Author Interview with Hannah Harvey

So hello my amazing readers! Today I will be conducting my first Author Interview! I will be interviewing author Hannah Harvey. She has written two books so far, How I Got Here and After Summer.

So on with the interview!

1. So your first book was How I Got Here, what was the greatest obstacle when writing your first book? Did it get easier when you wrote After Summer?

For How I Got Here I found editing to be a real challenge, the way I edited wasn't great. I used to hate taking big chunks out, or changing too much, so I'd stick to just looking for grammar and spelling mistakes. I think editing has to be much more than that though, so once I got to grips with that I did a lot better with After Summer. I'm now in the habit of writing a first draft, rewriting the entire novel making a lot of changes, editing the second draft still changing things and adding/removing parts, and then finally I proof read for errors.

I have a feeling it'll get easier with each book I write, because I'm always learning.

2. Out of your two books, which was your favorite to write? Was one easier to write than the other?

After Summer was my favorite to write, probably because it was more challenging. I had a lot of side stories going on that all wove into the main plot, and a lot of characters to work into it as well. In How I Got Here, it's really just about River and Oliver, but in After Summer there's a much larger supporting cast of characters.


3. Were any of your characters or plots based on real events or people? Is there any character that you can relate to, or is based on you?

No, everything in the book is pure fiction.

4. What made you want to become an author? Were you an avid reader as a kid?

I used to hate reading when I was really young, but after a little while someone told my mum (I was home schooled by her) that she should just let me read anything I wanted, and at the time it was Barbie magazines. After that I started reading a lot. When I got a bit older, maybe eleven or twelve, my older sister and I used to have reading challenges, seeing who could read the most, and I've been hooked on reading for a while now. I get through between 50-70 a year.

As for becoming an author, I loved writing as a kid and was always writing short stories. I had issues with finishing things though, I'd start hundreds of novels and stories but before finishing one I'd start another one. NaNoWriMo changed that. Suddenly I had the challenge of completing a novel in a month, and I loved it so much that I just kept on writing novels, and now I finish a lot of them. Once I started finishing novels I started to think that maybe I could publish them.


5. Where did you get the ideas for your books?

Different places, sometimes I'll be listening to a song and suddenly a scene will play out in my head and I'll base a novel off of that. For How I Got Here I came up with the title first and worked around that.

6. How long does it take you to write a book? What’s your schedule like when you write?

For the first draft usually around a month, but the rewriting takes several months. When I'm writing the first draft I tend to write for several hours a day, but during rewrites and editing I usually spend about two hours each day on it.


7. Why did you choose to write young adult novels?

It's my favorite genre to read, I feel comfortable writing it as well. I've tried writing other genres before, but none of those books ever felt as if they could be published, once I started writing young adult fiction, I automatically felt as if I could publish them. 

8.Is there any particular author or book that as influenced you to write a book?

John Green and Sarah Dessen. I love their books.

9.What do you do when you’re not writing? Do you have day job?

I'm currently studying with the Open University for a Ba (Hons) Degree. I don't have a day job because of health problems which restrict me going out.

10.Are you writing another book, or planning to? If yes, what is it going to be about?  

I'm taking part in Camp NaNo in April, I plan on writing another young adult. It's about a 17 year old girl who has to give up her chaos free summer to help her sister run her restaurant. This means she has to leave her home in New York and move in with her sister and brother-in-law in California for the summer. She also has to long distance council her best friend through a crisis, and of course there will be a love interest.


Author Bio:

Hannah has had a keen interest in writing for a long time, starting out writing short stories when she was young. As she got older she started taking her writing more seriously, and writing longer pieces, but it wasn’t until taking part in and completing NaNoWriMo, that she
decided to pursue her writing.