Authors Supporting Authors #9: Special JLA Edition Featuring Heather Hayden!

Welcome, friends! In celebration of the release of "Of Legend and Lore", I've participated in a blog tour and am honored to host my second interview! Please welcome Heather Hayden, a talented author and freelance editor, and a vital piece to the Just-Us-League franchise. Yes, I said franchise.

See what inspired her fairy tale retelling and GET INSPIRED!

1. What inspired your retelling? Years ago, I wrote a retelling of A Christmas Carol, just for fun. As I was doing so, I threw in The Little Match Girl as well, so that I could “fix” that particular tale, which had broken my heart as a child [Julian's comment: Same!]. They certainly aren’t conventional fairy tales, but they both embrace common fairy tale themes, so when the Just-Us League decided to compile another fairy tale anthology, I dusted off the old draft. My first reaction was to wince at how poor the writing was, but there was a story there, so I rewrote the entire tale from scratch. Hope is a common theme in my writing, and that’s what I wanted to portray through my retelling.
2. What was the hardest part of writing it? Keeping it within the word count limit. I tend to have bare-bones first drafts and then keep adding stuff...in this case, I had a solid first draft (after rewriting the entire thing, haha), but needed to keep adding and tweaking stuff. The result was one of the longer stories in the anthology, but I’m pleased with the final version.
3. What short stories have you written for a JLA before? I’ve been published in all three of the previous anthologies. I wrote “Beneath His Skin,” a retelling of the selkie myth, for From the Stories of Old; “In a Breath,” a story about a girl with a small superpower and a strong sense of justice, for Between Heroes and Villains; and “In Her Reflection,” a horror story involving a far-too-lively reflection, for Whispers in the Shadows. [Julian's comment: I'm typically not into horror, but I read "In Her Reflection" and it was so bone-chillingly creepy. GO READ IT!]
4. How did this experience differ from your previous JLA stories? This was my first time rewriting an old story for the anthology, rather than writing a new one. It was actually a smoother process for the most part, since I had a general idea for how the story would progress and end. I also left an Easter egg for those who have read “Beneath His Skin,” as both fairy tales are set in the same world.
5. What other fairy tale would you like to rewrite? I’m currently working on a Puss in Boots retelling for the next anthology, as well as a series of fairy tale retellings—I actually have eight books [Julian's comment:  HOLY COW!!!] planned for this series already, and that’s not counting all the other fairy tales I’m considering to retell as well! Snow White and Beauty and the Beast are two of my favorites to retell--I have multiple ideas for novelizations of them, some of which will hopefully someday see the light of day.
6. Do you prefer a HEA (Happily Ever After)? Always. I don’t mind a bittersweet ending, but tragedies make me cry.
7. How do you combat writer’s block? I do something else. Chores, cooking, walking...anything that isn’t related to words. Then I come back, throw on some music, and start writing again.
8. Are you a “pantser” or “plotter”? I used to be a pantser, and I still am for the most part, but I’m starting to use some plotting techniques as well. So I guess I’m kind of a plantser now.
9. Favorite original fairy tale? It’s hard to pick one favorite. I’ve always loved Beauty and the Beast, thanks to Disney portraying Belle as a bookworm, but in terms of originals...they’re often a LOT darker than retellings would lead one to believe.
10. Favorite adapted fairy tale? I’ve read so many adapted fairy tales, I don’t think I could pick a single one. "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale, "The Firethorn Crown" by Lea Doué, and "The Beast of Talesend" by Kyle Robert Shultz are a few of my favorites! [Julian's comment: *diligently takes notes* Thanks for the recommendations!]
11. If you could meet one author, alive or dead, who would it be? Terry Pratchett. There are several other authors I’d love to meet as well, but he passed away before I ever told him how much I loved the Discworld series and how inspiring his works were for me.
12. What is your non-writer alter-ego (aka day job)? I’m a freelance editor. Words are my life!
13. What is your spirit animal? Hm. I’m not sure. Sharks are my favorite animal, but I’ve always loved the idea of having a dragon for my spirit animal, or perhaps a unicorn. Or a snow leopard, if mythical creatures aren’t allowed.
14. Who is the biggest supporter of your writing? My family and friends. They’re all super encouraging, and I love them for that.
15. What is the biggest obstacle to your writing? It varies day to day. Sometimes I don’t have enough time to write, other days I’m not feeling confident enough to put words on a page. I try to find time and energy to write a little every day, however.
16. What other projects are you working on? I have three main projects at the moment. I’m editing "Upgrade," a YA science fiction novel and the sequel to my first published book, "Augment". [Julian's comment: Of which I'm anxiously awaiting] I’m also working on a co-authored project with Kristy Perkins, another member of the Just-Us League. My third project is a fairy tale retelling series--I’m in the world-building stages of that, though I also have part of the first novel written. I love all of my projects and I wish I had more time to devote to them!

• Oxford comma, yes or no? I’m an editor, and although I’ve followed style guides that say “yes” and ones that say “no”, my personal preference is “YES”. It makes things so much clearer!

Take me to amazon!!!

Learn more about the Just-Us-League and their other works!

ABOUT HEATHER:

Though a part-time editor by day, Heather Hayden’s not-so-secret identity is that of a writer—at night she pours heart and soul into science fiction and fantasy novels. She is currently working on Upgrade (the sequel to her first published novel) and an as-yet-untitled series of fairy tale novelizations. You can follow her on her blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

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