Hello, Starla!
It's so lovely having you here at Writing Belle. You're kind of a jack of all
trades in the publishing world. Tell me about the work you've done in the
past.
These days, I
have to restrict the number of hats I wear purely for time management reasons.
Currently I'm focused on the author aspect (which includes all the marketing
and business stuff) and freelance book cover design. Two years ago, however, I
was also a paid audiobook narrator after podcasting my first book, The
Dreamer's Thread, where I discovered I had a knack for narration. I don't
have a ton of titles under my belt in that field, but the first three books of
Lindsey Buroker's Emperor's Edge series is probably the most popular of
the works I narrated. In another life, I was a printer in the US Navy, which is
where I first learned some of my desktop publishing skills, and I worked a lot
with graphic design in the military while in Iceland, and then in Japan as a
civilian. Anymore, I stay pretty busy with my own books (sixteen titles and
counting), on top of doing design work for independent authors and small
presses like Entangled Publishing.
What was it
like being voice actor? What was your favorite part of that line of work?
Voice acting is a
strange business. Basically, you get to take on a new personality in the form
of spoken words, behind a microphone, with no one standing there giving you
weird looks about it. LOL. It still amazes me that it's a thing I can do that
people will pay me money for. Such a crazy world we live in!
I think my
favorite part of that line of work is the same as it is for authoring and
designing. In everything I do, I look at it as another means of storytelling.
Sometimes I'm writing the story, sometimes I'm expressing it visually, and
sometimes I get to breath life into someone else's world and characters by
adding emphasis, inflection, emotion, and personality via audio. Storytelling
is a passion of mine, and I wish I was better at speaking live so I could add
that to my skill set as well.
I am very
intrigued by your stories, especially your Flipped Fairytale books. Tell us
about those.
My Flipped Fairy
Tales sprung from a single question: can you tell the story of Snow White if
Snow White is a prince instead of a princess? Once the idea occurred to me, I
couldn't shake it. I had to find out if gender made any difference in the basic
tale, and what, if any, effect that would have on such a story. I'd only ever
intended it to be a single book (Shadows on Snow), but near the end of
writing the first draft, I found I'd planted the seeds for more stories in the
same world, tying in other fairy tales. So, I thought, why not keep going? Like
anything new anyone tries, you're never sure if a thing will work as well as
you hope, but I'm glad to say these books are striking a chord with readers. It
seems I wasn't the only one curious about what happens when you gender flip
stories that have been around for millennia. Modernizing and/or adding more
mature heat levels these legends is perfectly fine, but I wanted to retain that
fairy tale feel alongside this new take on old favorites and make them
accessible and enjoyable for younger readers as well as adults.They're
something familiar, yet refreshingly new at the same time. I also love that
they share a connected world and can be read in any order. As an author, it
keeps me from getting complacent and bored with the setting and characters, and
readers can start with whichever story tickles their fancy and don't lose
anything by only reading one, but discovering the ties between the stories is
an adventure in itself as well.
Have
you always loved fairytales? (I have!)
I was raised not
only on fairy tales, but stories out of mythology alongside Science Fiction and
Fantasy novels, thanks to my mother. However, I think I enjoyed the fairy tales
a little less because I found certain aspects of them bothersome or
problematic. Some of the underlying ideas always troubled me, but in writing
these Flipped Fairy Tales, I've discovered a way to fix those issues. Take Jack
and the Beanstalk, for example. It's a story about a boy who makes a dumb
(and potentially fatal) mistake, then breaks into someone's house, steals their
stuff, and finally murders them when they come to reclaim their property. In The
Stillness of the Sky, I instead make Jaqueline a victim of terrible
circumstance, but she has a determination to be good to others, no matter where
life takes her. By showing that kindness can be the harder path, but the more
rewarding one, I've returned this fairy tale to the purpose all folk tales
originally had. They were passed on not only as a means to entertain, but also
to teach. Whether they were imparting valuable life lessons or religious
beliefs, every story had a kernel of knowledge to pass on. I try not to be
preachy with these stories, but I've always relished the opportunity to inform
as I entertain. As people generally learn better when you explain how or why a
thing should be done, my Flipped Fairy Tales gave me the chance to explain
these qualities of decency in a way the original, bare bones tales can't. And I
absolutely love that.
Your Flipped
Fairytales remind me a bit of Once Upon A Time (my favorite show of the
moment!) Have you ever seen it?
