Ask the Author: Brenda Hiatt
Answered Questions (61)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Geneviève! Sorry to take so long to respond - I've been head-down in final revisions for my next Starstruck book (Unraveling the Stars, due out in January). I've finally sent it off to my handful of beta readers, so now I'm trying to catch up on things I neglected - like answer Goodreads questions!
I do think the Echtran Council and Echtrans (and Nuathans) in general are developing more and more respect for M as time goes on. She's proved that her ideas are usually good ones, and she's put her foot down when necessary, usually with good results. I expect that will continue. But all books need conflict, so of course she has to get pushback from somewhere! LOL! Since I write happy endings, though, you can be sure all will turn out right in the end. :)
Thanks for asking!
I do think the Echtran Council and Echtrans (and Nuathans) in general are developing more and more respect for M as time goes on. She's proved that her ideas are usually good ones, and she's put her foot down when necessary, usually with good results. I expect that will continue. But all books need conflict, so of course she has to get pushback from somewhere! LOL! Since I write happy endings, though, you can be sure all will turn out right in the end. :)
Thanks for asking!
Brenda Hiatt
I definitely plan/hope to release the rest of the series in audio, Chels! There's been a rather long pause in my audio production schedule because my narrator happens to be my daughter, and she is now the mother of a 3 year old and a 1 year old...which as you can imagine, doesn't leave her much time for narrating! LOL Once they're both able to go back to school (kindergarten & preschool), she should have a lot more available time.
Brenda Hiatt
I haven't planned one yet. (I've pretty much stopped doing Goodreads Giveaways since they started charging authors--a lot!--to do them.)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Srujan! So happy to hear you enjoy my Starstruck books! :) I'm hard at work on Convergent and currently expect to release it this summer. Not quite done writing and my characters keep surprising me, but I think I'm still on track for that! :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Sarah! Yes, almost always. What I listen to depends on what I'm writing. For my historical romances, mostly Tchaikovsky (even though that's not QUITE the same era). For my Starstruck books, always Muse. :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Esther! This one should be obvious, if you look at my books... the Regency era, of course! It was such a time of transition and contradictions, with the social, political and technological changes that were just barely starting. I'd always adored that era as a reader, so it only made sense that my first-ever story idea was set there.
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Amy! Oooh, that's a fun one! I think I'd have to say Buffy the Vampire Slayer. :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Jerry! Partly because Gallant Scoundrel was my first historical romance in over a dozen years, it took me well over 6 months to write. For one thing, I really had to brush up on all my Regency research again. Plus, because everyone had waited so long for Harry's book, I was determined to get it just right!
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Brenda! I started writing Regencies because at the time I was READING a lot of Regencies and that was the setting for my very first book idea. Then came lots of research, learning a lot more about writing, and... I mostly stuck to that era after that. :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Lori! I do have ideas for other series, but right now I'm focused mainly on adding a book to my (2 books so far) Seven Saints Hunt Club series and then another Starstruck book I'm itching to write. I may write more Starstruck books after that or jump into something completely new...haven't decided yet! :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Sahil! I'm currently working on a third book in my Seven Saints Hunt Club series, that will follow The Runaway Heiress. (This will be Violet's book.) After that I plan to write another Starstruck book. Thanks for asking! :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Kim! I think I'd have to say the Cinque Terre, on the western coast of Italy overlooking the Mediterranean. Spectacular views all along the way, mostly through vineyards and lemon groves, with mountains on one side and the sea on the other. I'd love to go back!!
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Sharon! I'd have to say the character MOST like me is probably M (Marsha) from my Starstruck series because I put a LOT of my own awkward teen self into her character when writing those books. LOL! Thanks for asking!
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Cyndi! Most authors already have trusted proofreaders, but of course even with VERY careful proofing, some errors are bound to slip through. When I went through my traditionally published books before re-publishing them myself, I discovered a surprising number of errors that had been missed by both me and several HarperCollins editors before the books went to print, so I think it's safe to say no book is ever going to be 100% error-free. If proofing is something you enjoy and are good at, you can advertise yourself as a freelance proofreader. As for errors you find in already-published books, if they are indie published, you might send a discreet email to the author, but bear in mind that while some authors (like me) appreciate the opportunity to fix an error in the next manuscript update, others would rather not know. I WOULD caution strongly against emailing to point out errors while at the same time offering your services as a proofreader. This is a fairly common ploy and no author I know appreciates that! (Especially since some of the people doing this either don't name the book or specific errors, or point out things that aren't actually errors!) Hope this is helpful. Good luck! :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Mary! To answer your first question, I do plan out my stories, though my characters often surprise me and take things in a different direction than I originally planned...at which point I need to make a new plan! LOL!
Some of my books have been sparked by real-life things, either my own experiences or things I've heard/read about, especially when doing research. One was inspired by a line from a song! Others, it seems the idea just strikes out of nowhere! :)
Some of my books have been sparked by real-life things, either my own experiences or things I've heard/read about, especially when doing research. One was inspired by a line from a song! Others, it seems the idea just strikes out of nowhere! :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Melissia! My daughters are my "alpha readers," the only ones who generally get to see a book while it's still in progress. (I used to belong to a critique group, but it sort of fell apart.) Once a book is finished and I've polished it as best I can, I usually get feedback from a couple of beta readers, then have it edited/proofread by someone with those skills before publishing. I'm a real perfectionist, so do my very best to make sure a book is the absolute best it can be before releasing it to the world!
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Annette! We really haven't talked much about that yet. Now that she has a baby, our choices may be limited for a while. :)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Sheila! The short answer is: however much that story calls for. Longer answer: I started out with traditional, "sweet" Regencies and when I moved on to the longer historicals I was expected to make them sexier. In fact, I was sometimes urged by my then-editors to spice up my books after turning them in. Mostly, I did so, but I was never completely comfortable with it, especially if I felt it didn't "fit" with those characters and their story. When I got the rights back to those books, I actually toned some of them down slightly for that reason. My longer historical romances DO have sex in them, but I definitely don't add as much "sizzle" as a lot of authors do these days (or even back in the day). Also, I never know when one of my teen readers might pick up one of my historicals, so I keep that in mind, too, even though those books aren't marketed to teens. (Gee, that WAS a long answer, wasn't it? LOL)
Brenda Hiatt
Hi, Linda! Most (all?) of my books have funny or sad MOMENTS, but I don't consider myself a romantic comedy writer, really. And I'm really not into sad, unless it's a setup for something much happier. (I do love my happy endings--a big reason I write romance!) Some of my books have more humor than others. Daring Deception is probably my funniest traditional Regency, for example, and Bridge Over Time (time travel) has a lot of funny moments, too. :)
Brenda Hiatt
Jane, I walk a lot in my "everyday" life, to include doing most of my writing on a treadmill! I do make a point of wearing whatever shoes I plan to hike in on the treadmill for a week or two before a hiking trip, which I'm sure really helps keep my feet in good shape by breaking in the shoes in advance. :)
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