As I continue to (willingly) go without internet, I’ve
conducted an author interview for your enjoyment. I’ve been following her blog
for a while now, and a couple of years ago, I wrote a story review for my blog
of her first publication.
Please welcome Hannah Heath, indie author of “Skies of
Dripping Gold” and “Colors of Fear.”
Welcome, Hannah! It's good to chat with you. I hope you're having a lovely spring. Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hey, Azelyn! I’m so excited to talk with you! Thank you for
having me on your blog.
I’m an author of YA Christian Speculative Fiction. My goal
is to write encouraging and inspiring Christian fiction that is accessible to
the religious and non-religious alike. I spend most of my time reading,
writing, or science-ing (that’s not a word, but it should be). I have an
intense love for all things nerdy: particularly Batman, Harry Potter, Marvel,
and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I covet a good cup of chai tea and a
serious conversation, but am also always down for copious amounts of sarcasm and
nerd references.
Do you prefer mountains or the ocean or both?
Hmmm. That’s hard. I grew up by the beach, but also spent a
lot of time camping as a kid. So I’m going to have to go with both,
particularly the type of mountain that looms right over the ocean. I want to
build a house on one and just admire the view all day. Which is largely
impractical and unproductive, but still. That sounds amazing to me.
That does sound amazing. Who are some of your favorite authors? How have they
inspired you?
My favorite authors are varied and often change, so I’ll
just pick my current main three: C. S. Lewis, Douglas Adams, and Fyodor
Dostoevsky. A weird list, I know. Let me explain: Lewis and Adams encouraged my
love of sarcasm and irreverence in fiction (and real-life). Dostoevsky and
Lewis taught me that no question is too big or too dark to tackle. And all
three of them showed me that strange, honest, out-of-the-box stories, while
scary to write, are often the best kinds.
Do you have a writing schedule? If so, what does it look
like?
My schedule varies each semester and often has to be very
flexible due to College Student Busyness and Lyme Disease Tiredness. However,
when a schedule is possible, it usually involves me writing every day at around
10 AM. I write for at least 30 minutes… Sometimes more, but rarely less. I
light an incense stick or a scented candle, put on some music (usually
electropop or EDM), and fill up a cup of water that I will inevitably forget to
drink, then I dive right in.
Can you tell us a bit about your published stories?
For sure! I’ll start with “Skies of Dripping Gold,” which
was my first publication. A YA Christian dystopian short story, “Skies of
Dripping Gold” is set in an urban world where the air is poison and mysterious
elevators all over the city are rumored to take worthy people to Paradise. The
main character’s sister is dying from the poisonous air, so he sets off to
climb the elevator tower and figure out exactly where it leads, a task that
nobody else has ever successfully completed. It’s a very personal story for me,
as it deals with topics such as illness and faith struggles.
“Colors of Fear” is the first short story in the YA
Christian Fantasy series, The Terebinth Tree Chronicles. It tells the origin
story of a young, fearful desert elf who will one day lead a band of assassins
to kill the most powerful sorcerer in their world. I’ve been writing The
Terebinth Tree Chronicles universe for almost ten years, so I’m excited to get
to share it with you all.
How many stories are in The Terebinth Tree Chronicles? Have
you set a release date for the next one?
There will be five stories and “Colors of Fear” is currently
the only published (or even completed) story. The second one, titled “Flames of
Courage,” will hopefully be released on 07/07/18, but I’m not sure. I probably
should be, given it’s my story, but I can’t ever tell these things because my
life is messy and my thought process is even more so.
Your covers are pretty awesome and vibrant. When did you
decide you wanted to design them yourself? How do you choose what kind of image
you want for each cover?
Thank you! I’m so glad you like them. I decided to design my
own covers when I peeked into my bank account and saw the sad numbers sitting
in my checking’s. I’m also a bit of a control freak, so I wanted to be able to
design the covers myself to make sure it looked the way I wanted… bright,
simple, and eye-catching.
Currently, the process for choosing a cover design is two
parts loving symbolism and bright colors and one part having very limited
artistic skills. I like each of my covers to showcase an important part of the
story (the colors in “Colors of Fear,” the symbolic dripping sky in “Skies of
Dripping Gold”) and I try to make sure the colors match the mood/feel of the
writing. I also choose images based off of artistic skill: my talents are fairly
limited in the drawing realm, so I mostly end up drawing landscapes and
silhouettes.
One last question, just for fun. Do with this what you will.
Pick three random characters from any of your short stories? Got them? Okay,
now imagine they are all trapped in a cave together. What happens?
Oh. So much fun. I’m going with Gabriel from “Skies of
Dripping Gold,” Jayel from “Flames of Courage” (she appeared briefly in “Colors
of Fear” as the nameless half-blooded she-elf with fiery hair), and Wanderer
from “Colors of Fear”:
Gabriel and Wanderer would start hammering on the cave wall
while Jayel would make fun of them. Gabriel would get annoyed with Jayel and
Wanderer would get annoyed with both of them, so they’d all sit down in
separate corners. Then, as time passes, Gabriel would take charge and formulate
a plan to get them out. They would all quickly realize that Gabriel’s plan
sucks, which would end in a lot of swearing on Gabriel and Jayel’s parts. But,
eventually, Wanderer would put his foot down, shut everyone up, and divide up
their supplies so that they could survive until somebody finds them. It would
end with everybody being good, though vaguely annoyed, friends.
Such a great answer! I laughed.Thanks for the opportunity to chat! (And for putting up with
my internet scheduling difficulties.) Have a great week!
Meet the author!
Hannah Heath is an author of
Christian speculative fiction, college sophomore, and regular comic con
attendee. You can read more about her and her stories on her witty and nerdy
blog appropriately named Hannah Heath or hear her talk about books and writing
on her YouTube channel.
***
Lets chat! Have you read any of Hannah’s story’s yet? If
not, what are you waiting for!? Be sure to say hello!
Theme: Abandoned
Up next: Writing and Abandoned Projects by Faith René Boggus
Similar posts: Story Review: Skies of Dripping Gold
and Author Interview: Lisa Nicodemus Lyons
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