Friday, August 26, 2016

Friday's Guest features Helen Henderson #MFRWauthor #fantasy #romance #adventure



1. What were you in your life before you became a writer? Did this influence your writing?

That is a very hard question to answer. I’ve been an administrative assistant, computer programmer, systems analyst, technical writer, historian, museum director, feature story writer... Whew. I’m out of breath, so I’ll stop there.

The varied jobs influence my writing in two main ways. The technical fields gave me an appreciation of logic and flow, and writing in different styles. The historical work gave me the knowledge I use to add realism to my fantasy worlds and accuracy to my historical westerns.

2 Are you genre specific or general? Why? I don't mean genres like romance, mystery, fantasy etc. There are many subgenres of the above.

Although I’ve been published in both non-fiction and several genres of fiction, lately, I’ve been hanging out with mages and dragons. My most recent releases are fantasy that straddle the fence. There’s so much romance in the stories that romance fights with adventure to determine their category. It’s a coin toss whether they should be in the fantasy sub-genre of romance or the epic shelf of fantasy. As to why I haven’t settled in one area, I blame it on my Gemini sign.

3. Did your reading choices have anything to do with your choice of a genre or genres?

Definitely. Maybe it is my Gemini sign, but my favorite authors are direct contrasts. Ann McCaffrey and Barbara Hambly call to the fantasy in my soul while Louis L'Amour takes me back to the past. Of more contemporary authors, I reach for Carol McPhee, Judith Griffith Gill, and Kinley McGregor. The tradition of storytelling, action, strong heroes and heroines, all call to me.

4. What's your latest release?

My latest release is Windmaster, published by Books We Love. Ellspeth, captain of the Sea Falcon, is determined to make her own destiny, but fate decrees she has to decide between the sea, magic... or love.

5. What are you working on now?

I’m finalizing Windmaster Legacy, the second book in the Windmaster Novels, and First Change: Legends From the Eyrie, a companion book to the Dragshi Chronicles. First Change is a collection of novellas and short stories of duty and honor, love and loss, happiness and despair from the world of the dragshi. Unlike the Dragshi Chronicles which journal the paths of the trader girl Anastasia, Lord Branin, and his dragon soul twin Llewlyn, the tales in First Change come from their history and legend. And, when the book stops fighting me, the Windmaster Novels are to continue with the telling of a legend from that world’s past.

6. Where can we find you?

Goodreads – http://bit.ly/1eWhhGB

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