you may have. I do my best to answer just about every message I receive, and I always love hearing from readers.
