Today, I'm delighted to have Hope Ann here with an interview!
1) In a nutshell, what
do you write?
Fantasy! Christian
themed fantasy mainly, both novels and novellas. I love the genre. I also
really enjoy futuristic fiction and work with that sometimes too (ok, so I’ve a
trilogy set two hundred years into the future that I’m working on sporadically,
but that doesn’t really fit into the ‘nutshell’ portion of this question. ;)).
2) What spurred on the desire for writing?
I enjoy writing about
64% of the time, but my main drive to write is simply that I have all kinds of
stories fluttering about in my head and I have to write them out and share them
with the world. I want to provide inspirational and exciting fiction for
Christian readers…the kinds of stuff I had a hard time finding when I was
younger. My greatest hope is that I’ll inspire readers to live a stronger
Christian life.
3) How do you balance writing with living -- or is writing your full-time
job?
At this point, I live at
home and help around the house. And, after I get married, I plan to stay at
home as well. So writing is my main job, though not really a full-time job. I
also have a part-time job knitting hats.
As to writing itself, I
deadline out for myself what I want to get done and when I want to have it done
by. And then I write as I’m able, around housework and noisy siblings. I
normally get two to three house of writing done in the morning and another hour
or two done in the afternoon. I tend to write in short chunks, working on at
least two stories at one time, along with articles or blog posts. But even when
I’m not writing, I’m thinking about stories, titles, plot holes, idea…the
thought process invades as much of my day as I let it.
4) Who do you hope to reach with your
writing?
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| Follow Hope on her blog |
5) If someone asked you for your best
writing tip, what would it be?
Don’t ever give up. Just
keep writing. I know that’s one of the oldest pieces of writing advice, but
it’s true. There’s times where I (and I think all writers) feel discouraged. Or
we feel that our work is utterly awful and should never be seen. Or that it
will never get done. Or that no one will like it. But keep working and writing
though those down moments…or days, or weeks. Get the draft done. Then edit it.
Then edit it some more. Don’t give up because, in the end, you will have a good
story which can touch people’s lives.
A second tip, closely
related, is that any story you write won’t be for everyone. There will always
be someone who won’t care for it. It’s not their style or they can’t get
engaged. Don’t be discouraged. It happens. Write for those people who love your
work and don’t worry about those who don’t care for it.
6) What are three things that you greatly enjoy doing?
Reading! Fantasy, of
course, but also Greek and Roman history as well as anything about spies I can
get my hands on.
Climbing trees. What can
I say? I love climbing…especially in strong winds.
Archery! I’m not very
good, but I own a recurve bow and enjoy shooting it.
7) What is your newest release about? What do you hope readers will learn from this story?
Song of the Sword is a retelling of Rapunzel, complete with high towers, dark mistbenders, a blackened rose, and a powerful sword. Intermingled with the story are strands of allegory. Each of my Legends of Light novellas focuses on a different aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit. For Song of the Sword, that focus is joy and I hope the story will inspire readers and help them realize that our joy does not come from events and situations surrounding us, but Christ alone.
Books and Links
Books: Rose of Prophecy
About the Author
Hope Ann is a Christian wordsmith, avid reader, and dedicated authoress. With the help of her resident realm leapers, Kirin and Elena, she loves to research published legends, like Lord of the Rings, as well as recount her own tales of undiscovered lands. Her time is taken up with writing, reading, archery, knife throwing, playing with inspirational photos, helping care for the house and eight younger siblings, and generally enjoying the adventures of life on a small farm at the crossroads of America.
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