Happy Tuesday All,
Please forgive me. This post is several days late, and I'm embarrassed about that. Unfortunately, the day that I was planning to post it, I was too busy PR-ing this author's release (and a couple of other authors' releases) that it slipped my mind. Then Offspring got sick, then the weekend came (and I usually don't post on the weekends). However, I'm posting it NOW.
I met author Marie Hall through Facebook and Twitter after having enjoyed 1-2 of her titles. I've been reading her Kingdom novels, which are fairy-tale based. They deal with characters that are either seen as villains or not quite heroes. The first novel of hers
I read was Her Mad Hatter (which you can get on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook--I think you can still get it for free, I haven't looked at the links in a while), and have since moved on to several of her other titles.
Marie is a fun, vivacious person and I was thrilled to pieces (figuratively speaking, I didn't actually break into pieces) when she agreed to this interview.
So without any further delays, I give you...Marie Hall:
Me: You write a lot of stories dealing with fantasy, fairy-tales, and myths, what is it about those topics that made you want to write in the genres?
Marie: I love Disney well, more than Disney I love fairy tales. Grimm, old legends, Disney, doesn't matter. I just love them, I love the darkness of them. And have always felt, even when I was little, that there had to be two sides to every story. So when I grew up I realized I wanted to explore that more, little did I know there were other readers just like me who had a soft spot for the bad boys of the tales.
Me: You've got your heroes--Danika's "Bad Boys" novels (KINGDOM series) with Hatter, Gerard (note: Gerard is from Marie's version of Beauty & The Beast), Captain Hook, The Big Bad Wolf, and a genie. I've noticed you mention Rumpelstiltskin being worked on and The Huntsman's book is out (available now) any others on the horizon? (And do you have a release date for Rumpelstiltskin's novel?)
Marie: Rumpelstiltskin's novel will release in April as a matter of fact. :) As to who else will be in my books, I can tell you that I plan to return to the Sea of Seren, I love mermen and don't think they get nearly enough love. ;) I'm also very keen to explore other darker characters, but I won't be giving away their identities just yet as I've noticed that because my writing style is very organic, who I choose to write about switches from book to book. I leave myself open to the possibility of anyone and that way the monsters tend to surprise even me. :)
Me: Do you have a favorite out of all your novels or is it too hard to choose? And if you do have a favorite, which one is it and why?
Marie: If I had to choose based on what I've written in KINGDOM thus far I'd say Hook. I've always been in love with Captain Hook, mainly because I've felt he's gotten a seriously bum wrap thanks to that impish Peter Pan. But future characters, I'm seriously excited to explore Rumpel, he's just really a million shades of grey and that's exciting to me.
Me: What is your advice to aspiring authors?
Marie: Keep writing. You only get better with each book, write what you want to read, and most importantly keep it fun!
Me: Fun Question: What special treat keeps you going?
Marie: Fan email. I seriously thrive on that stuff. Writing is a really solitary profession. Interacting with readers, seeing how my books have affected them, man there is nothing better. Knowing that my books aren't just read in the States, or Canada, or Australia, but as far as the UAE, Poland, Lithuania, South Africa, Denmark, France, Brazil, Japan...wow, just wow, that's not even the half of the places I've gotten fan letters from. I can't believe how far my little books have gotten, makes me rather proud to know so many amazing men and women in so many different parts of the world!
Me: What other stories are percolating in that incredible imagination of yours?
Marie: This is the year I'll be focusing on my existing series. I plan to release a lot more KINGDOM and NIGHT novels, I also hope to wrap up my CHAOS TIME books.
Me: What's your favorite thing about writing?
Marie: That while it's a lot of work, it's so much fun I wake up each morning excited to get back to it. I'm living the dream and I'm so thankful for that.
Me: Fun question: If you could enter any fairy-tale, which one would it be and why?
Marie: Ooh, toss up between Hatter and Hook. I love Wonderland and Neverland, so it really is a toughie.
Me: Did you always want to be a writer?
Marie: No, LOL. I actually did horrible in English in school. But when I realized that unless I started to write I'd never get to read fairy tale books like I wanted I decided it was time to learn. My first book ever written (Back in '99) was a very loose adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. The book is awful..LOL, as most first books are and it will never see the light of day, but it's also near and dear to my heart because that is the book that lit the fire and made me realize my calling in life.
Me: Anything else you'd like to add?
Happy reading!
Thank you so much, Marie, for taking time out of your very busy writing schedule (I've seen her Facebook posts, folks, and this woman is incredible!)
I'm going to be reading (soon) Moon's Flower in preparation of reading her brand-new release (released on Feb. 10, 2014), Huntsman's Prey, available on Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook. (Marie actually recommended I read Moon's Flower before Huntsman's Prey, so that's why I'm going in that order).
Hope everyone has a totally terrific Tuesday!
Readers, you have tremendous power. YOU hold the key to an author's success. How does an author become a bestseller? He or she has readers getting and enjoying his or her work. Readers tell other readers, who tell other readers, and soon you have a hit. Word of mouth is terribly important to authors. I'm no different.
Another example is getting into author Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries. The credit for me getting into Hunter's novels goes to one of my cousins. She was ranting and raving about Hunter's work and I got curious. I don't like to be told "You HAVE to read this." or you "MUST read that." I got enough of that in high school being told what to read and when to read it. I like to make up my own mind about novels. However, my cousin said enough that made me want to look into the work. What I found was an 