I'm not caught up
with the current season, but it's definitely a show I've been watching since it
began. The world of OUaT is very similar to mine, in that all the stories
intertwine with one another, but it's obviously a modern day retelling of fairy
tales, so it's very different from what I've created. I do love what they've
done with some of the characters, like Hook and Regina, in that they're more
than two-dimensional villains. The idea that anyone can be redeemed is amazing
and powerful, and the world needs much more of that.
Who is your
favorite storybook character - male and female?
If we're speaking
about the very earliest picture books I read, I think I'd probably choose
Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon, as that story speaks a lot
about using art to explore your world (a thing a kid like I was would know a
lot about) as the male choice. For female, the one I'd choose doesn't have a
name. The heroine from East of the Sun and West of the Moon is a poor,
peasant girl who is chosen by a cursed prince to break the curse upon him. She
makes a terrible mistake and lets her doubts get the better of her, but then
proceeds to own that mistake and do whatever it takes to fix it. I loved that
story so much, it's the basis of my third Flipped Fairy Tale, Ride the Wind.
What other
novels have you written?
I currently have
16 books available, and they range from YA Fantasy (my Flipped Fairy Tales), to
YA Contemporary (My Bittersweet Summer), to Steampunk adventure (Master
of Myth) to adult titles that aren't intended for younger readers. I keep
them separated by author name, that being Starla Huchton for general audiences
and S. A. Huchton for my books with mature language/situations. My adult titles
cover Suspense (Lex Talionis), sexy superheroes (the Evolution series
and the first in the follow-on series to that, Spark), and Science
Fiction Romance (the Endure series and The Night Bridge). I have plans
to release High Fantasy Romance titles next year, so I'll be adding that to my
repertoire as well.
What was it
like flying to Fresno, California, and participating in ZappCon?
Being a military
family and a big fan of geeky conventions, I wasn't a stranger to travel or
cons in general, but flying across the country to attend one as an invited
guest was a brand new experience. ZappCon is a smaller con, and this was only
it's second year, so I wasn't totally sure what would be waiting for me when I
got there. I have to say, it was definitely an enjoyable experience. The staff
was friendly, the con was well-organized, there was a huge range of nerdy
interests to occupy all tastes, and I met some incredible and talented people.
I used to live in California, but that was three and a half years ago and a lot
has changed for me. Visiting the west coast as an author gave me an opportunity
to connect with a whole new audience I don't normally get to interact with
outside of the internet, so it was a huge treat for me. Most of the conventions
I've been to were on the east coast, so I was really excited to see California
bring their A-game when it came to cosplay, gaming, comics, and other geekery.
I'm absolutely a huge nerd, so spending so much time on the vendor floor was
more or less a dream come true. I got to stare at awesome artwork of superheroes
and talk about books for two days straight. It was amazing. LOL
Are you
working on any more projects?
I am ALWAYS
working on more projects. Always. My list of works in progress is almost as
long as my list of completed projects. At the top of the WIP list right now is
my fourth Flipped Fairy Tale (Dust in the Desert), finishing up the
second book in the Antigone's Wrath series (Master of Machines), and
working on the third book in my unreleased and heretofore un-talked about High
Fantasy Romance series, Hearts of Valentia. Yes, I said third book. I've
already finished the first two, but haven't set a release date until I finish
what I started. I have four of them planned, but I need to play a lot more
Dragon Age for inspiration, I think. Not that I need a reason to play Dragon
Age. Did I mention I'm a huge nerd? Hearts of Valentia is very much along the
line of video games like Dragon Age and The Witcher... only more romance and
less monster slaughter. Sort of. It wouldn't be High Fantasy if I didn't hack
away at a few demons and ogres, at least.
Where can
readers visit you online?
I'm around the
web in lots of places. I have a blog where I post about writerly and bookish
things from time to time, and there are links to all my titles there:
My Facebook
Author Page, where I post teasers and the occasional giveaway and book news
items:
I'm over on
Twitter, though not as much as I used to be:
And, of course,
there's my new release newsletter, for folks who hate spam, but still want to
know when I have a new book out:
I'm always open
to meeting new fans and readers, so please feel free to stop by and say hello!
Thank you so
much for your time, Starla. Best of luck!
Thanks so much
for having me as a guest! Happy reading to all!
About the Author
A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. She is a three time finalist for Parsec Awards for her podcast, fiction work, and was the first place winner for science fiction and fantasy in the Sandy Competition in 2012. Her works span science fiction, fantasy, new adult romance, young adult titles, steampunk, contemporary, and various other varieties of stories. She is greedy and likes all the genres!
When not writing, Starla trains three minions, a black lab and a military husband whilst designing book covers for independent authors and publishers at: DesignedByStarla.Com.
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Get fictional - it's fun! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again soon!