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Welcome to the Tuesday Author Interview with Christina Boyd for the Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
CHRISTINA: I first started following author Summer Hanford on Facebook. I was fascinated by her social media presence and ability to produce a new book a couple of times a year. Now that I know she not only writes Austen-adjacent novels but also fantasy, I am even more awed.
What comes first: plot or characters?
SUMMER: The world, then the overall plot, then the characters, then the details of the plot, because how the characters interact with the world and the overall plot defines the nuances of how the story unfolds.
CHRISTINA: What are you working on these days?
SUMMER: Well, Renata McMann and I put out To Catch a Poisoner. Then, last month, I released the final book in my "Rise of the Summer God" epic fantasy series, followed by a companion short story, Trial by Moonlight, which shows off the new cover look the series is moving to. This month, I finished a second short work about Anne de Bourgh, who appears in Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop. Next, I will work on my latest Pride & Prejudice Variation, in which someone shoots a hole in Mr. Darcy’s hat.
CHRISTINA: You are amazing. Your ability to juggle so many plates and write in two different genres is so impressive. That cover of Trial by Moonlight is gorgeous. I love the moon's reflection on the blade.
Which of your own novels is your favorite?
SUMMER: The next one. Always the next one. I get so excited about each new project, and I love it while I’m working on it. Then it goes out into the world, and the next book is so exciting, and I love working on it. But if I have to choose . . . Nope. It’s not working. I can’t choose.
CHRISTINA: I totally get that. It's exciting to throw yourself into a new project and love it.
What makes you get up in the morning? What do you love?
SUMMER: I get up in the morning to write. I really do. Whether or not I get to write depends on how many other things I need to get done. Being an author is so much more than writing, especially for a self-published author (although my traditionally published books get their fair share of my time, too). But a good day is a day when I get to sit on my couch with my cat, have a fine view out my window, and write.
CHRISTINA: Indeed. Being an indie is so taxing on many levels. But you make it look easy. Well done, you.
Best advice for new writers:
SUMMER: Get feedback and ask for help. There are so many nice people out there who are happy to give you feedback on a first chapter or help you understand formatting or cover design or the submission process or whatever it is you need to know.
CHRISTINA: Excellent advice. Too often new writers think they have to go it alone and then make the mistake of publishing before they are ready. So important to reach out to writing peers.
So far, what is your greatest accomplishment as a writer?
SUMMER: Overcoming the desire to have everyone like each one of my books, and caring when not everyone does.
CHRISTINA: Oof. That's a tough one. Good on you if you have achieved this.
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
SUMMER: I’m sure you get this answer a lot, but if I weren’t a writer, the first thing I would be is quite mad. My brain has made up stories for as long as I can remember. When we were all very young, I would tell them to my siblings as bedtime stories. Learning to write was simply a way to channel them. If I don’t get them out, they swirl around in my head and don’t let me sleep. So, as I said, the first answer is that I would be quite insane. But to answer more in the more traditional sense, I would be doing scientific research in an area of biology. I enjoy setting and achieving my own goals, breaking things down into components, dissecting, planning, organizing, analyzing, and learning.
CHRISTINA: Have you ever written a book with STEM characters? Seems that might be an easy fit for you.
How did writing your first book change your writing process?
SUMMER: I’d say it took until my fifth book (few have seen the first four) before I started to get a clue, and there were a lot of practical changes. For example, I didn’t know how to punctuate dialogue. I didn’t know about point of view. I didn’t even know that ‘witch’ and ‘which’ were different words. For someone who routinely read at least three novels a week for years, I was surprisingly uninformed. I will add that I meant it about not being able to recognize faces. It somehow goes along with my complete inability to spell. What many people pick up simply by living, I have to make a concerted effort to achieve, like learning a person’s face (I usually give up and learn their hairstyle or voice) or how to spell every word I want to use, even simple ones like ‘of’ (I used to spell it 'ove' . . . which doesn’t even make sense but was my best guess when I was younger). That’s okay, though, because we all have things we’re bad at. The key is to identify them and create strategies. You know, break down and dissect the issue, form a plan, organize the steps, execute, and learn. Everything I enjoy doing.
CHRISTINA: I think we never stop learning. Recognizing that we can always do better is a gift. Thanks, Summer, for joining me for this Tuesday Author Interview. I am so impressed with all you do to publish your novels. Like I said, you make the indie route look easy. Keep up the stellar work.
SUMMER: Thank you so much, Christina, for having me on The Quill Ink and for such a lovely interview. I really appreciate your support of writers and the writing community, and I love your garden.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Summer Hanford writes swashbuckling Historical Romance, best-selling Pride and Prejudice retellings, and gripping Epic Fantasy. She lives in the Finger Lakes Region of New York with her husband and compulsory, deliberately spoiled cat. The newest addition to their household, an energetic setter-shepherd mix, has been trying and failing for six years to gain acceptance from the cat but is adored by the humans. Since the moment she read her first novel, Summer’s passion has always been writing. As a child growing up on a dairy farm, she built castles made of hay and wielded swords made of fence posts. She is also passionate about animals, travel, and organizing her closet. Nothing pleases her more than a row of tops broken down by sleeve length and ordered by color…except working on her latest novel with her cat in her lap, her dog lounging on the rug dreaming of squirrels, and a cup of tea at hand.
For more about Summer, you can connect with her several ways:
I loved learning so many things I didn’t know about Summer today! Mr. Darcy’s Bookshop is my favourite, but maybe ‘the next one’ will be. And I loved the prequel to that book about Anne de Bourgh and now look forward v II of Anne’s adventures.
I loved reading about Summer's writing journey and all her different projects. Thank you!