Questions and Answers Joey W. Hill lives on the North Carolina coast with a wonderful husband (who keeps her believing in the magic of love), their dauntless 30 foot O'Day sailboat Shadowfax, and their eight four-footed children. She is further blessed with an amazing, indomitable mother (who isn't sure about all this fantasy stuff), and a brave, one-of-a-kind brother who is the original prototype for the crusty Bruce Willis-type anti-hero. Joey writes fantasy and romance and enjoys feedback from her readers. In today's world, there is a great need for faith in magic and love, and there's no better place to rediscover them than through a book or short story. She invites you to try one of hers. What are you currently working on? I am working on the first sequel to my current fantasy release, Guardian of the Continuum, available at Atlantic Bridge Publishing, www.atlanticbridge.net. There will be five books in the series. The sequel is called Legacy of the Raven and begins in the setting of late 1600s, Golden Age of Piracy. As the story progresses, the historic elements begin to interact with fantasy/time travel elements so that the characters end up interwoven with the objectives and characters of the first book. With which of your works are you most/least satisfied and why? My books and short stories are like children; I can't judge them like that. I never put something out there until I'm pleased with it and feel it is a marketable work, even though I'm always tempted to tweak them forever. There are aspects of my stories that may dissatisfy me; for instance, there are two characters in Guardian that never developed in the manner I wanted them to do. I'm hoping I'll figure out their voices in future books. On the flip side, there are certain portions of the book that I read over, and I can detect no flaws. Those portions feel like magic of the highest order. Who (Fact or Fiction) would you most like to meet, and what would you ask them? Whoever/Whatever God is - I'd ask that very basic inner child question - "Is everything going to be okay?" Is there a book or story you wish you had written? I'd have to say no. I am envious of the absolute genius of many authors, but those are their children, and I want something that springs from my well of collective unconsciousness. I study them very carefully though, in the hopes that their genius will guide me in my own style. Is writing your full time occupation; if not what is? I wish very much it was, but the bills must be paid. I've worked in administrative support functions for about ten years, because those are the type of roles you can "leave at the office" when you come home at night, therefore leaving more mental and physical energy free for writing; or at least that's the plan. As we all know, it doesn't always work out that way. What was your first professional sale? How did it feel when you received the acceptance? Woodwright's Wife for Prisoners of the Night Magazine. It was a short story set in the Civil War south involving a widow, an antique headboard, and the vampire spirit that inhabits it. That first sale confirms you're headed in the right direction, that you've practiced your craft enough to produce a salable piece of work. I felt like I'd made a major milestone. Who is your favorite author? I like fantasy that's heavy on the characterization, so I tend to have favorite books instead of favorite authors. Examples being Raymond Feist's Magician series, Jennifer Roberson's Tiger and Del, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, and Mercedes Lackey's Elves of LA. I also like New Age fantasy such as Gael Baudino's work. If you could give one piece of advice to a would-be author, what would it be? Don't give up. And while you're not giving up: 1) Grow permeable rhinoceros skin, meaning you've got to be tough enough to hear valid criticism, and be open to learning from it. 2) Hone your craft - read books about writing, participate in writer's groups, and read, read, read. 3) Learn the industry. Take these suggestions IN THAT ORDER. And remember, don't give up. When you get to the point you give up, you've chosen to no longer be a writer. Never blame it on those dense publishers, or what your boyfriend said about your work, or how you don't have enough time, etc. If you are meant to be a writer, you'll make the time and you won't give up, no matter the obstacles. The Muse won't let you. When did you first decide that you wanted to be an author? I started writing in fifth grade and haven't been able to stop. I had a decade hiatus in college when I got heavily involved in activism for animal rights, but when my inner voice felt I'd accomplished what I wished to do in that arena, it turned almost instantly back to writing. When did you first feel that you were an author? When the desire began to re-surface after that hiatus period and the characters of GOTC wouldn't leave me alone. Are you for or against e-books? I am very much for ebooks. Anything that can potentially preserve so much of our forests has my vote. Are you a music fan? If so, what? Very eclectic tastes; a lot of new country artists, such as Trisha Yearwood, Collin Raye, Jon Berry, etc. I love soft rock, classical and John Cougar Mellencamp. And I have some very "uncool" tastes that make my husband run screaming from the house, namely the Partridge Family Greatest Hits. However, for writing I use movie soundtracks and New Age CD's - Guardian was written almost entirely to Quest of the Dream Warriors by David Arkenstone; the sequel is being written to The Postman soundtrack. Most of the music I listen to motivates scenes to writing in my head; ballads do love scenes, action scenes everything from New Age to rock