Interview with Deb E. Howell

I love new books and you have one coming out soon.

Tell us about your latest novel or project:

I have a novel coming out soon (September 2018) called Warrior’s Touch (WT) which is the second book in my fantasy series, and I am working on the third and final book now (for the past three and a bit years!)--Magician’s Touch (MT). It centres around two Romeo-and-Juliet-esque characters. Jonas is a Syakaran, a man possessing enhanced strength and speed raised to hate Aenuks, and trained to kill them. Llew is a Syaenuk, a woman able to heal herself from any injury, even death, but she must drain life from somewhere to do it. Jonas’s half-brother, Braph, is a Karan (not the more revered Sy variety) who has learnt how to use the blood of Aenuks in order to perform all sorts of magic, even flying and telekenesis. Of course, a Syaenuk provides stronger magic...

What got you started writing?

Boredom. I don’t know, my brain, I guess. I’ve always loved writing, as in the shaping of words with a pen on paper. I used to copy down song lyrics simply to give myself an excuse to do so. Same with journal-keeping. At high school, I began to develop a character that I wrote some scenes for and shared with my friends at lunch times. Then I took up science, and my writing was put to more practical purposes. After university, came work, and then work circumstances changed and I found myself in a boring job, and I began entertaining myself by writing... and my debut novel, Healer’s Touch (HT), began, and was rearranged, and began again, then got a female lead, and began again, then she got powers, and a male lead... and it just kind of happened.

What challenges did you face when you first started writing?

Well, when I first started, it was purely for self entertainment, so there was little challenge. But, then I got curious and I began putting some up online, and a couple of my friends began reading it, and not only did they read it, they liked it... and suddenly I wasn’t writing for me anymore and I had to make the story worthwhile reading for others. And so I studied story structure and grammar and all the things that make a story have more wide appeal than simply being for me alone. Back then, I had lunch breaks, morning teas, walks to work, and standing in the kitchen while pots simmered... I had TIME! So, when I first started, in fact, I had very little in the way of challenges!

But, then I got hooked, and life changed, and I couldn’t quit, but I had to drop writing down the priority ladder, and life changed again, and TIME became a real challenge. And it still is. But not for too much longer, as my youngest son is now very nearly ready for child care. And I have promised myself a few months of dedicated writing time before I decide my future as far as work conditions go.

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

I do not. We are a young family on one-and-a-bit incomes, so, na-uh.

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

Um... is it wrong to say me? Probably me, these days. In the past, I’ve had online (and real life) friends that have really helped. Real life friends let me know they were reading HT, which spurred me on. In the process of writing HT, I met online friends (other writers based in the Czech Republic and Los Angeles) who encouraged and challenged me in various ways. But as children came on my scene, I had less time to sit and do online chats, and the writing happened too slowly for any physically closer friends to maintain an interest in my developing second book (by then). I was lucky enough to join a local critique group, though, which helped shape the first 12 chapters of my first major draft of that second book. But I completed it to submission standard before they got further than the 12 chapters, so the rest I had to do alone. Positive feedback on HT did help motivate me to push on with WT. And MT has been stalled for various reasons over the years, but I’m getting back into it.

What is it like writing in New Zealand that would be different if you lived anywhere else?

The likes of UK or the USA would probably have more opportunities to sell in person with conventions and the like. We have conventions here, but they’re mostly in the north island, which I can’t usually afford to go to, or they’re expensive... or my introverted self just can’t quite push myself to do it. So, it’s hard to say for sure how different it would be. I guess if I was in the UK, where my publisher and most of their writers are based, I would have a more physical community to encourage me. So, yeah, it can be lonely, but that’s more because I’ve got the combination of being a writer and a mother of young children and I can’t talk to mummies about my writing and I don’t want to talk to writers about my children and I don’t quite get enough time to really settle into a local writing “village” that suits me. I’ve danced on the edges of a couple over the years, and I think I will fit in better in the not-too-distant future, but for the time-being, it’s just me.

