1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

I began writing because I enjoyed it and found I was good at it. The fact that major publishers agreed is scarcely pertinent. In the end, I do this better than anything else, and it’s easy. It’s easy to give utter effort to writing day after day, year after year, because that is how magic is made, not by casting spells or incanting charms.

2) What inspired you to write your book?

I wanted to write a novel that is warmer in the emotions the characters experience than is my norm. That entails developing settings and scenes less intense than my usual, but no less involving. 

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

“Pay forward” is a profound idea. If you’re a witch, you can extend the substance of your spirit centuries ahead to find a subject worthy of your suicide.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

See #2. Above and beyond that, the genre is literary fiction, the only type of writing I know, even when working on a kids’ book.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

I would ask Connie if she thinks she’s a brat, because a lot of people feel that way about her, including the murderous jungle denizens who keep her alive. If I asked her that, however, it would make her cry; and I would hold her hand and say that things are just fine, because she may be a brat, but absolutely she is a hero. Then she would cry again, but she would be smiling now.

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

The answer is none. I hate social media, and they hate me. If it weren’t made of pixels, I would like to burn SocialMedia down to the ground.

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

First, read more. More than that. Read books and plays and poetry that are unfamiliar to you. Then, ask yourself why you want to be a writer. Because you want to do something pretty much like the last something you read? Because you can add to the world of expression and understanding? Because you grasp that the word “literature” wasn’t coined by authors who have created the most vital and valuable writings of their eras, but by their admirers? Because you wanna make a buck? The most important thing I can say is this: If you are truly a writer, you were born a writer. It has nothing to do with publishing.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I’m working on a series of children’s picture books starting with COLORBLIND DOGS: a kids’ book that kids would buy for their parents.

About the Author

H. C. Turk is a writer, sound artist, and visual artist. His novels have been published by Villard and Tor. His short fiction, sound pieces, movies, and visual art have appeared in numerous magazines, web-sites, podcasts, and film festivals. He used to paint houses (not as an art form.)