like John Cougar Mellencamp. A major portion of the final climactic scene of Guardian was written to Holding Out For A Hero from the Footloose soundtrack. Do you have a favourite place to write? My screened front porch, surrounded by my animals (I have seven - two dogs, five cats). Why do you like SF/F/H? It calls to my heart, that common agricultural-based fantasy society where magic and swords are the norm, and good and evil are the dueling cultures, rather than a culture dominated by the monotonous, disheartening forces of apathy and ignorance. That fantasy world is where I prefer to spend my mental time, because there I get the heroic inspiration to get out of bed and do the mundane things in this mixed-up world of ours. Is there anything more that can be done with Wizards, Elves and Dragons? Always. Not just new things, but the same things as well, done in entertaining, fresh ways. The industry often cheats readers by being too concerned with "what's trendy". There's a reason genres come into being; people expect certain common elements to be present in them and enjoy those elements, again and again. As a reader do you prefer Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror? I prefer Fantasy. I read some sci-fi, but usually it's more space opera like Star Wars, with the heroic elements of fantasy, rather than hardcore Frank Herbert type stuff. Short story, single novel or novel series - which do you think is the best medium for Fantasy? I think it depends on the story; a famous author once said the story itself determines how long it needs to be. Do you use myths and ancient religions for inspiration? Some. Guardian is interwoven with a lot of Native American spiritualism. What are your thoughts on writing for shared world series such as Dragonlance and Star Trek? It's not anything that's called to me yet, as my stories get generated from scratch in my head. What book are you reading at the moment? The Witches of Eastwick, by John Updike and I've got a Melanie Rawn on the backburner. Do you enjoy collaborating? I've never collaborated until recently. I was invited to participate on a list that is essentially an ongoing fantasy story, sort of a literary D&D, where you choose your characters and write scenes for them interacting with other characters. The listmaven for that site is Gillian Fitzgerald, a very talented writer who did a review of Guardian and introduced me to the list. We have also considered collaborating together and I am looking forward to that, as it is something I never really considered before, but her approach to writing and mine are very compatible. How does your approach to the editing role differ from that of writing? One is flying, one is dental work without anesthetic (laughter). The first draft I do in longhand, and it usual flows like water. Then I begin the editing process, and each book probably goes through three separate editings. It must be surgically removed from my psyche for me to stop fiddling with it and allow it to be subjected to the brutally abusive parents known as publishing houses. My husband and critique partners usually perform that surgery. When editing other people's work, the process is a little different, of course. I make suggestions where I see weak elements, but I try to pay close attention to whether or not my suggestion is an attempt to change the substance of the story (wrong) or an attempt to make the existing story a stronger piece of work (right). Who or what has been a major influence on your writing and why? My mother teaching me to read before kindergarten and then providing me access to a wealth of books through the library. It created a tremendous love of stories in me, and I've always been an avid reader as a result. What's the most memorable thing said in a review of your work? It's a three-way tie. I've had quite a few good reviews of Guardian from ezines and magazines, but oddly enough the most memorable feedback is a note a good friend of mine gave to me in sixth grade. I used to write during class and pass her pages under the desk. There was one chapter on which she wrote that my writing was incredible and I was going to be a famous author one day. Probably the second most memorable thing was when a professional writer from whom I took a writing course when I was fifteen, indicated in a news interview that I was one of the most gifted writers of her class of adult students. The third, most recent, was when a reviewer said that when she read Guardian, she felt the same way she did the first time she read a Barbara Hambly, Tanya Huff or Laurell K. Hamilton. Praise indeed! Have you won any awards for your writing? Guardian of the Continuum won the Dream Realm Award for Fantasy in 2000, and was an EPPIE and PEARL finalist. Plug away - what do you have coming out? I write in two genres - epic/contemporary fantasy, and women's erotica. I have a women's erotica scheduled to be published with LTD Books, but it is currently offered on my website, called Make Her Dreams Come True. I am also working on another women's erotica called Holding the Cards. As I said earlier, my primary project right now is the sequel to Guardian of the Continuum, called Legacy of the Raven. I have also been outlining the remaining four sequels. I have a number of short stories I continue to try to market, all of them either a fantasy or romance slant, or a cross-genre mix of the two. Those who'd like to read excerpts of any of my currently available work can go to my website, http://www.storywitch.com, to read or order books. I'll usually email you a free copy of any of the short stories that catch your eye. Many Thanks, Joey! Relevant Links Joey W. Hill Main Bibliography Joey W. Hill's Web Site