Interview with Sharon Hannaford

I have a soft spot for good covers so I was very excited when Sharon agreed to do the interview because she has awesome covers.

Tell us about your latest novel or project:

The Brightening (Book one in the Order of libra) was released in September 2017. It is Urban Fantasy with a little Magical Realism and set in a post-apocalyptic world, just as life is beginning to return to normal (no zombies and not really dystopian)

That will be interesting to put into categories and it sounds awesome.

What got you started writing?

I’ve loved writing since primary school days, but it seemed like an impossible dream to actually make a living writing books so I put it on the back-burner until I found myself with some spare time and a persistent character knocking around in my head in 2009. My first Urban Fantasy Series, The Hellcat Series, was born, and became enough of a financial success that I was able to writing into a viable career.

What challenges did you face when you first started writing?

As with most writers, the struggle to find an agent and/or publisher seemed like an insurmountable obstacle to getting my book out to potential readers. Luckily for me, Amazon’s Kindle platform had just opened the doors to Indie Authors. I took a huge leap of faith and had my first book professionally edited (borrowing money from my brother to pay my editor) and uploaded it to Kindle. I was incredibly lucky that my gamble paid off as e-book readers embraced my characters and begged for more. If I had persevered with the traditional publishing route I doubt I would be making my living as an author today.

Do you ever get the opportunity to travel for your writing? Either to market or to research.

Not yet, but I definitely am hoping to in the future.

Who in your life is your greatest cheerleader or support in your writing?

My brother, Time, for sure. He kept nudging me along when I was losing faith in myself, and wouldn’t let me give up on getting my work out there. My husband has unfailingly given me the space and time to write (even though he’s not much of a reader) and my mum, dad and a couple of long-time friends (and avid readers) also form part of my Rah-Rah squad.

Who is your favourite New Zealand author and why?

Nalini Singh. She is a very successful Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance author and she is paving the way for the rest of us, by making UF/PNR more mainstream in NZ. She proves you don’t have to live in the US or UK to make it big as an author.

Yes, she did a podcast the other day and she told of how she managed to deal with being so far from the publishers.

Do you get to network or meet up with other New Zealand authors?

I did when I lived in Auckland, but have moved around a bit lately. I must put some more effort into reconnecting with other NZ authors.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you handle the good and the bad ones?

For the most part, I try to read them all. When I first published it was impossible not to read every single one multiple times, but they tend to just become part of the job after a while and it might be a couple of months before I realise I haven’t checked for new reviews. It’s always fabulous to get the 5 star ones (they can really keep you going after a bad day of writing), but I tend to pay more attention to the 3 and 4 stars reviews, as they often will point out something that is wrong in a constructive way. 1 star reviews can be quite brutal and soul-destroying at first. I’ve learned to largely brush off what is said in 1 star reviews; there is rarely anything constructive in those reviews, and often it is simply a person having a good rant. One thing I remind myself often is that it truly is impossible to please everyone when it comes to writing. The way I look at it, if you’ve never had a bad review you haven’t reached enough readers 😊

How long does it take you to write a book? Do you have any secrets to productivity?

I usually spend around 6 months actually writing (1 month of prep work and 5 months of writing) and then allow another 2 months for rewrites and editing. I am a busy mother of 2 young children, so I work during school hours only, but treat this time as though I am working for a boss and give myself word count goals for the week/month (some weeks go better than others of course, so I’m not overly strict, so long as I’m keeping up overall). Some days you do just have to take a step back, walk away from the story and untwist your mind before you can move forward again.

Where did you get the idea for your first or latest book?

In both cases the main character popped into my head at some point, usually just as I’m drifting off to sleep. It’s the ones that keep coming back and demanding my attention that I finally give in and write about.

If any of your books was to be made into a film, which one would you pick and who would you have play the main characters?

The Hellcat Series has always screamed at me to be made into movies. While I was writing the books, they played out in my head so clearly that I can already visualise them on the big screen. My female lead I would actually prefer was played by an up-and-coming or unknown actress so that her past work wouldn’t affect the part, but if I had to choose a ‘big name’ it would have to be an actress who specialises in action characters; someone like Scarlet Johansson or Charlize Theron. My preferred male lead has always been Chris Pine.

Mmmm, Chris Pine, good choice. I'm a PineNut myself.

Do you have any book you have written that won’t ever see the light of day and why?

I have a half-finished adventure book for 10 to 12 yr olds that is archived on my computer. I always thought that if I wrote for a living I would be a children’s author. I began the story with great enthusiasm, but after several chapters realised that the characters had outgrown the story-line. I need to either re-work the entire story or rein in the character development so that it becomes a more cohesive book. At this point I’m having far too much fun writing Urban Fantasy for adults and don’t see myself ever getting back to those kids, but you never know….. characters can be patient creatures sometimes.

What quirk or trope of your genre do you like or dislike?

Most of the lead characters in Urban fantasy are strong, capable women, which I love, but I hate it when their back story is one of domestic violence/rape/sexual abuse. I feel like women can be strong without having gone through something like that – it has become overused, tired and seems lazy.

Thank you so much for sharing part of your story.