Author Interview – H.M Duval
Helen: Welcome and congratulations on your forthcoming release of your second book in the Dream Walker series called Untouchable which is currently on preorder. Tell us about your Dream Walker series.
H.M Duval: I am currently working on my second novel, Untouchable. It is the second book in the Dream Walker series, the first of which (Unnatural) I published May 2023.
The Dream Walker world takes place hundreds of years after worldwide nuclear devastation. What’s left of humanity survives the harsh conditions by staying inside walled cities. The main character, Penelope Kendall, is a citizen in one of these cities who works as a guard for the Executors, a fascist military group running the human government. Their mission is to protect what’s left of humanity from the mutated flora and fauna of the wilds outside the walls, while also preparing for a second war that will eradicate mankind’s greatest threat, the savage Unnaturals, from the face of the planet.
Having spent her entire life inside the walls of her home city, Penelope doesn’t dream of anything other than survival and protecting her family. But the mounting pressure she feels within the walls is driving her toward a breakdown. Tensions come to a head when she’s threatened with criminal charges for defending herself. She decides to defect: leave the safety of her city and travel far enough away that her defection and crimes can’t follow her.
Survival is anything but guaranteed, and would be completely impossible without the unexpected help of one of the very Unnaturals she had been defending her city from. Together, she and her enemy must become a team in order to survive – if they can manage to see eye to eye.
What starts as an uneasy alliance grows into a powerful partnership. One that has the potential to change the course of the entire world, if they are brave enough to face it.
The Dream Walker series is a planned trilogy intended for mature audiences, and it is recommended to read them in order.
Helen: Your cover is very distinctive and has many elements. How did you come up with the design?
H.M Duval: I LOVE my cover! It’s one of my favorite parts of the book. The woman on the cover is how I imagine Pen: vulnerable but shining with inner strength. There’s a certain fragility about her, covered in facets and cracks, but she’s determined. The cracks also bleed into branches, speaking to one of the larger themes throughout the series. It took a lot of trial and error to get it right (and great feedback from my beta babes), but I’m thrilled with how it turned out. I made it myself via Canva using Pixabay stock photos as a base.
Helen: I think that is one of my favourite questions, because there is always so much more to the cover than you first realise. You did a great job! Not only an author, but a cover designer as well. Why did you give it the title Unnatural? Is there a special meaning, or back story about the title?
H.M Duval: The title, on the surface, refers to the beings that live outside the walls. But it also speaks to the way that Pen doesn’t quite fit into her society, how she is deemed ‘unnatural’ because she thinks and behaves differently. And, in accepting those differences, she discovers that she has the ability to Dream Walk, a skill that transports her out of the natural world and into a spiritual one.
Helen: Your books sounds very intriguing, understanding your thoughts behind the cover and title is so interesting. What made you write this particular book?
H.M Duval: This book series is particularly precious to me. The story itself was inspired by a dream when I was a teenager, but I didn’t have the skills or experience yet to deliver it the way I wanted. So it sat on a shelf in my mind for many years, through college and early parenthood. And then I decided it was time to give it another chance, and I’m so glad that I have.
Helen: Congratulations on publishing your book. That is such an achievement, and I am so glad you are planning a series. When did you realise you had a passion for writing?
H.M Duval: I’ve always loved storytelling and writing. I remember writing my first “book” in third grade, when we had a class project to tell a story and the teacher had them bound into hardcover books. Which, in hindsight, was a ridiculously cool project to inspire elementary school students to think of themselves as authors! I ended up asking for more pages because I wanted to tell a longer story. Over time, I had more and more stories incubating and hatching in the corners of my mind. All those stories kept clamoring for attention so, really, I had no choice but to give in and become an author!
Helen: You had great teachers! That really is a cool project. That feeling of holding your finished book in your hand is unbeatable! Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
H M Duval: Remembering all the little details I’ve seeded throughout large story arcs that span multiple books, and making sure they all get to germinate and grow. I’ve started using a new drafting/outlining process as I prepare to start the third book in the Dream Walker series, though, and that has helped a lot.
