Interview with multi-genre author Hadena James

Today’s guest is multi-genre author Hadena James. She’s talking about her newest novel, Dark Cotillion, while doing a virtual book tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. This novel is a bit different from her other novels… find out why.

Also, Hadena will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. To be entered for a chance to win, leave a comment below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit other tour stops and leave comments there, too.

Bio:

I began writing at the age of eight. I finished writing my first novel in junior high school and it was terrible. However, during my teens, I did get some short stories published in magazines. I graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia with a degree in history and took the time to become fluent in German while I was there. When I’m not writing, I love to travel and camp. I’m also very active in a steel-tip dart league in Columbia, Missouri, where I live and travel to tournaments in the Mid-West regularly. My other goal is to help aspiring novelists and I co-run a critique/hand-holding group with author Liz Schulte specifically for that purpose.

Welcome, Hadena. Please tell us about your current release.

Dark Cotillion is a fantasy novel that I wrote with the intention of not making it a fantasy novel. It’s more of an alternate history. My main character is a demon-witch, who is not very demonic or very witch-like. Despite the character being 30 years old, she’s more like an 18-year-old, trying to find her way in the world and figure out who she is. It just so happens that she is important and a lot of bad things are about to happen to her. The series as a whole is about her growing as an individual as well as saving the world.

What inspired you to write this book?

It was a fluke. I had always written mysteries or thrillers and I wanted to expand. So one night, while talking with some friends, they suggested I put my history degree to good use and write an alternate history using fantasy characters. I grabbed some mythology books and some ancient gods and the story grew from there.

Excerpt:

“I have silverware; there are at least a dozen boxes of assorted disposable utensils in the drawer.”

“Metal utensils?”

“Uh, yeah, my mom gave me a box of old silver when she gave me the china dishes.”

“China dishes?” He rolled his eyes as Gabriel snickered. “Do you have anything except antique Bone China place settings?”

“Ewww, they are made of bone? One more reason to use paper plates. Stop setting those things on my damn table.” I looked pointedly at Gabriel.

“No, Ani, she has almost nothing in her kitchen, except disposable and fine antiques that should be used only on very special occasions.” Gabriel looked back at me and stuck out his tongue.

“I tried to give the fine stuff back to mom, but she refused to take it. She said some nonsense about every homeowner needing a good set of dishes.”

“Let me get this straight,” Anubis shook his head again, “you have no food and even if you did, we couldn’t cook it unless it was microwavable, and then we would have to eat it on plates that are probably a couple hundred years old, with silverware that is probably older?”

“Sounds accurate,” I lit a cigarette. “I’m sorry; I’m just not very domestic.”

What exciting story are you working on next?

I am releasing my fourth novel in my thriller series this month and during the summer, I hope to release the first book of my new fantasy series. The new fantasy series is started, but it’s still pretty hush-hush.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I’m not sure I consider myself a “writer,” even now. I write, to be sure, prolifically, but I think of myself as a storyteller more than a writer. However, if I had to pick a point, when I was nineteen, I was offered a contract with a publishing company for a novel I had written. I’d say at that point I was a “writer,” despite not accepting the contract.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I am a full time writer with a part time job. I work as a book keeper for a small non-profit about 25 hours a month. Thankfully, the job doesn’t require much time, so I always have writing time.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I write really fast, averaging 2,500 words an hour, after dark. With the sun up, I only average about 1,000 words an hour. If I could make myself write for a full eight hours with the sun down, I could write a novel every two weeks. However, if I tried to do all my writing during the daytime, the same novel would take me two months.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to grow up to be an archeologist or Sherlock Holmes, either was acceptable. Obviously, neither worked out. I realized archeology wouldn’t work because I didn’t want to be stuck in some dusty room with poor lighting or worse, some excruciatingly hot geographic area with extra-large bugs. As for Sherlock Holmes, it’s very hard to grow up to be a fictional character. I tried, but it just never worked for me.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

Thank you for taking the time to read about me!

Ways to connect with me:

Facebook | Blog | Twitter | Newsletter

Buy links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble Nook | Barnes and Noble Print

Thanks for the fun interview! Happy writing!