Today we welcome to the blog Sandra Henry for an interview! If you’re in a position of not knowing just what to read next, maybe this will lend you a hand. Or simply serve to add yet more books to your TBR. Who can say!
Before we start, quickly, you can also follow Sandra on twitter!
Have you always known you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first story?
I always knew I wanted to be a writer, but it took me a very long time to start writing seriously because I suffer from extreme anxiety/perfectionism. I didn’t let myself write anything but journal entries until about ten years ago, in grad school, which was so academic and rigid that I had to let out my creative voice to survive. Plus, I met Charish Reid there, and she and I decided to write our first novels together. Hers ended up on NPR’s summer list of romances to read, while mine… remains hidden in a drawer (for now).
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
Favorite genres to read: romance (especially historical, paranormal, and contemporary), fantasy that is character rather than world driven, and atmospheric literary fiction, ala Station Eleven and Oryx and Crake. I also love memoirs about self-discovery, like Wintering by Katherine May.
Favorite genres to write: romance (contemporary with paranormal twists), queer, character-driven fantasy (I do not enjoy world building… yet), and essays mostly driven by rage that never go anywhere. Any tropes/genres I wouldn’t write… secret baby? Genres I wouldn’t write—Western? Sci-fi? Although, maybe someday a character will come to me and be like “I’m a space cowboy, guess you have to write me now,” and I’d say, “Giddy up?” and then sing “Space Cowboy” by N*Sync for the rest of time.
When you close your eyes and imagine an apple, what do you see? An actual apple, a sketch of one, a blackness? Do you think that impacts your writing process?
My dad has had a painting, about 2×2 feet, of a single red apple, hanging in his office my entire life. That’s the apple I see. He always says, “Keep your eye on the apple,” meaning the big picture, the point of things. I try to do that, even though my anxiety loves messing with me.
If you wanted to learn about craft, which three authors would you suggest reading?
I love craft books, so I’ll recommend Lisa Cron’s Story Genius. But as for fiction, I just read Holly Black’s Book of Night and want to reread it to study story structure and threading little bits in for a big payoff I didn’t see coming. And for pure mastery, Margaret Atwood. She’s written so many different and powerful things.
When you’re building your world, what do you focus on? How do you try to make it come to life?
I think world building is my weak spot as a writer; I tunnel vision in on whatever character’s point of view I’m writing in and ignore their world at large. The aforementioned fantasy novel remains in a drawer for this reason—but I’m working on world building, trying to slow down and inhabit scenes. But my strength is making Pinterest boards and Spotify playlists for my books; I’ve got aesthetics down. I love finding the right images and songs to match what’s in my mind for the story as closely as I can.
What projects are you currently working on? Can you share any details yet?
Currently, I’m writing the next book in the Queer Circumstances series, my queer contemporary romances with a paranormal twist. This book focuses on Silas, a gay witch and Alex, a bisexual vampire, who meet when Silas accidentally leaves his journal in the Little Free Library on Alex’s front lawn. Alex reads Silas’ journal only to find his own life inside; Silas has been dreaming of Alex’s past. While they work to discover how they’re connected, romance and angst ensue….
Three pictures that capture the aesthetic of your book?
For this question, I’ll stick with June and Devon Come to Life, my debut about an anxious demisexual who falls out of a window only to be caught by the handsome ghost haunting the castle.
Squire’s Castle in Cleveland, OH is Devon’s haunt. The book cover (and me, giving peak June energy). And, finally, June’s kitchen, the location of so many of June and Devon’s flirtiest moments.
Three songs you would put on your book’s soundtrack?
Crush by Tessa Violet. Bloom by Troye Sivan. I Can’t Help But Look by Myylo.
What would be your dream project?
Dream project… the aforementioned fantasy that’s been shoved in a drawer. I plan on revising it again. I spent about 6 years on it before I moved on, sensing I needed to learn more about craft. This sapphic fantasy takes place in a world where memories are the fuel for magic. I’m a better writer than I was then; I think I might finally be able to do the story justice.
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Kilean from my forthcoming Silas & Wren book. He’s a pansexual mage with nearly no conscience. He’d do anything to survive. Which might include sacrificing me. Hmmm….So, I’d say Vel Thorn from drawer-bound sapphic fantasy. She’s got a lot of knives and knows precisely how to use them.
You’re stuck on a desert island and you’re allowed only three (LGBT) books. What are you taking?
Oh my goodness; this is very difficult. But if I can take the entire trilogy of Arden St. Ives by Alexis Hall as one book, that makes it easier, especially if I can bring the audiobook. Joel Leslie’s voice. Second, because I haven’t read it yet (because I’m saving it), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. I’m simultaneously afraid of and anticipating it like nothing else. I know it’s going to break my heart in the best way, like Banana Fish. And lastly, the Lightning-Struck Heart series by TJ Klune because… it’s just f*cking hilarious, and queer as all get out and if I’m stuck on an island, I’m going to need laughter and a fabulous unicorn.
You can collaborate on anything with anyone in the LGBT community: who would it be and why?
Alexis Hall or V.E. Schwab. They’re my all-time favorite authors, both queer, actively writing, and only improving with every book. Alexis showed me that characters like June could exist and find happiness, while VE Schwab inspires me to embrace my mean streak. I would learn so much from either of them. (Plus, fangirling would abound.) I found their writing as I was figuring out I was queer myself, which helped me see that just because I am in an outward facing hetero relationship doesn’t mean I’m not still queer as hell and that my identity as demisexual is valid. VE Schwab said something on a podcast (I believe it was 88 Cups of Tea) that has helped me with my mental health and my writing: “Very few roads are straight.” I’ve got it up on post-its everywhere to remind myself that it’s okay if I’m not always making progress—I’ll get where I’m going, eventually.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Henry (she/her) is an anxious demisexual INFJ fangirl living in Ohio with her wonderful husband and as many books as she can afford. She has a Master’s in English Literature and taught college-level composition for a bit before leaving academe to focus on writing what she wanted: kissing books with magic. Her debut novel, June and Devon Come to Life, is out now.
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