Where do you get your ideas? Is there anything about New Zealand that has inspired you to write?

I would say, most inspiration comes from other forms of art. HT was largely inspired by the wild west-themed TV shows I was enjoying at the time (The Young Riders, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., and Deadwood). I’m always reading, and a good book makes my brain cells spark. And I love music, which can get the ideas pumping, too. One great thing about New Zealand is that while we get a lot of cultural influences from the USA (in particular), and the UK, and other parts of the world, we’ve been celebrating our own culture more and more as I have grown up, and I think that’s fab. It gives us a broad range of sources to draw inspiration from, but it also means that we can likely produce work that will appeal to a wide range of people from around the world.

What advice would you give for other writers in New Zealand?

Um... none? You guys are doing OK. Read. Read. Read. Read. And write.

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

I have been a member of a local Dunedin Writers group since 2011, although my membership has waned during the first couple of years of my youngest son’s life (due to meetings clashing my my husband’s band practice and him working late, and stuff like that). I should be able to get back into it soon. And I hope to also find possibly another local group, or an off-shoot of that one that will meet my needs as a writer at my stage in my career.

What was the first thing you did after your first book was published?

Watched the Amazon US ranking, sadly...

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

I have done. Positive ones I try to accept fully without getting a big head, and negative ones I try to find what I can learn from them. Some negative reviews are simply from people who aren’t my audience, so I just have to move on. But some are people who might have liked my book more if only... And those ones I’ve used to (hopefully) improve my second book. And I will do that same with future works. I want to be a better writer next year than I am now.

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

My first book took me nearly four years to write because I was learning how to write a book at the same time and going back and making significant changes. My second book took about eighteen months to complete a decent draft (my oldest son was a great napper). Editing took a long while as life got in the way. And book three is moving at glacial speed for the same reasons.

No great secrets. I write when I can whether the “muse” is visiting or not. And I’ve put a lot of effort into learning what my brain needs to be effective at creative writing (foods, vitamins, and hormonal balance, etc).

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

I couldn’t pinpoint an origin of the central idea of the draining to heal power. I created a character with that power when I was in high school and just uplifted it from him onto my new main character, and she’s never forgiven me. No doubt it was influenced by some of the shows I watched and books I’ve read over the years.

What is your best experience meeting a fan?

The only “fans” I’ve met in person are people I was already friends with. But I did once have a reader who I had only previously known online (through the Gigatown competition) ask me to sign his Kobo. That was kind of cool.

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?

Since it’s a series, it would have to be ALL of them. And I try to steer clear of assigning actors since by the time my books have a chance of being turned into movies the actors I pick will be too old! However, I do think about the soundtrack and I hope to be able to interest the likes of Deftones, Puscifer, dEUS, Frou Frou, and Kimbra in being involved.

How important do you think marketing is for authors today?

Sadly, very important. It’s not why we write, but if we hope to be read then we need to put our books under the noses of as many readers as possible until we find our core audience.

Many authors have a word or a phrase they automatically use too often. Do you have one?

I used “disadvantaged” too much in Warrior’s Touch. I think I go through phases, which is one bonus of writing somewhat slowly. By the time I come to edit, I’ve got a new pet word or phrase and they tend to water each other down.

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

The best thing about Fantasy is its range. It can incorporate mystery, crime, romance, horror, etc and can be set in all sorts of worlds with characters from a range of real, mythical and completely new species. Probably the annoying thing is how similar so many Fantasy settings are, but that is changing.

Often writers get to approach some serious subjects. Which serious subject are you most proud to have written about or was the hardest to write about?

I’ve explored rape culture, and continue to do so throughout my series, evolving from showing the harm it causes through to exploring new scripts for couples. I’ve also explored the need to question what you’ve always been taught or believed, which was actually inspired by my use of a song that a friend wrote for me to use in Warrior’s Touch. I’ve also explored child loss, which has been painful, at times.

Wow, amazing. Guys don't forget to pick up a copy of the latest book here.