I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. For your enjoyment today, we have an interview with Valkyrie where she talks about her writing process, her book Hollow Hills, and a few questions just for fun. If you haven't read Valkyrie's stories, you can do so here! Hope you enjoy!

Valkyrie

General Author Questions

What does your writing process look like?

I don’t really follow the same process with every story.  Sometimes I’ll jot ideas down or make an outline, but most of the time the story is in my head and I just write until it’s done.  If I get stuck or the story has too many directions it can go in, I’ll discuss it with my beta readers to help me narrow it down. 

Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?

I do a lot of ‘writing’ in the car.  I get a lot of ideas when I’m commuting to and from work or travelling. Sometimes I really wish I could actually write while driving, but I don’t think that’s such a good idea… lol  Sometimes I need to write using pen and paper vs. the computer. I find when I write poetry especially that I prefer starting with pen and paper before entering it on the computer.  When I write stories, sometimes it helps me get past a block.  I have notebooks full of story scraps, ideas/notes, and poems.

Just as your books inspire authors, what authors have inspired you to write?

I would be beyond flattered if any of my writing inspired others.  As far as my own influences, I would have to say Tolkien, Anne Rice, Marguerite Henry, Sam Savitt, and Piers Anthony.  Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles led me to look for more m/m type stories, which eventually led me here. 

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

Names are extremely important in my stories.  I try to tailor the name of the characters to the theme of the story, if possible.  For example, in Faeries Anonymous the majority of characters have names associated with what they are.  So Jonquil is a flower faery, Alvin means ‘elf friend’, and Garin is an elf with a dwarf name.  My favorite in that story has to be Dr. Schmetterling, though.  For those unfamiliar with German, it means ‘butterfly’.  Sometimes I pick names because I like them.  Joshua is my favorite male name, which is how Josh from The Hollow Hills got his name.  Galen in the same story was created almost instantly when I first heard the name.  I was working in retail at the time and had a customer named Galen come in and my immediate thought was “OMG I just found a man for Josh!”  lol 

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

That’s hard to say. While it hasn’t always been an easy road, I’m pretty proud to be a self-sufficient single woman.  I have a good career, own my own house, and am able to enjoy little extras like hobbies and vacations. It took a long time to get to this point, and I’m enjoying it. 

Are you a plotter or a pantster?

A little bit of both. 

What is your least favorite part of the writing process?

Getting started and then writing the endings.  I don’t usually have a problem with the middle.   Sometimes I struggle with narrowing down a story to one starting point, then once I get past the middle, I want to rush and just get it finished and to my team.  I need to tell myself to slow down and make sure I’m not missing any important pieces to tie the whole thing together.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?

Incest

What are you working on now? What is your next project?

I have a ton of ideas, and I hope to get them all written at some point.  I’d like to expand both The Legend of Treehaven Woods and Faeries Anonymous.  I also plan on writing a sequel to Vodka at Moonlight.  I have a story idea centered around my Day 28 poem for National Poetry Month (which can be found in April Musings chapter 14).  Good news for Galen and Josh fans… my immediate plan is to concentrate on finishing The Hollow Hills.

Rapid Fire Questions

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation.  I’d love to be able to just pop in and visit my friends who live far away.

If you were a super hero, what would your name be? What costume would you wear?

Super Penguin!  LOL  I wouldn’t need much of a costume, since penguins have natural tuxedos, so maybe a bowtie with a ‘P’ in the center and a black cape.  Capes are always cool. 

What secret talents do you have?

I can draw pretty well.  Animals, anyway.  I’m horrible at drawing people.  I can also stand with my feet facing inward, toes touching, feet perpendicular to my body.  I’ve never met anyone else who can do that.  I must have weird feet because I can also stick my toes straight up in the air with my feet on the ground, creating a 90 degree angle.  It used to gross my brother out when we were kids. 

Where is one place you want to visit that you haven't been before?

I have lots of places I want to visit!  Top of the list would be the UK and Europe, specifically Germany and Poland.  I’d also like to see the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. 

If you were an animal in a zoo, what would you be?

Since my member title is ‘Pesky Penguin’, I suppose I’d have to go with that… lol

If you could have any accents from anywhere in the world, what would you choose?

Irish or Scottish *swoon*

Do you dream? Do you have any recurring dreams/nightmares?

I dream all the time.  Most of the time they’re quite epic, with intricate plots mingled with lots of bizarreness.  My absurdist prose poem about the three-headed duck with one leg is based on an actual dream I had.  I don’t have any recurring dreams, but I do have recurring themes.  I dream a lot about GA, which tells me I probably spend way too much time on here!  Lol  They’re mainly dreams about meeting site friends.  Water is another recurring theme in my dreams.  Sometimes it’s as small as a puddle and other times I’ve had to wake myself up from a literal wall of water about to crash into me.  I could go on and on about my dreams, but I’ll stop now since there’s still more questions to go.

Book Specific

Quickly, give us the title and genre of your book and a 30-word or less tagline:

The Hollow Hills   After leaving his boyfriend of twenty years, Galen decides to return to his roots and move across the country to leave near his cousin.  He meets Josh, and his life takes an unexpected turn.  Then tragedy strikes, and everyone has to learn how to live with their new reality.

How did you come up with the title of your book or series?

It’s the name of the farm where a lot of the story takes place. 

Who is your favorite character from your book and why?

It’s a toss-up between Josh and Galen.  Josh has been around in some form since I was a freshman in high school, so he’s pretty dear to me.  Galen’s capacity for love and forgiveness is something I’m pretty impressed by.

How about your least favorite character?  What makes them less appealing to you?

Roger.  Because he’s a dick. 

If you could change ONE thing about your story, what would it be?  Why?

I would have waited to post it until it’s complete.  I had about seven chapters written when I first started posting it, and thought I would easily be able to keep pace, but then I got sick and stopped writing for a few months, which put me majorly behind.  I’ve put it on the back burner several times in order to participate in anthologies and contests, so I’m glad to have a few months now with no other writing commitments.  One thing I would change about the story itself is that I should have introduced Adam earlier.  Adam is Alannah’s adopted son, but doesn’t feature much in this story. 

Give us an interesting fun fact or a few about your book or series:

There’s a tie-in with Alex’s Legacy and a few of my early prompt responses feature characters from The Hollow Hills.  Josh and Alannah didn’t get along when they first met.  It’s not mentioned in the book so far, but Josh drives a black ‘50s era Ford pickup.