One of the best ways to learn more about our own writing and writing processes is to hear from others. And so, this week, I had the pleasure of interviewing author, H.M. Long, about her debut novel Hall of Smoke, her writing process, and agenting!
So, without further ado:
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your book?
Sure! I'm Hannah, and I'm a Canadian fantasy author. My debut epic fantasy HALL OF SMOKE came out January 19th, and I've another book set in the same world, TEMPLE OF NO GOD, slated for release in early 2022.
HALL OF SMOKE is about a disgraced warrior priestess caught between warring gods in a Viking-inspired world. It's very much a journey, both internal and external, with lots of atmospheric settings and cinematic action sequences. [Erin jutting in here: Can attest to this edge-of-seat journey and phenomenal setting. *claps*]
How did you get started writing?
I started writing when I ran out of books to read at my small town library, when I was a kid. Initially, I wrote what was essentially fan fiction, regurgitations of my favourite books at the time with myself as a character. I quickly expanded to original stories and set my sights on publication!
What's the most unique part of your writing process?
I'd say my slant on worldbuilding, though I'm sure a lot of other pantser-types do the same! I don't worldbuild beforehand. I'll have a few things in mind, very vague impressions that I know I want to convey, but I worldbuild places, religion, history etc. entirely as I draft. This is what I call "situational worldbuilding" (saying that makes me feel fancy) i.e., only what the reader needs to feel immersed and understand at the time. For me, this keeps down the unnecessary details and the pain of putting hours into content that never meets the page.
How did publishing your first book change your writing process?
I very much enjoy discovery writing, but when writing a book on contract (TEMPLE OF NO GOD), that simply didn't work. So I've had to adjust into more of a plotter than a pantser, finding a way to retain passion for the project and letting the characters lead the way without completely disregarding my outline. I'm still working on that new process.
And overall, my process is different for each book, with different life circumstances and book personalities coming together in different ways.
Why do you write what you write? As an agented author, are you influenced by what will sell/what the reader might want to read?
I write what I want to write at the time, because I write first and foremost for myself. That's always been my mentality, partially because it's simply true, and partially because I never thought I'd actually get published. If the book I spend years pouring myself into never sees the light of day? That's totally fine if the goal was my own enjoyment all along.
That being said, when I finished HOS, I knew it was more marketable than my previous work. I leaned into that, tailoring it just a little bit more intentionally for the audience I wanted to sell it to. Now, I strive to find a balance between creative integrity and marketability but, in the end, if you're not writing something you love, the reader sees that. So if there's a conflict between what I want and what I think the market does - I choose my own preferences first.
For instance, I felt very strongly that a romance subplot would be inappropriate in HALL OF SMOKE, so even though I knew a bit of romance would bring in a broader audience, I put my foot down and kept it out.
What were your expectations of being agented and published traditionally? How were they different from your reality?
I think my expectations were fairly close to reality? I expected a professional, friendly relationship with my agent, who would guide my career, etc., which is what I have (thankfully!) It's hard to have many expectations about traditional publishing because the industry is so opaque, but I had author friends who gave me words of advice. That was basically, everything is subjective and situational and you have very little control, so write well, be a nice person, and take every opportunity you can while considering your own mental health. That's how it's turned out! You don't have much control in traditional publishing (I'm talking about timelines, publicity level, covers, etc) but if you're accessible and easy to work with, your voice still can go a long way.
What kind of research do you do? And how much do you research before you start writing?
Since I usually don't know what I'm writing, I don't research ahead of time. I'll delve into things as I need them. If I'm working with historical fiction or something I want to be very accurate about, I'll go full nerd on it and my hands on respected works on the subject. If it's something general and doesn't need scholarly references, but more of an inspiration thing, I'll head to Youtube and Google search, cross-reference a few sources and wing it from there.
The only variance was with HOS. I really wanted to work into the fight scenes, so I joined a local HEMA club [or Historical European Martial Arts], studied a year of medieval longsword (there's no longsword in HOS but many of the principles were applicable) and I went through a basic Viking sword and shield combat DVD course.
If you didn't write, what would you be doing for work?
I'd love to be a museum curator! I love history and museums are my happy place.
What would be your author mascot?
Honestly, a squirrel. Easily distracted and skittish, yet somehow still absolutely obsessed with its own goals. Likes trees. 😂
A big thanks to Hannah for taking the time to answer my questions! If you want to check out her debut, HALL OF SMOKE, you can find it in at any book retailer. But, I highly recommend supporting your local bookstores during this pandemic!
Here are some locally owned bookstores from Southwestern Ontario where you can order HALL OF SMOKE online:
If you're interested to know more about Hannah, you can check out her Instagram and Facebook. Or visit her website for all her latest book information.
Happy writing,
Erin Ogilvie-Fisher