Featured Interview With Heather Hobson
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
Thus far, aside from travels, my life has occurred in California. That will not always be so, as I am looking to relocate to Oregon.
Currently my animal sweethearts are Boomer and Maggie. I had a lovely cockatiel, Morgan, who lived with me for 24 years before passing, and several other wonderful dogs, as well as hamster, hermit crabs, and gold fish.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
At age 10 I decided I wanted to be a writer. At that point my parents said, “That’s great, but are you going to do to make money?” They are a bit more supportive of my creative skills now.
My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Conroy, was a key to inspiring my writing. As a student in her class, I wrote every day in a journal. My first stories involved pink and blue elephants meeting and getting married.
Currently I have had four books published, but only three are still in print. They include Stubby, the Magic Pencil, Callings: Tales of the Conrads of Karna, and a Tale of Butts: The Story of a Couch, which is printed under a pen name of Echo Ryan.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite author is C.S. Lewis, though I enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephan R. Donaldson, and many others.
I read a lot of history and biographies, but I also enjoy fantasy, science fiction, and that great cross over genre of space fantasy.
One person who always pushed me and inspired my writing, was my friend Bonnie Newton. We meet in Oxford, England while taking a course on Castles and Country Houses. When we met we discovered we both lived in California, both wrote fantasy, and while I was a current teacher, she was a retired teacher. Thus began a great friendship of letters and critiques with occasional lunches until she passed a few years back at the age of 85!
Interestingly enough, her kids weren’t interested in her writing, so I inherited it all. So, some day when I have time I will finish some of Bonnie’s unfinished novels. My favorite is of a troll.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My most recent book is Stubby, the Magic Pencil. Within in the pages of this book you will meet Rachel who hates writing. One day she breaks her pencil during a test. Her teacher hands her a short pencil with gnaw marks to use. Disgusted, Rachel attempts to rid herself of the pencil, but it keeps returning. She soon discovers it possesses a talent she does not have: the ability to tell stories.
As Rachel holds the pencil, and it writes, the pencil reveals a tale about a kidnaped unicorn. The unicorn’s friend, Prince Jacob, sets out to rescue the unicorn. Jacob convinces the wizard-kidnapper to take him on as an apprentice. While working for the wizard, Jacob discovers the horrible truth: his unicorn friend has been transformed and sent to another world.
This delightful tale is written for children aged seven to eleven and deals with the themes of self-esteem and loyalty.
The publisher and ISBN number are:
ISBN: 978-1-312-32837-2
Publisher: Lulu Enterprises, Inc.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles