Featured Interview With E. C. Hibbs
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
My name is Emma, and I write all kinds of fantasy under the name E. C. Hibbs. My debut novel was published in 2012, and since then, I’ve released an additional 12 novels, plus some anthologies and short story collections. I’m also a calligrapher and traditional storyteller, and I frequently give talks on the historical origins of fairy tales at events around north England and Wales. I’m from Cheshire, and I’ve lived in this area all my life, except for a period when I was based in the Finnish Arctic. Now I’m back in England, and am kept company by my very vocal cat, Millie-Moo.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been an avid bookworm, and have read for as long as I can remember. As a child, I devoured whatever books I could get my hands on: everything from Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket to William Golding and Charles Dickens. I really related to Matilda when I was growing up, partly because I was bullied a lot, but also because she read so veraciously.
I wrote my first story when I was five years old. One of my fondest memories is my mum stitching a spine into it, so it looked like a real book. My first novel followed when I was twelve, and even though it sucked, it lit a fire within me. I knew then that writing was something I would never stop doing, and I dreamed of being an author one day. Luckily, I was encouraged by my parents and several fantastic teachers, and a few years ago, I was able to go back to my old school and personally thank them.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Reading Dickens as a child really impacted me, and I developed a love for classics which has never faded. My favourites under that umbrella are the Brontes, Mary Shelley, J. Sheridan Le Fanu, Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker and Arthur Conan Doyle. My other favourite genre is fantasy, in practically all its forms. I adore the work of Tolkien, Michelle Paver, Marcus Sedgwick, Garth Nix, Bridget Collins, Susanna Clarke and Philip Pullman. I also tend to read a lot of nonfiction, especially historic and folkloric stuff, and anything to do with the Arctic – it feels like going home!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest paper baby is The Road Through Night, to be released on Sunday 2nd March. It’s Book Two of the Nightland Quartet: a series which features almost 30 retold fairy tales, laced with elements of Gothic classics, and set in an alternative 1830s, when Queen Victoria has just come to the throne. It follows a young woman called Beatrice, who is neurodivergent and mute, and her drawings feature throughout the books as illustrations.
The series grew very organically out of research I was doing into Grimm fairy tales. I work in the heritage sector, so I was able to use my knowledge of the 19th century for the world building. Creating Beatrice was a wonderful experience, because I used my own autism to inform her perception of the world: the first time I had purposefully done that.
The entire quartet is now written, and the first drafts collectively took about two years. Combined with all the research, planning and editing, that number rises to five years. I can’t wait to bring out the final two books, but for now, I’m very excited for The Road Through Night, and I hope people will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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