Hello my fellow adventurers!
Happy Friday! It’s been snowy and magical here in Alaska and I spent many nights under a blanket writing my next fantasy book. Super cozy. I hope you’ve had some cozy times this winter as well! It’s time for my next A Second Glance interview, this time with fantasy romance author Natasha White! As always, my comments will be in {italics}. Enjoy!
Tell me a little bit about yourself!
I’m from a very rural part of Yorkshire in the UK. The hills, dry-stone walls and sweeping moorlands are imprinted inside me, I’d say! But as a teenager I longed to escape. I studied Literature at the University of Birmingham (a beautiful redbrick university in pretty much the biggest city I could find) and then I lived abroad for a while – in France and Germany – before settling in London. From childhood, I’d dreamed of becoming a magazine editor, so living in London was always a must. But I really didn’t enjoy it. It’s an amazing, energetic city, but I felt stifled by the sheer size of it. I need countryside to breathe properly. So I moved back ‘home’ and now I live literally down the road from where I grew up. I say road, but it’s more a narrow and impossibly steep country lane. The views never fail to lift my spirits. I’m married with two children, a feisty cat and a couple of lazy but loveable dogs. {Sometimes you just gotta do what’s right for you! I like that you’ve found a place you can breathe properly in.}
What got you into writing?
My biggest memories of childhood are the books I read. I was always getting told off for not paying attention to what was going on around me. In fact, my habit of reading in the car contributed significantly to the fact I still lose my way around my home-town. The transition from reading to writing was very instinctive. I started creating my own fantasy worlds from a very young age and typed out (one-handed) a hefty series of Black Beauty fan fiction when I was off school with a broken arm aged ten. I write for a living as a marketing copywriter, and I’ve never wanted to do anything else (bar make the transition to best-selling novelist, of course) {Fanfiction is THE BEST! Marketing copywriter sounds like it would be a fun job!}
What genres do you write in?
Fantasy romance! I love all-things magic. Witches can make such amazing, multi-layered characters. There’s so much scope inherent within that premise. My current series also focuses on a powerful family of werewolves. I’m a big werewolf fan – so long as they stay in control. There’s something about their connection to the natural world that is very intriguing. {Ooo, werewolves are such a fun creature concept; and witches can be facinating, too.}
Do you write standalones or series?
The first two books of my debut trilogy, The Sacred Isle Wolves, are out now. Book three will be published in January 2023 and then I’ll make a start on my next series. {WHOOOT. Congrats!!!}
How many books do you have out right now? Tell me about them!
I have two books of my debut series out now. They are both coming-of-age stories, sweet romance set in a fantasy world of witches, werewolves and magic. I enjoy leaning into fairy tale tropes – and inverting them, of course! I possibly took this tendency a little too far in my first book, The Prophecy of the Sholdragen Witches. My heroine is a strong, powerful witch who will stop at nothing to protect those she loves. The hero, well, he’s nice to look at…
I toe the line of genre expectations more carefully in book two, The Curse of the Sholdragen Witches, where my all-powerful heroine meets her match in the Alpha of the Sacred Isle Wolves. Both stories stand alone, following successive generations of two magical families who must unite against the rising threat of darkness.
I take a slightly different direction in book three, The Rise of the Sholdragen Witches, which will be published in January 2023. In this one, the heroine is the werewolf and the hero is the one who needs saving – with a fair few twists along the way. {I laughed way too much about that hero line for The Prophecy of the Sholdragen Witches, “nice to look at”…so great. I love that they are stand alones but interwoven. That’s a fun take on storytelling!}
Which book did you have the hardest time trying to write? The best time?
I wouldn’t say I had a hard time exactly, but book one (which I actually wrote second) caused a lot of sighing and frustration at the editing stage. Book two (which I wrote first) was the most fun. It was the first time I’d created a werewolf character and I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of the world-building. {I can relate to the sighing. I, too, am a sigh-editor.}
Why do you keep writing?
