On January 15, 2020 at 8 p.m. CST, I interviewed my sweet friend, Joanna Hathaway, YA historical fantasy author of Dark of the West and Storm from the East, books 1 and 2 in the Glass Alliance series! Thank you to all of you who tuned in to our live Instagram chat...it was the first author chat I've ever hosted and what an absolute thrill it was talking to the woman who has become one of my biggest inspirations. For those of you who could not attend...fear not! I recorded the video and uploaded it to my YouTube Channel, The Bookish Ballad, for you to watch. I also asked Joanna to send me written answers to all the questions I asked in the live chat so you can peruse it at your leisure! Author ChatQ&A with Joanna Hathaway!!Q: What are some valuable lessons you learned from publishing your first novel? A: Trust your heart always. Be willing to take direction and listen to the invaluable wisdom of those who are there to guide you (agent, editor, etc.), but always stick to your guns if there’s something that steals from the heart of your writing. I’ve learned over these past few years how to cut and revise and be occasionally merciless with my words. I’m always pushing myself to be better. But when something infringes on the reason I wrote a story to begin with… well, I sense that, deep down, and I’m not afraid to speak up. If you’re a younger writer, please treasure that heart of your work. Fight for it. Book deals are exciting and being published is incredible, but if writing is the true joy, then that joy is of even more value. It’s why we do this! Q: Did you always love history? When did you develop a passion for it and what historical places are still on your bucket list to see? A: When I was twelve, I read the memoirs of my great-grandfather who had fought in the First World War. I was stunned by the realities of combat he described, a teenage soldier confronted by the first horrific global conflict of the 20th century. Reading his memoirs sort of drove home for me the realization that these events involved real people — including my own family — and it sparked a youth spent devouring history books. Biographies, memoirs, battle accounts. I was fascinated by the stories of real people around the world who had faced extraordinary circumstances. The world was far more complex than I had first imagined it, and I began to wonder what I would do if I were forced to make the same choices. When I was 16, I went on my first trip to Europe (with my dear mum) and spent a few days shopping in Paris before venturing out across the battlefields of the First and Second World War. I had a full itinerary for our ten-day trip. Monuments, cemeteries, famous bridges. It was such a special journey, seeing where my great-grandfather once fought, seeing the scope of this tragedy firsthand, the endless crosses, but one place I didn’t make it to was Ypres in Belgium (where the famous and haunting Canadian war poem was written: ‘We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.…’). One day, I plan to go back and finally make that visit. Q: Even though there is a greater threat from Seath of the Nahir in the South that we haven’t been introduced to yet, we get the idea that the Dakar brothers have committed some atrocious war crimes. What was it like to create a villain like General Dakar? A: Okay, this is definitely going to be the longest answer because there is a lot to unpack here! First let me say that writing characters who might have committed war crimes is not something I take lightly or wield for sheer entertainment value. For me, as a historian, these are things we cannot brush aside or minimize. There’s always been an allure to the idea of a war hero—a strange romanticism, across the world, for the person who sacrifices their life to protect or defend many. But what about when that nobility turns sours? When it turns on the un-armed, both combatant and civilian alike? When it begins to use the ends to justify the means? This is the darkest side of war and it haunts our world even today. Because of this, I work hard to make sure that the ugliness in the Glass Alliance world always feels ugly. It can’t be ignored. And while there is definitely a lot more to the story of General Dakar and Seath of the Nahir and Sinora Lehzar (and all the adults in this world) than we know through Athan and Aurelia’s eyes, I ultimately don’t ever declare any one of them the true villain of the story. War and power and greed are the villains. And everyone is culpable to a certain extent. Which is why, I think, our individual choices are so, so important. History proves it. My goal is always to keep my characters relatable to the reader, force them to ask questions we might also ask. Grappling with the monstrosities of genocide and slavery isn’t something I feel qualified to do, and too often I think we read about the extremes of evil and think, “Well, I would never do that. I’m a good person.” But where does that evil begin? How do we get to that point? The truth is it’s slow and insidious, starting as something we can rationalize away, growing into a general passivity. So, I’ve chosen to put Athan and Aurelia in that grey zone. I honestly think that’s where many of us willfully choose to stay, ignoring injustice, saying it’s “too big” for us to impact. Most of human history is not caused by a single person. It’s many people, making choices, justifying action or inaction, finding reasons to do or not do. I hope when readers dive into this series, they’ll see characters like them, and ask themselves: “Now what would I do in this situation?” It’s certainly a question I ask myself as I’m writing! Q: What is your writing style like? Are you a pantser, a plotter, or a plantser? A: I’ve never heard of a ‘plantser’! But if that’s in between the two, then that’s what I am. I daydream through my first few drafts and let the characters show me who they are and what they want. After that, I begin to get some structure and set an ending point, so I know what I’m working towards. I’ve always had the full arc of the Glass Alliance trilogy in mind. I can’t imagine working on a series and not knowing where I’m going! But with the smaller things, I totally pants away. I like to let my characters surprise me. Q: If Dark of the West got a film adaptation, which actors/actresses would you cast to play your characters? A: I wish I had a good answer to this question, but I don’t! I’m open to suggestions though… I came up with some suggestions because I love pairing actors and actresses up to the characters I red about. Here's what I came up with: Did you experience any challenges or roadblocks while writing Dark of the West or Storm from the East? How did you overcome them? One of my biggest writing challenges is that I tend to write long. My drafts are much longer than the final version which goes into print (believe it or not!). This means there are thousands upon thousands of cut words sitting in my Google Drive. At first, it was painful having to do this. I loved those chapters and scenes, and what they showed me about my characters and the world. But after a while, you really do get better, as a writer, at remixing and shaking things up. You learn how to keep the things you love and find new ways to fit them into the story. If you’re willing to think outside the box, you can usually save those absolute favourites. They say that authors put a little bit of themselves into their fictional characters. Which character from Dark of the West is a close representation of you, and why? Unfortunately, I’d have to say Athan—and mostly for his worst traits, ha! Beyond the obvious love of flying, I am naturally very passive and non-confrontational. I’ll go far out of my way to avoid an uncomfortable conversation, even if that is to my own detriment or the detriment of a relationship. Granted, I’ve become much better about this as I’ve gotten older. Hopefully Athan is learning too… Let’s play kiss, marry, kill! Cyar, Athan, Arrin. GO! Oh no, I can’t kill anyone! I’m sorry! How about kiss Athan, marry Cyar, and bring Arrin to justice? I asked some of the book community to submit questions of their own! Here are some of things they wanted to ask you:
Is there anything else you would like to add to our Q&A Author Chat? I’m so very honoured to have been interviewed here! Thank you for having me and sharing this series with your followers. Not to brag, but I truly believe Glass Alliance readers are the absolute best and I’m excited for more to join us on this journey! BOOK LOVES!! Storm from the East flew to bookshelves on spitfire aeroplanes all over the country on February 11, 2020 and I'm so happy it's finally out in the world. GRAB A COPY TODAY! About the AuthorJOANNA HATHAWAY was born in Montréal and is an avid storyteller who was inspired to write after reading her great-grandfather’s memoirs of the First World War. A lifelong history buff, she now has shelves filled with biographies and historical accounts, and perhaps one too many books about pilots. She can often be found reading, traveling, or riding horses. Her debut novel DARK OF THE WEST is the first in a World Wars-infused fantasy series of forbidden love and deadly revenge. STORM FROM THE EAST will hit shelves on February 11, 2020 from Tor Teen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorSinging a literary ballad in the ramblings of a passionate book lover. Archives
May 2021
Subscribe Here! |