Outside of that, giving myself grace to ride the ebb and flow of creative inspiration is one of the best ways I’ve found to combat writer’s block. And it really helps to be an indie author–I can set my own timeline!
Helen: Who inspired you to write? Who are your favourite authors?
H M Duval: I’ve always enjoyed writing for myself, but it wasn’t until I got brave and told one of my friends about the Dream Walker idea I’d been harboring for twenty years. She asked me if I was going to publish and I said, “Oh, probably not.” Without missing a beat, she asked, “Why not?” and I realized I didn’t have a good answer. So I started paying attention to authors that I looked up to, like Elise Kova and Ruby Dixon, and asking myself, “If they can do it, why can’t I?” So I did!
Helen: I’m so glad your friend made you think twice. Writing is such fun! Which genre do you enjoy writing?
H M Duval: Fantasy Romance. I’m a big believer in finding the magic in the mundane, and there is something profound about fantasy stories that invite us to reach beyond ourselves, to reach for something bigger than we thought possible. And then we have the opportunity to bring that inspired version of ourselves into our daily world. Plus, I’m a sucker for a good love story. It’s so human, so very integral to the way we each live and navigate our world, whether or not that love is romantic.
Helen: You mentioned you are writing book two, tell us a litttle about your progress.
H M Duval: Untouchable is the sequel to Unnatural, and the second book in the Dream Walker series. It digs deeper into themes of choice and family, of conquering past demons to embrace the future. Of needing to be completely dismantled to build something new. And that’s all I can really say without giving anything away!
Helen: If your Main Character could answer, why would they say we should read your book?
H M Duval: Her story is worth sharing, because she’s a woman we can all relate to. We resonate with her experiences and, in putting a voice to her journey, resonate on a deeper level with ourselves.
Helen: Which element of the writing process do you find most challenging and why?
H M Duval: I’ve really come to understand myself in a different way. The creative side of myself, the muse, I’d not really given a lot of time and space to. It didn’t feel productive or “real” enough to warrant spending intentional time on. But since giving myself permission and really digging into my creative process, I’ve learned more about myself and my thoughts and emotions. And I’ve been able to connect with readers where my books have become the bridge that binds us together. It’s incredible!
Helen: Thank you so much for spending time with me today, it’s been great chatting with you. Just to finish, all writers experience elements of self doubt. Could you share how have you overcome these types of feelings?
H M Duval: I have a lot of practice with behavior modification (I’m a certified clinical exercise physiologist in my “day-job”), so I have experience at being “louder” than that little voice. But it takes work, and it takes being intentional about sitting down and reminding myself WHY I chose to write in the first place. I write for myself. I write for that one reader who will pick up my book and be inspired to think and change and dream because of it. I write for my children, who see me taking a dream and making it reality. I won’t give up on any of them, so the only option is to keep writing!
About the Author
H M DuvalH M DuVal is a mother, Kinesiologist, and author of the Dream Walker series. She has always had a passion for good stories: telling them, sharing them, and getting lost in them. Fiction and fantasy genres, with a healthy dose of romance, are her favorite. She loves the incredible power they have to spirit us away from the mundane and into the sensational, and believes that shift in perspective helps us find the magic inside our own lives.
She hopes that while reading her work, you are similarly transported. H M DuVal lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley with her husband, two children, dog, cat, and horse.
Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @author.h.m.duval for release news and updates.
Where are the books available?
H M DuVal’s books can be bought anywhere books are sold. The printed editions are available via the IngramSpark catalog, and the ebook format is available via Amazon and the Kindle Unlimited store.
Author Website
Purchase Unnatural via Amazon:
Preorder Untouchable (Releases 17th November, 2023)
Amazon UK: ebook
Amazon US: ebook
As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather, or my epic fantasy Sentinal series. As a new threat against Remargaren is discovered, only one man can wake the ancient guards who can protect them, only he doesn’t know how. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
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