It’s who I am. When I don’t write, I get tetchy and even more impatient than usual. The feeling of inhabiting my own world and letting the words flow through me is addictive. I love sitting down at my laptop and giving myself permission to switch off from reality – just for a couple of hours.
Which character of yours is your favorite?
Eli. The hero of The Curse of the Sholdragen Witches. He’s morally-grey and conflicted and I’m more than a little bit in love with him. {Gotta love the morally-gray ones…}
What are your favorite tropes? Hated tropes?
I love characters discovering new powers and secret pasts. I’m all about strong female characters, so anything with a sisterhood draws me in. If you can throw in some sort of academic setting and a dash of gothic tension, so much the better.
I can’t warm to vampires, although I fully accept I’m in the minority there. And I’m not a fan of narcissistic Alpha males. In fact, that’s a huge turn-off for me. Morally-grey, yep, sign-me up. Cold-hearted, cruel and arrogant, no thank you. {Interesting! I’m always fascinated by the favorite and hated trope answers.}
What kind of hobbies do you have outside of writing?
I walk a lot. The Yorkshire moors are good for that! I also run. I did a half marathon a couple of years ago, although I doubt I’ll be repeating that experience any time soon. I love to sing and long ago I used to enjoy amateur dramatics, including dancing and choreography. Part of me would love to go back to it, but there are only so many hours in the day. {So true.}
What is your writing process like?
Strictly disciplined! It has to be, otherwise life takes over. I have two days per week which I fully dedicate to writing, with a minimum goal of 5,000 words for each. On other days, I get up early and write for an hour before the rest of the house wakes up. Then it’s a case of snatching whatever time I can – often sitting in the car waiting for my children to emerge from various activities. {Whoa, that’s some dedication. I love that you set aside specific writing days!}
Have you ever traveled as research for your writing?
I’ve been lucky enough to live in some amazing places. The majestic French and Austrian Alps will always live in my memory and those vast horizons help inspire scenes where my characters are particularly connected to the natural world. I find a walk through woodland or over the moors also helps me establish mood. The place which most inspired my current series was the rugged coastline of Northumberland (UK). It’s wild, beautiful and timeless. Holy Island and the romantic ruins of Dunstaburgh Castle both helped me create the landscape of the Sacred Isle Wolves. {All of those places sound magical!}
Last question, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?
It’s hard to pick just one. Especially as the good advice keeps coming and I’m forever looking to learn. But there are two rules which I try to stick to as best I can. One, finish each chapter with a hook which keeps the reader wanting more. And two, do something every day to help your writing. That doesn’t have to be writing itself, it can be creating social posts or commissioning a cover – but I always try to do something. {GREAT advice! Love, love, love both of these.}
Now I’m wondering if you meant life advice rather than writing advice? If so, my dad once gave me a piece of advice which I’ve passed onto others countless times. He said that ignoring a problem is like ignoring a big, overgrown bush, right outside your front door. Sure, at first you might be able to walk around it, but soon it will grow so big that you’ll be flattening yourself against the wall. Then you’ll think, ‘it’s okay, I can still get past, and cutting it back will be too much like hard work’, but in no time at all the bush will take up all the available space. You’ll have to drop onto all fours and crawl past it. Soon, you won’t be able to leave the house at all. Far better just to cut it down the first chance you get.
It’s a long-winded piece of advice, but it gave me the impetus to make one of the hardest decisions of my life. There’s something about the imagery that really resonates. {Okay so the question was really about writing advice, but this is such an awesome piece of life advice – I’m so glad you shared it! Such wise words!}
Find Natasha Online!
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And that’s a wrap! Thank you so much to Natasha for these fabulous answers. I hope you, my fellow adventurers, enjoyed this interview as much as I did. Such amazing advice, and I love the life advice tidbit as well. (I might add in an extra Life Advice question in future interviews!) Now stop reading this blog and go check Natasha out!
Until next time!
Warm regards,
Kellie
Have Pen, Will Pen 