Please welcome author Heather Lynn to my blog. It’s a crisp day for September, Heather. Shall we chat near the fire this morning?
- Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.
Hello all! I am a happily married mother of 3 young men—stay home mom turned author. Some may think I live in a fantasy world, but I don’t mind, I quite like it there.
My interests have always been in the area of biology, physiology, and the health sciences. And the possibility and impossibility of time travel has always intrigued me. I always expected I’d end up working in a hospital or lab somewhere; I never would have predicted I would want to write a book, let alone a fictional series, but here we are! My series is called The Sky Watcher Series.
- Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?
Actually, it wasn’t part of my life at all. My education and background are strictly science-y, so my writing experience was more a research/essay type of thing. Then came a day when I found I had a story in my heart. At that time, I was in my early forties and my youngest had settled into school. I thought “What the heck?” and started to do my research…
- How difficult was it writing your first book?
As a reader, I tend to favour series’. I read books that are standalones, of course, but I have found that I like a story that takes me through the different adventures and stages in someone’s life. I love to read on about the stuff that happens after the story ends. So, in that respect, the story I’m writing is an epic one (five books in total). The writing came surprisingly easily. I guess when the story is there just waiting to be told, the words come with little effort. They don’t come with perfect punctuation, though. I always thought I had that pretty much figured out but then I got my first MS back from the editor!! 😂
In truth, my biggest challenge was the length of the story. For the genre, this story is longer than agents/publishers will consider for a newbie. In fact, they won’t even give it a chance. There were several that told me if I could break it up into 2 stories, they’d be happy to consider it. I didn’t feel I could do that, I still don’t. A Shadow in Time (#1) is complete as it is and is the first installment of Sky Watcher’s story. Call me stubborn. In the end, I published the first two books with a self-publishing company who helped me put out my best story. I’ve learned much since then and have published the others on my own. I am a proud indie author!
- Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?
I’ve never wanted to give up writing the story. It needs to be written to be read! The marketing aspect of it is another story. The effort MUST be made, but it’s time consuming and often for nothing. Since I began, social media has changed from the #writingcommunity sharing, helping, and always visible to each other for free, to algorithms that favour paid/verified profiles, leaving the rest with very low visibility. I often feel invisible out there. That is difficult.
- Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?
My family is very supportive. They encourage me, read my stuff, they give me input, and always want to hear what’s new. They are proud of me for doing what makes my heart happy. There are also some special members of the writing and reading communities who are very supportive—offering advice, reading early copies, and leaving reviews without reminding.
- How did your story evolve? What is your process?
To start, I’d say that in almost every book I read, whatever the genre, romance plays a part (small or large). As well, I’ve always enjoyed time travel stories, from Doctor Who and Back to the Future, to The Time Traveler’s Wife and Outlander.
When this story presented itself to me, I saw the whole thing . . . all of it! And it included romance and time travel elements. The bones of this story/series were planned from the beginning, resulting in what will be a 5-book series. As such, only the major events were planned, but everything was determined as I wrote the first two books. This is good and bad. Good, because I know where I’m going as I navigate my way through the story. Bad, because I am always sooooo eager to move on to the next plot point. Sometimes it’s difficult not to jump ahead to the next book. That being said, the final lines of the saga were written as I wrote book 3. I couldn’t help myself.
This story is about a young woman who deliberately travelled back in time for a specific purpose—to save a possible ancestor. I knew her basic personality traits, but I had to conceive of a way to get to 1818 that was as believable as fiction will allow. I considered everything—standing stones, a time machine, a clock, had already been done. Magic? Perhaps. As I researched a variety of beliefs and powers, two things came to me hand-in-hand, Wicca and the powers within stones and crystals.
My MC Charlotte is a Wiccan—she has a specific outlook, a way of celebrating her deities, and of living life in harmony with nature.
Am I a Wiccan? No. Do I find Wicca an interesting subject? Definitely! I researched Wiccan rituals, Sabbats, moon phases, and herbals and found it extremely interesting. When I stumbled upon the “magic” within stones and crystals, I was fascinated. I was driven to write by these new interests, incorporating them into the story, infusing them into my main character’s belief system.
As a girl who grew up handing in research essays, writing fiction was an about-face. And yet, as these new ideas/interests took shape, I found myself loving the writing and my characters.
- What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?
“You can do anything you set your mind to.”
My parents always reminded me of this as I grew up. I should always try and have faith in myself. After all, you can’t succeed if you don’t try, right?
- What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?
The friendships, romance(s), and challenges in the story, together with characters you absolutely love or love to hate, makes this a story I would enjoy reading. The story appeals to women, young and not-so-young. But, don’t get me wrong, men read and enjoy it, too.
- How did the cover evolve? Did you work with someone to make it come together for you?
My covers have all evolved in the same way: I have an idea, with several specific images in mind; my cover designer and I pass the ideas back and forth until we come up with THE cover. Each is unique and perfect for the story.
- What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?
At present, I am working on the last book of the series. It does not have a title yet and I’m afraid any excerpts would be spoilers, but I can say it contains a twist or two you won’t see coming!!
- Any last words before we wrap things up?
A little more about my process . . . Love and destiny develop as a theme over the span of the series: kindred spirits, soul mates, and fate form a thin thread woven through the story. “Meddling with time” is an idea I will always embrace because it makes you think, “If that happened because she went back in time, then what if . . ?” So, some events in the story take a minute to think through. I would like to think a reader would enjoy the journey as much as me.
Navigating all things time travel is a tricky business. As an author, I can only apply my view of what would happen if one travelled in time: others would certainly take a different approach. However, since time travel doesn’t exist to date, my way works for me, plus, this is fiction so …
As I said earlier, when this story came to me, I saw the whole thing, i.e. when someone would travel, who would travel, and why, over the length of the story. Working it out? Well, that’s the fun part. Charlotte’s belief system has her “travelling” on the night of a new moon and arriving under a full moon. The dates and times of the moon’s phases throughout the series are accurate. This took time/research. Then there’s the question of how things in the present would change based on past changed events. Some nights, I lie in bed thinking about this and it all makes perfect sense—for a minute—then my mind says “WHAT?!!!”, my eyes open and I have to start from scratch. I’m pretty sure I’ve got it sorted out now.🤔
I hope anyone who reads book 1, finishes the last line and wants to read on, to see what happens in book 2, and the ones that follow. But when they finish that last book, I hope they feel satisfied, moved, like they learned a thing or two, and maybe just a little sad that it’s over.one who picks up book
BIO…
Heather Lynn, born in Toronto, Ontario, lives with her family just north of the city. Her education in biology and health sciences has supported an ongoing interest in physiology and the potential of herbal healing. In addition, she has been intrigued by the possibility and impossibility of time travel since childhood. When she’s not writing, Heather enjoys family time, working in her garden, and learning more about the ‘power’ of stones.
Links
author page:
https://www.amazon.com/author/heather.lynn
website:
https://www.HeatherLynnBooks.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SkyWatcher.hl
Twitter:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/SkyWatcher_HL
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19550977.Heather_Lynn
Amazon:
https://mybook.to/SkyWatcher
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sky-watcher-heather-lynn/1132647231?ean=9781777791612
Chapters:
http://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/sky-watcher-a-shadow-in-time/9781525541698.html
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/sky-watcher-2
Apple:
https://books.apple.com/ca/book/sky-watcher/id1590662900
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sky_Watcher_A_Shadow_in_Time?id=26VMEAAAQBAJ&hl=en&gl=CA&pli=1
When Angels Fly 