Today on the blog I'm pleased to present an interview with Joanna Hathaway! Ms. Hathaway is the author of the YA book, Dark of the West, which releases May 8th!
Here's the interview!
The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.
1. Would you please describe your debut book, Dark of the West, in seven words?
WW2-inspired fantasy of love, politics, and revenge.
2. There are two narrators in Dark of the West, Aurelia and Athan. Was one harder to write than the other?
I’ve been writing these two characters, in some variation, for so many years now that they basically feel like my good friends! Their voices are both quite distinct in my head. But I think Ali (Aurelia) has always been a bit harder to write because she’s less like me. We both love horses and princess gowns, but she’s much bolder and more direct, and isn’t afraid of uncomfortable confrontations. I definitely relate to Athan more and his unfortunate instinct to run as far from conflict as possible. (That strategy doesn’t work so well in life, as it turns out!) I’ve also been reading pilot memoirs since I was a teen, mostly from the Second World War, so writing Athan’s flying scenes in battle were a chance to really put that research to great use. That’s a ton of fun for me!
3. Random question! If you could time travel to any place in history for a day, where and when would you go?
Ah, the worst and best question for a history lover! How do I choose? This is going to sound very nerdy, but I’d love to go back to August 22nd, 1485 and save Richard III from his gruesome death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. I read The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman years ago, and I’ve been convinced ever since that Richard deserved a better fate. He’s a controversial figure, but I’d like to believe that he was mostly misunderstood thanks to Tudor propaganda. At the battle, I’d somehow foil the Stanley brothers’ betrayal and their role in his death, and then I’d have everyone sit down and talk out their royal succession issues over mugs of ale. (And keep a close eye on that Henry Tudor!)
The more noble choice is to say that I’d go back to June 28th, 1914 and stop Gavrilo Princip from assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand, thereby (hopefully) sparing the world from some of the 20th century’s horrors.
Great answers! :)
4. What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
Follow your heart, always. No one can tell your story except for you. Also, find yourself honest CPs (Critique Partners) who truly understand the heart of your work, and who will both build you up and push you hard—to the point it might even hurt sometimes. Don’t be afraid of it. Embrace the journey and learn to fall in love with revising!
Awesome advice! :)
5. What are some books you're looking forward to reading in 2018? And if you've already read some '18 books, which books have you loved?
There are so many to look forward to! I’ll focus on fellow debuts in particular. I can’t wait to get my hands on A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young, Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry, The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw, and A Court of Miracles by Kester Grant.
There are definitely a lot of books to look forward to! :)
Thank you so much to Ms. Hathaway for participating in this event! :)
Author bio: Joanna owes her love of books to her great-grandfather. His memoirs about life as a teenage soldier in the First World War inspired her, at a young age, to enter the complex and provocative realms of history—and she hasn’t left since. Born in Montréal, Canada, she grew up on the doorstep of New York City, then spent her teen years riding horses through the forests of Southwestern Ontario.
Her debut novel, DARK OF THE WEST (Tor Teen, 2018), is the first in a WWII-infused fantasy series of forbidden love and deadly revenge.
She is represented by Steven Salpeter of Curtis Brown Ltd.
Here are a few links:
Sounds like a fun book!
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