Author Interview: Heather Burch

Hello Bookworms,

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Heather Burch, author of the Halfling series, whose newest book, Avenger, was released in March. Heather's books are very popular and follow the adventures of Nikki Youngblood and her Halfling, half angel, half human, guardians as they try to keep her alive and discover why the forces of Darkness want her so badly. As they adventures continue, they find hiden secrets and seek strength in God as the battle. Heather was nice enough to answer some questions so here they are for everyone to enjoy.

 

HB: First, let me say thanks for letting me drop by today!

BW: I'm glad you're glad that you stopped by today and thank you very much for agreeing to the interview.

What first made you interested in being a writer?

HB: I have always done a lot of writing … mostly just for myself. But when I met my husband and discovered his mom and sister wrote novels, I couldn’t believe it. “You mean real people write books?” I don’t know who I thought wrote books, but they were just people. Just like me. Only older. I decided right then to write a book.

BW: Sounds like a cool discovery. I'm glad you decided to write novels.

What have you enjoyed most about being a writer? Least?

HB: I love getting to go out and meet fans. It’s magical when someone says something like, “Your book got me through a hard time.” I can’t even describe how it feels. It’s the best. I love traveling so promoting the Halflings Series has made it possible to visit some great cities.

Since I’m traveling a lot, I’m gone from home and that’s the hardest thing. I really miss my guys when I’m out there. But they are great about it and usually cook me an awesome dinner when I’m headed home. And they clean the house. They have to, they trash it while I’m gone.

BW: That would be unbelievable and must make you feel very good. Traveling sounds like fun but does have that downside. Glad the men clea for you at least.

If you ever have, what do you do when you get Writer's Block?

I keep writing. Even if it’s not what I’m supposed to be working on. I guess I write right on through it. You can’t let the muse push you around or you’ll find yourself shoved in too many directions. Now, I’m talking about regular old normal writer’s block. There is another kind, I believe, that has to do with a writer’s emotions being drained. Family crisis, personal tragedies, things like that can cause the other writer’s block. That’s different. It means you don’t have anything to pour out of yourself. See, I think writers have a reservoir of creativity and an overflow. We should always be writing from our overflow. If we start dipping into the reservoir, we run the risk of running dry. When dealing with that type of writer’s block, I think you have to take a step away. Allow yourself time to heal from whatever has happened. Put the writing on the back burner until words begin to gurgle inside again.

BW: Never thought about that, that your emotions causeing block, but it makes sense. Great insight.

What is your favorite genre to read?

 HB: Love, love, love YA. Not all YA books are my cup-of-tea, but so many are fabulously written with really deep characters and intricate plotlines. I can lose myself in a fabulous YA novel.

BW: What has been the funnest scene you've written?

HB: I had so much fun writing the scene in Avenger where Nikki and the Halflings get to test new motorcycles. The area I wrote them into is an actual area in my home state of Missouri where I used to ride as a teen. So much fun! Felt like I was revisiting my own memory lane. And once I knew Nikki was going to be in a leather jacket on the cover of Avenger, I knew I’d be adding a motocross scene.

BW: Those motercycles were pretty cool. And I had been wondering if trails like the ones described existed.

Do you have plans/want to ever return to the world of the Halflings?

HB: Is it terrible that I want to live in the Halflings world? I think I could go on writing these for … I don’t know … forever. There are still so many stories and interesting characters to dissect and inspect. Like Viper. He is one of my favorite characters, but we only get a glimpse of him in Avenger.

BW: I don't think it is a terrible thing to want to live in the Halfling world. I would like to live in other worlds sometimes.

Are you currently working on a project? If you are, can you tell us a little about it?

HB: I have a few things in the works right now. One is a twist on a modern day fairytale. It’s been so much fun because I’ve been able to introduce things that I couldn’t in a more “realistic” feeling storyline. For instance, the two main characters are inside an enchanted cave being chased by monkeys who throw … you guessed it … enchanted poo at them. Okay, so maybe that’s gross and more information than you wanted, but I’ve had a blast writing it. Also, I'm looking forward to continuing the Halflings Series. Raven has an exciting adventure ahead of him and I want to share that journey with the world! 

BW: I am excited for Raven's story and that other one sounds... interesting. And yes, a little gross, but I will read it. Sounds like fun. Make sure to tell your characters to duck when the poo is being thrown. 

Thanks again Heather for the interview, I had fun and I hope you did too. Thanks everyone for reading and be sure to chew on a good book today.