Michelle Hauck Interview

“A world of chivalry and witchcraft…”, Michelle Hauck’s new book Grudging is being released by Harper Voyager Impluse today.

First of all can you tell us a bit about Grudging?

Ramiro only wants to impress his older brother, also the captain of his military squad, and earn his beard as a fighting man. Then his city-state, Colina Hermosa, is unexpectedly surrounded by a large and aggressive army. As the Northerners settle in to lay a siege, the city considers the terms of surrender. But the leader of Colina Hermosa has other plans than feeding his people to the wolves. He sends a mission including both brothers to the swamp in search of the legendary witches and their voice magic, hoping to convince them to join forces. But the witches have no love of men. Their voice may be the last thing Ramiro hears.

Grudging is very much a story of honor and duty, and where do you place family in that mix.  

Can you give us some insight into your main characters?

Like most epic fantasy, there are so many characters in Grudging. It features four point of view characters. There’s the inexperienced Ramiro and his mission to rescue his city by finding the witches. With Alcalde Julian the reader sees how the city of Colina Hermosa is faring and how the people react to having death waiting outside their gates. The priest Father Telo becomes an envoy to the Northern army and learns some insights into what drives their hunt for conquest. And we have the young Claire, one of the witches, who is just beginning to understand her magic.

Not one can free Colina Hermosa on their own before the city burns. But together, some of them might survive.  

What would you say is unique about your story?

I hope that having the Spanish influence on the main culture of the story will be unique. Often the Spanish culture is shown as conquistadors, ravaging and enslaving a new world. In Grudging, I made them the good guys. The great thing about fantasy is being able to invent civilizations and all the influences on them. And for Grudging I brought three conflicting cultures together and had them clash. And the setting goes from desert to swamp and back again.

Also the witches are no ordinary witches. No pointy hats or wands involved. Instead, they have magic in their voice that they can use to control minds. The locals living closest to the swamp call them more correctly sirena.

Plus, you know, there is this whole subplot about earning your beard as a man. So there’s lots of beard descriptions, if you like that sort of thing. And socks. Watch for the running gag about socks.  

Grudging is the first book in your Book of Saints trilogy. What can we expect in the next book and do you have the whole trilogy mapped out already?

These kind of questions scare me, because I have to admit that as a writer I’m a pantser. I fly by the seat of my pants, without an outline and without a basic plan. Luckily, I did have to write up a very short synopsis for my publisher and that gave me the first third of the sequel.

It’s great to come back to the same world and the same characters and escalate everything. The conflict gets bigger. The villains badder. The emotion more tense. We’ll be spending more time with the witches in this book (tentatively titled Faithful) and finding out more about them and their magic. And of course there’s the question of whether a saint will rise to save them all.  

What is with the Fantasy genre you find fascinating?

Tough question. I guess fantasy is more of an escape from real life than some of the other book genres. At first glance, the problems and obstacles aren’t the same as we actually face. We don’t have to worry about dark lords or evil wizards. Perhaps, I don’t like reading about actual problems the world faces, things I would see on the nightly news. But the underlying emotions and feelings of the characters are every bit the same, though, as other genres.

And perhaps I find the themes of fantasy more similar to the themes from the classic novels I grew up reading, like The Three Musketeers and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Themes of honor, valor, and duty and personal quests. I think there is more optimism in fantasy. Cynicism has never appealed to me.

Getting published by a major publisher has to be every author’s dream. Can you tell us a bit about the process that led up to Grudging being published by Harper Voyager Impulse?

It wasn’t an easy road. Grudging was my fifth book. I wrote four before I landed a literary agent. You can’t approach most major publishers without an agent. The fourth book was a departure from what I usually write—being a humorous middle grade. That didn’t sell, and I blame myself. I just didn’t know enough about middle grade. Not that having myself to blame mitigated the disappointment I felt. But after that I went back to what I prefer to read and write with a fresh epic fantasy. I hardly let myself dare hope as Grudging went out to publishers in winter 2015. But just a few months later, my agent said a publisher wanted to talk. To my astonishment it was Harper Voyager, the SFF arm of HarperCollins! That’s been my dream for so long to be part of a publisher dedicated to substantial SFF! Sometimes I still can’t believe it’s true. And to be offered a trilogy. Just wow!

You also have to tell us a bit about your other epic fantasy, Kindar’s Cure?

Kindar’s Cure came about because I had a bad cough. I transferred that to my main character and made her a sickly princess who everyone expected to die. The world is based on the family of Henry VIII, with the same suspicion among relatives, only the ruler is matriarchal. Kindar’s elder sister is murdered, and the blame falls on her. Suddenly she’s on the run and looking for a cure—and the killer.  

How did you start writing? Was there a particular book or moment in your life that spurred you on?

Actually it was a health issue. I’d been having some hidden health problems that suddenly became apparent. What I thought was a heart attack turned out to be serious anemia. When the doctors succeeded in finding the cause and removing it, I suddenly felt ten years younger. Stories came rushing back in my head like they used to back when I was in college. My husband dared me to write them. Five years later, I have a book releasing from one of the Big 5! Pretty good for a mother and finance major who never wrote anything in her life.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of the writing process, and why?

I liked many things about writing—one of them is surprising the reader with twists and cliffhanger chapter endings. I also enjoy the editing process. I’d much rather edit than create new words. Honestly, writing is work for me. I know there are people who can churn out a chapter in a sitting, but for me it takes about a week. Sometimes it’s hard to find the words. I really have to be in the right mood to write because forcing it doesn’t do the story any favors. But give me a quiet morning with no worries, no stress, and the kids sleeping late, and I’m good to go!

What kind of books do you read, any favorite authors?

Is it cliché to say my favorite authors are mostly epic fantasy writers? I adore the books of Brandon Sanderson, Michael J. Sullivan, Kate Elliott, and Robert Jordan. Rachel Aaron is another favorite. My very first fantasy book was The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, and I never looked back. I do love the urban fantasy Dresden series as well. I read about everything fantasy and some science fiction, but epic is my true love. I also enjoy a good biography, mostly about people from before the 20th century and some history.

So what do you do when you’re not writing, any hobbies?

When I’m not walking my dogs or planting flowers, I’m pretty much a couch potato, lots of movies and tv. My family loves anything action, thriller, or fantasy. We watch all the Marvel movies, Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, Hunger Games. Anything with hints of fantasy and action. In between, I’m a bookworm, always with a book going.  

I guess we already know a bit of the answer to what’s next, but what are your hopes and dreams for the future? Do you now have a grand plan for your writing career?

My grand plan right now is to make the sequels live up to Grudging and escalating the conflict and surprises. No grand desires to be the famous author and have movie deals or anything like that. But my goal for the future is to earn a hardcover book and see it in bookstores. Digital first may be the wave of the future and a really awesome opportunity, but the old fashioned part of me would still love to hold that hardcover edition in my hands. Someday.

I have another adult epic fantasy called Heartsouls half-way finished and when Birth of Saints is done, I’m looking forward to switching back to that. Then who knows!

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Interview by Dag Rambraut – SFFWorld.com © 2015

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