Q: Do you have a Youtube Channel?
A: I do now! Here it is! Look for vintage book trailers, snippets of the creative process, and other fun stuff. Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/@hilarytheinsomniacauthor
Q: Are you published yet?
A: Nope, not yet! Amber's Lure has been accepted by Ellysian Press, and is currently in the works! Subscribe to my newsletter for any updates! It may be a year and a half to two years before Amber's Lure is out, but it happening!
Q: When did you start writing?
A: In high school. At the time, it was mainly fanfiction and some poetry. I did most of that by hand (laptops in schools for everyone wasn't really a thing in the early 2000's), and then transcribed it onto a computer. And yes, I did do a lot of writing when I was supposed to be doing my schoolwork.
Q: Did your teachers know?
A: Oh my yes, they did. After a few months, they gave up on trying to stop me. I will admit that writing gave me some unique insights about some of the books we had to read. In particular, when asked about a certain character (Lucie) from A Tale of Two Cities, I flat out called her a Mary-Sue. My teacher was unfamiliar with the term, and I ended up giving a five minute explanation in class. I thought he was upset with me at the time, but he later commented to my mother how impressed he was with my insight. He told my mom that it was the first time he'd had a writer's perspective on the character.
The only reason I knew this is that I wrote primarily fanfiction at the time. Mary Sues (or Gary Stu, for males) are characters that are so perfect they can't be believed. A lot of times they are wish fulfillment or author self-inserts. If you've read A Tale of Two Cities, Lucie fits the bill perfectly (though I'm pretty sure Dickens did that intentionally).
Q: Does your writing involve a lot of research?
A: Given how much historical stuff I tend to include in my works, yes. It's part of the reason I take as long as I do. I'm a bit of a perfectionist (just ask my students) and I like to make sure everything is as correct as possible.
Q: Are you a planner or pantser?
A: Hardcore pantser. Outlines just make me twitch.
Q: What is your banner image?
A: It's a shot of my backyard. Every year, the deer herd that cycles through my area has a load of fawns that tend to hang out in my yard under the trees. They get accustomed to me pretty fast. I spend a lot of time out on my swing, and the little stinkers know that if I'm there, I won't bother them. It never fails that there's at least one extremely bold fawn with each new crop. This summer, I had one come within ten feet of me, give me the stink-eye, and then prance off like nothing happened. Kids, I swear.
Q: Where do your story ideas come from?
A: Honestly, it's kind of a scattershot. Some have been in the works for nearly two decades (what will become the third book in the Legacy of the Worm Trilogy) and were inspired by reading older fantasy books. A good number of my newer works were in part spawned by my migraine medication (it seems like every time I get a migraine, I get another idea...hence the Melusine's Endgame series being fifteen books now). I don't know why that is, but boy, I do not recommend that method of inspiration. It's maddening. As for Shattered...that was a weird one, and I'm still not sure what to make of that situation.
Any other questions? Feel free to shoot me an email at jurassicpartsmuseum@gmail.com. I'll probably respond pretty fast...I live on my phone, like a good chunk of my generation.