This holiday season, I've decided to promote some of my writer friends and ask some of the questions that folks always ask me. Today's guest/victim is:
M. N. Henschen
First,
a little about M.N. Henschen.
She was born in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains in
the bustling town of Sevierville, Tennessee. Her love of books began as an
infant when her parents read stories of all kinds to her. This love and an
expansive imagination were given more fuel in the classroom of Dr. Vada Bogart
at the age of nine. It was then that M.N. Henschen began reading works like
Lois Lowery’s The Giver and Wilson Rawl’s Where the Red Fern Grows. Her
Favorite series of books, however, was also the story that sparked her interest
in the world of fantasy: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
During her college years, M.N. Henschen studied
language arts while pursuing her career in the medical field. It was there in
2008 that she began her first published work, The Line of Kavanagh. Thanks to
the encouragement of her family and friends, what started out as a distant
childhood dream became a reality, and her career as an author began.
Now a wife and mother of two, M.N. Henschen still
lives in the beauty of East Tennessee, but she enjoys traveling the world with
her family whenever possible. Working at the local hospital, she uses her
storytelling abilities to brighten the days of those around her. She is
thrilled now to be able to share her stories with the world.
At
what age did you start writing or know that you wanted to write?
I was very young when I
first started writing. I believe I was eight or nine when I wrote my first
poem. It was always that "rockstar" dream. Some kids want to be
actors and astronauts, but I wanted to publish a book.
Where
do your ideas come from?
The idea for my first
book came when I was thinking about my friends. I had so many great characters
living daily life with me, and I wanted to write a story about them. It all
just came together from there. My last two novels that are still in the works
stemmed from dreams. I have really vivid dreams sometimes, and sometimes they
have great stories in them.
Do
you plot out your stories or just make it up as you go?
I always have the entire
story worked out from start to finish before I begin writing--usually in great
detail. I don't outline, but I do have everything planned in my mind. That plan
changes quite a lot, but the main story stays the same.
Do
you listen to music while you write and if so, what do you listen too?
ABSOLUTELY. I have a vast
music library, and each of my books has its own playlist because each one has a
different feel. Music is powerful, and words placed to music can change
everything.
Which
of your characters would you most like to meet in person? Which character of
another author would you want to meet?
Of my characters, I would
love to meet Spade from my first novel. Bane would be my pick from my second.
He's...delightfully strange. haha! From my third, I would LOVE to meet Elias.
He's by far the most complicated of my characters.
From other works, I would
love to meet the Giver. I would also love to meet Haldir or Legolas from Lord
of the Rings.
Which
of your stories/books/works do you consider the best?
That's very hard to say
because all of my stories are so different and wonderful in their own ways.
Line of Kavanagh is a fun, action-packed adventure. Rhythm of Enchantment is a
sappy, hilarious, romantic comedy. To Survive Divinity is definitely the
darkest thing I've ever written. It's probably the most profound thing I've
ever written, too.
How
much do you write each day/week?
It varries widely from
day to day. Sometimes I'll go three weeks without writing a word. Other times,
I can't stop, and I write 6,000 words in a day. It really just depends on how
inspired I am at the moment.
What
is your latest project/release?
That would be To Survive
Divinity. It's set in a far-flung future where the Cataclysm has destroyed life
as we know it. Out of the ashes rose people with great power. Like the ancient
Greek gods, they each control one thing: Luck, Love, Healing, etc. Seven
hundred years have passed, and one city offers six women to the gods of War and
Death every year. The women must complete the Disciplines, and no one really
knows what that means. If they do, though, they are made Brides to the god to
which they were offered. The story centers on Kaija, a woman offered to the god
of War. Being offered is typically the honor of a lifetime, but to Kaija, it's
a prison sentence. She is not a believer. To her, the gods are simply men with
power. She clings to a different faith, bringing with her an illegal copy of
her "holy book." To Survive Divinity is her story of survival and
keeping her faith in the face of very real, manifest gods. I'm hoping to have
it out by the beginning of 2016.
Do
you have any signings or appearances coming up?
I will be in Atlanta, GA
November 13th-15th at CONjuration, and I'll be at Yamacon in Pigeon Forge, TN
in December.
Who
were your inspirations?
My former teacher Dr.
Vada Bogart and my parents. They are both brilliant, and they have never failed
to encourage me in chasing my dreams.
Favorite
authors?
J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S.
Lewis, Lois Lowery, and Harper Lee
What
book do you read over and over the most?
Lord of the Rings
Is
there a book or book series that you recommend to people?
I always tell people to
read the Giver quartet. They're short, little books, but they're SO powerful.
How
much of you is in your characters?
All of me. My characters
ARE my stories.
If
you could live the life of one of your characters, who would it be?
Probably Rory from Rhythm
of Enchantment. She's got the happiest life of all my female leads.
What
genre do you prefer to write? To read?
Anything fantasy, really.
What
are you working on now?
Two new novels (Rhythm
and Divinity) and the sequel to my first book.
Is
Writer’s Block ever a problem for you?
If so, how do you deal with it.
I think it's a problem
for all of us. For me, I just begin work on one of my other novels when I get
blocked on one. That's the handy trick about writing three at the same time.
What 3 things do you feel
every aspiring writer should know?
I think they should know to
let the professionals help, to not ever rush themselves, and most importantly,
I feel they should know that they can do it. They can be an author.
What
is your funniest/ awkward moment at a convention/signing event?
That would probably be
the time that I forgot to set my alarm, and I woke up as the con was starting.
It wasn't my best start to a day. haha! I still managed to sell out that
weekend and have a GREAT day.
How
do you use social media in regards to your writing?
I use it as a way to
promote and network with other authors in addition to just keeping my readers
updated on my progress.
Do
you read reviews of your books? If so,
have you ever engaged a reviewer over comments they’ve made?
I ALWAYS read the
reviews. I have only reached out to one reviewer, and that was because they
rated the book at four stars, but they didn't say what needed improvement. I
love hearing positive and negative feedback so that I can grow as an author, so
I would have loved to have known what they thought needed work.
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