Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I live in Nashville (which is a very hip town, by the way) with my husband and my two (very small) kids. I have a music education degree. I’ve taught American Lit and World History. I’ve written music and poetry. I have lots of food allergies. I’m a little bit obsessed with Sherlock and Downton Abbey. Trying to hold out on Dr. Who, but I think I’ll be sucked in eventually. I adore all things C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, but Ursula LeGuin, Jane Austen, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Megan Whalen Turner, and Robin McKinley are also favorites.
I just published my first novel, Shiloh, this spring. It took me two years, four drafts, and a truckload of self-doubt, but I’m quite proud of the finished product.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, Seeker, is a prequel to Shiloh. Amos, the main character in Shiloh, follows in the steps of a legendary hero named Evander. I wanted to explore Evander’s story a little more, to discover what would drive a man to lead his entire clan in search of something they had never seen, something that may not even exist. I’m working on the final draft now, and I’m having a ball.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write when my kids sleep, which translates to very few hours in the day. Also, I listen to music while I write (I listened to one song, just one, during the entire first two drafts of Seeker), and I like to eat chocolate chips with salt on them while I work.
I don’t have an office, so I sit at the dining room table in front of one of those three-sided science fair display board thingies. It’s covered in pictures that are related to the story I’m working on…images that inspire me and remind me what I’m really writing about.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
My biggest influences, without question, are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. You can’t read my books without seeing their ideas, their turns of phrase. I’ve also been heavily impacted by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Twice-Told Tales. I think the haunting way he uses allegory is extremely powerful.
What are you working on now?
Finishing up Seeker. I’m compiling feedback from Beta readers and diving into the final draft.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I think Goodreads and Facebook have been the most effective.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re ever going to get anywhere, you have to silence all the voices, and they are many, that tell you you’re kidding yourself, that you’ll never finish, that you’re not good enough, that no one will want to publish your story, that no one will want to read your story, that you will embarrass yourself and your family, that you are a failure, etc.
It takes a determined sort of madness to finish a novel and share it with the world. You have to decide that, if every person alive laughs you to scorn, you’re going to write anyway, dammit!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write your first draft at breakneck speed. It’s great advice because it forces you to ignore your inner editor and actually get something on paper. Your inner editor will paralyze you. But speed, in the first draft at least, gives you something to work with.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading Queen’s Own Fool, by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I finish Seeker, I need to write the final book in the Shiloh series. I’m overwhelmed by the number of unanswered questions presented in the first two books, so there’s lots of work to do. 🙂
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Lord of the Rings (I’d bring one big volume containing all of them.)
The Chronicles of Narnia (another big collection)
The Earthsea Cycle (Wow, I’m cheating very much on this question.)
The Harry Potter series (See how I just turned 3 or 4 books into 23? Magic!)
Author Websites and Profiles
Helena Sorensen Website
Helena Sorensen Amazon Profile
Helena Sorensen’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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