Darklight On...H.C. Brown: Q&A

Today's Darklight On... is with H.C. Brown. Welcome, H.C!

How did you come to write speculative fiction? What attracted you to the genre, as well as to YA?

 
To be honest it found me. I have spectacular dreams and a vivid imagination, the stories need to be told and that's what I do. 

I do write contemporary and Historical stories as well. With historical I immerse myself in the subject and find I begin to use unusual language in common speech.


Tell us about your road to publication. 
I won third place in a competition. This gave me the confidence to submit a manuscript. I had that story, Murder by Design published in Australia in 2008. 

I wrote a historical next Betrothed To the Enemy and pitched it to Noble Romance Publishing. Jill Noble took me under her wing and 17 books later.... 

The same happened with Ellora's Cave. 

This week I took the next step and pitched to an agent, I had a reply in two hours for the full manuscript. 

Lucky you may say...but I work very hard at improving every story I write...very hard. I am super critical with my work. I want my readers to live the story and remember the characters long after they finish the last page.

You are quite prolific in your writing. Do you find the schedule gruelling? 

I go at my own pace. I can't sit and type all day like most writers, I have a headset and tell my stories to my laptop. I usually manage about 2000 words a day. 

Funny things happen using voice recognition. My particular program tends to put the names of American Presidents in when it doesn't understand a word...... so if you find George Bush in one of my novels you'll know why LOL.



Your latest release is Hawke’s Purr-fect Mate. Can you tell us about the book, and the Pride Brothers series? 

The Pride Brothers Series and the Vane series are about shifters. The Knight Watch princes are black leopards, they are similar to medieval knights, they live in a castle and their job is to protect the Prides from evil. 

The Vane are princes, they also live in a castle but they are 3000 years in the future, they have magical powers, jumping (instantaneous movement from one place to another), invisibility and dream walking.

Hawke's Purr-fect Mate is #4 in the Pride Brothers Series.

Blurb:
Deliciously handsome, insatiable alpha male, Hawke of Knight Watch, has a reputation, for a voracious and varied sex life. However, his ability to attract streams of men and women to his bed comes into question when he meets the mysterious, Ice Princess, Lydia.

Lydia born of both Fae and Pride has a secret. Unable to chance the man of her dreams discovering the truth about her, she publicly refuses the handsome Prince Hawke.

Disillusioned and heart sore, Hawke must join Nox King of the Faerie, to fight the battle of his life against the dogs invading his realm, and for the love of his true mate.




You also write YA as Pia Moonglow. Is it hard to keep the two genres separate?
Oh yeah...writing YA is a whole different bag of tricks.

Don't Press Enter is a paranormal romance. Writing this happened to be the most fun I've had in years....I found myself saying things like ...Puh-leeze and whatever a lot during the writing of this book, LOL.

Are you a plotter? Pantser? Or somewhere in-between?
I'm a pantser...if I'm following a plot I get bored, the best stories for me arrive the few seconds before they hit the page.


Do have a favourite of your characters?
Hawke in Hawke's Purr-fect Mate...I cried writing that book I am so attached to him....and Dallin in Shifters and Demons, he is so cute.

Nox the King of the Fae is a special man....then who wouldn't love a seven foot tall badass faerie. I had to laugh when Jimmy Thomas decided to use the book cover for his avatar. He loved the wings and to me Jimmy on the cover is how I see Nox.

What are you currently working on?
Lots of things. I've just submitted another YA and a historical romance. I am writing Nox's story in the Pride Brothers Series, Faeries and Fangs book 2 of the Vane, a sequel to Flogger's Holiday Sale called 'Hurt Me Good". Also a novella for the next blog tour anthology called 'Torn.'



What is your favourite part of the process of writing?
Living in the world with my characters for that short precious time....I love writing.This is living the dream for me and knowing people actually read my stories and like them....well that's fantastic.


What can we expect from H.C. Brown in the future? 
All of the stories mentioned above and a series of fantasy YA stories.....novel length are a WIP.



Who are your favourite authors? 
Diana Gabaldon
Nora Roberts
L A Weatherly

What are you currently reading? 
Angel Burn by L A Weatherly.
This is a YA and it's fantastic....I can't put it down.

Do you have a favourite spec fiction movie or tv series?
I love Supernatural, Moonlight, Vampire Diaries and Avatar is my world....that's where I live most of the time :-)



Do you have advice for emerging writers?

• Never give up. 
• Join RWA 
• Don't be hurt by rejection. We all have to live with that... but remember what some publishers/ agents pass on others will love. 
• This is so true I pitched a novel to one person who said was awful. The next person sent me a contract and the book has had two Top Pick Reviews and is in the Best Sellers list......so you can't please all of the people all of the time. 
• Please listen to people trying to give you sound advice. Learn how to show and not tell. If you can get a critique partner who has been published all the better.
• Don't fall for self- publishing scams. If a publisher/agent wants money from you--walk away.

Thank you for having me today :-)

~~~

You can visit H.C at her blog.

H.C's latest releases are Hawke's Purr-fect Mate - Noble Romance

and Don't Press Enter (as Pia Moonglow) - Noble Young Adult

You can purchase them by following the links above.